Can you even have too many sets of headphones?
Affordable wireless earbuds are a dime a dozen these days, but if you want the best audio experience around, you’ll need to pay for it. When it comes to audio quality and noise cancelation, companies like Google and Samsung can’t hold a candle to the best efforts from some of their competitors. Right now, Sony’s WF-1000XM4 buds are down to just $178, tying the lowest price yet for what might be the best earbuds you can buy today.
This price briefly appeared earlier this week at a couple of retailers, but it seems to be sticking around now as we move closer towards Black Friday. Although they’re over a year old now, the XM4s remain Sony’s latest high-end pair of earbuds, and an overall better option than anything else you’ll find on the market today. With killer sound, foam tips, and outstanding noise cancelation, Sony’s efforts already best most of the competition — and that’s before you account for its eight hour listening time with ANC enabled.
Sony WF-1000XM4
Source: Sony
Sony’s earbuds are some of the best you can buy right now. With excellent audio quality, impressive noise cancelation, and all-day battery life, the XM4s are well worth your money — especially while they’re on sale for just $178.
Really, the biggest issues with the XM4s come down to three elements: comfort, price, and multipoint support. These earbuds are larger than similar options, which might keep them from feeling cozy inside everyone’s ear. Of course, this fact applies to every pair of buds — it’s hard to know how your ears will react to headphones until you try them out. Thankfully, this sale alleviates any price concerns, bringing the near-$300 tag back into reality. Multipoint support is also about to be addressed, as Sony plans on adding it in an upcoming software patch as soon as this month.
In fact, this deal is so good, I’m considering copping a pair of my own. I’ve been looking to replace my aging Jabra Elite 75ts, as the battery life just isn’t what it used to be. And while Jabra’s Elite 7 Pro has dipped in price recently, our own Daniel Bader’s mixed review has kept me from pulling the trigger. With the XM4s now priced competitively — and with multipoint coming soon — there’s a good chance a pair arrives on my doorstep before the end of the weekend.
As we approach the holiday shopping season, there are bound to be dozens of deals competing for our attention. Luckily, I think this is one that truly deserves it, an impressive price for an even more impressive set of earbuds. Don’t sleep on this sale — I wouldn’t be surprised if retailers start selling out sooner rather than later.
