Archives for January 2017

Sennheiser HD 650 for $300

The new condition open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD650 is now down to $300 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. This looks like it could be a computer-generated price-match of a marketplace seller (but I’m only guessing at this).

Note also that there is a newer model the HD6XX that was offered a couple of times at Massdrop for $200 but sold-out within nanoseconds.

Astell & Kern AK120 DAP (first gen) for $427 (NEW) or $306 (USED)

Never a dull moment on eBay, where Buydig is offering the new condition Astell & Kern AK120 DAP (first generation) for $427 with free shipping with a limit of five units per buyer. In addition to playing music, this can also serve as an external DAC. It can go up to 24/192, and supports MQS. It has 64GB storage on-board plus two microSD slots.

This eBay listing ended: On the other hand, if you are a more adventurous shopper, there is a used condition unit offered by eBay seller “thegearlessmachine” (99.7%, Alabama) for $299 plus $7 shipping. There’s only one unit available, this looks like a personal sale, with pictures of the actual unit, not stock photos.

Fostex TH-900 II + iFi Micro iDSD Black Label DAC/amp for $1300

And now to the four figures with a bundle at Adorama.com, they are offering the new condition Fostex TH-900 Mark II headphone bundled with the iFi micro iDSD Black Label Edition DAC/amp, together for $1300 with free shipping. No coupons, no rebates, but this is a limited time promotion.

Objective O2 Headphone amp for $88 to $103 [MD]

There are many solid options in the $100-or-less headphone amp or DAC or combo units, one of them is the legendary Objective headphone amp [lots of info and knowledge at the NwAVGuy blog], and Massdrop is offering their own co-branded O2 (Objective 2) headphone amp, fully unlocked for $80 plus $8~ flat shipping. Or for an extra $15, you can get the “Desktop Edition” with RCA inputs, 1/4″ headphone output, and rear power.

The offer runs for the next eight days, and will ship directly from Massdrop, in mid-to-late January 2017, which suggests they may have the units available in their warehouse (or will get them soon enough).

Shanling M1 Square DAP for $129 [MD]

The underground resurgence of DAPs (digital audio players) is fascinating, and there’s a lot of diversity in the market, from the $20 Chinese OEM to the whole Fiio line-up, to four-figure flagships, and just about anything in between. Some of the DAPs are more square and boxy…

… which brings us to the small little thing that is the Shanling M1, unlocked at Massdrop for $129 with free shipping. Despite its size, the thickness holds DSD and Bluetooth 4.0 technology, but it can also be used as a USB DAC or even as a USB transport. Storage is a microSD slot (up to 256GB). It can go up to 24-bit 192kHz, and supports DSD64 and 128. Full specs on their website.

It is available in three color schemes, with the offer shipping in February 2017. It runs for the next six days.

[DEAD] Friday’s Offers: NoonTec Hammo ANC, JBuds, Symphonized, Etc

These lightning deals expired…

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Used Grado SR80e Open-back for $79 [updated]

The new condition open-back Grado SR80e go for $100 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to save some, you can get it in “Used – Very Good” condition for $79~ or “Used – Like New” for $85~ with free shipping from Amazon Warehouse Deals actual, so you get Prime benefits if a member.

UPDATE on 1/8/17 PM.

Hifiman RE-400i (iPhone remote) returns to $49

The iPhone buttons version of the Hifiman RE-400 (the RE-400i) is back down to $49 once again by Audio Advisor with the order fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible). The non-buttoned model remains for $49 as well, while the Android buttons models (RE-400a) has spiked up. You can see prices for all three at amazon.com.

Philips SHB-8750-NC Bluetooth ANC On-Ears for $39

Philips appears to be strategically making its various headphones available at only select retailers each. One such case is the Philips SHB-8750-NC bluetooth on-ears with noise-cancellation available for $39 at Walmart by Walmart itself. Free shipping if your order total is $50+, or if you are a member of Walmart’s “Prime equivalent” membership, or if you select store pickup. So you have delivery options 🙂

Pre-order new Logitech G533 Gaming Headset

More new headphones are slowly now rolling out at CES 2017 and among them is a new wireless gaming headset from Logitech with DTS 7.1 and such. It is the G533 Gaming Headset and has a pre-order price of $150 at amazon.com. It is in the all-encompassing and mysterious “Temporarily out of stock” status, which may be a sign of a near release or not.

Skullcandy Method In-Ears for $23

On the exercise front, the gray color-scheme of the Skullcandy Method In-Ears is on sale for $23 with a limit of up to three units per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. The other nine colors go for more or are not available for purchase at this point in time. All together they average 4.1 out of 5 based on nearly 400 customer reviews.

[DEAD] Used Fiio E10K USB DAC/amp for $59

As of 1/5/17 AM re-check, this got scooped up at the $59 price… Fiio has a lot of models now as they are transitioning from the old naming scheme to the new. One of the many models is the E10K USB DAC/amp which goes for $76 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to save some, you can get it in “Used – Like New” condition for $59 with free shipping by Electronics Expo through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This is not Prime eligible though.

[DEAD] Panasonic drops 360 In-Ears (RP-HJX6M-R) for $24

These lightning offers expired…

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[DEAD] +Fiio Q1 USB DAC/Amp Flask with $20 Promo Gift Card for $70

This promotion expired…

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Used Etymotic Research ER4-SR In-Ears for $248 [updated]

UPDATE: the price did not drop, but they have added a “Used – Good” condition option for $248. The “Used – Very Good” remains at the same price as before.

If you don’t want to pay full price for the Etymotic Hype Train Reborn, there is one listing at the moment of the Etymotic Research ER4-SR earphones available in “Used – Very Good” condition (various minor cosmetic imperfections and damaged packaging) going for $266~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual (AWD). As usual, items purchased from AWD actual come with a 30-day return policy, but Amazon makes no claims of warranty coverage, so if you buy something from them, make sure you’ll have enough time to test it to your satisfaction during the first 30 days of purchase.

Heads Up: $100 Shure Lightning Cable DAC/amp coming for SE-series earphones

If you are making “buy” or “sell” or “trade” decisions on the Shure SE in-ear line, note that Shure has announced at CES 2017 that a $100 Lightning Cable (with an in-cable DAC/amp) is coming and will be compatible with their SE 215, 315, 425, 535, and 846 models. Details are thin at the moment but more will come out over time.

For some of the latest new headphones at CES 2017, check on-going CES 2017 round-up. I am actively trying not to make it as bloated as the IFA 2016 round-up 🙂

AKG K617 Tiesto Closed DJ Over-Ears for $50

For Prime members only at this point in time, Amazon actual is offering the new condition AKG K617 Tiesto headphone for $50 with free shipping, limit up to three per customer. A couple of Prime-eligible marketplace sellers have it for a similar price as well but they don’t look like they are familiar/authorized dealers. These are closed-back over-ears.

Pre-order new Audeze iSine 10 VR for $400

VR headsets don’t have to be over-ears, and planar magnetics don’t have to be over-ears either. Joining the iSine earphone party (none of them are shipping as of the time of writing) is the brand new “iSine 10 VR” model launched at the uber hype-train that is CES 2017 (our on-going round-up post). This new model has a pre-order price of $400 and already pre-orders are accepted at authorized dealer adorama.com.

Speaking of the iSine line, the options have doubled since the last time I looked, there are now models with just a standard cable, no lightning cable, and for that, you pay $50 less. The iSine 10 pre-orders for $350, while the iSine 20 pre-orders for $550. The Lightning bundles include both a standard and lightning cable.

[DEAD] Yamaha EPH-50WH earphones for $40

This lightning deal expired…

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Bose QC35 Over-Ears (BT, ANC) for $325

Onto the wild west that is eBay where the Ritz Cameras eBay store is offering the new condition Bose QC 35 over-ears (closed-back, bluetooth, ANC) for $325 with free shipping from New Jersey… This goes for $350 at other recognizable dealers, but some of them are including 5% promotional rewards (around $17.50~ in future purchases) with it (eg Adorama)

[DEAD] AUDEZE LCD-XC Limited Edition (Bocote Wood) for $1299

This promotion ended… While pinging late last year’s offers, another one of them has resurfaced, it is the closed-back over-ear AUDEZE LCD-XC Limited Edition (Bocote Wood) are on sale for $1299 with free shipping at authorized dealer Adorama.com. This is SKU AU1002100 and comes with a 3-year Audeze warranty.

Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp for $500

Dave Matthews may insist that the Grace is Gone, but Massdrop thinks otherwise, as it is now fully unlocked, the Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp going for $500 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days and it is expected to ship mid-January 2017. Specs and close-up pictures can be found at their listing over there.

Beats EP On-Ears for $80 (black) or $90 (other colors)

Further discounting on the recently-released closed-back on-ear “Beats EP” headphones. The black color scheme goes for $80 (limit 3 per customer), while the other two colors (blue, red) go for $90 each, all these at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is not a lightning deal. So far they average 4.3 out of 5 based on 45 customer reviews.

[DEAD] Tuesday’s Offers: many sub-$100 name-brand earphones, Comply, Actual Music, Etc

Tuesday is over, and so are its lightning deals…

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[DEAD] Jabra Move Bluetooth On-Ears for $60

This deal expired…

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Beyerdynamic DT1350 On-Ears for $120

As I was price-checking some of the older recap posts, one Black Friday era promotion is back, the closed-back on-ear Beyerdynamic DT1350 with straight cable are going for $120 with free shipping at adorama.com. No coupon, no rebate, this is a sale price at the moment. I do not know when it expires.

Used Sony MDR-7502 for $24 + S&H [corrected]

And now something used, the Sony MDR-7502 closed-back on-ears are available in “Used – Demo” condition for $24 plus shipping at Adorama.com which is an authorized dealer. Shipping is additional and starts at $3.75 and varies by zipcode.

PS: correction, the post-title had a typo, “7520” instead of “7502”. The post-text was correct. Normally a typo doesn’t make a big difference, but in this case, the 7520 is also an actual headphone that costs an order of magnitude more than the 7502, matching the 20 vs 2 🙂

VE Monks Plus Earbuds (all blue) for $8 [MD]

They are back! $8 is the ticket for this thrifty hype train! Massdrop is back with an all-blue color scheme of the VE Monks Plus earbuds. They go for $5 plus $3 flat shipping. These are true earbuds, but that’s not all. You have an option to get a model with mic/remote for $5 more (iOS or Android options), and they also have another +$5 option that gets you an accessory pack.

The offer is running for the next seven days from blog posting date (New Year’s Day) and will ship late January 2017.

I don’t have this all-blue model, but I have the red, here’s the useful text and pictures unboxing and an on-going slow-moving review diary.

This is what was included with the red color scheme:

NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp Combo for $64 [MD]

Massdrop strikes again, this time with another double-figure combo, it’s the NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp going for $60 plus $4~ flat shipping. This runs for the next eight days or so (first calendar week of January 2017), and will ship at the end of January 2017. This too has a blue light (prepare the electrical tape?), and has USB input and RCA and Coaxial (orange) outputs. Along with headphone out obviously.

Bose SoundTrue Around Ears II for $100 [was $90]

The charcoal color scheme of the closed-back Bose Around Ears II with Apple remote/mic is currently on sale for $100 [was $90; price updated here 1/4/17] with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. These are wired-only headphones, no Bluetooth, no ANC. The blue color scheme goes for $100.

[DEAD] Sol Republic Amp In-Ears for $15 [ends Mon 1am ET]

This lightning deal expired…

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[DEAD] Monday: Sennheiser PX 200-II On-Ears for $40 w/free S&H

This daily deal expired…

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