If you are a fan of the Motorola brand, Amazon Germany is offering the new condition Motorola Pulse Max closed-back over-ear headphones for 20 euro with up to nine per customer [probably because they have nine units in-stock]. This is in the white color scheme. They come with a detachable 1-button cable, so you can reuse the cable as well 🙂
Archives for March 2019
Blue Bag: MEE Audio X-series bluetooth earphones for $25
If you are a fan of the mild excitement of not knowing exactly which model you will receive in the mail, Massdrop is running another blue bag sale, this time is the MEE X-series bluetooth earphones. You pay $25, and for that price you are guaranteed to receive one of four bluetooth earphone models:
+ MEE Audio X5 or X6 or X7 (chance of 30% each)
+ MEE Audio X8 (10% chance)
This being a random pick, you don’t get to pick the colors – they are what they are shown over there. There is a limit of two grab-bags per Massdrop account. There’s no mention of warranty. They will ship in late March 2019.
As usual, they also have “nilestone prizes” which include various AKG x Massdrop over-ears and the Hifiman HE-350 and the Noble X Universal. Think of these as lottery ticket type of chances, so don’t buy a grab bag just for a chance to win one of these.
Audioengine D3 portable USB DAC/amp for $65 [MD]
On the portable USB DAC/amp front, the good old AudioEngine D3 is currently fully-unlocked at the Massdrop website for $65, with a late March 2019 shipment estimate. They will ship from the vendor [in other words, not by Massdrop itself], and there’s no mention of warranty in the aforementioned listing.
Cadras EM5813 in-ears for $150 [MD]
More action happening at Massdrop, running for the next four days and change [from posting time here] is the new condition Cadras EM5813 in-ears going for $150 with a late March 2019 shipment estimate from the vendor. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Feed your DAPs: 128GB Samsung microSDXC for $21
Time to feed the pets BUT also feed your DAPs and PADs and tablets and smartphones and such. The 128GB Samsung EVO Select micro-SDXC memory card is currently on sale for $21 by Amazon actual. If you want less storage, the 64GB option goes for $11, or if you want lots more, the 256GB option goes for $48…
Monoprice HR-5 Open Over-Ears for $50 w/FS
Monoprice continues to add more headphone gear to their line-up, one of which is the brand new HR-5 open-back over-ears, and as of the time of writing, they are on sale for $50 with free standard US shipping at the Monoprice website. Up to twenty pairs per customer at the sale price. They don’t have any reviews at the Monoprice site, so your favorite search engines and forums are your friends…
They come with a generous package for the price, two sets of earpads included (protein and velour), a carrying case and a good old 1/4″ adapter. As you can tell by the accessories, the earpads are removable/replaceable…
AND in a parallel promotion, they are offering the HR-5C closed-back over-ears for $55 with free standard US shipping. This one has two customer reviews with a 4.5 out of 5 average, and it also has a few questions answered…
Dekoni Blue (by Fostex) Planars for $190 [MD]
Planet Planar continues to expand with newer options, one of which is now fully unlocked at the members-only BUT free-to-join Massdrop webite. It is the new condition Dekoni Blue (by Fostex) semi-open over-ear planar-magnetic headphones, based on the good old Fostex T50RP Mark III.
The price is $190; orders will ship in late March 2019 from the vendor. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. The drop runs for the next four days and change [from blog-posting date that is]…
Sunday: Auray headphone stand for $12
Good until Sunday at 11:59pm eastern, B&H Photo of New York is offering the new condition Auray headphone stand of the desktop kind for $12. It averages 4.6 out of 5 based on five customer reviews. Details and multiple angle pictures over there…
Etymotic ER3-XR or ER3-SE for $145 each [MD]
Flange fans, unite and take over! For the next four days and change [from blog-posting time], Massdrop is offering the Etymotic ER3 in-ears for $145 in your choice of either the XR or the SE model. There is no mention of warranty in the listing. The shipping estimate is April Fool’s Day, which is not as far away as it sounds, with today being March 1st 🙂
EU: AKG K701 Open Over-Ears for $128
Thanks to its latest new parents, AKG is now touching three major continents, but that’s a story for another day. Their new condition good old open-back over-ear K701 headphones are currently down to 128 euro with free shipping in Germany by Amazon Germany actual with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price. The price is such that the used options over there cost more than the new condition. They average 3.7 out of 5 based on 210+ customer reviews over there.
Note that AKG has released newer models since, including those Massdrop exclusives, so if you are not up to date with their open-back line-up, the forums and the search-engines are your friends.
Not far off in price, their K702 open over-ears go for 122 euro but they are currently restricted to Amazon Germany Prime members only…
Meanwhile the AKG K612 are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for around 79 euro by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual…
KZ AS10 In-Ears for $45 to $47 [MD]
KZ is riding high on the Chi-Fi Hype Train, but they managed to release so many different models, there’s too much confusion and one can’t get no relief without some googling around. Thankfully the Journeyman’s Toolbox has published an easy to read guide to many of the existing models, with reviews of them available as well.
Which brings us to Massdrop, where they have launched a drop on the new condition KZ AS10 in-ears with detachable cable of course, going for $45 without a mic/remote and $47 with a mic/remote. It would have been nice if they offered the option to purchase additional cables (eg one with and one without a mic/remote, but they don’t).
The orders will be shipped by the vendor on April Fool’s Day. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. Two color options are available, either red or cyan.
PS: if headphones were groceries, considering the price, that’s like paying $9 per balance armature 😉
PS2: I’ve wanted to try out the KZ earphones for a while, but I’ve been suffering from analysis-paralysis from all those different models and sellers 🙂
PS3: here’s another take on the KZ options, this one a 5-minute video from Callaghan Reviews, YouTube-embedded below [may start with a 30-second ad]:
EU: Sennheiser HD 559 Open Over-Ears for 62e
This has dropped further down since our previous post. Open-back headphones are harder to find in Europe than the US market under 100 [there’s no Grado officially in Europe and the good old Philips SHP-9500* are history], so there’s less competition for Sennheiser, but their new HD 559 open-back over-ear is now down to 62 euro by Amazon actual with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price.
NOTE that this comes with a cable that terminates in 1/4″ (6.3″) because Sennheiser envisions this as a “home audio” headphone. So if you want to use it with smartphones or portable DAPs and such, you need to use your own 1/4″ to 1/8″ adapter or if you have compatible Sennheiser cables from previous purchases of other compatible models.
Sennheiser should have really inclued the 1/4″ to 1/8″ adapter. Come on now 🙂
Pre-order the new Massdrop x Fostex TR-X00 with Removable Cables
Fostex the People! I just can’t resist recycling this old joke 🙂 Massdrop is back with two new TR-X00 closed-back wood over-ear headphones! They are the old favorites but now with removable cables. These are a pre-order, an “in production” listing, with a mid-April 2019 shipment estimate. Just in time for the tax deadline 🙂
The Purple Heart goes for $470, while the Ebony goes for $520. This being a Massdrop-Fostex partnership, they come with a 2-year warranty.
These being a pre-order, they also come with these perks:
+ coupon for $10 off your next Massdrop order
+ a polishing cloth
+ an exclusive Q&A with the project leader
So if you are a fan of removable cables, and you are a boldly going early adopter of pre-production, hide your wallet 🙂
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