Why You Can Trust CNET Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are still $52 off at Amazon
This top-rated noise-canceling model is being discounted to $298. Also on sale: The Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
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With Bose announcing its new Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 ($400) a couple of weeks ago, we were expecting to see some sales on competing models that have been on the market for a while. Sure enough, the Sony WH-1000XM3, currently our top-rated noise-canceling headphone, has been discounted from $350 to $298 for the last several days.
I got a chance to play around with the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (shipping June 30) at a media preview event, and they seem very impressive, with slightly improved sound quality over Bose QuietComfort 35 and a slew of new features, including significantly better call quality. (I'll need to do more extensive testing with an actual review sample to reach a final verdict on their sound quality vs. the Sony WH-1000XM3's). However, they do cost $400, which is just too pricey for some people.
It's also worth mentioning we could see Sony release the fourth-generation (WH-1000XM4) version of this headphone later this year. The company has updated the headphone twice over the last two years, so that may also be the reason why the WH-1000XM3 is getting discounted now. It's been on sale for $300 before, but Amazon is billing it as a "limited-time" deal.
Read: I tried the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and they're pretty great
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Bose's QuietComfort 35 II is also on sale for $299 at Amazon. That's not surprising considering the new Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are shipping June 30. As I said, while $400 is certainly expensive for a headphone -- some might argue too expensive -- most people would seemingly prefer to pay $50 more for the latest and greatest from Bose and ignore the old model unless it was priced significantly lower. I expect to see the QC35 II cost even less during the holiday buying season.
Other noise-canceling headphones on sale include the Bowers & Wilkins PX ($100 off) and Sennhesier PXC 550($120 off), In fact, the best deal right now might be the renewed version of the PXC 550 for $137 at Amazon.