My job is testing audio, and this is the only Prime Day ANC headphones deal you need

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 on green background with TechRadar's 'price cut' poster

(Image credit: Bose (Amazon))

Contemplating getting yourself a set of active noise-cancelling headphones during Amazon's exciting (albeit forgettably named) Prime Big Deal Days, which kicks off on October 10-11?

Outstanding – but I'm here to tell you that for me, the best deal is already live.

I often get asked what the best headphones are for creating a glorious bubble of silence around you and your music, and my answer is invariably the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

Yes, another forgettable name. But I don't come up with monikers for brands, sadly; I just write the reviews. And despite their relative age (they launched back in May 2019) the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 still sit pretty as some of the best noise-cancelling headphones we've ever tested.

The point is that, right now, supreme noise-nixing audio from Bose can be yours at a very healthy discount – and I feel so strongly about it that I've written a bulletin to tell you how to bag it.

Bose's Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are currently 21% off at Amazon – now just $299 (MSRP $379).

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: was $379 now $299 at Amazon
They're five years old and they are still the best active noise-cancelling headphones you can buy for noise nixing alone. I get asked specifically about them every single Prime Day by colleagues. Is this the best ever price? No: they hit $269 once in December of 2022, so this is just $30 shy of that –but honestly, the Noise Cancelling 700 are becoming harder to get hold of, and Bose deals are rare as pirate sea glass anyway – so this is a deal to snap up now.

When I started writing about noise-cancelling headphones back in 2019, the Bose Noise Cancelling 700 burst in and swiftly went to the top of the pile. And its testament to the firm's greatness (Bose pioneered active noise cancellation technology in the 1970s, to help pilots during aircraft landing) that this is still the case today. They're just that good.

Unlike some of the best over-ear headphones, these wireless over-ears do not fold up for easier transportation in their supplied hard-shell case, but the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Bowers & Wilkins PX8 do not fold either – and honestly, with an incremental ANC slider this good, you'll never want to take them off anyway…

Let me be frank (you can still be Garth): the 700s are in a category all of their own when it comes to noise nixing. I have heard it, and at full whack, the bottom falls out the room. You're living in your head. It is unparalleled.

Maybe you love ANC but you're looking for earbuds in Amazon's October Prime Day sales? My honest advice is, I wouldn't. If you want truly awesome ANC, go for an over-ear design.

The brilliant Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 offer the kind of highly adjustable ANC you need, plus great audio quality. Until now, they haven't managed to beat Sony's equivalents in terms of battery life and price – but at this price I know where my money is going.

Even though the company's newer Bose QuietComfort 45 are a solid bet, the 700 still trounce the QC 45 across the board, for me. I love how controllable the noise cancellation is through the app – more controllable than the QC45 – and I think the more modern design (I know, odd because the 700s are older, but it's the truth) beats the QC35 II-esque QC45 aesthetic.

My advice? If silence is golden on your commute, this is the October Prime Day deal for you.

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.