This daily deal expired…
Archives for October 2016
Sennheiser IE 80 IEMs for $223 [MD]
The Sennheiser IE 80 IEMs are now fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop for $215 plus $8~ flat shipping, with eight days left in the offer, and a mid-November 2016 shipping estimate. Per the listing, these come with a 2-year Sennheiser warranty and will ship from Massdrop. Other well-known sellers have them for $250+ at the moment.
SMSL IDOL+ DAC/Amp for $35 [MD] or $40 now
Tiny USB DAC/amps continue to increase in popularity as more and more smartphones become the centerpiece of people’s digital lives. Or some market-research-mumbo-jumbo like that 🙂 Which brings us to the SMSL IDOL+ DAC/Amp, with a microUSB input and a 3.5mm output, going for $32 plus $3~ flat shipping at Massdrop with eight days left to go from today (= blog-posting date). It comes with both USB and an OTG cable and a 1-year warranty thru Massdrop. Shipping estimate is late November 2016.
If you don’t want to wait for that long, a marketplace seller has it for $40 at Amazon, and the order is fulfilled by Amazon, so if you are a Prime member you get it in about two days after you order.
[DEAD] Starts Tuesday 7:55am ET: Avantree Steel Headphone Stand
These offers expired…
In-Stock Now: Sony MDR-1000X (both colors)
If you had been waiting for hte new Sony MDR-1000X headphones (announced at IFA 2016) to be released, we have good news for you! Both the black color scheme and the brown color scheme are in-stock by Amazon actual. These ANC and Bluetooth combo headphones currently average 4.5 out of 5 based on 30+ customer reviews, and they already have 40+ answered-questions… For more updates on newly-released headphones, check the Headphone Tracker…
[DEAD] October 23-25: $1 Vivitar Earbuds at B&M (YMMV)
This 3-day B&M doorbuster expired, but it could be foreshadowing for Black Friday (totally crackpot theory)…
Klipsch AW-4i Earphones with $30 promo gift card for $59
In addition to the two Sony offers mentioned yesterday, Dell Home also has a promotional gift card offer on the Klipsch AW-4i Earphones. You pay $59 with free shipping, and 10-20 days after your order ships, you will receive via email a $30 promotional Dell gift card. The card has to be spent within 90 days of arrival. The offer ends on 10/27/16 at 7am central time.
Sony MDR-100AAP and $100 Promo Gift Card for $198
The closed-back over-ear Sony MDR-100AAP headphones, part of their “h.ear” line-up, go for $200 at authorized Sony USA dealers. That’s also the price at the Dell Home store, however, good until 10/27/2016 at 7am central time, you will receive a $100 Dell promotional gift card if you purchase them for $198.
The $100 promo gift card will be emailed to you 10-20 days after your order ships, and will have to be used within 90 days of delivery. That’s why it’s “promo gift card”, instead of a normal gift card. This is partially why they are able to offer this, it almost guarantees that you will place at least one more order from them. So it’s sort of like a customer acquisition type of an expense.
Only the black color scheme is eligible for this. The offer is mentioned both on the product page and the shopping cart. Here’s a screenshot of how it looks on the product page:
Review-wise, so far, they average 4.4 out of 5 but only based on 29 customer reviews at amazon.com where they actually have slightly more answered-questions than reviews. These are folding headphones by the way.
Sony MDR-AS600BT Bluetooth Earphones and $50 promo gift card for $98
The Sony MDR-AS600BT bluetooth earphones go for $100~ at authorized dealers. For a limited time, good until 10/27/2016 at 7am central, you can get them for that price but you will also receive in the future a $50 promotional gift card to be used in the future. This offer is at the Dell Home store.
The promotion is shown on the product page over there, and in the shopping cart when you add the earphone there. After you make the purchase, you will receive an email with the $50 promo code 10-20 days _after_ your order ships, and you have to use it within 90 days of that date. That’s why it’s a promotional gift card instead of a normal gift card.
On the other hand, if you are comfortable with grey market earphones that do not get a Sony USA warranty, a marketplace seller has these in new condition for $45 at amazon.com. They are fulfilled by Amazon, so they are Prime-eligible, but that does not make authorized in the eyes of Sony. You would still have to buy them from an actual authorized dealer. Review-wise, they average 3.6 out of 5 based on 200+ customer reviews. You can find those at the normal listing at Amazon.
Two Apple Earpods with Cases for $17 w/free S&H
A4C featured daily deals are cyclical, and these are back again, this 2-Pack of Apple Earpods with Storage Cases going for $17 with free shipping. These are new condition. The A4C featured deals rotate every few days on their home page, so if you miss them today, they will likely return again at some point in the future.
Bluedio Turbine T2S Bluetooth Over/On-Ears for $18 w/free S&H
You don’t have to wait for Amazon lightning deals or sales to get these under $20, because the maker’s own eBay store offers them for under $20, in new condition, and with free shipping for all. “These” are the Bluedio Turbine T2S bluetooth over/on-ears (I can’t tell for certain whether they are over- or on-ear). They run Bluetooth 4.1 and have a built-in rechargeable battery. The ones on sale at the Bluedio eBay store are the red color scheme going for the very specific price of $17.20 with free shipping, and the blue color scheme going for the very specific price of $17.50 with free shipping. These ship from Southern California, offer 30-day returns, and have no quantity limit per customer.
These have nearly 3000 customer reviews at amazon.com where they average 4 out of 5 and they have over 500 questions answered. They even fold ~ the headphones, not the reviews 😉
I haven’t listened to them, but the price is right for a utilitarian bluetooth set. If I didn’t already have a boatload of things to review I would have picked up a pair to review, but I’m only one and more of a single-threaded Celeron than a 256-threaded workstation 😉
AKG K181 DJ UE On-Ear DJ for $63 [MD]
Green Day may be trying to kill the DJ, but most headphone companies love DJs so much they make headphones for them 🙂 Which brings us to another offer that fully blossomed at Massdrop, it is the closed-back on-ear DJ-tagged AKG K181 DJ UE headphones going for $55 plus $8~ flat shipping. I round prices, that’s the “~”, because it’s easier to write and type $8 than $7.749583493234356 🙂 The offer is running for the next seven days and will ship shockingly-quickly by MD standards, early November 2016. They come with a 2-year AKG warranty service.
Shipping Now: Bowers & Wilkins P9 for $900
Bowers & Wilkins is a stylish brand, so it makes sense they’d go higher in premium models, and their new P9 Signature line headphones are now in-stock and ready to ship to your head for $900 with free shipping with a limit of ONE per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual… For more new headphone arrivals, check the Headphone Tracker…
FiiO X5 2nd Gen Stacking Kit (HS16) for $6.69
Accessorize time for the second generation Fiio X5 DAP. It’s official Fiio HS16 stacking kit is on sale for $6.69 by a marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so it is Prime eligible. They either have 15 units available at this price, or the limit is 15 per customer. The former is more likely. The other sellers there have it for $15.
In-stock (2 left): brown Sony MDR-1000X for $398
Sony’s answer to the ANC + Bluetooth combo headphone that got revealed at IFA 2016 (loooong browser crashing post) is back in-stock in the brown color scheme, as of the time of writing, there are two units left of the Sony MDR-1000X for $398 by Video & Audio Center thru Amazon. This is not Prime eligible (it ships directly from VAC)… For the latest comings and goings of some of the latest headphones be sure to stay tuned and bookmark the Headphone Tracker that got launched earlier in the week…
Philips X2 back in-stock, going for $271 [was $247]
I am not keeping up with the latest updates on the Philips-Gibson Glue Gate Crisis 2016, but the headphones are back in-stock at Amazon by Amazon actual for $271 [was $247~] with a limit of five units per customer… I added them to the Headphone Tracker until their stock situation stabilizes…
Price updated in the post here on 10/22/16 PM.
Used Recertified Bowers & Wilkins P3 for $45 to $52 (depending on color scheme)
We mentioned earlier that the new condition Bowers and Wilkins P3 are going for $77 to $90, but if you want to get them and pay under $50, and you are willing to go double-used, then there are two options at Amazon Warehouse Deals. What I mean by “double used” is that these are used condition headphones of the recertified models. In other words, someone bought the recertified from Amazon, then returned them or traded them in, and now Amazon Warehouse Deals is selling the recertified models in used condition. Not as mind-bending as Looper, but getting there 😉
Two of the colors are available under $50 in “used recertified” condition at Amazon Warehouse Deals, the black color scheme goes for $45 in “Used – Good” and $48 in “Used – Very Good” or $51 in “Used – Like New”. They have multiple listings, so there is the possibility of price pressure bringing them further down.
Meanwhile the white color scheme is available in “Used – Good” condition for $45. The blue color scheme goes for $52 in “Used – Very Good” condition and they multiple listings, which could put more price pressure on them.
Philips SHP9500 (or SHP9500s) for $58
It’s back on sale again, but it’s a bit of a Schrodinger’s cat. The Philips SHP9500 open-back over-ear is on sale for $58 with free shipping at NewEgg by NewEgg actual until next Thursday 10/27/16 (or earlier if sold out)… However, some people online (and in the reviews over there) are mentioning that they are receiving the “SHP9500s” (the “s” is part of the model name, it is not plural), so keep that in mind, or check search engines and forums for more…
PS: that is why I keep insisting that a final “s” should never be the last character in a model name!
Bowers & Wilkins P3 for $90 (or $77 with Mobile Checkout)
The new condition closed-back on-ear Bowers & Wilkins P3 headphones are on sale for $90 with free shipping and a limit of five per customer at NewEgg, sold by NewEgg action in the white color scheme or the red color scheme. The sale ends on Monday.
But wait, there’s more! If you are willing to use mobile checkout and enter coupon code MBLB1017 over there, you can get it for 15% off less. With the coupon, the price drops to $76.50. The coupon expires 10/23/16.
UPDATE: if you prefer to go “used”, there are options from $45 to $52 (depending on color option).
Velodyne vLeve On-Ears for $12 w/free S&H
When fashion headphones go out of fashion, their prices crash, which brings us to the Velodyne vLeve On-Ears going for $12 with free shipping at NeweggFlash, their flash sales service to rival Groupon and such. They even have a detachable cable and carrying pouch, so you could almost buy them for the accessories 🙂
24-bit FLAC: Joanne album (Deluxe, Lady Gaga) for $10
If you need some 24-bit music for testing purposes, the brand new Lady Gaga album “Joanne”, in the deluxe edition (14 tracks, 47 minutes) is on sale for a limited time in the 24-bit 44.1 kHz FLAC version for $10 at the US version of the 7digital store. This is half the price of HDTracks, except 7digital does not offer the WAV option.
The next best deal is for the mp3 version of the standard album (11 tracks) going for $4 for Friday only at amazon.com.
Audio Technica ATH-ANC9 ANC for $180
The Audio Technica ATH-ANC9 active noise cancelling headphones go for $200 at most dealers, but for the next seven days you can get them for $180 with free shipping and free returns and a 1-year Audio Technica warranty through Groupon Goods.
These are powered by a single AAA battery, so you have the usual philosophical battery trade-offs. They average 4 out of 5 based on over 280 customer reviews at amazon.com.
PS: these should not be confused with the previously mentioned ATH-ANC7b which go for under $90.
Hidizs AP60 DAP for $84 [MD] or $89
Someone needs to create a new game show, “Is it a DAP or Not?”. If someone told you there is a “Hidizs AP60” digital audio player would you believe them? Is it REAL or NOT? SPOILERS after this sentence…
Spoiler alert: YES, it is real, the Hidizs AP60 digital audio player is not only real but also fully unlocked at Massdrop for $80 plus $4~ flat shipping with eight days left to go in the offer (from blog-posting date). Three colors are available. It ships late November and comes with a 1-year warranty covered by Massdrop. Earbuds are included. I suppose the VE Monks made Earbuds Great Again 🙂
This plays multiple file formats up to DSD 128 and has Bluetooth 4.0 with Apt-X. Storage is via its microSD slot. In addition to being a DAP, you can also “connect it to your computer or phone as an external decoder” (the product description’s language).
If you want to get it slightly faster (but not that much faster), you can get it by Shenzhen Audio (shipping from Asia) for around $88 through NewEgg or Amazon. There are no shipping options from within the USA at the moment.
TEAC HA-P50 Red Portable Headphone DAC/amp for $153
If you like modestly-red colored portable headphone amplifiers, the red TEAC HA-P50 (with a “-R” appended to its name to signify the red) is currently on sale for $153.20 (such a very specific price) with a limit of five per customer at Amazon.com offered at this price by Amazon actual and a marketplace sellers. So the price looks like it may be a computer-generated price-match of marketplace seller? It averages 4 out of 5 but based on only 7 reviews. It has 3.5mm audio and Toslink, along with USB inputs, and a headphone out. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
PS: you can find more customer reviews at the other colors.
Thinksound ON1 Headphones for $128 [MD]
If you are a fan of wood-headphones, the Thinksound ON1 on-ears are back on offer at members-only Massdrop going for $$120 plus $8~ flat shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days (from today) and will ship in mid-November 2016. Only 40 units are available for this particular drop, so it may sell out before it expires. They come with a 2-year warranty.
[DEAD] Bluedio Vinyl Plus Luxury Bluetooths for $190
These lightning deals expired…
[DEAD] Turtle Beach Ear Force i60 Wireless Gaming Headset for $99
This daily deal expired… The Meh daily deal for Saturday is the Turtle Beach Ear Force i60 Wireless Gaming Headset offered for $94 plus $5 flat shipping (or free shipping if you are a paying member). This is model TBS-7020-01.
Refurbished MEE Audio Matrix2 AF62 Bluetooth for $50
The new condition MEE Audio Matrix 2 AF-62 bluetooth headphones go for $61 in new condition at recognizable dealers (eg amazon.com), but if you prefer to save some more, you can get it for $50 with free shipping in manufacturer refurbished condition with a 90 day warranty by the official MEE Audio eBay store. Limit five units per customer.
These are bluetooth 4.0 headphones with AAC and apt-X codecs, with NFC (handy for easier pairing if you mix and match multiple sources and headsets in the same vicinity). It has a built-in battery and can also play music via standard 3.5mm audio cables.
Audio Technica M30X for $50
eBay action now, seller “BluCoil” (99.2%, New Jersey) is offering the new condition closed-back over-ear Audio Technica M30X headphones for $50 with free shipping with a limit of five units per customer. Model-wise these are a step below the M40x which is developing its own counter-culture hype-train after the M50x hype train started deflating (or something like that).
Brainwavz IEM grab bag for $22 [MD]
If you like the semi-uncertainty of grab bag offers, the Brainwavz IEMs promotion is back at members-only Massdrop. You pay $20 plus $2 flat shipping and you are guaranteed to receive (randomly) one out four model. More than half of the people will receive the M5 (without mic). There is a limit of two per customer with a maximum of 550 units available for this promotion. There are also three over-ear headphones available if they reach certain units purchased goals. The offer runs for the next eight days (from today) and will ship around Thanksgiving 2016.
[DEAD] JLab J6MS Single-Ear In-Ear for $10
This limited time offer expired…
[DEAD] Back In-Stock: Focal Elear for $1000
AS of 10/21/16 re-check, these sold out again… For future updates, check the brand new Headphone Tracker…
and if you are looking for the new Focal Elear, we have some good news for you. As of the time of writing, there are two units in-stock for $1000 with free shipping by AudioLAB thru Amazon. These ships directly from AudioLAB, so they are not Prime eligible… Yesterday the brown color of the Sony MDR-1000X was in-stock but as of this update, it has gone out of stock…
If you have any headphones you are interested and you want me to track them, please leave a comment or use the contact form. Twitter account coming during the weekend.
New Headphone Tracker (frequently updated post)
This is the Headphone Tracker. We use it to track new headphone releases and hard to find products (eg, ones that go in and out of stock every few days/weeks). Actual release dates are hard to come by most of the time. I am trying to keep this at a manageable size, both in terms of you being able to read it and me being able to update it frequently 🙂 If you have any ideas or suggestions or feedback please leave a comment or use the contact form or ask on our brand new Twitter account.
LATEST UPDATE on 2/4/17 – added some of the most interesting of the headphones announced at CES 2017. Many of them don’t even have pre-orders at the moment…
PS: if you want to check for the latest arrivals one by one, check the New Arrivals posts category.
| Type | In-Stock | Pre-Order | Unavailable |
|---|---|---|---|
| OVER-EARS Over $300 |
Blue Ella Focal Elear |
Blue Sadie | AT ATH-DSR9BT AT ATH-DSR7BT AT ATH-SR9 Blue Satellite Hifiman Edition 6 Monster Elements Sennheiser HD1* Sony MDR-Z1R |
| OVER-EARS $200 to $300 |
Monolith M560 | Klipsch Heritage Sony XB950 N1 Sony XB950 B1 Monolith M1060 (Feb 24) |
|
| OVER-EARS Under $200 |
Sony XB550AP Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT NC Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT |
||
| ON-EARS | Sennheiser HD1* AT ATH-AR3BT AKG N60 BT Monster Elements |
||
| IN-EARS | Jaybird X3 AU iSine 10 AU iSine 20 |
Apple Earpods AU iSine 10 (L) AU iSine 10 VR AU iSine 20 (L) |
AT ATH-CKR100iS AT ATH-LS400i AT ATH-LS300iS Hifiman RE-2000 Hifiman RE-800 1More Quad Beyerd Xelento Remote Ultimate Ears UE 18+ PRO Sennheiser HD1 BT Monster Barflinks Beats X RHA CL1 RHA CL750 |
| DAC, AMP, DAP, PAD | Fiio X5 III Shure Lightning Hifiman EF1000 Chord Hugo 2 Chord Poly Walkman NW-WM1Z Walkman NW-A30 Sony TA-ZH1ES RHA Dacamp L1 |
||
| GAMING | BeyerD CUSTOM BeyerD MMX30 II Logitech G553 |
In-Stock Now: Monoprice Monolith Amplifiers (Monolith Planar Headphones not yet)
Monoprice launched a new line of Monolith branded audio products, and the first wave is now in-stock and shipping, four of their Monolith Amplifiers with prices ranging from $1000 to $1500. These are general purpose amplifiers, not dedicated headphone amplifiers… The two new Monolith Planar headphones are still not available for pre-order (priced at $200 and $300 each).
Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00 for $35 w/free S&H [MD]
The Hifiman – Massdrop party comes in pairs, also fully unlocked, but with seven days to go (from blog-posting date) are the RE-00 In-Ears going for $35 with free shipping. They will ship from Massdrop directly, with an early November estimate.
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