Archives for June 2015

Open box NAD VISO HP50 for $220 (was $200)

If you like modest-red headphones, the NAD VISO HP50, another frequently recommended model, is available in “Used – Very Good” (open-box with full warranty per this particular description) condition for $220 (was $200) by ListenUp thru Amazon. They ship from ListenUp so they are not eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping benefits. The other used colors go for $220+. These closed-back over-ears go for $300 in new condition. They average 4.4 out of 5 with nearly 100 customer reviews.

Used Shure SE215 black for $80

The Shure SE-215 are one of the in-ears you often seen in $100-ish recommendation lists and partly because of that, they are mostly “stuck” in price at $100 in new condition. But if you are comfortable with used, you can get them in “Used – Very Good” condition for around $80 by Amazon Warehouse Deals. There are multiple listings, so there is the possibility of price-pressure discounting them some more but this is only speculation since I don’t know how the prices are decided. They average 4.1 out of 5 with over 1500 customer reviews so far. Hype train number of reviews 🙂

Used Astell & Kern AK 120 II for $1320

On the four figure DAP front, the Astell & Kern AK 120 II is currently available in “Used – Like New” condition for $1320 with free shipping by Beach Camera thru Amazon.

Open box Focal Spirit One for $90

If you are comfortable with open-box headphones, the Focal Spirit One is currently available as open-box in red or white at ListenUp.com, the website of about a handful of bricka nd mortar specialty hifi stores in Colorada, Albacracky and Portlandia. Per the listing, they come with full warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Used MEElectronics Sport-Fi M6 for $6

The MEElectronics Sport-Fi M6 in-ears are currently available in “Used – Like New” condition (damaged original packaging) for around $6 in the black color scheme by Amazon Warehouse Deals. The extra few pennies may be worth it over the “Used – Very Good” for $5.66 that says “Item will come repackaged”. Other used colors go for more, with white at $6.41 in similarly-described condition.

[DEAD] Refurbished Sony Walkman NWZ-A17-SLV DAP for $200

As of 6/24/15 recheck, these sold out at $200…
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[DEAD] Used Harman Kardon SOHOi On-Ears for $81

As of 6/24/15, the lowest used price is $100+… The Harman Kardon SOHOi On-Ears with a 3-button mic/remote (iOS) are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for around $81 by Amazon Warehouse Deals. These are square, fashion, folding headphones.

Westone Adventure Series High Performance Earphones for $50

Among the latest Staples.com Website Deals, you can get the new condition Westone Adventure Series High Performance Earphones, model WST78401, aka 8401, for $50 with free ship to store, or free shipping for Rewards members. This is an online-only offer, so Store Pickup is not available. Offer ends by 6/23/15 according to the page over there.

Used V-Moda XS On-Ears (black) for $84

The V-Moda XS On-Ears, in the black color scheme, are currently going for $84~ in “Used – Very Good” condition by Amazon Warehouse Deals. There’s only one listing by AWD there, so if you are interested, you may want to research them at a non-leisurely pace. Their new condition price is currently $180.

Used Philips Fidelio X2 for $227 (was $216)

The new condition price of the Philips Fidelio X2 went back up to $300 (from sale at $250) but the used prices went in the opposite direction creating a bigger gap between the two. As of the time of writing there are two “Used – Very Good” listings for $227 (was $216~) at Amazon Warehouse Deals, and one “Used – Like New” for $241 (Was $230)… Prices updated here 6/19/15…

Used Audio-Technica ATH-R70x for $264

The recently-released open-back over-ear Audio Technical ATH-R70x (the parallel model to the M70x) is currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for around $264 by Amazon Warehouse Deals.

[DEAD] Used Sennheiser HD 700 for $408

As of 6/23/15 recheck, the used options in this price range sold out… The Sennheiser HD 700 are currently available in “Used – Good” condition for around $408 by Amazon Warehouse Deals where the new condition price is $544~.

Used Beyerdynamic T1 for $741

Tesla time, the Beyerdynamic T1 are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $741 by Amazon Warehouse Deals.

Used RHA MA750i for $70 to $75

The RHA MA750i in-ears are currently available in “Used – Good” condition for around $70 by Amazon Warehouse Deals or $75~ in “Used – Very Good” or $80 in “Used – Like New”. There are many many “Very Good” listings, so price pressure may force them further down (five pages of used listings over there as of the time of writing). These average 4.2 out of 5 based on 385 customer reviews but they share the listing with their parallel non-mic/remote (MA750).

Massdrop: Audeze Deckard (+BeyerD), Gustard, Musiland

More Massdrop offers were added today, but as of the time of writing, none of them are fully unlocked, however, they each have seven days left (from blog-posting date). They are:

  • Audeze Deckard for $700 (optionally add Beyerdynamic DT 990 (600 ohm) for +$100 or the T1 for +$600)
  • GUSTARD DAC-X12 USB Version as low as $452
  • Musiland Monitor 02US Dragon DAC/Amp as low as $119

Now shipping: SanDisk SDMX26-008G-G46 Clip Jam for $39

Sandisk is back with another colorful variation of their popular Clip* mp3 player line-up. The new model is the SanDisk SDMX26-008G-G46, with a street name of “Clip Jam”, available in black and four colorful colors, currently going for around $40 (varies slightly by color) at amazon.com. It has 8GB on-board plus the good old microSD slot that makes the Clips such a good value. Promises up to 18 hours of battery life and comes with a two year warranty. There’s no mention of FLAC in the list of supported formats (but supports mp3, aac, wma, wav, and Audible).

Used Ultrasone Edition 10 Limited for $2007

The Ultrasone Edition 10 Limited open-back headphones with their S-Logic Plus are currently available in “Used – Like New” condition for $2000 plus $7 flat shipping by AudioCritic thru Amazon. The description for this particular listings states: “Mint condition. Comes with wood headphone stand and case. Original packaging. The serial number is 149x (only 2010 units produced). Ship same business day with tracking info and delivery confirmation.”

FiiO HS3B Protective (for X3 DAP) for $5

The official FiiO HS3B Protective case for the X3 DAP is currently on sale for $5 at amazon.com by a couple of sellers. It is however part of the Add On program, so you must place an order of $25 or more, otherwise their shopping cart will not allow you to purchase it (strange indeed, but that’s how they set it up).

New at Massdrop (not unlocked): SE535, TH900, Walkman A17, etc

A new burst of offers is up at Massdrop today, but as of the time of writing, none of them have reached their lowest possible offer price (in their lingo, “fully unlocked”). These however have about 6-7 days to go from blog-posting date, so they have plenty of chances to get fully unlocked. They are (with shipping added to the price total, but not sales tax because I am not a tax calculation super-computer):

  • Shure SE535 IEMs as low as $380
  • Fostex TH-900 for $1116 (can’t get free shipping on a $1100 headphone? Come on!)
  • Sony PHA-3 Portable for $708
  • DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $235
  • Sony NWZ-A17 Walkman DAP for $260
  • Matrix X-SPDIF (USB to SPDIF converter) for $168

HOT DEAL: Samson SR850 Over-Ears for $25 w/free S&H

This offer is celebrating Adorama’s Street Fair Week. It will likely end by Saturday 6/20/15 since the Street Fair started on Sunday…

Adorama is celebrating their New York Street Fair and as part of the sale festivities, they are offering the new condition Samsung SR850 studio headphones for $25 with free shipping, with a limit of two per customer. This is a very good deal, it is half the price of one at Amazon, where these average 4.4 out of 5 based on 129 customer reviews. The Adorama sale is a limited time offer.

These have 50mm drivers with 32 ohm impedance, self-adjusting headband (don’t let the AKG lawyers see it!), open-ish design and such. No mic/remote, single entry cable.

[DEAD] Starts Thur 3pm ET: Pioneer STEEZ 808 SE-MJ751I Sale

This lightning deal expired…
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Sennheiser HD 700 + HDVA 600 amp for $1850

From $50 earbuds to a near flagship setup, the HD 700 headphones are bundled together with the Sennheiser HDVA 600 headphone amplifier, together for $1850 by the Sennheiser USA store and by marketplace sellers at Amazon.com.

Sennheiser MX 686G Sports Earbuds Headset for $50

The sporty Sennheiser MX 686G Sports Earbuds Headset (with mic/remote) is currently on sale for $50 per pair at Amazon.com with no limits. They are currently in “Temporarily out of stock” but if you buy it, you lock up the $50 price.

New Sennheiser RS headphones drop $50

The brand new RS (wireless) Sennheiser line-up is having a line-up wide $50 off discount as we get very close to the point of no return for Father’s Day gift purchases. The RS 165 goes for $200, the RS 175 goes for $250, while the open-back RS 185 go for $350, and finally the closed-back RS 195 go for $400. These are early adopter prices, as it is often the case with Sennheiser.

The new models create some potential opportunities to find the previous generation models (RS 120, 160, 170, 180) at discounted prices, but that’s no guarantee given the price gaps at the moment.

Sennheiser HD 518 Open-Back drop to $73 (limit 5)

An often recommended entry-point open-back over-ear headphone, the Sennheiser HD 518 is on sale again, going for $73 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer at Amazon.com by Amazon actual. They average 4.5 out of 5 with 300+ customer reviews. They are straight up headphones, no mic/remote.

Crackpot Theory: Philips Fidelio X1 Lightning Deal on Wednesdays

This is only a crackpot theory, so do not make any life-altering decisions based on it. According to my research, the last few times the new condition Philips Fidelio X1 open-back over-ears were offered as surprise Lightning Deals at the Amazon Gold it was on Wednesdays, at some point in the middle of the day. So Wednesday appears to be the magic day of the week! However, it is NOT guaranteed to happen every week.

Two weeks ago it happened, but not last week. The last time I believe it got offered for $140, which was lower than previous lightning deals of $170+. This does not appear in the schedule in the Amazon Gold Box ahead of time like many other lightning deals. It shows up when it goes live. The lightning deal price shows on the product page and the Gold Box. The sale price won’t appear if you do an Amazon search – you’d have to click through to the product page.

The X1 was replaced by the Fidelio X2 which currently returned back up to $300~.

AKG K553 Studio headphones for $120 (unlocked at Massdrop)

AKG party at Massdrop (members-only but free to join). The closed-back over-ear AKG K553 Pro Studio Headphone is currently fully unlocked (lowest price possible) for $120 with free shipping. The offer is good for the next six days (from blog-posting date). This offer is limited to 1400 units, but you have plenty of time, as of the time of writing, only 166 units got purchased.

The items below have about 6-7 days left, but they are not fully unlocked as of the time of writing:
+ Creative Sound Blaster E5 USB DAC/Amp Combo as low as $156
+ Sony PHA-3 Portable DAC/Amplifier Combo as low as $708
+ Sieveking Omega Headphone Stand as low as $140

Beyerdynamic DT 1350 On-Ears for $170

Among the current offerings at the eBay Deals, you can get the new condition Beyerdynamic DT 1350 closed-back on-ear headphones for $170 with free shipping with a limit of five per customer by Focus Camera’s ebay store.

Used Bravo V2 Class A 12AU7 Tube Multi-Hybrid Headphone Amplifier for $51

Not to be confused with the Game Of Thrones Braavos, Bravo Audio’s V2 Class A 12AU7 Tube Multi-Hybrid Headphone Amplifier are available in “Used – Good condition” for $51 with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals. They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 166 customer reviews.

Used Sennheiser HD 429 S for $25 w/free S&H

With an “S” in the model name for Smartphones and Tablets, the Sennheiser HD 429 S closed-back over-ear headphones are available in “Used – Like New” condition for $25 with free shipping by Pinnacle Deals thru Amazon. Since these ships from Pinnacle, they are not eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping, but on the other hand, everybody gets free shipping regardless of Prime status. They average 4.2 out of 5 based on 122 customer reviews.

Refurbished Sennheiser HD 219 On-Ears for $16

The closed-back on-ear Sennheiser HD 219 are currently going for around $16 shipped in refurbished condition by Adgtron on Amazon Warehouse Deals and around $17 in “Used – Like New” condition. They average 4.2 out of 5 based on 79 customer reviews.

[DEAD] Used Grado eGrado for $40

As of 6/18/15 re-checking, this sold out in Used condition… The Grado eGrado behind the neck go for $50 in new condition, but if you want to save some, you can get them for $40~ in “Used – Very Good” condition by Amazon Warehouse Deals.

[DEAD] Used Audio Technica ATH-PRO500MK2 RD for $40

The previously mentioned offer is sold out as of 6/18/15 recheck… The red color scheme of the Audio Technica ATH-PRO500MK2 DJ headphones are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for around $40 by Amazon Warehouse Deals. They average 4.5 out of 5 based on 55 customer reviews.

[DEAD] Monday Lightning Deals: Audio Technica M50x, Samson, Miikey

These daily deals expired…
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Refurbished (or Used) Sennheiser HD 6 Mix for $85

The Sennheiser HD 6 Mix closed-back over-ear headphones are currently offered by Adgtron through Amazon Warehouse deals in refurbished condition for $85 shipped, or in Used Like New condition for $87 shipped. These ship from Adgtron so they are not eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping.