Back to the budget side of things, the closed-back over-ear Tascam TH02-B, in the black color scheme is continuing to be on sale for $18~ per pair, in new condition, by Amazon actual. It has a folding design and averages 4.2 out of 5 based on 420+ customer reviews. The choking hazard in the listings is the 1/4″ to 1/8″ adapter, the only accessory included. Free shipping for Prime members or with a $49+ order.
Archives for March 2016
Beyerdynamic DT-990 PRO (250 ohm) for $141
You can certainly cover a living room wall with all the variations of the Beyerdynamic DT 77x/88x/99x, and if you are the Andy Warhol of the DT-series, the new condition open-back DT-990 PRO with 250 ohm impedance model is on sale for $141~ with free shipping by Amazon actual. The reviews are blended together for multiple models and bundles. This particular model has 344 customer reviews, unfortunately Amazon does not provide average ratings for the filtered review list [corrected the link!], only the overall list.
M-Audio MicroDAC (portable USB DAC) for $59
The new condition M-Audio MicroDAC (that’s its name) which is a portable USB DAC, is currently on sale for $59~ with free shipping, with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. It averages 4.6 out of 5 based on 11 customer reviews. It has USB audio input and two 3.5mm outputs, headphone-out and digital-optical out. There is a Low/High physical switch and a blue light bulb.
Nokia WH-530 Boom headphones for $10
Look at the stars… and it was all yellow… which brings us to another budget play, the Nokia WH-530 Boom US/LTA 02739D2 headphones, in bright yellow, are now down to $10 per pair, and fulfilled by Amazon so they are eligible for Prime shipping. They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 12 customer reviews. They are available in other colors as well but they go $12+.
[DEAD] Insignia NS-WHP314 Over-Ear RF Wireless for $40 w/free S&H
This limited time offer expired…
[DEAD] Friday only: Monoprice Desktop Headphone amp for $80 with coupon [must add $1.44+ filler item]
This coupon expired, but Monoprice launches new coupons on a regular basis…
[DEAD] KEF M500 On-Ears for $225 [limit 2]
As of 3/16/16, the price of these returned to $300…
[DEAD] Philips SHL3300 Over-Ears for $11 w/free S&H
As of 3/11/16, this is sold out and cannot be ordered any more…
Sennheiser CX 475 for $20 with free S&H
We go high and low, from the flagship to earbuds, the Sennheiser CX 475 are on sale for a limited time only for $20 with free shipping at Adorama. They have five reviews there with 5 or 4 stars only.
In-Stock NOW: Sennheiser HD800 S for $1700
UPDATE (3/10/16 at 12:05am ET): two left as of this time.
If you want to be among the first to have the new Sennheiser HD800 S flagship open-back headphones, they are currently in-stock and ready to ship at their starting price of $1700 at authorized dealer Hi-Fi Heaven on Amazon and Hi-Fi Heaven on eBay. They have five units total available, and those are available on Amazon, eBay and their real world store in the land of the Green Bay Packers. They are an authorized dealer per the Sennheiser H- directory.
Symphonized Wraith 2.0 Wood Headphones for $50
All three color-schemes (or in this case I should say wood options) of the closed-back over-ear Symphonized Wraith 2.0 Wood Headphones are on sale for $50 with free shipping at fulfilled by Amazon.com (the seller is “Symphonized”). They have detachable cable and come with two of them (one audio-only, one mic/remote). They average 4.4 out of 5 based on nearly 600 customer reviews.
Back at Massdrop: AKG K7XX Limited Red Edition for $200
The AKG K7XX Limited Red Edition is back again at Massdrop (a members only but free to join shopping club on the interwebs) going for the same price as before, $200 with free shipping. This round has five more days left, and about 600 units available as of the time of writing. This is fully unlocked, which in their speak means it’s the lowest price they will offer this for at the moment. The shipping estimate for this is late March 2016, that’s about three ways away from today, so keep that in mind ~ it won’t arrive for Saint Patrick’s Day 🙂
V-Moda Crossfade LP for $100 [updated]
The black (phantom-chrome) color-scheme of the closed over-ear V-Moda Crossfade LP headphones is on sale for $100 with free shipping by Focus Camera on Rakuten.
The 1-day rewards promotion expired: But that’s not all. Enter coupon code 20BACK and you will earn 20% in Rakuten Rewards. You still pay $100. The Rewards can be used in future Rakuten purchases. The 20BACK coupon expires on 3/9/16 at 3am ET.
Sennheiser IE 80 In-Ears for $307 [limit 5]
The Sennheiser IE 80 in-ears are on a sale cycle again, going for $307 with free shipping with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. Interstingly there are no used units available on Amazon at the moment.
Koss ESP-950 Electrostatics for $800
The Koss ESP-950 Electrostatics are on sale in new condition for $800 with free shipping at Amazon.com. They are offered at this price by both Amazon actual and by the Koss store. Both options are Prime eligible. These headphones come with their dedicated amp. They average 4.2 out of 5 based on 25 customer reviews.
Used Beyerdynamic T5p for $556
If you are a fan of the Beyerdynamic Tesla line-up, their T5p is available in “Used – Good” condition with minor cosmetic imperfections and damaged packaging for $556~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.
Used HIFIMAN HM-901 for $800
We continue “digesting” various used items at Amazon Warehouse Deals, this time we go Hifiman with their HM-901 digital audio player, available in Used condition by two different sellers for $800, with both orders fulfilled by Amazon. The two sellers are Kraft Audio and HeadAmp Audio Electronics.
PS: in terms of categorization for the purposes of this blog, if a device can play music (regardless of how good its DAC/amp may be), I file it under Digital Audio Players. If it cannot play music, I file it under the AMPs and DACs category (speaking of which, I am resisting temptation to split it, because of hybrids and other categorization complications).
Repurposed Accessories: Camera Case under $2 (for Earphones)
Re-purposing is a great way to save if you don’t need or want to have branded accessories. Often earphone cases carry a premium, but if you don’t need one with a matching logo, a number of other things can also protect earphones, from Altoid tins to Travel Soap boxes. Or if you want more cushioning for your earphones, small camera bags can definitely do the trick, and they often have an extra pocket (eg for ear tips).
Which brings us to this small Amazon-Basics Camera Case currently selling ~ in new condition ~ for under $2 at Amazon.com. You can buy up to three at the sale price. There is only one catch, it’s an Add-On Item, so you have to place an order of over $25 if you want to buy this (or any other Add-On Item). You can reach the $25+ limit with any combination of items shipping from Amazon facitilties (by Amazon actual or fulfilled by Amazon) ~ even if it’s only Add-On items.
Audeze LCD-2 and 64GB AK Jr DAP for $1000
If you have $1000 audiophile dollars to spare, Adorama has a limited time bundle good until 3/13/16. No coupons and no rebates, just add to cart and continue with the purchase normal. It is a A Bundle Of Two Items, the AUDEZE LCD-2 Planar-Magnetic Headphones (aluminum, lambskin) along with the 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr digital audio player. They are new condition from authorized dealer.
Used Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 for $182+
Sennheiser is stubborn on the prices of the Momentum 2.0 Over-Ears, so if you want them right now, going used may almost halve the price, depending on which model and OS combination you want. Taking a look at the latest Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) situation shows a variety of options. As usual, be careful when buying from marketplace sellers (not AWD Actual), since almost any person or business entity can sell there.
The link above shows the lowest price for each particular combination. To see all available sellers for a particular option, click on the “See all offers for this product” links next to it. For example, the lowest price shown on the above link for the Apple Black option is $170 by a “just launched” seller. This is way too risky for most people, so when you click on the “See all offers for this product”, you will be shown the detailed listings for that particular model, which include “Used – Very Good” for $182~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.
Used “Complete Guide to High-End Audio” Book for $4 shipped [2004 edition]
If you are a book completist, the 2004 edition of the “The Complete Guide to High-End Audio” paperback book by Robert Harley is available in Used Condition for $4 (with shipping included) by various sellers through Amazon.
Please note this particular edition of this book was published in April 2004, it was the 3rd edition, and has 640 pages. Since then, there was a 2010 edition and that was followed by the 2015 edition. The newer versions go for a lot more. So the 2004 edition is perhaps more of historical interest or for comparison between different eras.
ZTE Axon PRO Android Phone for $300 (32GB) or $324 (64GB)
Some people prefer dedicated audio players, others prefer to use their smartphones as their portable audio players, some are somewhere in-between. One of the latest Android smartphones to get some audio-cred is the ZTE Axon PRO (the PRO is important, since there is also a ZTE Axon non-PRO model), and two good things happened to it in the last few days: 1) it is getting Android 6.0 and 2) its price is dropping…
… as of the time of writing, the 64GB Version is down to $324, while the 32GB Version goes for $300 in multiple colors. It has 4GB RAM which can keep up with almost all music apps. However, there’s no microSD slot, so consider that if you are deciding between 32GB and 64GB.
This is a factory-unlocked no-contract phone with a US warranty.
NVX Audio XPT100 Studio Over-ears drop to $80
The NVX Audio XPT100 closed-back over-ear “studio” headphones had been stubborn for a while at $100, but now the discounting wave got them too, they are going for $80 in New Condition by various sellers at Amazon.com and by Sonix Electronix on eBay and Sonic Electronix directly.
PS: if you are a login popup on the eBay Listing, it may be because Sonix’s eBay store is hot-linking their own pictures from the Sonix website.
Used Beyerdynamic A20 Headphone Amplifier for $427
More Amazon Warehouse Deals action, this time we have the Beyerdynamic A20 Headphone Amplifier in “Used – Good” condition offered for $427~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. Note that a marketplace seller has it for slightly less, but it is a higher-risk purchase since you are dealing with the seller, not the Amazon Customer Service. The amp itself averages 5 out of 5 based on 11 customer reviews.
Used Sennheiser PXC 250 II Collapsible ANC On-Ears for $54
The lightweight Sennheiser PXC 250 II Collapsible Active Noise Cancelling on-ear headphones are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition (various cosmetic imperfections, damaged packaging) for $54~ with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals.
While there, you may also notice an offer for $46 shipped by a marketplace seller in “Used – Good” condition. This one is not eligible for Prime shipping, and since you are dealing with the seller (not Amazon Customer Service) it is a higher risk purchase.
[DEAD] Tuesday: two small Bluetooth receivers for $11.50 and $22.50 each
These two offers expired…
[DEAD] Music Software Sale starts Wednesday at 3am ET (includes EarMaster PRO 6)
These offers expired…
[DEAD] Tuesday Deals: Beats Studio and Pill Gold Bundle, Bluedio, Orei
This set of daily offers expired…
Used Beyerdynamic T51i On-Ears for $146
The Beyerdynamic T51i currently go for $234~ in new condition, but if you prefer to save some more, there is a price pressure building up on them in used condition at Warehouse Deals. There are seven separate listings in “Used – Very Good” condition for around $146. There is a big gap in price between them and the “Used – Like New” which is much closer to the new condition price of $238. The multiple listings could potential push the price further down ~ other things equal.
These average 4.2 out of 5 based on 80+ customer reviews. These are closed on-ears with portable use in mind, and as the “i” suggest in the model name, they come with the 3-button MFi remote which means you get predictable button behavior with Apple’s devices, and randomess with Android and other mobile devices.
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x for $90
The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x is currently going for $90 with free shipping instead of its more usual price of $100 at Amazon. They are rising as the M50x counter-insurgency is cutting into the M50x hype 🙂 The M40x averages 4.6 out of 5 with over 750 customer reviews at the moment.
Panasonic Technics RP-DH1250 DJ for $110
The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1250-S DJ headphone is on sale again, going for $110 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer at Amazon actual. Despite their size, they have a foldable design and come with two cables (one is an MFi 3-button/mic, the other coiled plain audio. They average 4.5 out of 5 based on 70+ customer reviews.
Used SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier for $378
More headphone amplifier action, the SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier is available in “Used – Good” condition (without any detailed comments) for $378~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. They also have a listing in “Used – Like New” for $428~.
Polk Audio Hinge Headphones + Onkyo TX-NR545 7.2 AV receiver + Monster PRO 200 Surge Protector for $365
Black Friday may be nine months away, but that doesn’t stop retailers from having “Black Friday sales” now. Case in point, Groupon has a Black Friday in March, and among the 150+ offers, they include a Audio Gear Bundle that includes the Polk Audio Hinge On-Ear Folding headphones (model 1044), along with the Onkyo TX-NR545 7.2 A/V receiver, and the Monster Pro 200 surge protector. This goes for $365 with free shipping, and free returns, and a two year warranty. The offer ends around 3/7/16.
NOTE: you only get ONE pair of headphones. You have to chose between black and brown. They show both on the main gallery picture, but you only get one!
JBL J22A In-Ears for $14 w/free shipping
Another budget pick, this one in the teens shipped, it’s the JBL J22A in-ears, with a 1-button remote/mic, offered in new condition for $14 with free shipping by Auto Care Depot (on eBay) (98.1% which is low, but it’s a low price item, which for some may be worth the higher risk). Over 2600 units of this earphone got sold so far per the statistics shown on the eBay product page.
Audio Technica M50x for $119
The hype is strong with the Audio Technica M50x, but now their negatives have also increased, with another wave of anti-hype getting to them. Be that as it may be, check reviews and opinions and give them a listen if you can. If you are interested, the black version, in new condition, is on sale for $119~ with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual.
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