When JBL debuted its first Dolby Atmos soundbar at CES 2020, the company did so in a unit with detachable rear surround sound speakers. For 2023, the company has made Atmos audio standard across its entire lineup of the Bar Series, with three of the new models having those detachable satellite speakers and all but one comes with a wireless subwoofer.
At the top of the group is the Bar 1300X, an 11.1.4-chanel speaker capable of 1,170 watts of power output. DTS:X joins Atmos for a second immersive audio option, powered by six upfiring drivers. Plus, Harman's MultiBeam tech works to enhance that spatial sound. Like the Bar 9.1 three years ago, the 1300X and the rest of JBL's 2023 soundbars that offer detachable rear speakers allow you to remove the ends of the soundbar to position wireless satellite units behind you. The 1300X also comes with a 12-inch subwoofer while the rest of the company's new lineup (except the Bar 300) come with a 10-inch wireless sub.
Both the Bar 1000 and Bar 700 have those detachable speakers and offer Atmos in 7.1.4- and 5.1.2-channel setups respectively. The Bar 1000 packs in four upfiring drivers while the 700 has two. And while the 880-watt Bar 1000 does offer MultiBeam to lend a hand with immersive audio, the 620-watt Bar 700 does not. The Harman tech is on the Bar 500 though, a 5.1-channel option that still supports Dolby Atmos despite a lack of upfiring drivers. And lastly, the Bar 300 in an all-in-one setup with integrated subwoofers.
JBL says all five soundbars have PureVoice, a feature that optimizes the audio for clear dialogue even when loud sound effects are also in use. The entire lineup features WiFi connectivity, JBL One app support and customizable EQ settings. All of them can be voice controlled via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri and all five offer AirPlay 2, Alexa Multi-Room Music (MRM) and Chromcast built-in.
The company says all of its 2023 soundbars will be available on February 19th. When they are, you can expect to pay $1,699.95 for the Bar 1300X, $1,199.95 for the Bar 1000, $899.95 for the Bar 700, $599.95 for the Bar 500 and $399.95 for the Bar 300.
For its latest Tour Series true wireless earbuds, JBL is taking an interesting approach to the wireless charging case. The Tour Pro 2 comes with what the company calls "the world's first smart charging case," thanks to a 1.45-inch LED touchscreen display on the outside. This panel offers controls for both music and calls in addition to notifications for messages and social apps. The company touts the convenience of not having to look at your phone for said items, but you will have to keep the case within reach.
Aside from the case, the Tour Pro 2 is a set of flagship earbuds. They're equipped with adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) and ambient sound mode with 10mm drivers, spatial audio and JBL's Pro sound inside. Personi-fi 2.0 allows you to customize the audio profile to suit your listening habit and an ear tip fit test can ensure a proper fit. JBL says you can expect up to eight hours of use with ANC on (10 with it off) and three additional charges in the case, plus a quick-charge feature will give you four hours of use in 15 minutes. For calls, a collection of six microphones are onboard with the company's VoiceAware tech. And lastly, the earbuds are IPX5 rated so they should withstand workouts just fine.
The Tour Pro 2 will arrive in this spring in black and champagne color options for $249.95.
JBL Tour One M2
JBL
JBL is also expanding the Tour Series with a new set of noise-canceling headphones. The Tour One M2 is an over-ear model that offers both the company's True Adaptive ANC and JBL Pro drivers. The noise-canceling tech monitors and adapts to your surroundings in real time. The company is also debuting a feature similar to Sony's Speak-to-Chat tool that automatically pauses audio and activates ambient sound mode when you talk. JBL calls it Smart Talk and the feature resumes your previous ANC setting when you're done speaking. The company's Personi-Fi 2.0 is on these as well, giving you customized audio to meet your sonic sensibilities. JBL Spatial Sound is here too, as is a low volume EQ that keeps audio quality consistent when the content isn't as loud.
In terms of battery life, the company says you can expect up to 30 hours with active noise cancellation on or up to 50 hours with it off. If you find yourself in a pinch, a quick-charge tool will give you five hours of listening in 10 minutes. JBL says four VoiceAware-equipped microphones help with calls, so on paper these should be suitable for any chats that might arise.
The Tour One M2 will arrive this spring in black and champagne color options for $299.95. JBL says a forthcoming over-the-air update will deliver Bluetooth 5.3 and LE Audio to both the Tour Pro 2 and Tour One M2.
Google has been working on giving its Pixel phone users access to spatial audio since at least September last year. Now, the tech giant is finally rolling out the feature with the rest of the January 2023 security updates for its flagship devices. In the list of changes arriving with the package, Google included spatial audio support for all Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro devices running Android 13.
Spatial audio simulates an environment that makes users feel as if sounds are coming at them from different directions, sort of like the surround sound effect in movie theaters. As Android Police notes, it mostly became popular in mobile after Apple brought the feature to the AirPods Pro. Google started introducing code for it with the Android 13 beta released in September 2022 but disabled it upon that beta's stable release. Now, the feature has officially been enabled.
According to 9to5Google, the company previously said that users can take advantage of spatial audio on the "Pixel phone with movies from Netflix, YouTube, Google TV, and HBOMax that have 5.1 or higher audio tracks." Users, however, "must wear headphones or earbuds" to be able to enjoy the immersive experience.
In addition to activating the feature on Pixel devices, Google is also working on bringing head tracked spatial audio to the Pixel Buds Pro that will provide users with another layer of immersion, so long as the earbuds are connected to any of the aforementioned Pixel phones. The company says it will release another update for the earbuds that will enable head tracking in the coming weeks.
CES is typically the place a lot of companies debut new soundbars and this year is no different. Samsung has announced the HW-Q990C and HW-G60C models, both of which offer Dolby Atmos audio but do so in different formats and in different sizes. If you're looking for a robust surround sound setup with multiple speakers or smaller all-in-one option, Samsung's two latest soundbars tick both of those boxes.
First, the HW-Q990C is a flagship model that comes with two rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. The 11.1.4-channel setup uses Samsung's Q Symphony 3.0 to "precisely direct individual audio elements" via the soundbar and TV speakers. The company says the Q990C can also "pair acoustically automatically" with its TVs so that the entire system is tuned for its best performance. When paired with a Samsung TV, the soundbar handles the dialogue while surrounding audio comes from the display's speakers. The company says this contributes to improved 3D audio.
To tailor the entire set to your living room or home theater, Samsung's SpaceFit calibration is onboard. The company explains that this technology leverages AI to adjust individual driver frequencies and gain levels to properly fill a room. A nighttime mode adjusts for low-volume listening, Adaptive Sound 2.0 uses AI to optimize audio and Game Pro 2.0 tweaks the settings for various genres. The HW-Q990C is also a SmartThings hub, offering voice control and the ability to change things inside the SmartThings app.
For more compact spaces, the HW-G60C is an all-in-one option that uses a combination of beamforming tech and virtualized Dolby Atmos to create a 3D feel. Samsung says this more compact unit can also be used as both computer speakers and a smart speaker thanks to echo-canceling microphones and bi-directional audio. HDMI/ARC, USB, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast connectivity are all here and there's customizable LED lighting and specific sound profiles for gaming. What's more, Samsung says a set of four microphones are tuned for chat by isolating voices, which the company explains will also help when summoning a virtual assistant.
Roland may be a mainstay in the electronic music world, but it also dabbles in the occasional creator product, too. This year at CES the company has unveiled an audio interface aimed squarely at streamers and it’s called the Bridge Cast ($299).
Like rival products such as the GoXLR or Rode’s Rodcaster Pro II, the Bridge Cast offers a way to pipe different audio feeds (chat, music, game audio, browser sounds and so on) to different destinations - usually your local mix and the one your audience hears.
As you’d expect, there’s an input for an XLR mic and options for dual/submixes along with a selection of vocal effects. There are four channels with rotary controls for mic, aux, chat and game. Each channel also gets a mute button for quickly removing unwanted audio without diving into settings. An intersting touch is the ability to customize the faceplate so if your channel, stream or team has a logo you could add some branding into your Twitch or YouTube feed.
Deeper control will apparently be available via the companion software to fine tune the mic sound or even the EQ of your game audio.
The streaming space has become a massive opportunity for legacy audio companies, and it’s good to see Roland furthering its commitment to this space. How it stacks up to its rivals though, remains to be seen, but if your new year’s resolution was to finally get that stream off the ground then it looks like you have one more option to consider.
Sony's WH-1000XM5 is a highly desirable set of wireless headphones, thanks to improved sound quality, a comfortable fit and incredible active noise cancellation (ANC). If you've been eyeballing a pair, now is absolutely the time to act. They're currently on sale in white at Amazon for $279 (30 percent off), the lowest price we've seen to date, by far.
The WH-1000XM5 scored an excellent 95 in our Engadget review, thanks to improvements in nearly every way over our previous favorite headphones, the WH-1000XM4. Perhaps the biggest improvement was in fit and comfort thanks to the more optimal weight distribution, synthetic leather ear cups and slightly reduced weight.
Sound quality also went up, due to the new 30mm carbon fiber drivers that deliver punchier bass. We also saw more clarity that helps you hear fine detail, along with improved depth that makes music more immersive. And Sony's DSEE Extreme sound processing recovers detail lost to compression, without any noticeable impact on sound quality.
The ANC is equally impressive. With double the number of noise cancellation microphones found in the M4, along with a new dedicated V1 chip, the M5 does a better job at minimizing background noise. And in terms of the microphone, we found that the M5 offers superior call quality over its predecessor. Moreover, you get 30 hours of listening time with ANC enabled, enough for the longest of flights.
The main drawback of the WH-1000XM5 headphones is the $400 price tag, but at $279, they're a stellar deal — as long as you're good with the white color. Just act fast before the sale ends.
Keeping its tradition of making several announcements before CES, LG has teased its 2023 soundbar lineup ahead of the big show. The company says the SC9 and SE6 models will be on display in Vegas, both equipped with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for immersive sound. Details are scarce for now on the specifics, but LG did elaborate on some of the key features both soundbars will offer.
First, the company says the SC9 and SE6 will have Wow Orchestra, a tool that "utilizes every one of the two products’ audio channels to create an expanded soundstage with improved height, depth and power." That somewhat vague description is all we have to go on until we hear these in action, but LG did explain that the feature will arrive after launch via software update. The two soundbars will also use Wowcast to connect to LG TVs wirelessly over WiFi. Once synced up, you can access audio settings through the Home Dashboard on those displays (also coming via future update).
A Triple Sound Optimizer feature "boosts" the performance of the SC9 and SE6 while Smart Up-mixer turns stereo audio into multi-channel surround sound. LG says its AI Room Calibration tailors each soundbar to the place you put them, improving low-end frequency range and subdividing the front channels for better balance, clearer vocals and enhanced dialogue. The SC9 and SE6 also have an AI Sound Pro feature that can analyze content — movies, games sports or music — and automatically apply the best settings.
LG says the SC9 and SE6 were designed with a minimalist focus so that they might blend in better with a range of home furnishings. The company explains that a bracket for the SC9 attaches to LG’s 2022 and 2023 OLED C series TVs to further eliminate clutter. LG didn't elaborate much on the differences between the two units other than the fact that the SE6 is "ideal for smaller spaces" due to its compact stature. Despite the smaller size, that soundbar still packs four passive radiators for "powerful bass," according to LG, and Dolby Atmos support is still onboard.
The company didn't say whether or not either of these will come with a subwoofer or which additional speakers they'll be compatible with for a true surround sound setup. But, we expect all of the finer details on that, as well as info on connectivity and availability, when we arrive in Las Vegas next week.
If you've been waiting for deals on Bose's popular headphones, earbuds, Bluetooth speakers and more, now's the time to act thanks to a sale at Amazon. You can pick up Bose's popular QuietComfort 45 wireless ANC headphones at an all-time low price of $229 ($100 off), the QuietComfort Earbuds II for $249 (17 percent off) and the highly rated SoundLink Flex Bluetooth portable speaker for just $129, or 13 percent off.
The Bose QuietComfort 45 earned a strong Engadget review score thanks in part to the excellent sound quality. They offer crisp highs, robust mids and deep bass when a song demands it. At the same time, the active noise cancellation is highly effective in a wide range of environments like a train, office or coffee shop. They also come with handy onboard controls for playing/pausing music, and battery life is an impressive 22.5 hours. We've seen them as low as $249 in the past, but you can grab them today for just $229.
Engadget
Another popular Bose product is the new QuietComfort Earbuds II. They garnered an excellent 87 Engadget review score thanks to the world-beating active noise cancellation and solid sound quality that you can tweak to your liking with a graphic EQ tool. Even though they only just came out in September, you can pick up a pair for $249, or $50 off the regular price.
Finally, if you're looking for a rugged Bluetooth speaker that delivers on sound quality, Bose's SoundLink Flex is on sale for $129, or 13 percent off. It's water, dust and dirt resistant, and even floats to the surface if you drop it in water. Bose promises "astonishing audio performance" thanks to custom transducers and dual-opposing passive radiators that deliver clarity and "bass you can feel in your chest."
Black Friday is typically a great time of year to pick up a new set of headphones, and this year is no exception. Many pairs we like, including several of the top picks in our guides to the best wireless headphones and best true wireless earbuds, are down to their lowest prices to date. Below we've rounded up the best Black Friday headphone deals we could find thus far, covering models from Apple, Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Anker and more. We have a few discounts on speakers we like, too. We'll be sure to add more deals of note if they arise over the course of the day.
Apple AirPods Pro
Billy Steele/Engadget
The latest AirPods Pro are down to $200 at multiple retailers, which is an all-time low. This is $50 off Apple's MSRP and roughly $40 off the noise-cancelling earphones' street price since launching in September. We gave the AirPods Pro a review score of 88 and currently list them as the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. Their battery life is just average, but their sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) are among the better options on the market, their transparency mode is superb and, per usual, they're particularly convenient to use with other Apple devices.
The second-generation version of Apple's standard AirPods are available for $79, while the third-gen model is down to $140. Both of those match the lowest prices we've seen and sit roughly $25 below the earbuds' respective street prices over the last few months. We gave the third-gen AirPods a review score of 88 last year and the second-gen pair a score of 84 back in 2019.
You'd consider one of these two if you're an iPhone owner who wants the easy pairing and tight iOS integration of any Apple headphone, but prefer an unsealed design that doesn't completely block out external noise. The third-gen AirPods in particular are one of the better-sounding unsealed wireless earbuds you can buy. Their designs still won't fit everyone, though, and there's little reason to consider either pair if you use Android.
Sony's top-of-the-line WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to $348 this Black Friday, which is $50 off their normal going rate. While that's not a massive discount, it does match the lowest price we've tracked. The XM5s are the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones. We gave them a review score of 95 earlier this year, praising their light and comfortable fit, powerful ANC that's particularly effective with high- and mid-range frequencies (think human voices), 30+ hours of battery life, bass-forward (but customizable) sound, improved call quality and plethora of useful bonus features.
Sony's predecessor to the XM5s, the WH-1000XM4, are also on sale at $228, which matches their all-time low and comes in about $100 off their typical street price. We still prefer the XM5 for those who can afford it, as the XM4 feels a bit bulkier on the head, has worse mic performance and doesn't sound as good out of the box (though it's similarly customizable via Sony's app). Unlike the XM5, though, the XM4's design can fold up for easier storage. Its battery life and feature set are essentially the same, too, and though its ANC isn't as adept at negating higher-frequency noises, it's still plenty effective on the whole. The XM5 also rely on an automatic ANC adjustment system, which some may prefer to avoid. We gave the XM4 a score of 94 in 2020; if you want to save some cash, it's still a good value when it's discounted to this extent.
Bose's QuietComfort 45 headphones are available for $249, which is $20 more than their all-time low but still roughly $60 off their average street price. This is an alternative pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones: Sony's models are more customizable, last longer and perform better on the whole, but the QC 45s have a more neutral sound out of the box, still-capable ANC and a design that's about as comfortable as the WH-1000XM5 without sacrificing the ability to fold up. They also use physical buttons instead of touch controls. We gave the QuietComfort 45 a review score of 86 last year.
The strengths here are similar to those of Sony's over-ear models above: upper-tier ANC, solid sound quality that can be customized, good battery life (about 8-10 hours per charge), and useful extras like wireless charging and "Speak to Chat," which can automatically pause your music while you're speaking to somebody else. Their active noise cancellation is a step behind Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II, but their in-ear fit and foam ear tips isolate a ton of noise naturally. The main caveat is that the earpieces are rather large, so some may find them cumbersome to wear.
Speaking of Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II, that set of noise-cancelling earbuds is currently on sale for $249, which is a $50 discount and a new all-time low. This is the "best noise cancellation" pick in our wireless earbuds guide, and indeed, no true wireless pair we've tested is as adept at muting the outside world. They're a bit bulky, and their lack of multipoint connectivity and wireless charging is still disappointing at this price, but if it's top-tier ANC you're after, this is the best you can do in this form factor.
Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 3 are on sale for $200, which isn't cheap, but still $40 off the pair's usual going rate and tied for the best price we've seen. These are the wireless earphones we recommend if detailed sound quality is your chief concern — they don't have the same bundle of useful bonus features the WF-1000XM4 can provide, but their adaptive ANC is still effective, their eight-ish hours of battery life is still solid and their default sound profile should greatly satisfy if you enjoy a boosted low-end.
Sony's LinkBuds S earphones are on sale for $128, which is about $50 below their average street price and matches their all-time low. This pair is an honorable mention in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. The WF-1000XM4 offer a more detailed sound, better noise isolation, a couple hours of extra battery life and wireless charging, but the LinkBuds S still perform well for this deal price, and its lighter, more compact design is comfier to wear over time. It recently gained the ability to connect to multiple devices at once, too, something the XM4s are also expected to receive in the near future.
Jabra's Elite 3 is on sale for $50, coming within a couple dollars of the lowest price we've tracked and undercutting the earphones' typical street price by roughly $15. We gave this pair a review score of 88 last year, and it's currently the top budget pick in our best wireless earbuds guide. The Elite 3's mildly bass-bumped sound is pleasant for the money — and now customizable after a recent update — but its lightweight, water-resistant design is impressively comfortable for any price. Battery life is solid, too, at about seven hours per charge. There's no ANC, wireless charging, auto-pausing or multipoint connectivity, but at this deal price, the Elite 3 are good enough at the fundamentals to be worth recommending for those on a budget.
This deal comes as part of a wider sale on Jabra earbuds for Black Friday. We don't recommend most of those pairs over the other picks in this roundup, but the Elite 4 Active are worth a shout at $80 — they're effectively the same as the Elite 3, but with a (just okay) ANC feature and a higher water-resistance rating (IP57 instead of IP55). We gave that pair a review score of 84 this past January.
Anker's Soundcore Life Q30 is back down to $60 for Amazon Prime members, which is $10 more than the all-time low but still $20 or so off the pair's usual going rate. At this price, but the Q30's cushy fit, 40+ hours of battery life and competent ANC performance make it an excellent value. This is still a budget set of headphones, so call quality isn't great, the build is flimsier than more expensive options and the default sound profile goes very hard on the bass by default. Nevertheless, good noise-cancellers priced under $100 are rare, and this is one of them.
Likewise, Anker's Soundcore Space A40 represents great value at its current deal price of $80, which is a $20 discount and a new all-time low. This is a compact and comfortable pair of true wireless earphones that delivers solid ANC, multi-device pairing and a strong 10 or so hours of battery life per charge. The default sound profile could use a bit more treble presence — though an EQ tool in Anker's app can help — and the noise isolation isn't quite as effective as our more premium picks above. The included touch controls are somewhat limited, too. But if you can't spend more than $100, the A40s are a great buy.
Another honorable mention in our guide to the best wireless headphones, Sennheiser's Momentum 4 is down to $293, which is their all-time low and about $50 off their recent street price. We gave this pair a review score of 82 this past August: Though its ANC and feature set can't match up to Sony's WH-1000XM5, it can get a stellar 60 or so hours of battery life per charge, and its sound quality is better out of the box.
Audio-Technica's ATH-M20xBT are available for $59 this Black Friday, which is a $20 discount and the lowest price we've tracked. This is the budget pick in our best wireless headphones guide. Clunky name aside, they offer a relatively detailed and accurate sound with impressive bass depth for the money. Multipoint connectivity and a rated 60 hours of battery life help, too. The build quality is somewhat flimsy, and the Soundcore Life Q30 are a better buy if you need ANC, but if you're on a budget and care more about sound quality in your wireless headphones, the M20xBT is worth a look.
The Beats Fit Pro are down to $160, which beats (heh) the pair's usual going rate by $30 and is only $7 more than the lowest price we've seen. We gave the Fit Pro a review score of 87 last year, and it's now the "best for workouts" pick in our wireless earbuds guide. It carries many of the same benefits as any set of AirPods — "Find My" tracking, easy pairing and fast switching with Apple devices, hands-free Siri, etc. — in a smaller, sportier, and more secure-fitting design. Their slightly bass-boosted sound profile is great, and unlike AirPods, their feature set isn't totally limited if you use an Android phone. That said, the ANC is merely serviceable by comparison, there's no wireless charging and their case is a little chunkier. There are no built-in volume controls, either.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro, meanwhile, are down to $150, which matches their all-time low. Typically, these earbuds retail between $180 and $200. The Powerbeats Pro launched all the way back in 2019, but if you want AirPods-style pairing and Siri control in an around-the-ear hook design, they still have value. There's no ANC, their half-sealed fit isn't ideal for audio performance and their case is comically huge, but they stay secure on the move, and their 9-11 hours of battery life is fantastic. Just note that there's no formal IP rating, so they may not be ideal for consistently intense activity.
Beats' Studio Buds are on sale for $90, which matches the lowest price we've tracked and is about $35-40 below their average street price. We gave these earphones a review score of 84 last year, praising their fast-pairing with Apple devices, compact and easy-to-wear design and fairly neutral sound profile. Their five-ish hours of battery life (with ANC on) is middling, though, and the included ANC and transparency modes, while fine, aren't as effective as most of the other picks above. The Soundcore Space A40s are better, but if you specifically want a more Apple-friendly pair of true wireless in-ears for less than $100, the Studio Buds aren't a bad alternative.
Google's Pixel Buds Pro are still down to $150, which comes in about $35 below their usual street price and ties the lowest they've been. This is the "best for Android" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, as the Pixel Buds Pro offer AirPods-esque integration with their manufacturer's OS, particularly if you use one of Google's own Pixel phones. Their punchy sound and ANC are pleasing, too, though not superlative in the context of the wider true wireless market. The included transparency mode isn't great, either. Still, we gave the earphones a review score of 87 in July, and they're an easier sell at $150.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, meanwhile, is an alternative pair we like that plays nicer with Samsung phones. If you have one of those, note that the Buds 2 Pro are down to $180, which isn't an all-time low but still $45 less than usual.
Normally retailing around $20, JLab's Go Air Pop wireless earphones are currently down to just $10 at Walmart. We highlighted these budget buds in our recent audio gift guide. There's no ANC, they're made of cheap plastic and their audio quality can't compete with what's available in pricier buds, but you still get on-device controls, IPX4 water resistance, eight-hour battery life and perfectly passable sound, all in a colorful design. Also, they're $10! If you need a backup set of wireless earbuds, they're hard to fault.
JBL's Flip 6 speaker is on sale for $90 for Black Friday, which is the lowest price we've seen on it. The device earned a spot in our best Bluetooth speakers list for its overall solid sound quality, durability and volume for its size. Its cylindrical design lets you sit it lengthwise on a table, or prop it up on its end if you're pressed for space. We also like its carrying strap, which makes it easier to take this thing with you, and its raised buttons, too.
The Charge 5 is a worth upgrade from JBL's Flip 6, and it's down to $120 for Black Friday. We've seen it drop this low before, but that doesn't change the fact that it remains an all-time low. It has bigger sound and longer battery life, plus a USB-C port with which you can charge other devices like your smartphone or tablet.
Echo Studio is a bigger and louder version of the standard Echo smart speaker, built to deliver hi-res audio. It's usually $200, and rarely goes on sale, but for Black Friday, it's $45 off the list price. We gave the Studio an 88 in our review, saying Amazon had finally nailed the audio element of its smart speaker lineup. With the larger build and speaker array, it's clear Amazon is trying to compete with other smart speaker manufacturers like Sonos and Bose with this one, and it does a great job of it.
Amazon has so many Echo options, it's hard to keep track. This is the original Echo, the very first smart speaker that brought Alexa into our homes to handle everything from setting timers and telling jokes to controlling our smart home universe. It's usually $100, but Black Friday deals have knocked 50 percent off of it, bringing it down to only $50.
Google's competition for Amazon's Echo is the Nest Audio, and it remains one of our favorite smart speakers you can get right now. For Black Friday, you can pick one up for half off or only $50. We gave it a score of 87 when it first came out for its good audio quality, attractive design, good integration with the Google Assistant and the ability to pair two together for stereo sound.
Like its name and appearance suggests, the Echo Dot is the smallest member of the Echo family, a speaker meant to unobtrusively bring Alexa's capabilities to more places in your home. Right now it's down to $25, which is 50 percent off its usual $50 price and a first-ever discount for the latest generation. Released last month, this model includes an upgraded speaker along with a temperature sensor that can pair up with your smart thermostat.
It's easy to drop hundreds on a good pair of headphones, especially now when most of them are at least cheaper than they usually are. But it's not necessary to spend so much on a good pair of cans. Earlier this year, Audio-Technica introduced the $79 ATH-M20xBT, a wireless version of the original M20x, and they quickly became our favorite pair of budget-friendly wireless headphones. For Black Friday, these cans are cheaper than ever at just $59, giving you an opportunity to grab them at the lowest price we've seen.
The ATH-M20xBT may not have advanced features like active noise cancellation, but they have a lot going for them regardless. We like their comfortable design, even if it isn't as refined as that of the higher-end M50x. Their audio quality is good, and they also come with 40mm drivers for improved low-frequency performance. We also like their onboard, physical-button controls, which let you control calls, volume and music playback more easily.
Arguably the biggest feature of these headphones is their Bluetooth connectivity, which lets you use them wirelessly. But Audio-Technica also added multi-point pairing, so you can use them with more than one device at once. This is becoming a standard feature among the best headphones out there, so it's reassuring to see it come to a budget-friendly pair like this. The ATH-M20xBT also have a killer, 60-hour battery life, and they support fast-charge via USB-C, providing three hours of listening time after only 10 minutes of being plugged in. So while they might not be as slick as some of our other favorite wireless headphones, these cans offer a ton of value for the price — and even more when they're on sale like this.
