Some great holiday headphones deals remain, so nab them now

The Soundcore Life P3 are essentially a more affordable version of the Liberty Air 2 Pro ($130 list). They're missing wireless charging and a wear-detection sensor that automatically pauses your music when you take the earbuds out of your ears. However, these noise-canceling earbuds sound quite decent (they have a bass-boost mode) and also have good sound quality for making calls. A companion app allows you to tweak the sound a bit.

The Soundcore Life P2 Mini buds are also on sale. They're only $30 or $10 off. They also sound decent but are missing active noise canceling and have fewer microphones, so their voice-calling performance isn't quite as good.

I haven't tried the Harman Kardon Fly ANC headphones but Harman Kardon gear generally sounds good and eBay has them for $60. They have a handful of reviews on Amazon, mostly good. The headphones appear to have been released in April 2020. These deal could sell out fast because quantities are limited. 

LG's Tone Free FP9 are a nice improvement over previous Tone Free true-wireless earbuds I've tried in the last couple of years, offering better sound with fuller bass and decent noise canceling. They're lightweight and comfortable to wear (yes, they look quite a bit like AirPods Pro but come in black) and their touch controls are responsive. They performed well as a headset for making calls, though I expected a little better noise reduction when I was making calls in the raucous streets of New York.

They have a couple of bonus features. You can plug the case into a standard headphone port (say, on a plane) and the case acts as a wireless Bluetooth transceiver. It also has a built-in self-cleaning feature. It's a bit of a gimmick, but for all you germaphobes, the case has a UV light -- LG calls it UVnano -- that kills bacteria on the speaker mesh.

Released back in September for $329, Bose's brand-new QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones are now on sale for a limited time for $279, their lowest price to date. That's a $50 savings.

The QuietComfort 45 look similar to their comfy predecessor, the QuietComfort 35, and sound pretty similar too. But they do have some small design upgrades, including USB-C charging and, more importantly, better noise canceling (possibly the best out there right now) and improved voice-calling performance.

This is essentially an upgraded version of the Elite 75t Active and includes Jabra's new ShakeGrip coating technology that's "designed to give the ultimate fit while moving around and to stay put when you sweat." The black version is on sale for the first time right now for $20 off. 

This model has adjustable active noise canceling, Jabra's HearThrough transparency mode and four built-in microphones for "clear call quality," with two additional microphones for "personalization."  

While this model is missing the step-up Elite 7 Pro's MultiSensor Voice technology, Jabra says it delivers the same "premium experience" as the Elite 7 Pro with many of the same specs, including IP57 water and dust resistance, and nine hours of battery life with noise canceling on.

Don't expect the Elite 7 Active to deliver quite the same voice-calling performance as the Elite 7 Pro, but it should offer the same sound and fit, albeit just a little grippier in your ear. You can also use either bud independently in a mono mode. 

The Sennheiser PXC 550-II didn't get much attention when it was released in 2020 and with its list price of $350, it faced daunting competition from Sony and Bose. But we've spotted it for less than $160 on Amazon and it's a good value there, featuring very good sound (it's got a slightly warmer sound profile), good noise canceling and solid voice calling. Battery life is impressive at around 30 hours with noise canceling on. 

The Momentum True Wireless II remains Sennheiser's flagship true-wireless earbuds. But shortly after the release of the CX ($130), Sennheiser's second-generation midrange buds, the company has followed up with the CX Plus, which adds noise canceling for $50 more ($180). They look nearly identical to the standard CX buds but have a glossy black finish on the buds' exterior touch-sensitive surface. Cosmetically, they're more akin to the older and slightly larger CX400BT.

I like the CX for the money and the CX Plus delivers the same excellent sound while rounding out the feature set with active noise canceling and a transparency mode. Battery life is rated at up to eight hours at moderate volume levels and these are splash-proof, with an IPX4 rating. They do stick out of your ears a fair bit. 

The noise canceling isn't quite as good as the Sony WF-1000XM4's noise canceling, but I thought it was quite effective and headset performance was also decent, though not necessarily stellar. These are all-around solid noise-canceling earbuds that can count sound quality as their biggest strength.

Also on sale:

• Sennheiser CX True Wireless Earbuds: $100 (save $30)
• Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless II: $168 (save $131)

Bose's flagship noise-canceling headphones are a few years old and have sporadically been nicely discounted, though not always in all colors. For Cyber Week, you can get the soapstone and blue versions of the Noise Canceling 700 Headphones for $299 from Bose for a limited time. At $80 off their current list price of $379, they're not at their all-time low -- but it's the lowest price we've seen in the last few months.

If you want to save more money, Bose is also selling refurbished Noise Canceling 700 Headphones in all color options for $249. However, only the refurbished black version appears to be in stock at the moment.

If you get a tight seal (three different sized ear tips are included), 1More's ComfoBuds Pro not only sounds good but also performs well as a headset for making calls, with three microphones in each earbud. There's a touch of presence boost in the treble and the bass packs good punch, which gives these a dynamic sound profile (they're not laid-back) and they play loud for those looking for that. $60 is their lowest price to date.

You can toggle between two levels of noise cancellation (as well as "off") using the touch controls -- and there's a pass-through transparency mode and a wind noise-reduction mode. You can also toggle through all of those modes using the companion app for iOS and Android. Battery life is rated at six hours with noise canceling on and eight with it off. The earbuds are IPX4 rated for water-resistance, which means they're splash-proof, the same as the AirPods Pro. 

In short, if can't afford the AirPods Pro, the 1More ComfoBuds Pro is a good budget alternative. Note that 1More also makes an open version of the ComfoBuds, which is similar to the standard AirPods and costs less. This Pro version is better.

Sony's WF-1000XM4 may not fit everybody's ears equally well, but if they do fit, they're a fantastic set of true-wireless earbuds. Both their sound and noise-canceling capacity are excellent, and their performance as a headset for making calls is significantly improved over the earlier WF-1000XM3. 

However, they're normally expensive at $280, and due to high demand after their release this year, they haven't really gone on sale (they occasionally sell for $10 off). But Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers now have them discounted to $248 -- that's $32 off their list price for a limited time. 

The buds are available in two colors -- black and silver (more like a sand color). As I said, they're the best-sounding true-wireless buds. While they fit my ears well -- and should fit the majority of ears well -- they are a little bit on the bigger side, so they may not work for some people with smaller ears. Both Amazon and Best Buy have good return policies, however, if they don't work for your ears.

The WH-XB910N is the step-down model from the WH-1000XM4. It's an Extra Bass model, so it does have a preponderance of bass. I liked the previous version, the XB900N, and it was a decent deal when it went on sale for $150, which is what XB910N is priced at now. This updated version looks the same but offers improved noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair it with your smartphone and computer simultaneously. It also supports Sony's LDAC audio codec.

While improved, the noise canceling isn't quite up to the level of the WH-1000XM4. And the WH-XB910N doesn't have some of that model's extra features, such as Speak to Chat, wearing detection sensors and Sony's Precise Voice Pickup technology. However, it does have a Quick Attention Mode that allows you to put your hand over the ear cup to go from noise canceling to an ambient-aware transparency mode. Also, these headphones now come with a hard case like the WH-1000XM4. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours at moderate volume levels -- that's the same as what you get from the WH-1000XM4.

Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds have some of the best noise canceling out there. They also sound good. And once again, they're being significantly discounted. Several retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Bose, have the QuietComfort Buds on sale for $199, matching last month's low price. 

Recently, Bose released a substantial firmware update for the earbuds, adding "full transparency with dynamic noise reduction, new modes for specific activities, Spotify Tap integration, audio controls, easier device switching -- and more." So the buds have been improving over time.

The biggest downside to the buds is that they're a little beefy and stick out of your ears. However, a lot of people, including me, love the fit of Bose's StayHear ear tips. Read our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds review.

You can also get some limited-time discounts on a few other Bose earbuds and headphones, though the deal on the QuietComfort Earbuds is arguably the best of the bunch.

• Bose QuietComfort 35 II: $179 (save $100)
• Bose Sport Earbuds: $149 (save $30)

I was a fan of Earfun's earlier Free Pro earbuds, which offer good sound for around $50 and have little sport fins that help keep them in your ears securely. Now Earfun has released the Earfun Free Pro 2 buds with aluminum alloy caps, improved noise canceling and a couple of extra microphones that help boost voice-calling performance. They list for $80 but after you click the instant $20-off coupon on their Amazon product page, the price goes to $60.

I used the Free Pro 2 for a few days and they deliver good sound for their modest price, with decent clarity and deep but well-defined bass. They produce relatively big, open sound. They don't have such extra features as an ear-detection sensor so your music automatically pauses when you take one or both buds out of your ears, or an app that allows you to update their firmware. But they're lightweight, should fit most ears well and have decent noise canceling along with a transparency mode (it's not as good as the AirPods Pro's transparency mode, which is hard to beat). They also charge wirelessly and are rated for up to six hours of battery life.

Beats' Powerbeats Pro, which have been out for a few years, list for $250 but have recently dipped to $150 (and even less in some colors), their lowest price yet. With Beats' new Fit Pro buds arriving (read our review), we should see the Powerbeats Pro regularly on sale.

The second-generation Bose Frames haven't really seen any discounts since their release (the previous versions have been on sale). Now the Tempo, Tenor and Soprano are all $30 off or $220. The Tempo has the biggest drivers and delivers the best sound, but it is a sport model. I use it for biking and running.

The WH-CH710N is Sony's entry-level noise-canceling headphones. At their list price of $200, they're grossly overpriced, but a lot more compelling at $78. The set's sound and noise-canceling features are a big step below what you get with the WH-1000XM4, but these are overall competent headphones that are fairly lightweight and comfortable to wear. In other words, this pair is far from the best but a good choice if you can't afford something higher-end. No carrying case is included.

AfterShokz bone-conduction wireless headphones aren't what many people picture when they think of an earphone because they don't go on your ears -- these headphones deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones. The big benefit of this technology as running earphones is that, thanks to its open design, you can hear ambient noise and what's going on around you while listening to music or having a phone conversation through the wireless headphones. That openness allows runners to hear traffic sound, as being able to hear external noise and ambient sound is an important safety feature in any workout headphones. Also, some race coordinators don't allow runners to wear anything in their ears, which is where over-ear headphones like this come in handy, particularly if you need to listen to music while you run.

AfterShokz's flagship Aeropex ($160), which the company describes as its "lightest, highest-quality headphones yet," were released in 2019. They still don't sound as good as traditional headphones, but they sound better than previous models and also are decent for making voice calls. They hit $100 on Thanksgiving Day and are now $30 off. 

Other AfterShokz headphones are also on sale:

• AfterShokz OpenMove: $60 (save $20)
• AfterShokz OpenComm: $130 (save $20)
• AfterShokz Air: $90 (save $30)

Google's Pixel Buds A-Series are kind of unusual, in that they're new but not exactly an upgrade. They look and sound very similar to last year's Pixel Buds 2, which debuted at $179 but are now selling for less. However, instead of getting new features -- like active noise canceling -- they've actually lost a few. Why? The "A" stands for affordability: They list for $100 and now are on sale for $80, their lowest price to date. That new lower price is the real story here, making these a bona fide true-wireless value, particularly for Android users. And the integrated stabilizer arcs (aka sport fins) help keep the buds securely in your ears during sporting activities. Read our Pixel Buds A-Series review.

Known for their secure fit, decent sound and durability, Jaybird's Vista 2 buds have a couple of key upgrades missing from the original: active noise canceling and a transparency mode called SurroundSense, which allows you to hear the outside world, an important safety feature for runners and bikers. 

Jaybird has added some fabric to the outside of the buds, which the company says helps cut down on wind noise a little (think of the fabric as a dampener), but I wouldn't say it cuts it down as much as advertised, particularly when biking. There is an ear-detection sensor, so your music automatically pauses when you take the buds out of your ears, and these have an IPX68 water resistance rating, which means they're both dust-proof and fully waterproof. Jaybird says they're also sweat-proof, crush-proof and drop-proof. And the compact case is now splash-proof and dust-resistant, with an IP54 rating.

They sound quite good once you tweak the EQ settings to your liking, but their sound quality isn't quite up to the level of some other premium earbuds in the $200 price range. Their noise canceling, transparency mode and voice-calling are decent though unspectacular (the AirPods perform better in all departments). But if you're buying these, you're buying them for the secure fit and durability. They may not be a good value at $200, but at $130, they're an enticing deal. 

JBL has a few new true-wireless noise-canceling earbuds for 2021, including the Reflect Mini NC and Club Pro Plus. However, the flagship Tour Pro Plus are clearly the best of the bunch and among the best sounding true-wireless earbuds, with clean, dynamic, well-balanced sound with powerful bass and a relatively wide soundstage. Noise canceling and call quality are also quite decent. They list for $200, which is pretty expensive, but they're on sale for $100 for a limited time. 

They made CNET's best-sounding wireless earbuds list and their main drawback is that, like some other buds on that list, they're somewhat bulbous and do stick out of your ears a bit (alas, better sounding earbuds tend to be larger). But I found them pretty comfortable and got a secure fit with the largest ear tips. They're IPX4 splash-resistant and have a battery life rating of six hours with noise canceling on and eight hours with it off, at moderate volume levels. They offer pretty solid voice-calling performance, though it's not quite up to the level of the AirPods Pro. 

At $200, it's hard for them to compete against such models as the AirPods Pro and the new Beats Fit Pro, particularly if you're an iPhone user. But they're certainly more enticing at $100. 

Released in mid-2020, the Jabra Elite 45h was essentially billed as the best pair of on-ear headphones for the money. While there's nothing terribly fancy about them, they're one of the best on-ear headphone values right now, with good sound quality, a sturdy design and comfortable fit (for on-ear headphones, anyway). Additionally, these Bluetooth on-ear headphones perform well as a headset for making calls and include a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the headphones so you don't talk too loudly. Battery life is also good.