'Bye, AirPods, LOL': At $50 off, these Beats buds should top your holiday gift list

You'll never go wrong with an eye-catching, ear-impressing bit of audio equipment, and early Black Friday sales are a great opportunity to 1) Wow anyone on your list who spends a fair amount of time listening to music, podcasts, phone calls (that's everyone, right?), and 2) Call dibs with friends, siblings and fellow aunts and uncles who may be thinking of adding this "sound" choice to their shopping list. With that in mind, right now Amazon's got boffo Black Friday deals on all manner of tech, but we're particularly loving the discounted Beats Studio Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds. Why? They're 34% off.

Beats

Beats Studio Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds

$99$150Save $51

Spatial Audio. Active Noise Cancelling. Transparency Mode. That's a lot of trademarked, capitalized functions for one product to boast. Take the hint and snap these up while they're less than a hundred bucks.

$99 at Amazon

We have more reasons, too. Like these:

Beats Studio Buds support Spatial Audio technology, giving you a more immersive aural experience, perfect for gamers and movie fans who want to truly live inside their content.

Each pair comes with three eartip options, one of which will surely work for any grade-schooler, grad student or granny on your list.

They will, of course rock any Android device, but will automatically pair with anything in the Appleverse; iPhone users can enjoy hands-free activation with Siri. On-bud controls allow you to adjust the volume, choose listening modes and engage voice assistance.

Active Noise Cancelling will, of course allow you to completely shut out the world, but should you want, or need, to stay somewhat engaged, opt for Transparency Mode; two small, front-facing mics will allow you to stay aware of what's happening around you. Call it a safety feature, call it an ingenious option — either way, it's good to have.

Also good to have? Power that won't quit. These Beats will run for eight hours on a single charge, and 16 more when the case is juiced up.

That's a lot to love, right? Is it any wonder, then, that almost 33,000 Beats owners have testified to their love? Herewith, testimonials from a few of those five-star fans.

"I'm not an audiophile by any stretch, but love my music. In my opinion the sound quality is excellent with deep bass and clarity," related this once-stingy shopper. "I had been buying cheaper earbuds (in the $35 range) for years not wanting to spend the money that higher quality earbuds demand, but I'd have to buy a couple pair each year with nothing but issues." He continued: "I can't compare these to AirPods or any expensive earbuds, but the difference from the cheaper ones is unmistakable. Should have done it years ago."

Here's someone who can compare these Beats to AirPods: "They do the job just as good, probably even better than Apple. I feel like AirPods are overrated, honestly; the magnet on these is strong, battery life amazing and sound quality fire! Bye, AirPods, LOL."

"This is the first set of earbuds that actually stay in my ear with my piercings," said one body-altering booster. "I have a big conch piercing as well as both tragus [traguses? tragi?] and I have tried to shake the buds out. They're not budging, and I don't have to constantly readjust them. This alone is enough for me to give it five stars. I am super impressed with the sound quality.... Noise cancellation provides for a great isolating experience and transparency is a welcomed option as well."

Beats

Beats Studio Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds

$99$150Save $51

Spatial Audio. Active Noise Cancelling. Transparency Mode. That's a lot of trademarked, capitalized functions for one product to boast. Take the hint and snap these up while they're less than a hundred bucks.

$99 at Amazon

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: See all of our Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage. Shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Engadget’s tech experts curated the best deals on highly-rated electronics for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

Looking for more great Amazon tech deals? Check these out:

Headphones and earbuds

TVs

Tablets and tech