Archives for May 2016

Used Beyerdynamic Custom Street for $93

And now a potentially interesting used find, the black color scheme of the closed back on-ear Beyerdynamic Custom Street headphones, with their “custom slider” go for $150 in new condition but if you are comfortable with Used, you can get them in “Used – Very Good” condition (minor cosmetic imperfections, damaged original packaging) for $93~ with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.

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Refurbished Bower & Wilkins P3 On-Ears for $79

More sales at Sonic Electronix, this time it is of the certified refurbished kind, and comes with a 2-year warranty, the closed back on-ear Bower and Wilkins P3 headphones, available in four different color options at this price.

Fiio L8 1/8″ Interconnect Audio Cable for $7 w/free S&H

Free shipping without buying anything is the lure of this promotion, it is the Fiio L8 1/8″ Interconnect Audio Cable (both sides 3.5mm) going for $7 with free shipping to the 48 by Sonic Electronix as part of their latest clearance promotion… It’s “just a cable” but if you want to read reviews, it averages 4.2 out of 5 based on 80+ at amazon.com

Beyerdynamic MMX 102 iE (White/Silver) for $29 w/free S&H

The white-silver color-scheme of the Beyerdynamic MMX 102 iE earbuddy in-ears is on sale for $29 with free shipping to the 48 contiguous states at Sonix Electronix. Only this color is on sale… This is part of their latest Clearance Sale (link points to the earbuds/in-ears section)…

Klipsch XR8i in-ears drop to $205

The recently released Klipsch XR8i are on sale, currently going for $205 instead of their starting price of $280 at Dell Home. No coupon is needed.

ATH-M50x (and Friends) Velour Earpads for $25 shipped [MD]

They may look like chocolate donuts in the gallery picture at Massdrop but they are not edible. They are however audible 😉 The ATH-M50x Velour Earpads are offered on Massdrop for $22 plus $3~ flat shipping. They have four different color options you can select during the checkout process. They fit the M50x but also the other three parallel models (M40x, M30x, M20x) along with the M50. These are from Sound Professionals. Shipment is late June 2016. The offer ends in about seven days from today (blog-posting date). MD does not show exact expiration dates and sometimes they may get extended.

Used Fiio X3 II DAP for $150

The second generation Fiio X3 digital audio player is available in “Used – Like New” condition as a Store Display item in original box from authorized dealer “All About Office” according to its listing at Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships directly from “All About Office”, so no Prime shipping. The X3 II has a number of physical advantages over the X1 if you like to mix and match different devices and headphones and I/O sources. Having said that, for under $100, the Fiio X1 is a pretty good value if you want to listen to music through its headphone out (posts on the X1 are in the pipeline ~ well they are in my head ~ I have to transfer them to the page).

Audeze EL-8 Closed Planars for $599 with coupon

It’s Odyssey time, or as the cool kids like to call it, Audeze 😉 Good until 6/5/16, coupon code 1JUMP2JUNE gets you the closed-back AUDEZE EL-8 Titanium planar headphones for $599 with free shipping at authorized dealer Adorama.com. The price shown on the website before you enter the coupon is $799.

[DEAD] Sennheiser HD558 for $80 [limit 5]

Party over as of 5/31/16, the price jumped to $99, but these get discounted on a regular basis these days…

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Bluedio T2S Bluetooth On-Ears for $20 w/free S&H

At the intersection of budget and utilitarian and bluetooth, the closed-back Bluedio T2S (obnoxiously named Turbine 2 Shooting Break) are on sale, in new condition, in four different color options, for $20 with free shipping at NewEggFlash where the offer ends on 5/31/16.

These are heavily reviewed at amazon.com where they average 4.1 out of 5 based on over 2300 reviews, and have over 400 (!) questions answered by internet users over there.

Refurbished Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK for $149

The black color scheme of the closed-back over-ear Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK is currently available in refurbished condition for $149 with free shipping by Beach Camera thru Amazon Warehouse Deals. They ship from Beach Camera (New Jersey) and they are not eligible for Prime 2-day shipping. The headphones average 4.6 out of 5 based on 110 customer reviews.

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Used open-back Shure SRH 1440 for $209

The Shure SRH 1440 (open over-ears) go for $300 in new condition but if you want to go the used route and are not a perfectionist, they are available in “Used – Acceptable” condition with multiple cosmetic imperfections and damaged packaging for $209 by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. The headphones themselves average 4.7 out of 5 based on 25 customer reviews.

Caution: the Sennheiser HD800 for $1000 are not authorized dealers [updated]

It’s one thing to buy a $10 headphone without worrying too much about authorized dealer status, but when you are going to put down two orders of magnitude that amount, authorized dealer status is definitely a much bigger factor. So if while price checking around you run into the Sennheiser HD800 going (in new condition) for $1000 at Amazon.com, note that the sellers having them for $1000 are not authorized or recognizable A/V sellers. Amazon’s own price is $1400 and if you price-check around that’s the price at other well-known sellers like B&H, Sweetwater, WWS, Crutchfield, etc.

PS: note also that Jet.com does NOT reveal who the seller of an item is, so you have no clue who you are buying it from, so you cannot know of warranty status ahead of purchase. Again, not a big deal with a $10 item, but for something like this, it is very important.

UPDATE 5/30/16
Thanks to Allan for pointing this in the comments!

You can also get it refurbished for $1000 from Crutchfield with a 2-year warranty and 60-day money-back guarantee.

If you are not a perfectionist, Crutchfield also has a scratch and dent refurbished for $850. This is marked as low stock.

In-stock now: AKG M220 for $66

If you don’t want to wait for Massdrop or Amazon actual to get them in-stock, and you want them to get to your door in 2-3 days or so, the new AKG M220 (based on to the good old K240) is now in-stock and ready to ship right away for $66 with free shipping by the Audio Watt Store with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so you get Prime shipping 2-day delivery if a member. Amazon’s own price is $64.23, so you are paying $1.77 more to get them right away versus waiting for 1-2 months (that’s Amazon estimate, sometimes they err on the side of caution though). The headphones average 4.6 out of 5 based on 25 customer reviews.

100pk Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Cable Ties for $6.32

Today’s block of updates in going all over the place, from the mundane to the audiophile bundles 🙂 This is a mundane but practical item if you are lost in a sea of cables. You can get a 100pk of Velcro One Wrap Self-Gripping Cable Ties for $6.32. These are reusable, you can use them many times. They are 8 inches long (fully unwrapped) and 1/2″ thick per the description.

The gallery pictures along with the demo video can give you a pretty good feel of what to expect. With a 100pk in this offer, you are essentially paying just over 6c per cable tie, probably beating even dollar stores?

The good news is that even though they have a low price, they are not an Add-On item, so if you are a Prime member, you get free 2-day shipping, even if you just buy one set of these. But if you need more, the limit is ten 100pks per customer.

Still Good: Sennheiser HD 600 with $150 Gift Card for $400

With Dads and Grads season, this is one option to consider, you could buy two gifts with one purchase 🙂 This offer continues, you get the new condition open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 650 along with a $150 plastic Amazon Gift Card, bundled together for $400 at Amazon by Amazon actual. The gift card envelope has a Winter theme, but you can always put the gift card in a different box or envelope 🙂

PRO TIP: in very rare occasions when buying bundles with gift cards, the gift card may arrive before the actual product ships. In such cases, you may be able to apply the value of the gift card towards the purchase price of the item. Unless Amazon changed the accounting of it and this can no longer happen. Assume this is not so, and consider it a pleasant surprise in the very rare occasion this may happen.

At the moment, the bundle mentioned above is the best value among the handful of Sennheiser Gift Card bundles. Other models participating are the HD650 (unfavorable offer, $500 w/$100 GC), HD 380 and 280. The HD25* bundle looks like it has been dis-bundled (new verb?).

Westone Mini-Monitor Vault II Case for $19 [limit 5]

The Westone Mini-Monitor Vault II Case, in the “smoke” color scheme is currently on sale for $19, in new condition, with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. There are multiple models on the same Amazon product page, so make sure you are reading reviews and answered-questions about the correct model. I don’t know why Amazon does that, it creates more confusion than it does any good, but what do I know? I’m just a web monkey 🙂

Beyerdynamic DTX 910 Open Over-Ears for $60

The open-back over-ear Beyerdynamic DTX 910 headphones are available in new condition by a trio of marketplace sellers for $60 with free shipping, with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so you get an extra layer of security since you are dealing with Amazon’s customer service and the shipment is from Amazon’s warehouses. These average 4.3 out of 5 but with only 9 customer reviews.

Used Philips Fidelio M2L/27 for $171 [Lightning only!]

If you are a boldly-going iOS user and want to shave $100 off the new condition price, the
Philips Fidelio M2L/27 headphones, with a Lightning connector and built-in DAC are available in “Used – Very Good” condition (damaged original packaging) by $171~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) actual. The headphones average 3.6 out of 5 based on 26 customer reviews.

PS: there is a slightly lower price by a marketplace seller but it looks a lot more risky than getting them from AWD actual.

PS2: these ONLY work with devices that have Lightning audio out, eg latest Apple i-Devices.

Chromecast Audio for $35 w/free S&H [was $30]

As of 5/30/16 recheck, the sale ended, they are now $35 with free shipping. $35 is the standard price for the 2015 Chromecasts, the free shipping is the plus.

Google’s Chromecast Audio is currently on sale for $30 $35 with free shipping, with a limit of five units per customer, by the newly launched official Google eBay store.

This is a promising versatile little audio device, perhaps its biggest issue is that it needs to be powered all the time. I am planning to do some posts (practical unboxing, tips, review, hacks, etc) on it in the next few weeks ~ other things equal, because I am behind on all the promised posts 🙂

[DEAD] Refurbished black Audio Technica M50x for $90

This daily deal expired, but there are enough M50xs (plural) in circulation these type of offers will appear many and more items across the interwebs…

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[DEAD] CAD-MH300 for $25 with free shipping

This daily deal expired but this model is a recurring guest at MF’s daily deal. From what I recall, $25 shipped was the lowest price offered…

The CAD MH300 Closed-Back Studio Headphones are on sale for $25 with free shipping until Friday 5/27/16 at 8am eastern as the latest Musician’s Friend Deal of the Day.

Beyerdynamic T5p (2nd Gen) and Fiio E12 amp and 64GB microSD for $999

Headphone bundles are expanding in creative ways these days, now with memory cards too 🙂 The second generation of the Beyerdynamic T5p Tesla headphones are bundled with the FiiO E12 Mont Blanc Portable Headphone Amplifier and a 64GB Lexar microSDXC memory card, all together going for $999 with free shipping by Beach Camera thru Amazon.

This ships from Beach Camera’s facilities, but thanks to a recent expansion of the Prime program, Prime members still get free 2-day shipping on this particular offer, even if it doesn’t ship from an Amazon facility. You can tell this by looking at the details in the product page, highlighted in the screenshot below:

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PS: if you are puzzled as to where to put the memory card, well, it won’t go into the headphones and it won’t go into the Fiio amp, but it can go anywhere microSD* cards are accepted 🙂

PS2: if you are not interested in the Fiio amp, an alternative is to get the headphones only (no Fiio, no Lexar) in Open Box condition from authorized dealers with full warranty, currently going for $888 at Amazon Warehouse Deals from either OneCall (West Coast) or Electronics Expo (East Coast).

PS3: you only see the “Prime” logo/option if you are a Prime members logged on to a Prime account.

Beyerdynamic DTX350m Closed On-Ears for $40 w/free S&H

The folding closed-back on-ear Beyerdynamic DTX350m are currently on sale for $40 with free shipping in black at Focus Camera and in white by Focus Camera thru Amazon. Both options ship from Focus Camera.

PS: this is the mobile version, thus the “m”. Not to be confused with the DX350p which is the portable version, thus the “p”. At least they didn’t call it HD25-1ii Iiim Iip 😉

Belkin Unpowered Headphone Splitter (1 in, 5 out) for $8.46

The Belkin Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter, an unpowered unit with one input and five outputs is currently on sale in two of its seven color schemes (black-white or white-green) for $8.46 at Amazon by Amazon actual. It averages 4.7 out of 5 based on 500+ customer reviews. Keep in mind this is unpowered so what you connect affects sound properties per the laws of physics. The input cable is hard-wired. The outputs are up to you to fill up as you please. Free 2-day shipping for Prime members, otherwise it’s a $49+ order.

M-Audio MicroDAC (USB DAC) for $53

The M-Audio Micro DAC, which is a USB DAC, is on sale for $53 with free shipping, with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. It takes USB Audio and has two 1/8″ physical outputs, digital and headphone-out. Its list price was $99 from what I recall, but somehow the Amazon listing switched it to $53~.

PS: the Micro refers to its size, not Micro-USB input. It has standard USB input.

Syba SD-DAC63093 Portable Dual Output amp for $30

The Syba SD-DAC63093 portable dual output (two 3.5mm outputs) is currently on sale for $30 with a limit of five per customer at Aamzon by Amazon actual.

Note that physically this looks like the M-Audio Bass Traveler Portable amp which has a regular price of $29. I do not know if they have the same insides.

Sennheiser HD 7 DJ headphones for $110 [updated]

The Sennheiser HD7 DJ headphone (closed over-ear) are now going for $110 (was $115 last week) with free shipping at authorized dealer Adorama.com. This offer is good until 5/27/16 (or earlier if they sell out).

Price updated here 5/25/16.

Ultrasone PRO 900i Closed Over-Ears for $270

If you are a fan of the S-Logic technology, Adorama has a limited time flash sale on the Ultrasone PRO 900i headphones for $270 with free shipping. No coupon needed for this sale. These are closed-back folding headphones.

DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $223 (MD)

Another offer at members-only Massdrop is fully unlocked (lowest price possible under this particular offer). It is the DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp going for $220 plus $13~ flat shipping. Shipping estimate is late June 2016 (given some of the dates, I guess I have to included the year /S). This offer expires in about eight days from blog-posting date (they don’t have a specific time, so I don’t have an exact estimate).

[DEAD] Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amp (Product ID 11567) for $80 with Coupon and Filler Item

This coupon expired, but Monoprice has occasional $20/$100+ type of coupons, so there’s hope for the future 🙂

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[DEAD] Monoprice Stereo Hybrid Tube Amp with Bluetooth (PID 13194) for $130 with coupon

This coupon expired… When a similar promotion returns, a new post will be posted with the details…

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[DEAD] Thursday Lightning Deals, Earbuds (mostly) from JLab, Sol, Soundpeats

This block of limited time offers expired…

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Fiio E6 tiny headphone amp settles at $23.60

Doing a little bit of a high and low, after an almost four figure item in the previous post, we now go to the other end of the price spectrum, the previous generation Fiio E6 portable little headphone amp has settled down to around $23.60 by various sellers with the orders fulfilled by Amazon. There is not a lot of room for big discounts on this one as it is. Its price drop is a result of the recently rebooted and renamed Fiio line-up with new entry-point Fiio A1 taking over the previous E6 price-point of $28.

The E6 averages 4 out of 5 based on 1300+ customer reviews and has over 250 questions answered by the internet hive wisdom over there. The one I bought three years ago (almost to the day) is still alive and kicking.

PS: it’s almost time I did another Amazon Warehouse Deals immersion. When that happens, you will notice it by the waves of used/refurbished posts (assuming of course I can find prices worth mentioning).

Open Box 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP w/1yr warranty for $900 [refurbished for $807 w/90-day]

There is definitely a resurgence in digital audio players slowly bubbling below the surface of mainstream tech gadget hype. There are many and more options, with prices not shy of the four figure mark. One such model is the 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP going for $1200 in new condition at authorized dealers.

But if you want to save some, you can get it in open-box condition from authorized dealers that offer the 1-year warranty for $900 by RazorDog Audio on eBay (used for less than 5 hours says the listing) and OneCall on eBay (also a customer return with full warranty) and by OneCall through Amazon Warehouse Deals (OneCall is the online storefront of real world Huppin’s of Eastern Washington, aka GonzagaLand).

Another option is manufacturer refurbished condition for $807 with free shipping by Secondipity thru eBay. This comes with a 90 day warranty as a refurbished product.