Sony’s noise-canceling XM5s are matching their lowest price to date

The WH-1000XM5s are still the best pair of headphones you can get, even if Sony’s naming convention is still terrible. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergePeace and quiet can be hard to come by, whether you’re a...

Nov 4, 2023 - 21:01

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Sony’s noise-canceling XM5s are matching their lowest price to date

Peace and quiet can be hard to come by, whether you’re a parent, a frequent traveler, or someone who has been forced to listen to ongoing construction for what feels like an eternity — trust me, I would know. Thankfully, Sony’s WH-1000XM5s are currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for as low as $328 ($73 off), matching their best price to date.

Sony’s flagship headphones have offered some of the best sound you can get in a pair of over-ears since the 1000X series arrived more than six years ago. The competition has become increasingly stiff in the time since — take the recently released Bose QuietComfort Ultra, as an example — but the latest iteration continues to offer best-in-class ANC and clear, natural-sounding audio. The XM5s also tout a nice mix of features for the price, including multipoint Bluetooth support for simultaneous connections and a more comfortable design, two things that have helped them retain the crown as the best pair of noise-canceling headphones you can buy.

With improved comfort, refined sound, and even better active noise cancellation, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 offer a compelling mix of features for the price.

Earlier this year, Amazon launched a slate of new smart home devices, including the Stick Up Cam Pro, a smart home controller, and a 24-inch soundbar aptly dubbed the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar. And while we have yet to see discounts on most of the first two devices, the latter is already on sale at Amazon for $99.99 ($20 off) alongside several Echo devices in the run-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Although we haven’t been able to put Amazon’s 24-inch soundbar through its proper paces yet — we’ve only received a brief press demo so far — it seems like a simple solution for anyone who wants to step up from their TV’s built-in speakers. It doesn’t offer the most pristine audio quality, but it’s plenty loud and offers compatibility with Amazon’s existing streaming devices and Fire TV-branded televisions, something that should make the setup process pretty straightforward if you’re someone who is already tapped into the Amazon ecosystem. It’s also equipped with Bluetooth and support for both ARC and eARC, along with Dolby Audio, putting it on par with several other soundbars within this price range.

Amazon’s own Fire TV Soundbar is a 2.0-channel speaker that stretches 24 inches long. It’s got support for Dolby Audio, DTS, and Bluetooth and connects to a compatible TV via an HDMI port with eARC or ARC.

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Other ways to save this weekend

If you’re looking to pick up a future-proof smart plug, the Meross Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini — one of the only smart plugs that supports the new Matter standard — is on sale at Amazon for $11.99 when you clip the coupon for $6 off. It’s a good option for adding voice controls, scheduling, and other basic smarts to a traditional outlet, so long as you own a compatible smart home hub.The aforementioned XM5s don’t come cheap. Fortunately, there’s Sony’s WH-CH720N, a pair of lightweight headphones that are matching their all-time low of around $98 ($52 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. They’re not as feature-rich as Sony’s high-end cans, though, you do get ANC and a solid 35 hours of battery life.The latest Echo Dot Kids is down to $27.99 ($32 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target as part of the retailer’s ongoing Alexa promo, which celebrates the virtual assistant’s eighth birthday. The fifth-gen smart speaker is identical to the entry-level Echo Dot from last year, except it provides access to a wealth of kid-friendly activities and dons one of two adorable skins (one of which is a dragon).Both Amazon and Best Buy are discounting the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 to $249.99 ($200 off), which is the lowest price we’ve seen on the budget-friendly robot vacuum/mop hybrid. It’s a little loud and lacks an auto-empty base, however, it makes up for the caveats with good suction, a great app, and a laundry list of features (including mapping). Read our guide to the best robot vacuums.