Shopping for a set of AirPods this year? this Black Friday? We’ve looked through all the Black Friday ads and broken down where you can get the cheapest AirPods with charging case, AirPods with wireless charging case, the brand new AirPods Pro and a replacement charging case.

Best Price on AirPods Pro: $169

Advertised in the Walmart flyer this year, the $169 price on the AirPods Pro will beat the best price we have seen on the Pros all year. The last best price was $190 on Electronics.woot! a few weeks ago.

It’s possible that other retailers (Target, Best Buy, Amazon) will price match as the Walmart sale starts at 7 p.m. ET on November 25. The AirPods Pro offer noise cancellation, adaptive EQ and water resistance.

• Amazon: AirPods Pro
• Best Buy: AirPods Pro
• Target: AirPods Pro

Check Price on Walmart

Best Price on AirPods with charging case: $99

We actually saw this $99 price on AirPods earlier this month at Walmart and Amazon. We believe it’s significantly likely that the sale will repeat starting on Wed night and potentially run through end of day on Black Friday. Possibly even sooner with Amazon & Best Buy starting sales this weekend.

Apple’s standard AirPods typically retail for $159, offer up to five hours of listening time on a single charge and more then 24 hours of time with the charging case.

• Walmart: AirPods with charging case
• Amazon: AirPods with charging case

Best Price on AirPods with wireless case: $130 – $140 prediction

The AirPods with wireless case haven’t seen significant discounts in the last several months due to the popularity of the Pros. We are predicting the version with the wireless case will drop from the current sale price of $160 down to the $130 to $140 range.

The majority of retailers (haven’t even listed this model in flyers this year. It’s possible retailers are keeping that information intentionally vague in the Black Friday advertisements or are simply ignoring this model due to the popularity of the base model & Pros.

• Best Buy: AirPods with wireless case
• Walmart: AirPods with wireless case
• Amazon: AirPods with wireless case

Here’s the cheapest AirPods on Black Friday 2020

Tacked onto the announcement of the already expensive $769 iPhone 7 Plus (base 32GB model), Apple announced a wireless version of the EarPods that may push your total cost over $1,000 (with tax) if you purchase the bundle.

Priced at $159 (roughly $130 more than the new wired version with Lightning jack), the Apple AirPods offer the same sound quality as the wired option, but at more than five times the price!

Destined to get lost in your couch cushions within the first week, Apple AirPods offer a 5-hour battery life (when in use), Bluetooth pairing and touch controls.

More expensive than a 32GB Apple TV, the AirPods include sensors that automatically stop music if one falls out of your ear. Of course, there’s no ‘Find My AirPods’ functionality built-in when you inevitably lose one.

After the insanely priced headphones were announced today, the Twitterverse had lots of fun.

Here’s a sampling of the funniest tweets:

Just saved myself $159 with these homemade #AirPods #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/5nG7eMAqf8

— Si (@Si_Bags) September 7, 2016

When I saw the price of the headphones. #AppleEvent #AirPods pic.twitter.com/rzJaTnVKGh — angie baby (@kindnessandfire) September 7, 2016

Worried about losing your wireless Airpods? For just $59.99, let me send you my new invention. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/1wzW5u0DnB

— mah ree nah (@marinarachael) September 7, 2016

when u accidentally swallow those #airpods #appleevent pic.twitter.com/VJkFuPBVFb — Elliott Desai (@elliottdesai) September 7, 2016

The AirPods came a long way from that first prototype. pic.twitter.com/GbzLZ8Nwzr

— Kay Reindl (@KayReindl) September 7, 2016

only looking at the picture and I’ve already choked, died and got one lodged in my ear canal #AppleEvent #AirPods pic.twitter.com/lsl9HpZtjO — Ross Buchanan (@rossy) September 7, 2016

love the new apple #airpods pic.twitter.com/FlgGhNvN9r

— i am strikes (@iamstrikesmusic) September 7, 2016

Just saved myself $159… #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/WJQdh9f3CN — Lux (@Callux) September 7, 2016

#AirPods? I guess another name was taken. pic.twitter.com/DzI7xUGbbe

— josh groban (@joshgroban) September 7, 2016

Searching my #AirPods after #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/ymiHQvz0Lo — Amit Panchal (@AmitHPanchal) September 7, 2016

When you can’t find your AirPods anywhere pic.twitter.com/t6sUfLT1oA

— Super Deluxe (@superdeluxe) September 7, 2016

This Week in Ridiculous Prices: $159 Apple AirPods

For many, college is full of firsts — first dorm, first roommate, first surround system, first noise complaint, etc. And that’s where the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC and Mac come into play.

In truth, wanting or needing to watch movies and play games in surround sound without disturbing the other members of your domicile is not limited to college students. Roommates, significant others, children, corporate housing dwellers, cubicle neighbors — each one is likely to benefit from you not blasting Saints Row IV or Skyfall through an actual array of surround sound speakers.  At the same time, for the love of all sound gods, don’t limit yourself to Apple ear buds.

The Choice is Clear

Many “surround sound” headsets take your music, movies, and games, and, using fancy mathematical algorithms, fake a multiple speaker sound experience, but that is not the idea behind the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1.  Mad Catz gobbled up Tritton back in 2010, and the headset maker continues to pump out golden edges, at least if looks are to be believed.

These are some serious cans, with each over-the-ear coupling housing four separate drivers.  A left and right set of 30mm Front, 30mm Rear, 24mm Center and 40mm Sub drivers power the surround experience, which also means this headset requires a 5.1 surround source to push those drivers (as well as a USB jack to power it all).

Fortunately, even the dorm-dwelling laptop user can swap in a USB sound card like the Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1 to make the connection. Or, maybe an even better option are the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for Xbox 360 and PS3, which come with a necessary external decoder.  The user’s laptop would then just need some kind of optical out.

As for 5.1 content, not only are most 3D PC games made in the last seven years surround-ready, but DVDs and Blu-rays will shine as well.  In fact, users can even find .mkv, and other various video encodes, with stunning 5.1 tracks that are playable through VLC. The end result of all this equipment and source material?

Stunning surround sound in a comfortable and stylish package.

Tweaking

Of course, like any enjoyable surround sound set-up, the Trittons take some set-up tweaking.  Fortunately, the headset’s in-line audio control uses four illuminated buttons and a volume rocker to give the user the ability to push power where needed. Initially, I was bummed to see that the headset omitted an auxiliary port, but it turns out the Xbox controller mic port (found on the bottom of the in-line audio control) can be used as an aux port for a secondary audio source.

Jack of All Trades

Provided that you have a USB power source around to power it, the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC and Mac do more than just provide surround sound.  The included, flexible and detachable mic is far and away a much better option for things like Skype and Ventrilo and Steam Chat than the tiny speck of a microphone that comes standard with most laptops.  Plus, it has a Mute Mic switch.  Good luck quickly finding one of those on that new laptop.

Worth Remembering

The aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper look of the headset is likely to turn heads.  In addition to the glossy Imperial white, black and a red are also options.  All three colors laugh at most other headset designs.  Still, carrying these around is no joke and, since Mad Catz only offers a two-year limited warranty, future owners need to keep this headset out of harm’s way.

In Conclusion

Mad Catz was nice enough to provide a set of white Tritton Pros for review, and they demolished my expectations.  Comfortable for hours on end, reasonably well-made, and powered by a sound design that reproduces games and movies in a range from good to hyper zen.  Anybody looking for true 5.1 headphones for their PC or Mac needs to give these a major consideration.  Once you’ve spent some time with their eight drivers, you may never be able to go back to a mere two-speaker headset again.

BUY NOW: Mad Catz TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC And Mac

OR: Mad Catz TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones Review

Moving into a small dorm room doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sacrifice watching movies or playing video games in a home theater environment. We have put together some great back-to-school options for home theater gear that will fit into a dorm room and still provide a quality experience for entertainment when you’re de-stressing from classes as well as privacy options when it’s time to study.

Save on Space with a Flat Screen

If you’re sending junior off to college, forcing them to take along that old SD television that weighs more than a pallet of bricks is simply a bad idea. Dorm room space is limited, and that bulky television simply doesn’t help the situation. The sweet spot for a dorm room television is probably 32 to 39 inches in size. Anything larger than that will likely require an agreement between roommates to stack furniture to make space for the television on a stand or mounted on the wall. However, they will likely be between 4 to 7 feet away from the television, thus a smaller size is better.

When shopping for a television, look for a model that’s 1080p, has multiple HDMI inputs and a direct LED backlight. If you are looking to save money, go for a 60Hz television over a 120Hz and skip features like smart applications or 3D playback. You can get all of those smart apps for streaming video in cheaper options like gaming consoles or media players. Quality name brands include Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, Sony, LG and Panasonic. Price target for a 32-inch should be $250 to $300 and 39-inch should be $300 to $375. Black Friday also yields greater deals, if your college student doesn’t mind waiting a few months.

Check Ben’s for 32-inch to 39-inch HDTV Deals

But What About the Audio?

While a dorm room is small and ideal for positioning speakers, space is still an issue. The total volume can also be a problem for neighbors within the dorm. A home-theater-in-a-box solution may be fun, but it’s also going to have the resident assistant banging on the door to turn down the volume.

To solve the space and volume issues, take a look at soundbars. Mounted underneath the television, a soundbar provides simulated surround sound for movies and significantly improved stereo sound for watching regular television. It may also come with a small subwoofer that adds just enough bass for impact, but won’t disturb your neighbors too much. Soundbars often wildly vary in price based on the brand and output wattage. However, you can find deals in the $150 to $300 range for a brand name product like Yamaha. You can do with a less expensive model, but be sure to read reviews (on Amazon and other sites) on the available features and quality of the sound.

Check Ben’s for Soundbar Deals

Steaming Video is the Future

If your college student already has a gaming console, they will already be able to access lots of streaming video services like Netflix Instant, Hulu Plus and Amazon Video on Demand. However, if they aren’t into gaming, you should look into purchasing an inexpensive media player for them.

There’s no contest in this category: the Roku 3 is the obvious choice. It launches content significantly faster than anything on the market, including all current gaming consoles. It’s extremely user friendly and the interface is speedy, responsive and well laid out. You can read our full review here (9 out of 10) if you would like more information about the handy media player. Look for deals on the Roku 3 in the $85 to $90 range. By the way, you may see cheaper deals for the Roku 2 XS, but the upgrade to the Roku 3 is definitely worth the additional cost due to the increased speed of the device. The Roku 3 remote also includes a headphone jack for increased privacy.

Check Ben’s for Roku 3 Deals

But Don’t Forget About Redbox

While physical discs are slowly losing the battle to streaming video services these days, Blu-ray is still a fantastic way to watch a film in glorious 1080p and listen in 7.1 surround sound. Redbox is a particularly good deal for college students since the price of rentals is cheaper than any traditional movie rental store. A Netflix subscription is also an inexpensive option for renting Blu-ray discs.

However, you are going to need a Blu-ray player to take advantage of this. Once again, if you already have a PlayStation 3 or are planning to purchase one of the new gaming consoles in November, don’t worry about purchasing a standalone player. However, if you own a Xbox 360 or simply aren’t into gaming, you should be able to find a decent Blu-ray player in the $40 to $80 range.

Check Ben’s for Blu-ray Player Deals

The Best Solution for Study Time

There’s nothing worse than a roommate who refuses to turn down the sound of the television when it’s time to study. It’s also a pain to keep the television off when the dorm has specific quiet hours. This is where a quality set of headphones is perfect for the dorm room for those situations.

If your student is really into surround sound and gaming, look into the Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930. It’s somewhat pricey at $100ish, but the headphones are wireless, offer simulated 7.1 surround sound and include a microphone for multiplayer gaming. The Plantronics GameCom 780 is another great 7.1 solution (and less expensive). If you want to save some money, 5.1 options are less expensive and you can forgo the microphone to reduce the cost, as well. If you do purchase a wired set, make sure the cord is a minimum of 10 feet long to stretch across the length of the room.

Check Ben’s for Surround Sound Headphone Deals

Excellent Home Theater Equipment for Dorm Life