Best Cheaper Rivals to Apple AirPods Max for 2025: Sony, Bose, AirPods Pro 2 and More

Sony MDR-M1: The new-for-2024 MDR-M1 are essentially a premium version of the 7506, delivering sound that's hard to match for the price. These are the wired headphones that will make you realize what you're missing after listening to wireless headphones for so long. They feature big, open sound with excellent clarity, accuracy and tight bass. Earfun Wave Pro: They list for $80, but click the $20 instant coupon on their product page to get a discount. They may not sound as good as premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose or Sony, but they're comfortable to wear, feature decent sound with punchy bass (they're a bit lacking in clarity and bass definition compared to more expensive models), and offer respectable noise canceling (you can toggle between two levels of ANC) and voice-calling performance. I found them to be a step up from the Soundpeats Space headphones, which sometimes cost a little less. QCY H3 Pro: Its new-for-2024 H3 Pro headphones are similar to models in this price ... Read full article.