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If you’re in the market for affordable audio tech you’ll be happy to know there are bargains to be had during Prime Big Deal Days. We’ve sifted through Amazon’s offerings and found earbuds that rival Apple’s AirPods for a fraction of the price, headphones that will keep a charge for a full month’s worth of commutes, and a Bluetooth speaker that floats in your pool. Use our guide and you’ll be doing less clicking and more listening.
Earbud deals
Best affordable alternative to AirPods
If Apple’s AirPods are a bridge too far for your bank account, consider these buds from JBL. Bargain-priced for Prime Big Deal Days, they’re loaded with features, including active noise cancelling, a quartet of mics for crisp voice calls, and a battery that can last up to 40 hours with top-ups from the included charging case, which can inject two hours of power in just 10 minutes. They’re available in blue, purple, white, or black.
Best earbuds for worker bees
When you think Technics you probably imagine luxury turntables and amplifiers, but they make excellent earbuds as well. This model is designed with modern workers in mind, featuring beamforming mic tech that captures your voice clearly in any environment, plus multipoint connectivity so that you can seamlessly switch between up to three sources—very handy if you frequently switch between taking calls on your PC to listening to music on your phone.
Best deal on earbuds
You probably won’t find a better deal than this on earbuds during this year’s Prime Big Deal Days sale. These are Skullcandy’s very best earphones. They deliver thundering bass and clean highs that you can customize using the Skull-iQ app. The buds hold nine hours of juice, and can be topped up by a reserve of 33 hours kept in the charging case. And if you happen to lose your buds you can locate them using built-in Tile tracking.
Headphone deals
Best bass
Are you all about that bass? Then these are the headphones for you. Skullcandy’s over-ear cans pump out skull-thumping beats, the intensity of which can be instantly adjusted by a handy slider on the headset itself (you can also adjust EQ settings in the app). You’ll get up to 40 hours of listening from a single charge, and it folds up nicely for storage and transport in the included soft case.
Best minimalist headphones
If you like the idea of headphones but are put off by big, gaudy models, Sony’s minimalist, affordable on-ear headphones might be just what you need. They’re built on Sony’s 60-year pedigree making headphones, and they have a battery that just won’t quit: A single charge gives you 50 hours of sound—that’s a month’s worth of one-hour work commutes—and a fast-charging feature transfers 90 minutes of juice in just three minutes.
Best high-tech headphones
These JBL ‘phones are full of tantalizing technological wizardry. Active noise cancelling means you can enjoy music without interference from outside sounds. But it’s also adaptive. The TalkThru feature adjusts the cancelling function so you can chat with people with your headphones on, and Ambient Aware allows environment sounds through for safe strolling through busy city streets. All that, and you get rich, natural sound from a pair of robust 40mm drivers, to boot.
Bluetooth speaker deals
Best over-engineered speaker
This waterproof speaker floats. Plus, it can stay connected to your phone up to 45 metres away. And it has 15 hours of battery life. It’s also drop-proof. Do the math, and you’ll realize that neighbours swimming in their respective pools can play catch with the Boom 4, tossing it over the fence as its 360-degree driver design blasts music in all directions from dawn until dusk. What a time to be alive!
Best all-around Bluetooth speaker
JBL has been doing Bluetooth speakers for 12 years, and they’ve pretty much mastered them at this point. The Flip 6 is stylish, rugged, and powerful. It’s also wonderfully compact and portable (love the wrist strap), making it perfect for backyards, beaches, picnics, and anywhere else you want to listen to your jams. Available in a wide range of colours, from pink to army camo.
Best speaker for parties
If your primary intended use for your Bluetooth speaker is parties, then let us introduce you to Soundcore’s Glow. It’s a 360-degree 30-watt tabletop speaker with a pair of bass-enhancers that let you really feel the music. But what makes it ideal for shindigs are the multicolour light effects, which pulse in time to the music. Better still, you can link dozens of these speakers together for a fully synced music and light show.
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