Bose’s excellent QC Ultra Earbuds are matching their all-time low

If the bar for noise-canceling earbuds seems high right now, that’s because Bose and Sony seem to raise it with every addition to their respective lineups. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are a great example of just how impressive ANC has become in the last few years, particularly in the earbuds space. And now, thanks to a $50 discount, you can pick them up at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for $249.

If noise cancellation is your top priority when selecting a pair of wireless earbuds, there’s no better choice than the Ultra. Bose’s latest earbuds do a terrific job masking the sounds of traffic, talking, and other noisy facets of everyday life, allowing you to soak in your playlists and podcasts without unwanted distractions. When you do want to hear what’s going on around you, they also have a crystal-clear transparency mode, which will pipe in sound from the outside so you can remain abreast of your surroundings.

Spec-wise, the Ultra are pretty similar to the last-gen QC Earbuds II, aside from a few minor upgrades. Their audio quality is rich and lively, especially when using Bose’s new Immersive Audio feature, which imparts certain tracks with an added sense of depth. They also tout better voice call performance and improved stability fins, the latter of which are now far easier to apply. You still don’t get wireless charging or multipoint support (sigh), but hey, maybe next time.