The Soundcore Space One Active headphones are the best budget option on the market today. (Rick Broida/Yahoo Life)
Listen up: Our senior tech writer, Rick Broida, has spent the past two decades testing (and testing, and re-testing) hundreds of headphones. So, when he says a sub-$100 pair rivals some of the $400 headphone models, it's no hyperbole. When he tested some of the best headphones on the market, he named the Soundcore Space One Headphones the best budget option, praising their sound quality and noise-cancelling abilities. And this budget option just got even more budget friendly, currently matching a previous all-time low price of just $79.
Finally ready to trade your fraying wired earbuds for a sleek pair of Apple AirPods? These second-gen top sellers have hundreds of thousands of perfect ratings for a reason — well, multiple reasons: clear, rich sound quality, 24-hour battery life and the fact that you won't find yourself tangled up in cords if you accidentally fall asleep with them in. Apple is one of those brands that doesn't really need to have sales, since their products are so in-demand. That said, we'll take $30 off when we can! We usually only see these priced lower during major sales events, and not by very much more than they are now.
"I've had a real problem with finding comfortable earbuds and for years have stuck to the one [pair of] corded earbuds that were comfortable and didn't fall out," wrote one Apple convert. "I thought it was finally time to try these as I transitioned to only having a cell phone. I was surprised at how comfortable they are. The sound quality is good, and the charge lasts a long time. I'm a believer!"
Don’t have a smart TV? No problem. For $20 — the lowest price it's ever been — this Fire TV Stick will give you access to thousands of apps and over 1.5 million movies and TV shows.
Never mind that it's a previous-generation model. iPads hold their value and this iPad is one of the best tablets you can buy, period — especially at this heavily discounted price. It's a great deal, too: This is on par with the lowest price recorded.
Want to streamline your streaming experience? This Roku box and remote set will have you jumping from Netflix to Disney+ to Hulu in a jiffy. And even if you don't have a smart TV, it'll instantly upgrade your standard boob tube so you can watch just about anything. This 40% discount brings the price close to as low as we've ever seen it.
"I had a regular TV without any streaming connectivity, and this completely upgraded it," said a user. "The streaming quality is so much better than broadcast TV, and now we aren't stuck with just a few channels. It's also really easy to take with you, if you might go to a hotel or somewhere without a smart TV."
The Soundcore Space Ones are a no-brainer option, offering quality sound and noice-cancelling abilities that compares to some options that are more than four-times the price.
Even at their usual $100 price, these Soundcore headphones are a steal. But, for only the second time in a year (the last time being four months ago), they've matched their all-time low of just $79.
If you're wondering whether $100 headphones can possibly rival ones costing three or four times as much, get ready for a surprise: It can. Soundcore's Space Ones offer sweet sound and robust ANC. On those merits alone, we'd have no qualms about recommending it.
Because unless you're an audiophile, you're not going to notice much of a difference between these and, say, the $400-plus Sonos Aces.
When reviewing these headphones, Broida flagged that the Soundcore companion app "is a model of simplicity: Everything is clearly labeled and logically organized."
"These 'phones can play for a whopping 55 hours on a charge, or 40 if you use ANC. Just five minutes of USB-C quick-charging nets you up to four additional hours," Broida mentioned. "Apple's $549 AirPods Max need to recharge after just 20 hours."
One of the standout features, according to Broida, was Easy Chat. "Cup your hand over the left earcup and the headphones quickly switch into transparency mode so you can converse more comfortably," he wrote in his review.
"I'm no audiophile; I just like listening to music and going about my business," Broida wrote. "Space Ones don't match the depth and richness offered by higher-end headphones like the Sonos Aces, but they sound perfectly good to my ears. And noise-cancelling exceeded my expectations given the price point."
Broida does note that, overall, they don't feel quite as high-end as other models he tested. "The build feels just a touch plasticky overall," he noted. "The volume and play/pause buttons on the right earcup are a good size and well-placed, but good luck remembering which of the two left-earcup buttons is for power and which is for toggling ANC modes."
he reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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