Every day we are bombarded with so much noise that sometimes music can be our only refuge. With noise canceling headphones, you can completely suppress unwanted sounds so you can enjoy your music wherever and whenever you want. Use them on your daily commute, on a long-haul flight or even at the office to slip right into audio nirvana. Save up to $ 150 by purchasing the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT, Beats Studio 3 and Sony WH-1000XM3 ANC headphones on Best Buy today.
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT – $ 91, was $ 180
For only $ 91 on Best Buy, a whopping $ 89 off their regular retail price of $ 180, the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT is wonderfully inexpensive for a pair of noise canceling headphones. However, it is obvious that Sennheiser had to save money to lower its price: Build the construction. What you get is an all plastic case and although there is memory foam padding, the synthetic leather covering the ear cups doesn’t scream opulence. Thanks to memory foam, wearing these circumaural headphones (over the ears) even for long periods will not look like a pain endurance test. You don’t have a luxury case to store these headphones, but they swivel flat and the simple canvas bag they come with is fine.
For commands, the right ear cup includes a multifunction button for music playback and call acceptance, as well as volume up and down buttons that you must press simultaneously to turn on the ANC. Noise reduction of 4.50 BT is decent but cannot compete with superior noise canceling headphones, especially the Sony WH-1000XM3 (see below). This is enough to eliminate the low hum of the air conditioning, the hubbub of the normal crowd and the traffic noise, but not enough to completely muffle the roar of an airplane’s engines. If you are a frequent traveler and want to fully immerse yourself in your in-flight entertainment, this may not be the helmet for you.
The sound quality is really good. The bass is full-bodied but not too powerful, the treble sparkles and the mids are warm and very natural. The 4.50 BT sound signature would certainly work well with a variety of musical genres.
The battery life is also excellent. With ANC enabled, you get 19 hours of reading and 25 hours even longer if you just want to use Bluetooth. Once there is no more juice, simply connect the cord and continue listening to your music wired.
The noise cancellation of the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT is good but far from perfect. There are certainly other headphones that can offer total musical immersion. However, if you’re budget conscious and don’t really need a lot of noise reduction power, you won’t find a better and more reasonably priced pair than these. Get them for only $ 91 on Best Buy today.
Beats Studio 3 – $ 200, was $ 350
Recently, Beats, owned by Apple, has received a lot of criticism from audiophiles, claiming that the company’s headphones are all stylish and without substance. While we can agree to some extent that the build quality of Dr. Dre’s headphones is a bit questionable, we can’t deny the fact that they sound good. Typical example: the Beats Studio 3. There’s a lot to love about these wireless headphones, including exceptional iOS connectivity, fantastic noise cancellation, and phenomenal battery life. We don’t even have much to complain about in terms of audio quality, although like most Beats headsets, the Studio 3 can get overly heavy. Right now, you can evaluate them on Best Buy for $ 200 instead of $ 350 – a huge reduction of $ 150.
The Beats Studio 3 looks perfectly constructed, even if it is almost entirely made of plastic. For the price, most people would expect real leather, aluminum, or Alcantara, but the choice of Beat materials is fine, though far from luxurious. These headphones have a beautiful matte coating resistant to fingerprints and dirt. Best of all, they don’t dig into your skull even with prolonged use, unlike the ill-fitting Solo3. This is due to the ultra-soft cushioning of the ear cups, the swivel action and the advanced ventilation, which allows for a secure but super comfortable fit.
Thanks to Apple’s W1 wireless chip (the same one found inside AirPods), all you have to do is turn on these headphones and if they’re near your iPhone, iPad or MacBook, a nice little pop-up window will appear for immediate pairing. All you have to do is click “yes”. Aside from the transparent coupling, another advantage of the W1 chip is the enormous battery life. These headphones can last up to 22 hours or more with active noise cancellation.
Speaking of noise cancellation, Studio 3 has one of the best ambient sound elimination technologies in the industry. Called Pure ANC, it involves two microphones built into the inside of the earbuds that monitor and adapt to environmental sounds thousands of times per second. Many noise-canceling headphones significantly distort the audio or have a slight hum, but we haven’t noticed anything like that with the Studio 3.
As mentioned, Beats puts a little too much emphasis on bass with Studio 3. While this will certainly make pop songs incredibly good, it tends to slow down mid-frequency sounds a bit (mainly voice and instrumentation ). However, we think that many would appreciate this type of sound, especially young people. Get Beats Studio 3 noise canceling headphones at Best Buy for $ 200 instead of $ 350 today.
Sony WH-1000XM3 – $ 280, was $ 350
The new and improved WH-1000XM3 is Sony’s premium line of headphones and our pick for the best headphones of 2020. They have a lot to do for them. First of all, how cool they look. Sony got rid of the sturdy and leathery finish around the earbuds and replaced it with a new plastic chassis, creating a much more elegant silhouette. The change in material has made the WH-1000XM3 lighter and thinner, improving wear resistance. In addition, the swivel design of the ear cups guarantees supreme comfort. The cups are ergonomically padded and are even larger for larger ears, and the material is breathable, so you won’t feel uncomfortably warm even after long use.
Aside from their pleasant aesthetics, the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are very solid in terms of noise cancellation. Thanks to Sony’s new QN1 processor, this technology has significantly improved audio processing and noise cancellation. Activation of the ANC virtually wiped out all the loud sounds from the environment, from people to vehicles. The WH-1000XM3 also adapts its noise cancellation depending on where you are. Thanks to Sense Engine, these headphones let through certain traffic noises like horns and sirens, so you won’t be run over by a car while listening to music.
Impeccable music sounds with these headphones, supported by 32-bit signal processing, high signal to noise ratio and low distortion. The studio recordings seem flawless, while the live recordings are completely immersive. The bass is punchy and strong, but without dominating the beauty and subtlety of the midrange and treble.
You can use these headphones with gestures as well as pressing buttons. When you place your hand on the right headset, the music automatically pauses so you can have a conversation. Swiping and touching also allows you to play / pause, skip / flip tracks and adjust the volume. Finally, the battery life of the Sony WH-1000XM3 can last 30 hours between two charges. Even charging them for just 10 minutes allows you to use them for five hours with active noise cancellation.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 is by far the best headset you can buy right now. They are a bit expensive, but as they say, you have to spend a little money for real quality. They normally cost $ 350, but with the $ 70 discount from Best Buy, you can buy them for $ 280.
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