Sony is winning Black Friday headphones deals – here's which pair to buy

Sony features heavily in our best Black Friday headphones deals round-up and live headphones sales coverage, and with good reason: the brand is behind many of the best-value pairs we have reviewed, and all of those pairs are heavily discounted across Amazon and other retailers this Black Friday week.

We are talking about the very top buyers’ choice at several price points here – those that have beaten their closest rivals from the likes of Bose, Sennheiser and Apple.

Of course, the headphones lineup from one of the world’s biggest consumer electronics brands is as wide and eclectic as you would imagine, so we understand if you’re overwhelmed by choice when confronted with the tens of in-ear and over-ear models in Sony's arsenal.

Essentially, we can with full confidence recommend the following Sony headphones and earbuds at their current Black Friday deals prices:

• Sony WF-C510 earbuds was £55 now £45 (save £10)
• Sony WF-C700 earbuds was £100 now £67 (save £33)
• Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds was £259 now £186.50 (save £72.50)
• Sony WH-CH520 over-ears was £60 now £32 (save £28)
• Sony WH-CH720N over-ears was £99 now £64 (save £35)
• Sony WH-10000XM5 over-ears was £379 now £247 (save £132)

No, we haven’t forgotten about Sony’s ULT Wear, LinkBuds or studio models – we just don’t recommend them as highly as those above in the brand’s core ‘WF’ and ‘WH’ range.

So, six top choices, but which is best for you? That is what we are here to establish…

The VALUE choice

Sony WF-C510: was £54 now £45 at Amazon

The best wireless budget earbuds out there, the WF-C510 feature 22 hours of battery life, IPX4 splash resistance, Bluetooth 5.3 and an Ambient Aware mode that lets outside noise in briefly so that you can hear it. They set the benchmark for sound quality at this price too.

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Sony WH-CH520: was £60 now £32 at Amazon

The Sony WH-CH520 offer an audio performance easily in excess of their original asking price, let alone this discounted one. The same goes for their battery life of 50 hours, which is more than premium pairs offer. You also get Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting two devices simultaneously.

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If you have a modest budget and are purely after a cheap and cheerful pair of Bluetooth earbuds or over-ears that sound decent, Sony’s entry-level pairs are an easy recommendation.

The WF-C510 earbuds and WH-C520 over-ears are both five-star pairs (the earbuds are also What Hi-Fi? Award winners) and our top pick at their ultra-budget prices, beating similarly affordable rivals we have heard from brands such as JBL, EarFun and Jabra for sound quality.

Buy the WF-C510 or WH-C520 if…

• You want the best sound you can buy for under £50

Avoid the WF-C510 or WH-C520 if…

• You want active noise-cancelling technology
• You would be happy spending more for better sound quality

The NOISE-CANCELLING choice

Sony WF-C700N: was £100 now £67 at Amazon

Boasting impressive musicality and excellent levels of detail and insight, these comfortable, sport-friendly earbuds are well worth considering even at their non-discounted price. The WF-C700N offer 7.5 hours of battery life per charge, Multipoint Bluetooth and IPX4 water resistance, plus noise-cancelling.

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Sony WH-CH720N: was £99 now £64 at Amazon

For what is still a very reasonable price, the Sony WH-CH720N are dependably made, enthusiastic-sounding headphones that, while occasionally straying into the realm of excessive bass, deliver good ANC and a strong feature set. Most definitely a job well done.

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If you want your headphones to block out the noisy world, however, you will need to go up a model to the WF-C700 earbuds or WH-CH720N over-ears.

Both pairs feature active noise-cancelling technology that will reduce distracting outside noise. Paying that £22-32 extra over the value pairs will also get you a step up in sound quality and an arguably slightly better build quality, although don’t expect much disparity when it comes to other features. Essentially, you’re paying for ANC here, in what is still a very sensibly affordable price bracket.

These too are five-star pairs, as well as What Hi-Fi? Award winners, that represent the best you can buy at this price, in not only Sony’s catalogue but also the wider headphones market.

Buy the WF-C700N or WH-CH720N if…

• You want the best sound you can buy for under £100
• You want noise-cancelling at affordable prices

Avoid the WF-C700 or WH-CH720N if…

• You want and can afford premium sound quality and the most effective noise-cancelling in the business (see below)

The ULTIMATE choice

Sony WF-1000XM5: was £259 now £187.50 at Amazon

The exemplary Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds set the benchmark for detail and musicality at this price point. They also pack in some of the most extensive features available for the price, including superb noise-cancelling and a 24-hour battery life, plus head gesture and touch controls.

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Sony WH-1000XM5: was £379 now £247 at Amazon

The greatest Sony over-ear wireless noise-cancelling headphones are best in class in their premium field, and this saving over their original RRP makes the Sony WH-1000XM5 even better performance-per-pound value. As well as class-leading sound, they have almost best-in-class noise cancelling, superb call quality and a 30-hour battery life.

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If you have a healthy budget around the £200+ mark and are looking for premium travel companions that deliver the peak of what the wireless headphones world can offer and rival what is out there from the likes of Bose, Apple and Sennheiser, you’re looking at Sony’s top-tier WF-1000XM5 earbuds or WH-1000XM5 over-ears.

Again, these are our first-choice picks at this level – they are both What Hi-Fi? Award winners – and offer a step up in both sound quality and noise-cancelling intensity over the entry-level and mid-range Sonys above. You also get more features – support for the higher-quality LDAC Bluetooth codec, for example, and ‘Speak to Chat’, which lets you talk to someone while the headphones are still on your head. In the case of the earbuds, you get longer battery life too.

Buy the WF-1000XM5 or WH-1000XM5 if…

• If sound quality is your priority
• You want the best-value premium experience you can buy around the £200+ mark

Avoid the WF-1000XM5 or WH-1000XM5 if…

• You want the very best noise-cancelling, which is offered by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Headphones
• Battery life is your priority – the Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones and Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds offer much longer
• You are an iPhone user and can afford the AirPods Max over-ears, which sound better than the Sonys but cost considerably (double) more

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