Sony, JBL, Sennheiser and Bose all feature, and everything has at least a 4 star review<\/b>
\nEvery year when Prime Day comes rolling around, I admit I can be a little sceptical as to just how good the deals will be. I don\u2019t mean in general \u2013 our live coverage of the best Prime Day deals proves there are terrific bargains to be had on a range of devices and appliances \u2013 I\u2019m talking specifically about personal audio.
I understand the hype around Prime Day, but I\u2019m usually of the persuasion that Black Friday will be the best time to scoop up crazy bargains on the likes of headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other audio gear. Well, this year Amazon has given me a proper slap around the face and has delivered far and beyond anything I expected, and to prove it, I\u2019ve picked out 10 of my favourite personal audio deals for you to inspect for yourself.
These aren\u2019t deals from obscure companies you\u2019ve never heard of either, with heavy-hitter brands like JBL, Sony, Sennheiser and Bose dominating, and prices starting from just AU$66. Best of all, everything on my list has received at least a four-star rating from us at TechRadar, and nothing is priced over AU$400. Do note, however, that all these deals are Prime-exclusive, so you\u2019ll need an Amazon membership to take advantage. Don\u2019t have one? You can always sign up for a free trial.
So, without further ado.
Not all Bluetooth speakers need to be big, brash, party-starting monsters. If you just want to enjoy some music on your own without the use of headphones, or head out on a hike with some friends carrying a lightweight speaker to soundtrack your day, the JBL Clip 5 is the perfect choice. It has a built-in carabiner clip to attach to virtually anything, it can go loud and remain detailed and it\u2019s available in a range of fetching colours.
Want a great pair of noise-cancelling in-ear headphones without breaking the bank? Look no further than the Earfun Air Pro 3. While there\u2019s actually a newer model of these available, we reckon the third-generation is the one to get, especially at this price. They\u2019re an excellent all-rounder, serving up a fun, engaging sound. Battery life is also stellar at 36 hours in total with ANC on.
JBL is absolutely a master when it comes to Bluetooth speakers and the Flip 6 is a testament to that. The company\u2019s Flip series has regularly dominated our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers, and it\u2019s only the new Flip 7 that\u2019s been able to dethrone the Flip 6 from the top spot. It\u2019s exceptionally easy to use, serves up a full, detailed sound that can go loud (and even louder when paired with other Flip 6 speakers) and it\u2019s built tough. If the Clip 5 further up is your companion getting to a camp site, the Flip 6 is the one that\u2019ll keep the night going strong.
If you want to get the best possible sound from your devices then a pair of wired headphones is often the way to go. Fortunately, you don\u2019t need to spend big bucks to get a good pair, as the Sennheiser IE 200 prove. We already thought they were affordable at full price, so this 54% discount makes them a true gem. We found them to deliver a weighty, insightful sound in our Sennheiser IE 200 review, and that they\u2019re capable of remaining distortion-free even at high volumes. If you listen to high-resolution audio a lot, this is a deal you can\u2019t ignore.
The JBL Flip 6 might be our favourite Bluetooth speaker overall, but there\u2019s absolutely an argument to be made for the Bose SoundLink Flex. It\u2019s a good looking device, offers serious scale when it comes to sound, it\u2019s packed with features and it can even float. It\u2019s perhaps not the outright best option for larger rooms and large groups, but keep things a little smaller in scale and you\u2019re onto a winner.
Sennheiser knows a thing or two about producing superb headphones. If you\u2019re fussy about audio like me, you\u2019ll likely be aware of the Momentum 4 Wireless (which also feature in this round up) but the Accentum Plus might have gone under your radar. And that would be a shame, as they\u2019re an excellent example of just how good a mid-rage pair of headphones can be. They benefit from the aptX Adaptive codec for higher-quality streaming and deliver an \u201cinformative sound\u201d according to our review. Their fit might be a little snug for some, but overall, they\u2019re a quality option at a very affordable price.
Moving into more familiar territory, I\u2019ve picked out this insane 53% discount on the Bose QuietComfort SC. This model is the same as the current-gen Bose QuietComfort Headphones, the SC at the end simply means they come with a soft carry case. As with any set of Bose cans, these have excellent ANC, making them a no-brainer for anyone who really wants to block out the world around them, and they\u2019re super comfortable. They fold away nicely, too, making them travel-friendly and you have some personalisation available via the companion app. This is the lowest price I\u2019ve seen on these in a long time, so now\u2019s a great time to snap them up if you\u2019re keen.
For not a lot more money than the Bose pair above, you could alternatively arm yourself with the stupendous Sennheiser Momentum 4s. I\u2019ve used this pair myself and I immediately understood the hype around them. They\u2019re comfortable, sound phenomenal, their ANC performance is up there with the best and they\u2019ll keep playing for up to 60 hours per charge. For context, the Bose QuietComforts only manage up to 26 hours of battery life. You can spend a little less on a different colour, but with the Special Edition black-and-copper model getting such a huge discount, it\u2019s my top pick.
Remember I said earlier that Bluetooth speakers don\u2019t need to be big and brash? Well the JBL Xtreme 4 says otherwise. This thing really is big \u2013 how many other portable Bluetooth speakers do you know that come with a shoulder strap? But it uses its large size to cram in plenty of speaker drivers to deliver a big, bold and detailed sound (you\u2019ll want to tweak with the EQ settings to get serious bass) and a huge battery that lasts up to 30 hours on a single charge.
It should perhaps come as no surprise that the Sony XM5s have received a significant discount for Prime Day. Why? Because they\u2019ve been superseded by the XM6s of course. The new pair might be the pinnacle of headphones right now, but they\u2019re also close to double the price of these discounted XM5s. That makes this a sensational deal, as these over-ears serve up a richly detailed sound, some of the best ANC for the money and an excellent companion app packed with features.<\/p>\n