Apple’s AirPods Max wireless headphones are $549 — and sold out for the holiday. Here are some alternatives.
Wireless
Sony XM4 – headphones (street price $278) Sony’s intelligent industry-leading noise canceling headphones with premium sound elevate your listening experience with the ability to personalize and control everything you hear. Get up to 30 hours of battery life with quick charging capabilities, enjoy an enhanced Smart Listening feature set, and carry conversations hands-free with speak-to-chat.
Bose 700 – headphones (street price $340) Bose Noise cancelling headphones 700 have redefined what wireless headphones can do. Keep your head up to the world with easy access to voice assistants — perfect for music, navigation, weather, and more. Confidently take calls or speak to Alexa anywhere. An unrivaled four microphone system picks up and isolates your voice while cancelling the noise around you.
Apple AirPods Pro – earbuds (street price $199-$249) Active noise cancellation for immersive sound. Transparency mode for hearing and connecting with the world around you. Three sizes of soft, tapered silicone tips for a customizable fit. Sweat and water resistant.
Adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to the shape of your ear.
Wired
Yamaha HPH-MT8 – headphones (street price $199) High-end monitoring headphones with accurate response and precise stereo imaging capable of faithfully reproducing every nuance of the mids and high end, and tight, solid bass.
Etymotic Research ER4SR – earbuds (street price $275) The Etymotic Research ER4SR is the new reference standard in-ear monitor for those who demand nothing less than the highest fidelity. The next generation of our long revered flagship in-ear earphone, the ER4S, the ER4SR delivers increased accuracy with greater sensitivity. Like its predecessor, the ER4SR channels are matched to within an industry-leading 1dB across all frequencies from 100Hz to 10kHz.
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