Archives for September 2017

Used Monoprice Monolith M560 Planar for $155 [updated]

UPDATE 9/20/17: the prices fluctuate up and down by a few dollars, so keep that in mind

UPDATE 9/15/17: lowest price as of this recheck is $150~

UPDATE 9/15/17: this dropped from $158~ to $150~, while the “Used – Like New” dropped from $168~ to $160~…

UPDATE 9/4/17: a “Used – Very Good” option is now available for $158~ with free shipping!

If you are a fan of buying things at Amazon, the Monoprice Monolith M560 planar-magnetics with their open/closed earcup option, are available in “Used – Like New” condition (damaged original packaging) for $168~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. There are two listings of this as of the time of writing.

Both this and the larger M1060 are on the same listing at Amazon, so if you are reading reviews or looking at questions, make sure you’re reading about the correct model.

[DEAD] Used B&O Play Form 2i On-Ears for $52

AS of a 9/18/17 AM recheck, this is sold out at this used price and color…

By the way, I just posted a Text and Pictures UNBOXING of this very headphone!

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Sunday: Auray UHC-725 Universal Headphone Case for $12 w/free S&H

This daily deal expired…

Good until 11:59pm ET on Sunday (or earlier if sold out), you can get the new condition Auray
UHC-725 Universal Headphone Case for $12 with free shipping at B&H Photo. Limit up to to three per customer at the sale price. It averages 5 out of 5 but with only four customer reviews.

Audeze EL-8 Closed-Back Planars with Cipher Cable for $499

This is back on the sale train again for a limited time again. The new condition closed-back over-ear Audeze EL-8 planar-magnetic headphones with the cipher cable (lightning cable) are on sale for $499 with free shipping at Adorama.com. They average 4.6 out of 5 based on 11 customer reviews over there. This is the black/silver Titanium, not Wood.

Bose SoundTrue Around Ears II for $99 [limit 3]

The new condition BOSE SoundTrue Around Ears II (closed-back over-ears) in the black/charcoal color scheme with the Apple mic/remote combination is on sale for $99 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three pairs per customer.

These are wired-only headphones, no bluetooth, no ANC. They average 3.8 out of 5 based on 1100+ customer reviews and have 370+ customer reviews on them.

Monster N-Tune On-Ears for $18 w/free S&H

They are not going to win audiophile headphone of the year awards but then again, they only go for $18 with free shipping! It is the new condition closed-back Monster N-Tune On-Ears, available in over a dozen different colorful color-schemes for $18 with free shipping by the official Monster eBay store.

Limit up to ten units per customer. Not sure if it’s limit ten per color, or limit ten overall. They come with a 1-year warranty. They have a non-detachable cable.

Klipsch R6i In-Ears for $35 w/free S&H

Dell is running an Audio Sale and among the participating products is the new condition Klipsch R6i in-ears going for $35 with free shipping. As the “i” hints, this is an iOS 3-button mic/remote model. No coupon is needed, this is a clearance sale.

If you prefer the black color scheme instead, you can get it in certified refurbished condition by Beach Camera thru Amazon.

Used Hifiman HE-400S Planar Over-Ears for $205 [updated]

If you don’t want to wait for a future sale, or deal with the wild west of eBay Sellers, as of the time of writing, there is one unit available of the Hifiman HE 400S planar magnetic headphones in “Used – Good” condition (cosmetic imperfections; damaged original packaging) going for $205~ [WAS $211~] with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.

Koss KSC75 Clip-Ons for $11.70 [limit 3]

They are on sale! These goofy but highly praised Koss KSC75 clip-on open-back earphones are on a rare sale, going for $11.70, in new condition, at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three pairs per customer.

They average 3.9 out of 5 based on nearly 2500 customer reviews, and have almost 50 questions answered, but keep in mind, some of the negative reviews are because people don’t understand what open back means 🙂 I picked up a pair of these during a sale a while back at a B&M store, but I’m “saving them” for an unboxing post before I use them 🙂

Free shipping for Prime members or with a $25+ order.

This sale ended: If you are going to have a $25+ order, you may also be interested in the official Koss 6-pack (three pairs) of replacement ear cushions going for $3.80. These are limit three sets per customer and they are an ADD-ON item, thus the $25+ order minimum.

[DEAD] Brainwavz HM5 Velor Memory Foam Earpads for $18

This lightning deal expired but these are recurring lightning deals, so if you missed them, they will likely return in the future…

Velour time until Saturday at 12:15am ET, you can get the new condition Brainwavz HM5 Velor Memory Foam Replacements Earpads for $18 with free shipping for Prime members (or with a $25+ order). Their price before the sale last night was $22.50. There is only one option in this listing, this black Velour. They average 4.6 out of 5 based on 730+ customer reviews.

[DEAD] Friday’s Offers: JLab, Bluedio, Cowin, Audio Technica, Brainwavz Velour, Etc [updated]

These daily deals expired…

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[DEAD] Pre-order new Philips X2HR Open Over-Ears

As of 9/18/17 recheck, the pre-order option disappeared…

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[DEAD] Friday: SoundPEATS Bluetooth earphones for $20

This daily deal expired…

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Used V-Moda ZN In-Ears for $89

If you are comfortable with used earphones, the V-Moda ZN with the 1-button remote/mic are available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $89~ in one listing, and then they have half a dozen of listings in “Used – Like New” condition for $94~, all listings by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.

Given that there are multiple listings, time may put some pressure on the prices and cause them to drop. On the other hand, the single $89 listing may be serving as a roadblock to further discounting. It’s hard to guess since Amazon’s price bots work in mysterious ways 🙂

The 3-button used prices start at $111+. All together they have 140+ customer reviews and average 3.9 out of 5.

Used B&O PLAY 3i Earphones for $58 [updated]

On the used side of things, the white color scheme of the B&O PLAY 3i Earphones are available in “Used – Good” condition (repackaged; missing manual; cosmetic imperfection) for $58~ with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. It goes for a lot more in other options and colors. It averages 3.5 out of 5 based on 41 customer reviews.

Price updated here 9/23/17…

Sennheiser HD 200 Closed Over-Ears for $50

It is discount-heiser time, it looks like Sennheiser has signaled its authorized dealers that they are allowed to lower the price of the new condition closed-back over-ear HD 200 to $50 with free shipping, including Guitar Center and Amazon actual and Musician’s Frenemy and B&H Photo and others.

At Amazonheiser, this averageheisers 3.8 out of 5 based on 12 customerheiser reviews. Okay, I’ll stop 🙂 It also has four questions answered. It has 32 ohm impedance, and from the looks of it a non-detachable one-side cable.

KZ ES3 Earphones for $10 w/free S&H [from China]

If you don’t object to slow shipping from China, coupon code KZEZS3 can get you the new condition KZ ES3 earphones for $10 with free slow shipping from China! This is available in either blue or purple color schemes. Additional options are available when you page down over there.

This sale is part of their Harvest sale.

For more KZ options, check our previous options.

Volume Buy: 20pk AmazonBasics On-Ears for $270

If you want to buy a lot of AmazonBasics lightweight closed-back on-ear headphones and don’t want to wait for future sales and stock up little by little, Amazon added a volume buy option for the black color scheme, you can Buy a 20-Pack for $270 with free shipping, making them $13.50 per headphone.

They come with a very basic drawstring pouch. They average 4.2 out of 5 based on 3800+ customer reviews, with over 370 customer reviews. These are a great value buy for modern musical genres, with a modestly bassy sound.

Phones as DAPs: certified refurbished LG V10 for $180, refurb LG V20 for $290, or NEW for $390

The LG V30 was just announced, with a price expected to be somewhere between the Galaxy S8+ and the Note 8. But if you want a smartphone with some quality audio and don’t need to have the latest and greatest model, the previous generations of the LG V-series are dropping in price as follows:

+ certified refurbished LG V10 (Unlocked T-Mobile model) for $180 by marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible)

+ certified refurbished LG V20 (T-Mobile) for $290

+ new condition, USA model with USA warranty LG V30 (Titan Grey) for $390

Why Use a Smartphone as a DAP

We call using smartphones as digital audio players PADs (Phones As DAPs). You can get something like a Fiio X1 [text unboxing here] for under $100, so why would you need a smartphone?

One reason is because you want to use music subscription services, and phones are better at running Android apps than the few DAPs that are running GooglePLAY Android.

Another reason is because you also want to use the smartphone as a phone, or use it for various other purposes, eg as a media remote control at home, a bedtime Wifi device (so you don’t eat up your daily driver phone’s battery or sleep with an AC charging cable next to your head), and so forth…

More on this in a future post.

What is Amazon’s Certified Refurbished?

On Amazon, “Certified Refurbished”, when indicated so on the product listing, is a program run by Amazon that offers refurbished products that include a minimum 90-day warranty, and a charger or cable (that may or may not be original). More details at the Certified Refurbished Home page.

Amazon only allows some sellers to participate in this, so in theory, you would have more leverage in case of warranty issues, because if a seller is playing games with you, you can call Amazon’s customer service and complain, and if they are caught mistreating customers, they can lose their status in the “certified refurbished” program, or even get booted off the program.

[DEAD] KZ ZST Easy Earphones for $14 to $15 (cables start at $8)

This lightning deal expired… If you missed it, fear not ~ it is one of the recurring offers, the whole 7-pack of them…

OR if you don’t object to slower shipment from China with a lowest price, check the previous KZ posts [page down below this post].

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Thursday’s Offers: KZ, Brainwavz Hanger and Earpads, Cowin, JLab, Symphonized, Etc

These lot of lightning deals run out of juice (aka expired)…

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[DEAD] Brainwavz Replacement Memory Foam or Velour Earpads for Large Over the Ear Headphones for $18 [ten options] (ends by 5pm ET)

This lightning deal expired… If you missed it, fear not ~ they return to the lightning deals every few days/weeks…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Manufacturer Refurbished Audeze EL-8 Closed Wood Over-Ear Planars with Warranty for $339

As of 9/19/17 AM re-check, this is sold out again. If you missed it, fear not ~ this seems to be going in and out every few days, so chances are it may return in the future…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth Over-Ears with apt-X for $250

As of a 8:20pm ET re-check this flash sale ended…

If you are a fan of Wall Rose, you may also be a fan of Rose tinted headphones 🙂 The new condition closed-back over-ear V-Moda Crossfade II Wireless (Bluetooth) headphones in the Rose Gold color scheme are on sale for $250 with free shipping at Adorama.com for a limited time.

The “Rose Gold” color supports apt-X, while the other two colors do not, and they are not on sale. Typically, the “Rose Gold” color costs $20 more, which may be a ballpark of what Qualcomm may be charging companies for their apt-X technology.

CAUTION: Chord Mojo Portable DAC/Amp for $450 [MD]

CAUTION: Chord posted on their website that they do not consider the Mojos sold through Massdrop authorized purchases and will not honor warranties and such! [updated 9/23/17]

If you are a fan of the Way of the Massdrop, fully unlocked right now is the new condition Chord Mojo Portable DAC/Amp going for $450 with free shipping with a 1-year warranty covered by Massdrop and a mid-October 2017 shipping estimate. This adorable marble-y made in England device goes for $529 at most reputable retailers in new condition in the US market.

[DEAD] Used Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 Closed Over-Ear for $140

As of a 9/23/17 recheck, the used prices went up…

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Used Pioneer SE-MS5T Closed Over-Ears for $36

The Pioneer SE-MS5T closed-back over-ear headphones go for around $50 in three of the four colors available, but if you are comfortable with used, USED prices start at $36~ in the black color scheme, and $39~ in the brown color scheme through Amazon Warehouse Deals.

The link above shows you the lowest prices per color scheme. If you want to see the detailed listings of each color, click on the “See all offers for this product” next to the name of each color. Screenshot example below:

[DEAD] Used Audio Technica ATH-SR5BT Bluetooth On-Ears for $70

As of a 9/23/17 recheck, the used prices went up…

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Open-box Focal Spark bluetooth earphones for $79

The Focal Spark bluetooth earphones go for $99 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to get your Focal fix for less, they are available in open-box condition (“Used – Like New”) with all conditions and inspected by the seller, authorized dealer “Listen UP” of Colorado, selling it thru Amazon. This ships directly from LISTEN UP and it is not Prime eligible.

[DEAD] Beats EP Closed-Back On-Ears for $90

As of 9/14/17 re-check, this is sold out…

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[DEAD] Wednesday: Sennheiser RS 160 RF Wireless (KLEER) for $90

This coupon expired…

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[DEAD] 6pk of Koss Portable Replacement Cushions for $3.80

As of a 9/16/17 recheck, the price went up to $6+, but at least they are no longer an ADD-ON item…

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[DEAD] Wednesday: Hifiman RE 400 In-Ears for $40 after coupon

This coupon expired…

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[DEAD] Wednesday: Phiaton Chord MS 530 ANC/BT Over-Ears drop to $52 w/coupon

This coupon expired…

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[DEAD] Wednesday: JayBird BlueBuds X Bluetooth In-Ears for $72; Freedom F5 for $100

This coupon expired…

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