Amazon’s Memorial Day sale began this week with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones marked down to $248, a move matched by Best Buy’s Memorial Day offers that list the same model at $248.
The discount places the WH-1000XM5 $150 below Sony’s newer WH-1000XM6, which sells for $398, and lands the older model squarely in value territory: it’s described as offering industry-leading noise cancellation and up to 30 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on, and as much as 45 hours when ANC is off. Sony says a three-minute charge can deliver up to three hours of listening, and the WH-1000XM5 supports multi-point connection, Speak to Chat, Precise Voice Pickup and an app with preset profiles and a manual EQ.
Those price cuts are part of a broader wave of Memorial Day discounts across major audio lines. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra 1st Gen headphones are down to $299 this week and are described as offering the same elite noise cancellation and CustomTune audio calibration as their successor. Bose’s QuietComfort headphones are also on sale at $229. Bose lists the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen at a retail price of $449; the second-generation Ultra adds lossless USB-C audio and a Cinema Mode.
Apple’s audio prices are also notable. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $199, standard AirPods 4 sit at $99, and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation is discounted to $148.99. The Noise Cancellation model brings active noise cancellation, transparency modes and AI-powered live translation. Apple’s updated over-ear headphones are described as bringing 1.5 times the noise cancellation power of the original 2020 pair, and last‑generation AirPods Max are listed at $449.
For shoppers hunting the best noise cancelling earbuds, those AirPods discounts matter: the AirPods Pro 3 and the noise-cancelling AirPods 4 offer the on-ear and in-ear options that a quick Memorial Day search will turn up alongside the big over-ear bargains. But the headline grab this week is the Sony WH-1000XM5’s fall to $248, a price that puts a high-rated, last‑gen over-ear at a level many buyers used to reserve for midrange models.
Context helps explain why the markdowns are consequential. The WH-1000XM5 has been identified as a top pick for overall headphones, and its feature set—industry-leading ANC, a long battery life, fast‑charge capability and customizable audio through a mobile app—tracks what most buyers want from a premium pair. The WH-1000XM6 promises improvements—enhanced active noise cancellation, improved call quality and a fully folding design—but at $398 it sits a full $150 above the sale price for the five.
The friction is clear: manufacturers have added new features that justify higher retail tags, yet retailers are using discounts on last‑gen hardware to grab attention. Bose’s first-generation Ultra model is being sold as having the same elite noise cancellation and CustomTune calibration as the later model while undercutting the successor’s $449 retail; Sony’s deep cut on the WH-1000XM5 makes a buyer decide whether the WH-1000XM6’s incremental gains are worth the premium. Apple’s discounts on both earbuds and headphones add another choice layer for people who prioritize compactness or ecosystem features over over-ear isolation.
This Memorial Day, the practical takeaway is straightforward: if your checklist is industry-leading noise cancellation, long battery life and proven mobile‑app customization at a decisive discount, the WH-1000XM5 at $248 is the stand‑out buy among high-end over-ear options. If you need true earbuds or a compact in-ear with ANC and translation features, the discounted AirPods Pro 3 and the AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation at $148.99 represent the most compelling in-ear bargains in the sale. The broader unanswered question for buyers is whether the extra features of the newest models—improved ANC, lossless outputs and folding designs—justify paying full price when last‑gen gear is readily available at steep Memorial Day cuts.
