Bluetooth the headphones are easy to use, comfortable, and they’re great for keeping cable tangle free. One of the big problems though, especially if you’re an audiophile, is that Bluetooth just isn’t as capable of delivering a high-quality audio signal to your headphones and to your ears.

That’s why these excellent Black Friday deals on audiophile headphones are so great – they’ll save you a bundle on some great headphones. The The Sennheiser HD 800 S is currently $1,399 at Amazonfor a new low price ever with $300 off. The The Sennheiser HD 600 is now $284 at Amazon with a savings of $170. There are more, too, so let’s dive into the big savings heading into Cyber ​​Monday.

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Best Audiophile Headphone Deals

Sennheiser HD 600

You don’t get much more iconic in the headphone world than that Sennheiser HD 600. Audiophiles everywhere will instantly recognize their huge grill-clad ear cups and then regale you with stories of how they use them to judge every pair of headphones that come through their listening room. There’s a reason for this, of course – they just sound so good.

Now it’s worth remembering that just because they sound Good doesn’t mean everyone will enjoy them. After all, I know Citizen Kane is a good movie, I just don’t like watching it. The Sennheiser HD 600 has an almost immaculate frequency response curve — beautiful highs with just a slight roll-off on top, smooth, controlled mids and great bass extension. That bass extension means you can hear more of the bass from your music, although it’s not quite as loud or “bassy” as you might want from a pair of fun listening headphones. I would describe them as flat or neutral.

This makes them excellent for critical listening, when you want to hear all that your music has to offer. You’ll hear cymbal hits you’ve never heard before, or low drum rolls that usually blend into the background. Kick drums have more definition and distorted guitars more crunch. Then there is the soundscape. The HD 600 is open back, which means three things. 1. Don’t wear them on the bus, everyone will hear your songs and you will hear everything going on around you. 2. Thanks to the extra air, the drivers inside the headphones can breathe more, allowing for a more expansive, immersive soundstage. 3. They are less basic, like the low frequencies literally escape through the bars.

Overall, the Sennheiser HD 600 is the pair of headphones every aspiring audiophile should have in their collection. Some would say you need a DAC for them, but the headphone jack on your MacBook or desktop should really do. This $165 savings on Amazon is also good — perfect for getting started in Audiophile land.

Sennheiser HD 800 S

The HD 800 S is a bit like the HD 600, although Sennheiser has fed them a mind-altering amount of Sunny Delight. They offer everything the HD 600 has, only, like, more. They are huge, like wearing some audio stands on your head while listening to your music. They’re also incredibly expensive, but if you’re interested in getting the most out of your songs, you’ll be incredibly well served by the HD 800 S.

Just like the HD 600, the HD 800 S has an analytical sound profile. There’s a particular focus on the higher register and detail, so you’ll be missing out if you’re expecting world-ending bass. If you don’t mind the lack of bass, you’re in for one of the most immersive, revelatory and enchanting audio experiences you can have outside of being in the recording studio when the artist records the album for the first time.

There is one massive thing to remember with the HD 800 S, mind you. All of these audio skills require some incredible audio hardware from Sennheiser, but that also means they take a lot of power to run properly. For this purpose, you will need a proper DAC or headphone amplifier to listen to them at their best. Does this make them more expensive? Of course, but you don’t leave a Bugatti Veyron on the drive, you buy a garage to put it in. My DAC of choice is the Chord Mojo 2, though The iFi Zen CAN is $199 on Amazon if you want something that doesn’t mean your new headphones will scratch $2,000.

They might be the most expensive pair of headphones on the list here, but if you’ve got the money this Black Friday and want to hear all your music has to offer, then there is little better.

HIFIMAN Arya Stealth

We’ve already gotten geeky here, but when we talk about Arya Stealth, we can get even nerdier. Where the other two headphones on the list use what’s called a more standard cone driver (although they both look a little different than what you’ll find in your AirPods Max or Sony WH-1000XM5), the Arya Stealth uses what is called a Planar Magnetic driver.

“What is it?” I hear you ask. In the simplest possible way, it’s two sheets of material sandwiched around a wire that uses magnets to vibrate and create noise. It allows for greater bass response and extension, so bass lovers will have a better time with Planar Magnetic headphones than the ones above. This means that the traditional weaknesses of an open back, such as bass drop, are less of a problem.

The Arya Stealth is a good example of a Planar Magnetic headphone. They are warmer than the other two options on the list, and they are less analytical. There’s still plenty of detail, and they make for a great, engaging listening experience. They also have low power consumption, so you can listen to them happily with a USB-C adapter from the bottom of your smartphone.

Some may not like the way they look, of course. They are a large piece of metal and a leather strap that hangs on the head, after all. I like the way they look, although some may be quite fond of their atmosphere. However, they are extremely comfortable. This $50 deal isn’t the biggest on the list, but it’s a big savings on some very premium headphones.

Sennheiser HD 599

Beige. Beige. Just like a computer from the nineties, the HD 599 has that creamy tint that makes them look much older than they actually are. Sennheiser charitably calls the hue ivory, but none of us are blind. They are beige. Does that mean you should avoid HD 599? Even remotely, the HD 599 are some of the best sounding headphones under $200.

They are open back like all other headphones so far, and this means a very spacious sound image. They’re not quite as analytical, and Sennheiser has tuned them for better low-end response, resulting in a more welcoming sound for the budding audiophile. They were actually my first step on the grand staircase that is the ever-increasing realization of how much it costs to be an audiophile.

Honestly, as much as I love good audio, sometimes my bank account wishes I never bought these beige beauties. Me on the other hand? I love them, still use them, and thank them daily for asking the “what if your music, like, actually sounded good” question.

Focal Celestee

Bonjour, I’m Focal. Are you afraid if you want to be the argent? This is how I imagine the French-made Focal Celestee would present itself. They are an immediate desire, like walking into an expensive car dealership and wanting to buy the first luxuriously engineered machine you see in the showroom. The Celestee are made of some seriously luxurious materials, from their leather-wrapped headband and ear cushions to metal-clad ear cups and structural components.

They back up the good looks with some of the best sound out there, with a warm sound signature. They’re the only closed-back on the list, which means their soundstage is slightly more limited, but the bass is pumped directly into your ears. That’s not to say they skimp on the details – there’s a lot to enjoy here, picking out details in your music that you might otherwise have missed.

Where the other headphones on the list are like sports cars, stripped of all their luxury and made for the act of critical listening, the Celestee is more akin to a Rolls Royce. They sound incredible and make for some critical listening – even if you do it while wrapped in a comforting blanket in a high-backed leather chair.

This price on them is an incredible deal and brings them $200 off their previous lowest price.