Archives for August 29, 2016

Used Grado SR125e Open-Back for $120 [was $108]

And here comes another used Grado, it is the open-back SR125e, whose new condition price is $150 at authorized dealers but right now there’s a “Used – Very Good” (cosmetic imperfections, damaged packaging) option for $120 [was $113~, was $108~] with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual… Price updated here 9/2/16 AM…

PS: if you are not familiar with the Grado naming scheme, the “i” and “e” in their names have nothing to do with iPads or remote/mics or digital features. It’s just a naming convention. They are wired plain headphones.

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Used Grado SR80e Open-back for $84 [was $77]

If you are Grado-curious but don’t want to spend a lot of money on the curiosity, the 80-models are a good entry point. These open-back headphones go for $100 at authorized dealers but if you are comfortable with used, there’s a “Used – Very Good” condition listing for $77~ and a “Used – Like New” for $84 (was $81~) at Amazon Warehouse Deals… Price updated here 9/2/16 AM…

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Kingmaker price drop: Zero Audio ZH-DX200-CT In-Ears for $35.50 w/free S&H [updated]

UPDATE 8/31/16 at 2:42pm ET: now the lowest is around $61, with three pages of sellers

UPDATE 8/31/16 at 12:12am ET:: lowest price currently is $51 shipped with three pages of results…

UPDATE 8/30/16 at 3:24pm ET: Prices now sky-rocketing, lowest is $82~…

UPDATE 10:46pm ET: the lowest price now at Amazon.com is $44. I suspect this price tug-of-war will continue as more Japanese Amazon sellers learn of this and rush to offer it up for sale…

UPDATE 7:24pm ET: Demand overwhelmed supply as of this time, the lowest price has skyrocketed from $35.50 to $52.57, and it went from ten pages of results to just two pages of results… The Hype Is STRONG 🙂

ORIGINAL POST
Kingmaker is a brand new term I am proposing, when a high profile website or reviewer is picking a fairly unknown or under the radar product and singing its praises or hyping it up.

We have a new Kingmaker today! Earlier in the morning, The Verge posted a very favorable hype-building post on the Zero Audio ZH-DX200-CT in-ears (“stop what you’re doing and buy these”).

The unusual thing about this is that they are a Japan product so you can’t get them from USA retailers. This sudden spike in demand apparently triggered a mini price-war among Japan-exporting/importing marketplace sellers at Amazon.com with the price currently at $35.50 with free shipping. There are ten pages of listings (!!!), and none of them is Prime eligible. Supply and demand have complications, the Economics 101 textbook examples rarely happen in the real world 🙂

If you can’t resist playing the Hype Headphone Roulette, make sure you evaluate each seller’s profile (score, total reviews, actual reviews, most recent reviews/feedback, other items they are selling, etc).

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Refurbished Beats Studio 2.0 for $100 (select colors)

Some of the many colors of the Beats Studio 2.0 closed-back over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation are on sale for $100 with free shipping at the Walmart website. There is no mention of warranty and a customer question as to that is unanswered. Returns have to be done in store (that ridiculous “Cannot return by mail” box). No wonder they had to buy Jet.com, their website is a mess and has bizarrelly-written things like that shipping warning 🙂

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Sony MDR-1A for $180 manufacturer-refurbished OR $190 new but no Sony warranty

If you are interested in the Sony MDR-1A closed-back over-ears and want to pay under $200, there are two options. If you want Sony USA’s blessings, you can get them manufacturer refurbished with a 90-day warranty for $180 with free shipping by Secondipity through Amazon Warehouse Deals.

On the other hand, if you don’t want Sony’s blessings, but prefer them new condition, you can get the International Versions in new condition but without a Sony USA warranty from various marketplace sellers with some of the orders fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible) for $190 with free shipping in either the silver MDR-1A or the black MDR-1A.

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Used Fiio X3-II DAP for $134

The Fiio X3-II DAP goes for $169 in new condition but if you want to save some more, you can get it as low as $134 (“Used – Like New”, Titanium color scheme) at Amazon Warehouse Deals. This link shows you the lowest price per color. To see the detailed listings per color, click on the “See all offers for this product” next to the color’s name.

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

APPJ 1601A Wi-Fi Tube Amplifier for $184 [MD]

Another day another offer unlocking at Massdrop, this time it is a double stack, the APPJ 1601A Wi-Fi Tube Amplifier going for $175 plus $9~ flat shipping. The offer is good for the next seven days and will ship in late September 2016. This is a multi-feature device but NOTE this is NOT a dedicated headphone amp.

August 29, 2016 Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,