Can't afford the Sony XM5 Prime Day deal? Get these half-price Boses instead

Can't afford the Sony XM5 Prime Day deal? Get these half-price Boses instead
(Image credit: Bose)

In the Amazon Prime Day 2 sale, the new Sony WH-1000XM5 are receiving their first discount. But that still makes the class leaders £299 / $349, putting them out of reach for many. Sadly, the older (but still superb) Sony XM4 are not in the sales and not much cheaper.

So what if you can't afford either right now? Well, you could patiently wait for Black Friday to come around in the hope either pair are treated to a bigger price cut. Or you could take advantage of a really fantastic deal on a very decent pair of Bose headphones now...

In the UK, the flagship Bose 700 are just £179.99 thanks to a nearly half-price discount. 

In the US, the Bose 700 are $269. And cheaper still, the newer Bose QC45 are only $229 after a 30 per cent discount. 

Bargains.

UK: Bose 700 £299 £179 at Amazon (save £120)
US: Bose 700 $379 $269 at Amazon (save $110)

UK: Bose 700 <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=40397&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB07Q9MJKBV%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">£299 £179 at Amazon (save £120)
US: Bose 700
<a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=40397&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fgp%2Fslredirect%2FpicassoRedirect.html%2Fref%3Dpa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26adId%3DA00384862BWMGXXHEJA43%26url%3D%252FBose-Cancelling-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones%252Fdp%252FB07Q9MJKBV%252Fref%253Dsr_1_1_sspa%253Fcrid%253D37JD7BSGGIC0O%2526keywords%253Dbose%252B700%2526qid%253D1665541062%2526qu%253DeyJxc2MiOiIyLjcwIiwicXNhIjoiMS45NyIsInFzcCI6IjEuNTUifQ%25253D%25253D%2526smid%253DATVPDKIKX0DER%2526sprefix%253Dbose%252B7%25252Caps%25252C746%2526sr%253D8-1-spons%2526psc%253D1%26qualifier%3D1665541062%26id%3D370238134234055%26widgetName%3Dsp_atf%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">$379 $269 at Amazon (save $110)
The Bose 700 headphones deliver balanced, smooth and detailed sound quality, best-in-class noise cancelling, a 20-hour battery life and superb comfort – all for a temptingly low price this October Prime Day.

US: Bose QC45:&nbsp;$329 $229 at Amazon (save $100)

US: Bose QC45: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=40397&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BH6V8TTG%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"">$329 $229 at Amazon (save $100)
These excellent ANC headphones from Bose offer up strong noise-cancellation alongside impressive battery life and a comfortable build. At $100 off, if you're looking for a solid pair of cans, look no further.

The tasty saving on the Bose 700 in both the UK and US gets you Bose's most premium wireless noise-cancelling cans with a smooth, balanced sound, 20 hours of playback per charge, a super-comfortable design and intuitive touch controls, not to mention class-leading active noise cancellation with an unrivalled 11 levels to choose from.

We gave the Bose 700 a very positive four-star review for their likeable combination of performance, design and ease of use – and that was at their original price. Now, given the size of their discount, they are certainly a bit more appealing, though you should know that both the pricier, five-star Sony XM5 and XM4 boast better sound quality.

Should US shoppers save an extra $40 on the QC45? Well, they are newer. They also collapse inwards for easy storage and have four hours' more battery life per charge. The Bose 700 modestly pip them for sound, though, have a sleeker design (in our opinion) and have more (but not necessarily more effective) levels of ANC. If you are on the fence, our Bose QC45 vs Bose 700 article should help.

MORE:

Our pick of the best Bose headphones on the market

Save big with today's best headphones deals

Browse the best wireless headphones on offer

Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.