16 of the best earbuds and headphones deals in the big October Prime Day sales

Sony WF-C500: $99.99 $58 at Amazon
Save $42 - This 42% saving equals the lowest we've ever seen these true wireless earbuds from Sony. And while the words 'Sony' and 'budget-friendly' don't often go hand-in-hand, for $58 you're getting extremely tidy and compact Sony earpieces (at only 5.4g per bud) and sound that is "peppy and well-organized", as we said in our review. Also, the on-ear controls work well – and yes, they can control volume. All in all, it's a lot for $58… 

JBL Tune 230 NC: $99.95 $49.95 at Amazon
Save $50 - Admit it, this is what you came here for – earbuds that just dropped so low in price you save more than you spend! It's $10 cheaper than we've ever seen them, but then Prime Day Early Access is the gift that keeps on giving. Here, that gift is JBL's perky, zealous sound, comfortable fit and solid battery life – as we said in our review. The only real drawback is the ANC, which is OK rather than excellent, but really, for this money it would be wrong to nitpick… 

Sony WH-1000XM5: $399.99 $348 at Amazon
Save $51.99 - Sony's latest wireless over-ears only came out in May 2022 and because they're every bit as talented as the excellent WH-1000XM4 they supersede, to see them discounted at all for Prime Day Early Access is a welcome surprize. And what a deal it is! The XM5 are every inch a class-leading set of Sony cans – just check out our five-star review (note the phrase "still the best in the business"). As long as their non-folding design works for you, these are the noise cancelling headphones to beat. 

Apple AirPods Pro 2: $249 $234.99 at Amazon
Save $14 - This is not a drill: the newest, September 23-release AirPods Pro 2 are discounted for Amazon Prime Day Early Access! It may be a small saving, but it's the lowest price we've ever seen for Apple's brand new, top-tier, incredibly talented buds with added volume control in the stems and ANC so good it's unreal. They're easily some of the best true wireless earbuds on the market – we don't have room here, but if you want to read more TechRadar praise for these 'Pods, our AirPods Pro 2 review is the place. 

Beats Fit Pro: $199.95 $159.95 at Amazon
Save $40 - Thanks to Prime Day Early Access, you can nab 20% off a set of Apple's Beats-branded sports earbuds that already deliver an AirPods Pro-like experience at a lower price – and with an added wingtip for security. This discount matches their lowest-ever-seen price, and for it you get active noise cancellation, spatial audio support and hands-free Siri on iOS, although it's worth noting that Android owners won’t get the full experience. The Beats Fit Pro are a snug-fitting, workout headphone alternative to Apple’s flagship true wireless earbuds – as we said in our review.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: $379 $269 at Amazon
Save 29% - These are fantastic and stylish noise-stopping headphones for this price. And the discount is superb – prior to today we've only seen them drop to $299. We love them: they look great, they're comfortable, they sound excellent, and Bose's noise cancellation is superb.

Beats Studio Buds: $149.95 $99.95 at Amazon
Save $50 - Beats' truly likeable Buds are back down to their lowest-seen price for Prime Day Early Access and, since we called them "some of the best Beats buds you can buy" under intense review, you know it's a good deal. The audio here is great and they're among the most comfortable earbuds we've tested. You don't get Apple's newest H1 chip (for greater power efficiency and lower latency) but a quick scan of our review proves they're still a top buy with 33% off. 

Bose QuietComfort 45: $329 $229 at Amazon
Save $100 - They're big, they're bold, they're Bose and they're back down to their lowest seen blow-out bargain price for Prime Day Early Access! Bose's newest September 2021-release cans boast very good noise cancellation, (just see our review on the matter) and although they're perhaps a tad light through the bass and you're losing out on Sony's LDAC codec support (you'll need to look to something like Sony's WH-1000XM5 for that) at 30% off, they're well worth considering. 

Sony LinkBuds S: $199.99 $128 at Amazon
Save $72 - Stop the press! We've seen them drop as low as $148 prior to this particular Amazon deals extravaganza – but for Prime Early Access, the crazy people at Amazon decided to shave an extra $20 off their lowest-seen price! Sony's May 2022-release buds are arguably the best-fitting earbuds for smaller ears and a quick glance at our review reveals a stack of well-implemented control options too. Any downsides? They're not the most dynamically attacking earbuds out there. But for this new low 36%-off price, they're a very tempting proposition…

Sennheiser CX True Wireless: $129.95 $69.95 at Amazon
Save $60 - Look, they're not the most beautiful buds on the market, but other than that these true wireless earbuds are excellent – especially at this new low price, which is $10 cheaper than we've seen them to date. In our glowing review, we praised the CX's "excellent audio performance, great connectivity and decent battery life", and just look at that 46% saving!

Jabra Elite 7 Pro: $199.99 $129.99 at Amazon
Save $70 - Jabra brings a plethora of premium features (including wireless charging and IP57 waterproofing) to a lower price point than many of its competitors with the Elite Pro 7 – and even more so with this tasty discount. While the overall audio and noise-cancelling aren't the best you can possibly buy on the market, these earbuds are compact, supremely comfortable and they look stylish on. Not sure whether to click 'buy'? Have a quick read of our review of Jabra's top-tier true wireless proposition – and there's always our best budget earbuds buying guide. 

Anker Soundcore Q30 noise cancelling headphones: £79.99 £55.99 at Amazon
Save 30% - These are incredible-value travel headphones. You get active noise cancellation with multiple modes, including one for transport, plus a 40-hour battery life for long trips, and they fold down small in a handy travel case. They're comfortable for long periods of wearing them too, and there's an aux-in for connecting to plane viewing systems, as well as Bluetooth 5 for everyday use.

Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones: £316 £299 at Amazon
Save £17 - This is another deal with a small discount, but the important part is that it's the first time we've ever seen the latest Sony five-star headphones drop under £300. It's the lowest price so far for these excellent-sounding, massively noise-stopping wireless cans – if you've been waiting for a great drop from their £349 launch price, this might be the time to jump.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: £169 £139 at Amazon
Save £30 - This is an amazing new low price for these earbuds – their previous lowest-ever price was £169, so a drop to £139 is incredible! If you want noise-cancelling power from your earbuds, nothing – nothing – beats these for this price, and they sound excellent for music too. The Bose app also gives you fine control over what they can do.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: £299 £179 at Amazon
Save 40% - These are fantastic and stylish noise-stopping headphones for this price. The discount listed by Amazon here is a bit misleading – they general cost between £200 and £250 – but this deal still excellent, because it's nearly the cheapest they've ever been (they hit £169 once). And they've only been this cheap three time ever, for very limited periods. We love them: they look great, they're comfortable, they sound excellent, and Bose's noise cancellation is superb.

Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds: £59 £49 at Amazon
Save £10 - This isn't the world's biggest discount - although it's a 46% on the RRP of £90 - but it brings these highly rated earbuds down to their joint-lowest price ever: we've never seen them cheaper. For such a low price, you get that Sony reliability and sound quality, in small and light true wireless buds. They're an audio bargain at this price.