Six of the 14 headphones and earbuds we rank are at their 90-day high, A$40 to A$120 above where they sat last fortnight

On 1 November, six of the 14 headphones and earbuds in our rankings were at the highest price we have recorded for them since daily Amazon AU checks began on 3 August. All six were cheaper within the past fortnight. The Sony WH-1000XM6 was A$577 until 28 October and has been A$697 since 29 October; the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) were A$578 until 21 October and are now A$698.

If you are shopping for noise-cancelling headphones this week, that A$120 is the difference between buying now and waiting a bit. Our current headphone rankings and earbud rankings carry the live price on every pick, so check there first. Below is what our daily snapshots say about how long these high spells have lasted before, and which pair is the exception.

The picks

Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling HeadphonesA$697Check Price →

What our data shows

Prices and availability observed by top7.au from Amazon AU, as of 1 November 2026. They change; the live listing is the source of truth. Spell lengths are counted between the dates we saw a price change, and a few days in the window have no snapshot.

The Sony and Bose over-ears have done this before

These two tend to sit on one of two prices. Since mid August the Sony WH-1000XM6 has bounced between about A$575 and A$697: up on 16 August, down on 27 August; up on 10 September, down on 25 September; up on 11 October, down on 15 October; up again on 29 October. The Bose followed a similar line, reaching A$698 on 13 August and 10 September and falling away each time, and it has been there again since 22 October.

The longest either has held the top price before now is 15 days. That is not a promise. Amazon sets these prices and three spells is a small sample, but on what we have seen, A$697 and A$698 are A$120 above each pair's median price of A$577 and A$578 over the past three months.

The earbuds, and two that need a closer look

Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling EarbudsA$498Check Price →

The Sony WF-1000XM6 has the sharpest recent move: A$388.95 from 21 to 25 October, A$394.95 on 28 and 29 October, A$498 since 30 October. Its only other run at A$498 lasted from 10 to 24 September.

The AirPods Pro 3 are a different story. They sat between A$319 and A$347 for 11 weeks, and A$369 only appeared on 21 October. There is no earlier high spell to judge this one by, so we can't say how long it lasts. It did drop back to A$326 for a single day on 27 October, so the lower price hasn't gone for good.

Two of the six come with a footnote. The Soundcore Space 2 is at A$219.99 today, but its five earlier appearances at that price each lasted a single day before it fell back under A$186. Check it again tomorrow before reading anything into it. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are at their high too, but A$448 is also their median: this is their normal price, and the cheaper stretches (A$349 in late August, about A$390 to A$402 in mid October) are the exception. They are cheap sometimes rather than dear now.

The one that doesn't fit the pattern

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless HeadphonesA$709Check Price →

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 is heading the other way. It sat at A$748 for most of the window and has slid since mid October, through A$724.99 on 17 October to A$709 since 28 October. The lowest we have seen is A$702, from 27 August to 6 September. Amazon AU is the seller from Sydney, and delivery read as free at all nine postcodes we check. The trade-off is that it is the priciest of this group today, by A$11, so it only makes sense if you were already looking at this end of the market.

What we would do

If you can wait a fortnight, wait, and keep an eye on the Sony and Bose over-ears in particular. If your old pair has just died and you need something this week, the Momentum 5 is the only premium over-ear here at close to its best price. One thing we can't tell you is what happens later this month: our daily history only starts in August, so there is no past Black Friday in it, and we are not going to guess.

For the full line-ups and live prices, see our headphone rankings and our earbud rankings. If you are choosing between those two earbuds, our Sony WF-1000XM6 and AirPods Pro 3 comparison covers the differences, our premium earbuds guide goes wider, and our under A$200 headphone picks are there if none of this pricing appeals.