Archives for December 2017

Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless System for $180

Also on sale is the new condition Sennheiser RS 175 RS wireless system for $180 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to three sets per customer. This includes one headset, and one transmitter/base which also serves as a charging headphone stand. You can optionally purchase one additional headset and pair them to the same transmitter/base. These are closed-back over-ear headphone with digital wireless audio. The transmitter/base has both digital and analogue audio inputs.

This is part of the latest generation of models, it does not have Kleer which was found in the upper tier of the previous generation models (model numbers ending in “0” instead of “5”).

LH Labs Geek Out Portable USB DAC/amp for $150

The LH Labs Amazon store is offering the new condition LH Labs Geek Out Portable USB DAC/amp for $150 with free shipping and handling. This is shipping directly from LH Labs and it is not Prime eligible. It ships from California, so delivery will vary depending on your location and the shipping lanes.

Thursday: refurb Parrot Zik for $70 (black)

Good until Thursday at 11:59pm eastern time, B&H Photo is offering the refurbished first generation Parrot Zik Bluetooth Headphones in the black color scheme for $70 with free standard shipping. These have various techie features, including NFC, touch controls, dedicated apps, motion detection, ANC, and so forth. Note however that they are using Bluetooth 2.1!

Sennheiser HD1 BT/ANC On-Ears down to $200

Down go the HD1! The new condition Sennheiser HD1 bluetooth with active noise cancelling headphones are on sale for $200 with free shipping in either color scheme at Amazon by Amazon actual. Limit three per color per customer. This is not a lightning deal, so the expiration time is unknown. They are either a sale or a price-match of somebody else.

Powerbeats 3 return to $110

It’s Brideshead Revisited. Okay, $110 revisited for the exercise bluetooth earphones that go by the name of Powerbeats 3, on sale at this price at Amazon by Amazon actual with one pair per color per customer at the moment.

Apple is just too popular. AppleTV’s return to Amazon sold out quickly, but they remain orderable.

Starts Friday 9am ET: Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphones for $150

Massdrop back with another new product launch happening this Friday 12/22/17 at 9am eastern time! It is the brand new Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphone that will be offered for $150 with free USA shipping.

A total of 5000 units will be available as part of this drop. The first 500 purchases will get a serial number under 550. They are described as a modern take on the spirit of the HD 580 with new 150 ohm drivers. A 2-year manufacturer warranty is included since these are a co-operation with Sennheiser.

The shipping estimate will be revealed when the offer goes live on Friday at 9am eastern.

It will be interesting to see whether, depending on the shipment estimate date, these may cannibalize some of the HD 6XX potential sales and current orders.

Advanced Sound S2000 IEMs for $20 w/FS [MD]

Unlocked already, the new condition Advanced Sound S2000 IEMs are going for $20 with free shipping to US addresses at members-only Massdrop. The offer runs for the next five days and change (as of posting time). At checkout, you can select whether you want one with a 1-button remote/mic or no mic/remote at all ~ for the same price. They include a drawstring pouch and additional eartips. All sales final. They ship from the vendor in mid-January 2018. There’s no mention of warranty on the listing, but hey, it’s a $20 earphone 🙂

PS: all the Massdrop posts here have either [MD] or mention the word in the blog-post title, so if you are not interested in Massdrop, you can ignore those posts; or if you are interested, you can look forward to them 🙂

PS2: there are over a dozen headphonalia (headphones, amps, etc) that are currently offered as “normal” sales at Massdrop. They ship within a week after you purchase them. They call them the “in-stock drops” and we have a running summary of those in our Massdrop Tracker permanent post. Bookmark that if interested!

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Refurbished B&O Play H6 Closed Over-Ears for $100

The first generation B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H6 closed-back wired over-ears are currently offered in manufacturer refurbished condition by marketplace seller “DealPlanIT” for $100 with free shipping, through their eBay store (limit three per customer).

This is no longer available: with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so you get Prime shipping and deal with Amazon’s own customer service in case of problems.

Refurbished B&O Play H7 Wireless Over-Ears for $179

We have another manufacturer refurbished Bang & Olufsen model. It is the closed-back over-ear B&O Play H7 Wireless (bluetooth) going for $179 with free shipping in manufacturer refurbished condition offered by marketplace seller “Deal Plan IT” with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get free 2-day shipping.

The same seller is also offering it for the same price through their own eBAY store.

Refurbished AKG K490 NC for $70, K495 NC for $80, JBL Everest 300 for $45, Etc

Another week is here and so is another round of recertified offers at the Harman Audio store. Among them this week: (until Saturday night typically; or earlier if sold out):

+ JBL Everest 300 for $45
+ JBL Everest 700 for $140
+ JBL Everest 100 BT in-ears for $30

+ all these are refurbished/recertified

+ AKG K490 NC On-Ears for $70
+ AKG K495 NC On-Ears for $80
+ both are ANC, page further down on the refurbished deals page to see these

Sony MDR-XB950-B1 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $83 [Get $17 back if you Pay with Prime credit card]

More sales on this popular duo, now it’s the Sony closed-back over-ear “Extra Bass” MDR950-B1 (bluetooth but no ANC) going for $83 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual in black or blue or red. Limit up to three per color per customer. One way for kids and grand kids and members of the same household can easily tell them apart: different colors!

But wait, there’s more! If you are a Prime member, and pay with either of the two official Prime credit cards (VISA or store card), you will receive a 20% statement credit on the purchase amount, $16.60 in this case. This happens automatically while this promotion is running, there is no coupon code to enter.

[DEAD] Wedn: Monoprice 8323 for $18, Panasonic HJE-120 for $5, Etc

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Wedn: Koss Porta Pro On-Ears for $28 w/FS

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Wedn: 1More Triple Driver IEMs for $60 [limit 3] {and …more}

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Wedn: Shure On-Ears for $27 to $37 w/free S&H

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

Ostry KC09 IEMs for $70 + S&H [MD]

You don’t want to be Ostry-cized from the Ostry fan club for not having this. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun 🙂

Running for the next four days and change, Massdrop is offering the new condition Ostry KC09 IEMs for $70 plus shipping. All sales final. These will ship from Massdrop in late January 2018. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

Used Sony PHA1A portable DAC/amp for $186, Open Box for $229

In new condition, at authorized Sony USA dealers, the ony PHA1A Portable DAC/amp goes for $300. But if you are comfortable with used, Amazon Warehouse Deals own listings start at $186~ in “Used – Good” condition, and $198~ in “Used – Very Good” condition.

On the other hand, if you prefer open-box from authorized dealers, you can get it in open-box condition with full warranty by OneCALL on eBAY (aka Huppin’s from the State of Gonzaga). From the looks of it, there’s only one open-box unit available.

[DEAD] Refurbished B&O Play H8 Wireless with ANC Over-Ears for $200

As of a 12/21/17 6pm ET recheck, the prices increased by $50…

The third of the manufacturer B&O Play headphone offers is the closed-back wireless (bluetooth) with ANC (active noise cancelling) H8 model, going for $200 with free shipping by marketplace seller “Deal Plan It” but this time they are only offered by their eBay store. Their Amazon prices are higher. They are available in two color options, the Gray Hazel color-scheme and the Argilla color scheme.

[DEAD] SteelSeries Arctis 7 Lag-Free Wireless Gaming Headset for $100

This sale ended…

On the gaming front, Amazon is offering the new condition SteelSeries Arctis 7 Lag-Free Wireless Gaming Headset for $100 with free shipping, with up to ten pairs per customer at the sale price. There are multiple different models and colors on the same page, so if you check other options, make sure you are looking at the correct Arctis number!

This is not a lightning deal, so expiration date for the price is unknown.

[DEAD] FREE Next Day Shipping on select Headphone/Audio products (by Thur 4pm ET): Sennheiser, AT, Shure, Bose, LCDi4, Etc

This limited time shipping promotion expired…

[Read more…]

[DEAD] Wedn: Senal SMH-1200 Studio Headphones for $60 with FREE Next Day Delivery

This offer expired… Good until Wednesday 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out) the blue color scheme of the closed-back over-ear Senal SMH-1200 studio headphones are on sale for $60 with FREE next day delivery. That’s right, free next day delivery (USA) is included. The other three color schemes are not on sale.

LIVE: Massdrop’s FOCAL ELEX Open-Back Over-Ear for $800

UPDATE 12/19/17 at 4:30pm ET: 239 units sold…

UPDATE 12/18/17 at 10pm ET: 220 units sold, out of the 1000 available as of this re-check…

UPDATE: the offer is now LIVE! 161 units out of the 1000 got sold as of 10:48am ET. The shipment estimate is April 30, 2018

Massdrop is now offering their Massdrop x Focal Elex Headphones for $800 with free shipping. One thousand units will be available and serialized. The first 500 buyers will get a serial number under 550. This is based on the Elear and to a lesser extend the Clear.

The offer went live on Monday 12/18/17 at 9am eastern time.

Since it is a Massdrop-FOCAL co-operation, it comes with a 2-year manufacturer warranty. They ship April 30 in 2018, so patience is a 4.5 month virtue in this case 🙂 We are buying before Christmas and getting them after Easter. It may feel like 33 years but it’s only 4.5 months!

Sennheiser HDVA600 Analog Headphone Amplifier for $549 after coupon

Coupon code CP1711129217 drops the price of the new condition Sennheiser HDVA600 Analog Headphone Amplifier from $799 to $549, with free shipping and full warranty since BuyDig is an authorized dealer. Offer ends 12/18/17 or earlier if sold out.

Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote Tesla In-Ears for $899

The new condition Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote Tesla in-ears, a Made In Germany model, is on sale for $899 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to three pairs per customer. It may have been an automated price-match of Electronics EXPO which offers them for the same price fulfilled by Amazon.

NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp Combo for $60 [MD]

The party never stops at the members-only Massdrop. This offer has three days and change left as of the time of writing and it is fully unlocked. It is the new condition NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp Combo going for $60 with free shipping. This has a USB input, and RCA and Coaxial digital output. And headphone output of course 🙂

The offer ships in early January 2018 from Massdrop, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ears back to $200

The closed-back on-ear wireless (bluetooth with Apple’s secret sauce) Beats Solo 3 headphones are on sale again for $200 with free shipping in the black color scheme at Amazon by Amazon actual. Up to three pairs per customer at the sale price.

Speaking of Beats, three of the five Beats Studio 3 Wireless are on sale for $320 (their standard price is $350).

SMSL SAP-II Headphone Amp for $50 + S&H [MD]

On the budget side of headphone amps, the new condition SMSL SAP-II Headphone Amp is fully unlocked for $50 plus shipping at Massdrop. This is a proper headphone amp, no DAC. It has RCA and 3.5mm audio inputs, selectable with a flip switch on the front of the device.

It will ship in late January 2018 from Massdrop with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty on the product page. Three different color schemes are available to select during the checkout process. The offer runs for the next four days and change (as of the time of writing).

GermanMAESTRO GMP 8.35 Mobile (Closed Over-Ears) for $150 with free S&H [MD]

Another headphone offer has become “fully unlocked” (= lowest price under this offering) at the members-only but free-to-join shopping website that is Massdrop. It is the new condition GermanMAESTRO GMP 8.35 Mobile Headphones going for $150 with free shipping. These are rugged closed-back headphones with a detachable cable.

The offer runs for the next three days and change (from blog-posting date) and it is estimated to ship in mid-January from Massdrop, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty on the product listing page.

PS: I’m guessing they are over-ears based on the pictures. The product listing does not say.

Panasonic RP-HJE120B Bluetooth Earphones crash to $14

Panasonic gone wild! The price of the black color scheme of the Panasonic RP-HJE120B Bluetooth Earphones has crashed down to $13.64 at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to three pairs per customer. This is only the black color scheme. This is not a lightning deal.

These average 3.2 out of 5 based on 130 customer reviews and have 19 answered questions, so check the reviews if you are not familiar with them as that review score is a sign of trade-offs…

Speaking of Panasonic, a trio of their previously mentioned doorbuster prices continue:

+ Panasonic RP-HT21 lightweight on-ears for $5~ after $0.25 clip-on coupon
+ not an Add-On item!

+ Panasonic RP-HJX5 Drops 360 In-Ears for $10 in blue
+ UPDATE: now the Metallic Silver color scheme is also down to $10

+ Panasonic RP-HT161 Closed Over-Ears for $10

EARasers Musician’s Hi-Fi Earplugs for $32 w/FS [MD]

Back to Massdrop where another offer is fully unlocked. This small item is restricted to US addresses. It is the EARasers Musician’s Hi-Fi Earplugs offered for $32 with free shipping. You can select the size from four options at checkout. They will ship in mid-January 2018. All sales final. They are made in the USA. There is no mention of warranty in the listing. Pictures and measurements of the four sizes are shown over there. Offer ends in four days and change (from blog-posting date).

Sony XB950N1 Bluetooth + ANC Over-Ears for $118 (Optional: Get $24 back if Prime Credit Card payment)

Done they go! The new condition Sony XB950N1 Bluetooth + ANC Over-Ears are now down to $118 with free shipping, in either color scheme, sold and shipped by Amazon actual. Limit up to three per color per customer. This is not a lightning deal, so expiration date unknown.

Optionally, if you are a Prime member and pay with one of the two Prime credit cards, you will get 20% back as a statement credit = $23.60 in this case.

Jaybird X3 BT exercise earphones for $80

Not that headphone prices are stocks, but there was plenty of “resistance” at $100 for the Jaybird X3 bluetooth exercise earphones but today they have found a new bottom. In new condition, you can get them for $80 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to three pairs per color per customer. All four colors are on sale as of the time of writing.

They have their trade-offs as they average 3.5 out of 5 based on nearly 2000 customer reviews and they have over 230 answered questions by viewers like you.

Massdrop FOCAL ELEX headphones for $800

Monday 9am eastern is when the all new Massdrop FOCAL ELEX headphones will go live on the Massdrop website for $800.

In the meantime, for less than 1/10th of that price, and delivery in about two business days (if a Prime member) you can get the older new condition closed-back over-ear FOCAL Spirit One S for $70 with free shipping, sold by AudioLAB with the orders fulfilled by Amazon.

Monoprice 8323 Closed Over-Ears with Bluetooth (and apt-X) for $25 with free standard US shipping

The closed-back wired over-ear Monoprice 8323 are one of the sub-$40 bang for the buck headphones (with interchangeable cable to boot). Piggy-backing on their popularity, Monoprice has now released a bluetooth version with apt-X support, the model 24735 (a side-effect of the temporally-based sequential way hey name their products, they couldn’t have a model name with 8323 in it)…

… and this bluetooth model is now on sale for $25 with free standard US shipping at the Monoprice website. No coupon is needed, the price you see is the price you pay! This is a limited time offer, expiration date unknown.

I haven’t seen the bluetooth version, but I have the old-school model. Despite their size and expansion on your head when you wear them, they just barely fit on my head. I have an above average head size/volume, but by no means the largest one, so keep that in mind! I rarely have head-size “just barely fits” issues with over-ears.