Archives for May 2016

Skullcandy Hesh 2 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $65 [limit 3]

At the intersection of Skullcandy and Bluetooth, the black color scheme (they have seven different colors) of the Hesh 2 Bluetooth Over-Ears (with 50mm drivers) are on sale for $65 with free shipping with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. With almost 1000 customer reviews, they average 4.2 out of 5 and they have 360+ questions answered by viewers like you.

Sennheiser HD 202 II for $24

Hot on the heels of a surprise review and *SPOILER ALERT* Wall of Fame achievement at Innerfidelity, the humble, unassuming and long tailed closed-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 202 II is on sale for $24 at Amazon by Amazon actual and other retailers (perhaps a price-match chain reaction). Limit up to thirty per customer, so the whole family can join this humble hype train 😉 The usual free shipping terms apply (Prime or $49+ or $25+ in books).

PS: as of the time of writing they have climbed to the #1 spot of the OVer-Ear Best Selling Charts at Amazon, where they average 4.3 out of 5 based on 3600+ customer reviews and have 200+ questions answered.

Philips X2/27 Fidelio drop to $238 [limit 5]

The new condition open-back over-ear Philips Fidelio X2 headphones are on sale again, going for $238 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. It averages 4.3 out of 5 based on 300+ customer reviews. I am not following the latest updates on the “Glue Gate”, so if it’s something that worries you, check the various audio forums to see what the latest situation is.

Used Sennheiser HD800 S flagship for $1275

Flagship Temptation of the Used Kind! The new condition recently released Sennheiser HD800 S go for $1700 at authorized dealers, but as of the time of writing, there is a listing of them in “Used – Good” condition (various cosmetic imperfections, missing cord, damaged original packaging) for $1275 with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals.

NOTE: this is available as of 5/7/16 at 11pm Eastern Time. The blog-post here cannot be updated automatically if/when this sells out, so YMMV if reading at a later time. I will be checking on it later on, but I can’t be “baby sitting” it.

used_sennheiser_hd800S

MEE AF16 Bluetooth Earbuds for $11 shipped

On the budget end of the spectrum, going for $10 with $1 flat shipping, the new condition MEE Audio AF16 Air-Fi Journey lightweight earbuds are offered as such at NewEgg, sold by NewEgg actual. These average 4 out of 5 based on 18 customer reviews over there.

[DEAD] CAD MH300 Closed-Back Studio Headphones for $30

This daily deal expired…

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Audioquest Dragonfly v1.2 USB DAC/amp for $79

The Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC/amp, Version 1.2, is now (apparently officially) discounted to $79 at a number of authorized dealers, including various recognizable sellers through Amazon.com (Huppin’s, Audio Advisor, Gramophone, OneCall, etc), and Kraft Audio on eBay among others… The Dragonfly averages 4.4 out of 5 based on 200+ customer reviews at Amazon…

10 foot Monoprice 3.5mm audio cable (designed for mobile) for $4 with free shipping [limit 50]

If you are looking for a 10-inch 3.5mm audio cable from a budget but well-known maker, the official Monoprice eBay store is offering new condition 10ft 3.5mm Stereo Male to 3.5mm Stereo Male cables for $4 with free shipping. Even if you only get one, you still get free shipping. Limit 50 per customer during this particular sale. Over 1900 units got sold so far from this particular ebay promotion.

This is gold plated, and it is designed for mobile. If you want to look up reviews, this is model number 109766, with bar code 844660097662. It averages 86% with 33 reviews at Monoprice’s own website, and 4.2 out of 5 based on 600 customer reviews at amazon.com.

Bluedio T2S bluetooth on-ears for $17.50 w/free s&h

This looks like a very good deal if you are looking for an on-ear bluetooth 4.1 headphone that does not break the bank, all you pay is $17.50 with free shipping and you get the Bluedio Turbine T2S headphones in either the blue color scheme or the red color scheme. Limit five per color per customer.

These are sold by the seller directly on eBay, through their official eBay store. These headphones are heavily reviews at amazon.com, they average 4.1 out of 5 based on 2200+ customer reviews, and have 400+ questions answered. They come with a 3.5mm audio cable to play music from wired sources and a microUSB to USB charging cable.

Not bad for $17.50 shipped, especially if you have eBay gift cards or eBay Bucks waiting to be spent.

SMSL Audio Sap-7 Portable headamp for $33

If you like nice buttons on your portable budget headphone amps, and not cryptic multi-function nano-buttons, currently in progress at Massdrop is the SMSL Audio SAP-7, available in three different colors for $30 plus $3 flat shipping. You can pick the color during the checkout process. Shipping estimate is early June 2016.

If you want it faster, one marketplace seller at Amazon, HJR Headphone Shop (ships from the state of Washington) offers it thru Amazon for $35 with free shipping. This ships directly from them, so no Prime shipping benefits.

New In-Ear release: Campfire Audio Nova for $344 [Massdrop]

If you like to be among the first trying brand new products, the Campfire Audio Nova in-ears, hand made in Portlandia, are available right now for $340 plus $3.50 flat shipping at Massdrop, which is a members-only website, but everyone can join in and buy them. Only 200 units are available and as of the time of writing, about half of them have been sold. So the offer ends when it reaches 200 or in six days from today, whichever comes first. They ship at the end of this month (May 2016).

[DEAD] Ends Saturday 7pm ET: MEelectronics M6 Sport-Fi Earbud for $12

This limited time offer expired, but the M6s are recurring guests over there…

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Ultrasone PRO 900i Foldable for $250 after $20 MIR

If you are fond of the S-Logic sound signature/technology, the Ultrasone PRO 900i Foldable headphones are available for $250 after a $25 mail-in rebate through Adorama.com. Offer ends 5/12/16. Details on the rebate promotion in the rebate PDF file.

JLab Flex Over-Ears for $50 w/free S&H

The new condition closed-back JLab Flex Over-Ears are on sale for $50 with free shipping at social shopping website Stacksocial.com. These are folding headphones with a detachable cable and come with a zippered case.

They average 4.5 out of 5 based on 13 customer reviews at amazon.com where they go for $70 to $80.

Audio Technica ATH-T22 Closed-Back for $30 w/free s&h

Audio Technica is not shy about releasing many and more headphone models and one of those, the ATH-T22 closed-back 40mm driver headphones are on sale in new condition for $30 with free shipping by Kraft Music on eBay (authorized dealers). Limit five per customer.

Panasonic RP-HTX7-K1 Over-Ears for $30 [limit 5]

Panasonic’s retro-budget over-ears model, the RP-HTX7-K1 (black color scheme) is currently on sale for $30 with a limit of five units per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. Only this color scheme is currently on sale. The rest go for $35+. All together they average 4.2 out of 5 based on 1500+ customer reviews.

Thur: MEE AirFi AF52 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $28 w/free S&H

One of the Thursday Cinqo de Mayo daily deals at Newegg is the new condition MEE AirFi AF52 Bluetooth headphone, over-ears kind, for $28 with free shipping and a limit of three per customer. This is a bluetooth 3.0 model, formerly sold as a MEEelectronics before the company changed its name to something more “memorable”.

It averages a decent 4 out of 5 with nearly 350 customer reviews, and has 80+ questions answered at amazon.com.

Sennheiser HD 800 for $1000 [higher risk]

A trio of marketplace sellers are offering the new condition Sennheiser HD 800 former-flagship for $1000 to $1018 with free shipping, with the orders fulfilled by Amazon. This is a higher risk purchase (I don’t know if any of those three are authorized Sennheiser dealers), but at least the order is fulfilled by Amazon, so in case of problems, you deal with Amazon’s own customer support, not the sellers. Again, this is a higher risk purchase, so don’t buy if you don’t have tolerance for potential troubles.

Philips SPH 9500 Open-Back for $59 w/free s&h

More headphones popping up on eBay, the new condition Philips SHP 9500 open-back over-ears are on sale again for $59 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer, by NewEgg’s eBay store. Over 1400 units got sold so far from this eBay listing.

Sennheiser HD650 and iFi Micro iCAN Special Edition headphone amp for $550

Bundle up time once again! The new condition open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 650 headphones are bundled with the iFi Micro iCAN Special Edition headphone amp, together going for $550 with free shipping, for a limited time only at Adorama.com. Offer ends by 5/11/16.

If you don’t want or need the amp but you are still interested in the HD 6xx headphones, there are some bundles of them with Amazon plastic gift cards at Amazon. Currently the one that is the best deal of that lot is the HD600 with a $150 gift card for $400, making the headphones a nice $250 for this all-time classic model.

Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (Ivory, iOS) for $218

The in-ears are not the only Momentums that are on sale. The Ivory color-scheme of the iOS version (that’s the MFi 3-button remote) of the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 closed-back over-ears is now on sale for $218 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of five per customer. The other options go for much more. They have detachable cables so you can use your own cable, you don’t have to be an iOS user to make the most of these.

PS: I don’t have this particular model, but in my experimentation of sticking different brand and OS cables on different headphones, most of them work. But to be on the safe side, check forums or ask in forums to make sure this would work

PS2: by saying “work”, I mean getting the full function of the in-line remote, play, pause, volume up/down, next/previous track, etc. Usually play and pause on iOS remotes works on many Android phones, it’s the rest of the functionality that varies. Again though, this is a very general blanket statement, YMMV depending on the individual combination you are using.

Sennheiser Momentum In-Ears (Android) for $70

Android users may feel left out since many headphones get the Apple MFi remotes with varying degrees of usefulness in Android devices, but more companies are “discovering” Android remotes as well, which brings us to a sale of such a create, the new condition black-red color-scheme of the Android version of the Sennheiser Momentum in-ears is on sale for $70 with free shipping with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual.

[DEAD] Thursday Over-Ear Offers: LyxPro HAS-10 and Bluedio Bluetooths

These limited time daily offers expired but all of the items mentioned below are frequent “guests” of the lightning deals, so they should appear again at some point(s) in the future…

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Audeze LCD-2 Planars for $700

Can’t resist the temptation of the Audeze hype train but don’t want to part with four-figures? There’s a sale on the AUDEZE LCD-2 planar-magnetics, going for $700 with free shipping, in new condition, at Adorama.com. This is the Aluminum with Lambskin Leather Ear Cushions version. Offer ends 5/9/16 or earlier if sold out.

Sennheiser HD7 DJ + 88-key Yamaha P115 Digital Piano + Stand/Bench for $600

IF the stars align and you happen to need all three of these items (or you can give or gift or trade some of them), there is a triple bundle at Adorama.com as part of their Mother’s Day sales good until 5/8/16. You part with $600 out of your wallet and for that you get the Sennheiser HD7 DJ headphones, the 88-key Yamaha P-115 digital piano (weighted action), along with an On-Stage Keyboard bundle (stand, bench, sustain pedal). Free shipping included which is nice because these are not lightweight items.

Free 36-page ebook: “Music Science” from O’Reilly

If you are also interested in the music industry way of things, O’Reilly Books have a free 36-page e-book. All you have to do is enter your name and email address to get it (this even if you are logged on to your O’Reilly account). The e-book is “Music Science” by Alistair Croll (September 2015) and is available DRM-free in ePUB, Mobi and PDF (you can download all of them). They even have direct buttons to save them to Google Drive. (this looks to be a chapter from an upcoming book?)

Here’s the table of contents:

music_science_TOC

Since we are talking O’Reilly, coupon code DRM2016 gets you 50% to 60% off e-books on their website until 5/4/16 at 8am Eastern time. Coupon only works for e-books.

[DEAD] Starts 10am ET: DUBS Acoustic Filters Advanced Tech Earplugs

This lightning deal expired…

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Fiio X5 (first gen) DAP for $200

The first generation Fiio X5 digital audio player is currently down to $200 with free shipping and handling, in new condition, at B&H Photo and aSavings on Amazon.

PS: if you are not familiar with the Fiio DAP line-up, make sure you read up on them and understand the trade-offs of the various models and generations. Their product line-up is ballooning 🙂

AKG K553 Closed Over-Ears for $120 [Massdrop]

Massdrop continues their temptations parade with another offering on the closed-back over-ear AKG K553 headphones for $120 with free shipping. Shipping estimate is late May 2016, so you only need moderate patience for this offer (compared to some others that take up to three months!). As you can guess by the lack of X or x in its model name, this is not an exclusive, but rather it’s a “sneak peak” or an early release or whatever the marketing term du jour is 🙂 This offer ends in about eight days from today.

[DEAD] Monday: FiiO Kunlun E18 Portable USB DAC/Amp for $75

Monday is over, and so it this deal…

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[DEAD] Sunday: Sennheiser HD 558 for $80 and Beats Solo 2 Bluetooth for $180

Sunday is over, and so are there daily deals, but future offers on them are likely…

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[DEAD] Sunday: JBL Synchros S300 On-Ears for $40 [Android]

This daily deal expired…

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