It’s back on again! And it’s still $100. The Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350 headphones are fully unlocked over there, going for $100 with free shipping, with an early November 2016 shipment estimate. Shipments will arrive from Massdrop. There is no mention of warranty in the listing. There are eight days left in this offer (from blog-posting date here). The HE-350 is based on the HE-300 and it’s another one of Massdrop’s growing list of exclusive and custom headphones.
Archives for October 2016
[SOLD OUT] Back In-Stock: Focal Elear for $999
As of a 10/19/16 re-check, this one sold-out: We have another Bigfoot sighting, the brand new Focal Elear are in-stock and ready to ship, with one unit available, for $999 with free shipping by AudioLab thru Amazon. This ships directly from AudioLAB, so it is not Prime eligible.
PS: also in-stock are the Focal Utopia for their price of $4000, these ones by Gramophone thru Amazon, again, shipping directly from the seller, so they are not Prime eligible.
PS2: some crackpot theorists suggest the Utopia was created to drive up sales for the Elear 🙂
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B ANC for $89 [limit 5]
One of the “alternative to Bose” active noise cancelling headphones that are sometimes mentioned in recommendation lists are the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B and they are currently on sale for $89 with free shipping with a limit of five units per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. They average 3.7 out of 5 based on 1900+ customer reviews and have 99 answered questions. The ANC circuit is powered by one AAA battery, so it becomes a plus or minus depending how you plan to use them and whether you already have a rotation of rechargeable or single-use AAA batteries.
[DEAD] JLab Epic for $22, Core for $16 (ends 6:45pm ET)
This expired… A couple of parallel lightning deals at Amazon, good until 6:45m ET tonight, have the JLab Epic earphones going for $22~ and the Core earphones going for $16. Neither one is at risk of selling out as of 2pm ET.
Sentey GS-1402 Hard Headphone Travel Case for $5.75
The “Headphone vs Earphone” Fairness Doctrine requires that if we post a deal for an earphone case, we much match it with another post for a headphone case 😉 Which brings us to the Sentey GS-1402 Hard Headphone Travel Case dropping down to $5.75 in new condition, sold by Sentey with the order fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible). Limit 30 per customer. This is not an Add-On item as of the time of writing *fingers crossed*
If you are also considering the previously mentioned Pelican items and need to get to $25+ to get the $3~ foam set, adding the Sentey case can help you get there.
It averages 4.2 out of 5 based on 160 customer reviews and has 39 answered questions. Between those two you can triangulate/guestimate whether it fits your headphones. I don’t have this one, so I can’t opine.
Pelican 1010 Micro Case (Black) under $10, Foam Filler for $3+
If you are a fan of Pelican cases for your earphones, the black Pelican 1010 Micro Case with clear lid is available for just under $10 by a marketplace seller with the order Prime eligible (fulfilled by Amazon). The other color schemes go for $10+ shipped (non-Prime eligible).
And if you need “filler material” for the case, the Pelican 1012 Pick N’ Pluck Foam Set for 1010 Micro-Case (Grey) is going for $3.17 with a limit of 90 per customer. However, the foam is an “Add On” item, so you must place a $25+ order otherwise the shopping cart won’t let you buy it. The 1010 Case is not an Add-On, so you don’t need to buy anything else.
TFZ Series 5 IEMs for $64 [MD]
TFZ IEMs are slowly but steadily climbing The Hype Charts, and right now, a new Massdrop offer went fully unlocked (= lowest price during their offering). It is the TFZ Series 5 IEMs going for $60 plus $4~ flat shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days (from blog-posting date) and will ship in mid-November from MD. No mention of warranty in the listing.
Two Apple Earpods with Cases for $18 w/free S&H
Among today’s featured deals at A4C (All 4 Cellular) there is a sale on a 2-Pack of Apple Earpods with Storage Cases, together going for $18 (was $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.
(ENDED) Feed the DAPs: MicroSD and Flash Drive Sale [PADs: Sony Xperia sale] {Monday sale}
These 1-day offers have now expired…
Refurbished 16GB Zune HD for $60
Your whole world does not begin to Zoom, it begins to …Zune if you purchase this eBay listing: eBay seller “Digital Outlet” (99.4%, Northern California) is offering the manufacturer refurbished 16GB Microsoft Zune HD for $60 with free shipping. It comes with a cable but no headset. It is covered by a 60 day warranty. Limit 50 units per customer. Over 1700 of these Zunes got sold according to the in-page eBay statistics over there.
This had an OLED screen before it was cool 🙂 It also plays DRM’ed WMA music files being in close proximity with Microsoft. It is really sad this got yanked out, Zune was just finding its legs right as they killed it. Also cancelled along with the Zune was the entertaining Zune podcast.
Bonnaire MX-620 IEMs (bluetooth) for $52 [MD]
If you like to try under-the-radar IEM brands “before they were cool”, here comes another option fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop, it’s the Bonnaire MX-620 going for $48 plus $4~ flat shipping. There are two colors to pick from, and optionally for +$14 you can get a cable for wired usage. The warranty is covered by MD. They have seven days to go from blog-posting date (here), and will ship in mid-November 2016.
Dekoni Bulletz Earphone Tips for $16 [MD]
Comply is not the only name in the game. Massdrop has the Dekoni Bulletz Earphone Tips going for $13 plus $3~ flat shipping. This is the “fully unlocked” price of this offering. This is open for purchase for the next seven days and will ship in mid-November 2016. Two types are available to select at checkout. They will ship by the vendor with the warranty taken care of by Massdrop.
(ENDED) Monday’s Offers: MEE S6 In-Ears, Bluedio, JBL, etc
These Monday limited-time offers are over…
Jaybird X2 Sport Bluetooth Earphones for $80 (four colors)
No news of a Jaybird X3 release, but in the meantime four of the six color schemes of the Jaybird X2 Sport Bluetooth Earphones are on sale, in new condition, for $80 per pair, at Amazon by Amazon actual. As usual, convenience and special features (eg exercise) are the raisons d^etre of these earphones so obviously for the same price, you can get plain wired in-ears that perform better audiophile-wise. These average 3.4 out of 5 based on 4000+ customer reviews and have 540+ answered questions.
Colorfly C3 DAP for $50 [MD]
The “DAP undercurrent resurgence” (sounds like a good name for an essay post!) is not just happening at the high-end. Even the sub-$50 market is getting fresh DAPs, perhaps in the mini void left after Sandisk lost interest in preserving the “magic” of the Clip+.
To cut a long story short, good for the next eight days is the Colorfly C3 digital audio player going for $47 plus $3~ flat shipping at members-only Massdrop. This plays up to FLAC and WAV and has 8GB on-board storage but fear not, it also takes microSD cards up to 64GB. With card prices continuing to drop, this is thrifty way to go.
No warranty information is mentioned in the listing. Shipping estimate is mid-November 2016.
Shipping Now: Closed-Back version of Sennheiser HD 598 (CS)
We have another new headphone arrival! If you are among the boldly-going early-adopters and willing to pay full price and not wait for future discounts, the brand new closed-back version of the Sennheiser HD 598, the CS (CS = Closed), is now in-stock and ready to ship for $250 at Amazon by Amazon actual. Two cables are included, one with a 1-button remote, and another without.
Ultrasone PRO550 Closed for $95 after $15 MIR
If you are a fan of Ultrasone and mail-in rebates (MIR), good until 10/26/16 you can get the new condition closed-back foldable Ultrasone PRO550 headphones for $95 after a $15 mail-in rebate at Adorama.com. More details on the MIR inside this PDF file.
While there, they are offering the new condition Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen 2 Input/4 Output USB 2.0 Audio Interface with 2x Scarlett Mic/Instrument Preamplifiers for $149 with free shipping until 10/25/16. Audio interfaces are of interest if you need to make use of them for their intended purposes. If you have no intended-use for them, you are probably better off getting dedicated headphone DACs and AMPs and DAPs.
NOTE: orders placed between now and 10/25/16 will begin shipping on 10/26/16. They are closed for religious holidays.
Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Over-Ears for $244
If you need to get a Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over-ears headphone right now and don’t want to wait for the holiday shopping season madness to begin, the black color scheme with the Apple iOS buttons is going for $244 with free shipping with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. For the price, you can alternately get Two On-Ears!
Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-Ear for $120+ (iOS) or $132+ (non-iOS)
The black color scheme of the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-Ears with the Apple/iOS remote control is now down to $120 with free shipping with a limit of five units per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. The brown goes for $132, and the others go for more.
On the non-iOS front (they call it “Galaxy” but they mean Android, Windows Phone, etc), the lowest price is $132 for the black color scheme with a limit of five. the other colors go for more.
PS: the iOS/Android difference is in the remote control buttons, especially the Volume Up/Down buttons. The basic play/pause buttons typically work on most non-iOS devices/app combos. Next and Previous track is more nebulous. They come with detachable cables so if you have a compatible cable from another Sennheiser headphone (or can find one at a good price), then you can switch iOS/Android cables depending on your music source device.
Massdrop recap: products with 2-5 days left
A few more items became fully unlocked at Massdrop, so to get things moving faster, here’s a round-up, with the days remaining being from the blog-post date:
- 2 days left: Kennerton Ikiz IEMs for $138 shipped
- 3 days left: Audeo PFE 232 IEMs for $407 shipped
- 3 days left: xDuoo TA-02 Tube Amp for $98 shipped
- 5 days left: FX Audio DAC-X6 for $70 shipped
Philips SHS3200 EarHook Earbuds for $6 w/free S&H
Speaking of earbud-related matters, here’s a single-figure shipped offer, eBay seller “Big Deals” (99%, New Jersey) is offering the bulk packaging (new condition) Philips SHS3200 EarHook Earbuds for $6 with free shipping, with a limit of 50 units per customer. These are marketed as exercise earbuds because of the hook, but of course you can use them any which way you like. This is definitely on the utilitarian, not the audiophile end of the spectrum.
Yuin Pk3 Earbuds for $27 shipped [MD]
Actual Earbuds are making a mini resurgence, partially thanks to a variety of “pods” by Apple. Before the “Monks craze” there was Yuin, and right now, their Yuin Pk3 Earbuds are fully unlocked for $24 plus $3~ flat shipping at Massdrop. This offer has three more days left to go (from blog-posting date). Shipping estimate is early November. They are available in the black color scheme.
Speaking of the Monks, we have here an unboxing (text/pictures only) along with an in-progress diary-style review of the Monks Plus model.
[DEAD] B&O PLAY Beoplay H6 Over-Ears for $180 [ends 11pm ET]
This limited time sale sold-out before the planned 6-hour offer expired…
New Full Service Music Streaming Option: Amazon Unlimited for $8/mo (Prime members) or $10 (non-members)
One more music subscription service has rolled out today, it is the Amazon Unlimited music subscription that is a full service like Spotify and Apple and Google Play Unlimited. You pay $10 per month if you are not a Prime member and $8 per month if you are a Prime member. You can cancel at any time. It just launched today and you can start a 30-Day Free Trial.
A family plan for $15 per month that includes up to six people for that one monthly price will be coming soon. Prepaid options are also coming if you are willing to prepay for 1-year ahead of time
This new service is different and should not be confused with the Prime Music service that is automatically included with a Prime membership. This will continue as it is. The Prime Music only includes a subset of what a typical music subscription service. In Amazon terms, this has 2+ million tracks, while the for-pay Unlimited service has 10+ million tracks.
Regardless of Prime membership status, Amazon’s Music apps also automatically (and retroactively) include MP3 versions of music CDs or vinyl LPs you purchased from Amazon through the years. Eligibility for this is two-fold: 1) the musician/publisher must be participating in Amazon’s “Auto RIP” program, and, 2) you must have purchased it from Amazon actual (not marketplace sellers), and in new condition.
Massdrop x AKG K7XX Red Edition for $200
If you like tasteful red in your open-back headphones, the Massdrop x AKG K7XX Red Edition is back on again, going for $200 with free shipping with a late October 2016 shipping estimate. This is done in co-operation with AKG, so you get a 2-year AKG warranty. Offer ends in about seven days from today (= blog-posting date). A total of 190 units are available as part of this promotion and they are individually serialized (see picture #2 in the gallery over there for the number). I’m assuming the first song to hear on these is Chris deBurgh’s “Lady in Red”? 🙂
Thinksound Wooden IEMs for $36 shipped [MD grab bag]
If you like wood in your in-ears, and like a bit of mystery and randomness, a new grab bag promotion is now live at members-only Massdrop, it’s a Thinksound Wooden IEMs offer, you pay $33 plus $3~ flat shipping and you randomly receive one pair of their IEMs out of six possibilities. 79% of available units are the ts02, so assume that’s the default. Limit two buys per customer during this offer which is limited to 1500 units and ends in about eight days from today (= blog posting date). Shipping estimate is early to mid November 2016.
[DEAD] Thursday’s Offers: Bowers & Wilkens P5, B&O Play H6, Monoprice, Etc
These offers expired…
Refurbished Sony MDR-XB450AP/B Extra Bass for $35
Among the Woot daily deals good until 1am ET on Thursday are the refurbished Sony MDR-XB450AP/B Extra Bass headphones going for $30 plus $5 flat shipping. Limit three units per customer. You only pay five bucks for shipping no matter how many things you buy from Woot on a particular calendar day (in the Central time zone). They come with a 90-day Woot warranty per the listing. These are closed, wired, on-ears.
Jaybird Freedom F5 In-Ear Bluetooths for $120
This earphone is not greeted as a liberator by reviewers (2.6 out of 5 based on 350+ customer reviews), so be sure to read up on it if you are not familiar with its trade offs. The Ocean (blue) color scheme of this, “this” being the Jaybird Freedom F5 In-Ear Wireless (bluetooth) is down to $120 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. Delivery estimate is 2-5 weeks, but you can lock the price in the meantime. The other three colors go for $150.
PS: Logitech purchased Jaybird in April of 2016 for $50 in cash plus future considerations (ha!)
HifiMan Edition S Open/Closed for $185 Used or $195 Store Demo w/full warranty
Both open-box and used prices dropped since we mentioned this last in late September 2016, “this” being the HifiMan Edition S Open/Closed headphone. The new condition price at authorized dealers is $250 however if you want to save you can get it for (with free shipping):
+ $195 in Store Demo condition with full warranty by Razor Dog Audio on eBay (100%, ships from MN)
+++ updated with new eBay listing
+ $185 in “Used – Very Good” condition by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual (two listings)
Now shipping: Bose Quietcontrol 30 Wireless (Bluetooth) In-Ears
We have another new arrival of the Double Bs kind, it’s Bose and Bluetooth, the new Bose Quiet Control 30 Wireless in-ears are now in-stock and ready to ship for $299 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. As the “QC” in the name suggests, these have active noise cancellation powered by the neckband battery. Yes, they have a neckband. It’s either that or a block on the remote/mic for the battery to live. Until/unless they make solar powered ones for outdoor use? 🙂
PS: you can find more newly released headphones using the “New Arrivals” option in the red menu bar above, or bookmark the New Headphones Shipping category.
[DEAD] Wednesday’s Offers: House Of Marley, GoGroove, Etc
These daily deals expired…
Beyerdynamic Custom Street On-Ears drops to $57
The price of the black color scheme of the Beyerdynamic Custom Street On-Ears jumped to $80, but the white color scheme is dropping in price, you can now get it for around $57 at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of three per customer. It has a detachable cable with a 1-button remote.
You can see what’s included with it in our Text and Pictures unboxing and see how it’s doing in a developing in-progress diary-style review (latest updates go on top).
[DEAD] Audeze SINE On-Ears and iFi Micro-iCAN SE for $500
This sale ended… A new headphone bundle, good until 10/18/16 at Adorama.com is the Audeze SINE On-Ears (planar magnetic) bundled with the iFi Micro-iCAN Headphone Amplifier (Special Edition) together going for $500 with free shipping. No coupon, no rebate, just add to cart and proceed to checkout. They are authorized dealers for both.
Used Schiit Audio SCH-13 Sys Passive Preamp for $45 + S&H
As of 10/12/16 re-check, the used option got scooped up at Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD), and currently only new condition units are available from AWD… But there’s still B-stock at the Schiit website for $45 plus mandatory shipping…
The Schiit Audio SCH-13 Sys Passive Preamp is currently available in “Used – Like New” condition (damaged original packaging) for $45~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) actual, so it is eligible for 2-day Prime shipping for members. The new condition price at Amazon is $59 with free shipping, while the Schiit website has it for $49 plus mandatory shipping (which varies by zipcode). They also have it in B-Stock for $44 plus mandatory shipping. So depending on shipping fees and taxes (both depend on your zipcode) and Prime membership status, the AWD offering may or may not be a good idea.
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