Archives for July 2019

Used Open-Box Sennheiser HD 300 Closed Over-Ears for $30

If you want to give the new-ish Sennheiser HD 300 closed-back over-ears a try without paying the $50 new condition price, Blinq through Amazon Warehouse Deals has them in “Used – Like New” open-box condition going for $30~ with free US shipping. This ships directly from Blinq and it is not Prime eligible. So no fast shipping for Prime members but on the other hand, everyone gets free shipping (not just Primes)…

These are part of Sennheiser’s newer “streamline the model numbers” line of headphones because let’s face it all those 4.20 and 429 S numbers got the average consumer very mixed up.

I haven’t seen or touched the HD 300 but judging from the pictures, their earpads look very similar to the earpads of the older Sennheiser HD 4.20S which we had a text and pictures unboxing of. The earpads were the best feature of that headphone. So comfy. Just put those on after one of those vice-grip headphones and enjoy the lack of brain crunch 🙂

AmazonBasics Fitness bluetooth earphones for $16 [limit 3]

On the budget side of things, under Amazon’s very own “AmazonBasics” brand, you can get the new condition Fitness bluetooth earphones (necklace style) for $16 in the green-black color scheme with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price…

Two of the four colors are gone, so this might be a product heading for discontinuation. It averages 3.3 out of 5 based on 130 customer reviews and it has 30 peer-answered questions. The review score average and the distribution pattern of stars suggest a product with multiple trade-offs, so be sure to read upon it before buying…

EU: BOSE QuietComfort QC35 II ANC/Bluetooths for 256 euro

The ever-changing economic and monetary system is bringing more changes to where you can find deals and discount. For example, the new condition BOSE QC 35 II ANC/bluetooth headphones currently go for $350 at USA authorized dealers but if you hop on a discounted transatlantic jet, you can get it for 256 euro in your choice of three color schemes by Amazon Germany itself. Limit up to four per shopping cart per customer at the sale price.

I do not know when the sale ends because it is not a lightning deal that has a ticking clock. They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 1250+ customer reviews and they have nearly 600 peer-answered questions (some of the answers are however from manufacturer reps and marketplace sellers (and helpful-score hawks)).

The market is of course very competitive in this segment, with Sony finding a hit with their 1000X, Beats getting boosted by Apple Mothership, and just about every other major name manufacturer trying their hand at this lucrative $300-ish segment.

But that’s not all. The competition is also from below. When people are able to find “good enough” ANC/bluetooth over-ear combos for under $100 from various audiophile-unknown brands at Amazon and other marketplaces, it creates consumer hesitation ~ do you spend $300~ for a “travel headphone” or is a $50 option “good enough”?

As you can see at the Best Selling Headphone charts at amazon.com, the top of the chart is dominated by these Nu-headphone-brands such as COWIN, MPow, TaoTronics, OneOdio, Ailihen, etc.

As of the tine of writing, the highest-ranking name-brand is at #7 with three of them in the top 10 (Beats, Sony, Bose).

nOTE that Amazon’s charts are based on the human-entered and/or computer-generated categories ~ if a product is miscategorized, it will show up in the wrong top selling charts. That’s why you see some on-ears and even some earphones in the “Over-Ear Charts”. Amazon’s marketplace is too big for them to manage 🙂

EU: SABAJ Audio A1 Class D HIFI Digital Amplifier for 30e after coupon

This is NOT a headphone amp BUT the discount is big enough it might be of interest. At Amazon Germany, the new condition SABAJ Audio A1 Class D HIFI Digital Amplifier goes for 50 euro. As of the time of writing, there is a 40% off (yes, forty percent off) clip-on coupon on the product page. Once you clip the coupon (click the little empty box next to its name) you will get a 40% off discount on the current price, making it *calculating* *calculating* just 30 euro with free shipping in Germany/etc or plus shipping in most other countries.

The 40% off offer is only available on the black color scheme (schwarz), not the silver (silber).

Starts Mon 2:45pm ET: KZ ES4 In-Ear Lightning Deal

If you are a fan of the KZ earphones but don’t want to wait for them to arrive from China, the Amazon Gold Box features them occasionally on lightning deals. One such case happens today (Monday 7/29/19) at 2:45pm eastern time, it is the new condition KZ ES4 In-Ears. Their price before the sale is $19 for the linked-to option BUT I do not know which one(s) of the colors and mic/no-mic combinations will be participating in the lighting deal. The only way to know is to be there when they go live…

These also have small (single figure) discount co-promotions when you page-down to their “Special offers and product promotions” on the individual Amazon product pages of the KZs.

This offer appears to be sold by marketplace seller “Yinyoo Audio” with the orders getting fulfilled by Amazon ~ so free 2-day Prime shipping or the usual $29+ free shipping.

PS: as I am slowly getting up to speed with more regular postings, this is a good time to start thinking what type of deals and coverage you’d like to see more of on this blog! Think about and please feel free to leave a comment on any of the posts…

IF you don’t want your comments to be made public, simply write so in the comment (eg “don’t post this”). All comments are moderated, so nothing goes live unless it gets manually approved…

V-Moda Crossfade Wireless Closed Over-Ears for $125

With the Crossfade II being the “latest model”, the first generation V-Moda Crossfade Wireless closed-back over-ears have been dropping in price, and as of the time of writing, $125 can get you the new condition Crossfade Wireless (first generation) in the gunmetal color schemes. The other three colors range from $130 to $133.

These average 4.3 out of 5 based on 760+ customer reviews and they have 240+ answered questions to their credit.

1More IEM sale: Piston Fit for $10, Dual Driver for $32

If you are a fan of the Pistons [no, not the Detroit Pistons ~ unless they go for a co-branding campaign)], the new condition 1More Piston Fit in-ears are on sale for $10 per pair in four different color options by Amazon actual. These earphones average 3.9 out of 5 based on 130+ customer reviews and they have 18 answered questions…

PS: in other 1More action, their dual-driver IEMs are on sale for the very specific price of $32.40… They average 3.8 out of 5 with nearly 200 customer reviews to their credit…

Philips Fidelio X2-HR Open Over-Ears for $150

This time they are available for all to buy, not just Prime members! The Philips headphone brand has been resurrected ~ thank the Seven Gods for the Cylon Resurrection ship hidden behind the moon!

So you can now get the new condition Philips Fidelio X2-HR open-back over-ear headphones for $150 with free US shipping with up to six per customer (they may have just six left, not have a “limit 6” per customer).

Optionally, while logged on to your Amazon account, you may see an offer for an installment plan. In my case, I see an offer that says five monthly payments of $50. As long as it gets paid without issue, there’s no financing fee (eg, they’ll take $30 out of your credit/debit card for five months in a row ~ if the card doesn’t explode it’s all good).

PS: as to the differences between the X2 and the X2-HR, there’s plenty to find in the forums and the audiophoolia blogs…

Symphonized NRG premium wood in-ears for $13

If you are fond of some wood in your earphones, the new condition Symphonized NRG Premium wood in-ears are on sale for $13 to $14 in three different color schemes with the orders fulfilled by Amazon and sold by the Symphonized Amazon store.

They average 4.1 out of 5 based on over 8300 customer reviews and have 450+ peer-answered questions. These are frequently featured in lightning deals, but this is longer-term sale, it doesn’t have a 6-hour ticking clock attached to it…

In other Symphonized action, their new condition GLXY Premium wood in-ears go for $12~ to $13~ per pair depending on the color scheme. These average 3.9 out of 5 based on 640 customer reviews and they have just 36 answered questions…

PS: I don’t have this particular model, but Symphonized has many similar options. We have here a text and pictures unboxing of their NRG 2.0 model…

SoundPeats Truly Wireless TWS for $26

IF you are looking for both “truly wireless” and “bluetooth 5.0” and you have $26 to spare, that’s how much at the moment Amazon is asking for the new condition SoundPEATS True Wireless TWS earphones, with promises of iPX5 and (up to) 24 hour playback time total (that’s 4 hours in the earphones, and five 4-hour recharges stored in the included earphone charging case).

They come with a 12-month warranty. Note that per the listing they don’t support music sources below bluetooth 4.0. They average 4.3 out of 5 on 180+ customer reviews and they have 70+ peer-answered questions… Limit up to five per customer at the sale price…

Sennheiser Momentum BeFree SE Bluetooth Earphones for $150

If you are looking for necklace-style bluetooth earphones, the new condition Sennheiser Momentum BeFREE special edition model is on sale at the moment for $150 with free US shipping by Amazon actual. This is not a lightning deal, so the price is such until it changes at an unspecified time in the future.

This is a new release, it first got added to Amazon in June 2019. It averages 3.3 out of 5 based on 7 customer reviews…

Friday: MEE Matrix3 Bluetooth Over Ears with separate bluetooth audio transmitter for $60 [bundle]

It’s back on again as one of the daily deals at the Best Buy website ~ it is the new condition MEE Audio Matrix 3 headphones, a closed-back over-ear bluetooth model bundled with a dual-headphone bluetooth audio transmitter, all together going for $60 with free shipping or free store pickup if you are near a Best Buy store.

This bundle averages 4.8 out of 5 based on 660 customer reviews at the Best Buy website…

Thursday: Master & Dynamic MH-60 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $280

The headliner of the Thursday daily deals at the Best Buy website is the new condition closed-back over-ear Master & Dynamic MH-60 with bluetooth 4.1 and 3.5mm audio playback as well. No ANC. It goes for $280 with free shipping and/or free store pickup wherever possible…

As of the time of writing, Amazon has not price-matched it (yet?), the closer they get is $305~ after you apply a $50 off clip-on coupon on the “Leica” color scheme. Leica camera NOT included ^_^.

Starts 12pm ET: KZ ES4 Earphone Lighting Deal

If you like chasing Gold Box lightning deals, per the schedule posted over there, starting at 12pm eastern today (Tuesday 7/23/19) they will have a lightning deal on the KZ ES4 earphones.

There are multiple colors and options (without or with mic/remote), and we don’t know ahead of time which one(s) will be on sale. The price before sale is $20 for the model pointed out to in the Gold Box, BUT sometimes it points to the “root option” of the listing, and not the one that would actually go on sale.

If you don’t want to dig into the color options, you can look for it at the Headphones lightning deals (currently five pages of them)…

In comparison, these go for round $15 at Gear Best, while the situation is a bit too chaotic to quickly figure it out at AliExpress

Panasonic RP-HTX80 Closed Over-Ears for $41 [limit 3]

If you are looking for name-brand retro-styled bluetooth over-ears headphone without breaking the bank, and the “matte black” color scheme is preferred or at least acceptable, you can get the new condition Panasonic RP-HXT80 headphones for $41~ by Amazon actual with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price. This is not a lightning deal, so expiration time is unknown…

This is a closed-back over-ear model with bluetooth 4.1 but without NFC. The retro design may be a deal killer for some ~ if you don’t like that style of “outdoorsy” headband adjustments. It does not support apt-X or AAC so keep that in mind. No ANC and no 3.5mm input. They promise up to 24 hours battery life.

And as fate would have it, we have a text and pictures unboxing of this, posted around Christmas 2017.

OR if you are not afraid of The USED (no, not the band, I’m still afraid of their constant emo-whining), then you can peruse the various color schemes at Amazon Warehouse Deals to find the right color and condition combination where prices start at $30~. The link I posted here shows the lowest price per color. To see the detailed listings for each color, click (or open in new tab/window) the small blue link titled “See all offers for this product”…

Beats Studio 3 Wireless Closed Over-Ears (BT/ANC) for $280

Beats and Bose, they break my audiophile bones lame some forum audiophiles, but if you are not part of The Lament [there’s even a music album with that name ~ unrelated to audiophilia ~ although I haven’t analyzed the lyrics with a fine-toothed comb)…

… then you may be interested to learn that the new condition Beats Studio 3 Wireless (ANC/bluetooth closed over-ears with the W1 chip) is on sale for $280 in various colors at various Apple-blessed retailers such as B&H Photo and Amazonia

This of course is now a highly-contested battlefield at the $300-ish price range, with Bose and Sony battling it out and many other audio and electronics brands trying their hand, trying to strike gold. After all, Sony was able to hit the ground running with their WH-1000X series breaking out of the shadow of the ZX-series and the “Extra Bass” the average consumer was mostly familiar with Sony-wise…

Westone WX In-Ears w/bluetooth cable for $60

Good until Monday 7/22/19 at 8am eastern time, the Musician’s Friend deal of the day is the new condition Westone WX in-ears with a bluetooth cable going for $60 with free US shipping.

Beats Solo3 Wireless (closed on-ear) for $160 [limit 3]

IF you are Beats curious or just want to get one so you can compare it with other headphones in your audio reviews, Amazon actual is offering the new condition “Matte Black” (part of the ICON collection) closed-back on-ear Beats Solo 3 Wireless for $160 with free US shipping with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price… This is not a lightning deal, so expiration time is unknown (to me)… It has the W1 chip which is of interest to recent Apple devices that support it ~ but is not a bluetooth 5.0 headset…

Sunday: CoolerMaster MasterPulse Gaming Headset for $40

Everybody’s jumping in the headphone/headset game, including Cooler Master, whose Master Pulse gaming headset is one of the deals du jour for Sunday 7/21/19 at B&H Photo going for $40 with free shipping in the US… Offer ends at 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold-out)…

Free Truly Wireless with Hifi Walker A1 or A2 In-Ears purchase [USA and Europe parallel offers]

UPDATE #2: this offer is also available at Amazon USA for the Hifi Walker A2 in-ears for $23. Simply add this with the truly wireless in the shopping cart and enter the promo code if needed. You will find the offer further down the “Special offers and product promotions” section of the product page.

The offer is also available on the new condition Hifi Walker A1 in-ears for $23~.

The prices of these earphones may fluctuate, the free “truly wireless” promotion is independent of the earphone prices…

Amazon Germany below
It’s bundle time! For a limited time, at Amazon Germany, when you purchase the new condition Hifi Walker A1 in-ears for 28 euro, you can also add to cart for FREE the new condition Walker T1 Truly Wireless in your choice of color scheme. The discount happens automatically in the shopping cart while this promotion is running… Expiration time unknown (to me)…

UPDATE: the same offer is also available if you purchase the new condition Hifi Walker A2 in-ears for 27 euro, you can also add to cart for FREE the new condition Hifi Walker A2 in-ears… I do not know what’s the difference between the A1 and A2 IEMs…

To get this offer, locate the “Promotional message” section in the upper middle of the product page. Screenshot below to make it easier for you to locate it:

Thursday: Dolby Dimension Wireless Over-Ears for $399

Good until Thursday 7/18/19 at 11:59pm pacific (or earlier if sold out) the headliner deal of the day at the Amazon Gold Box is the new condition Dolby Dimension Wireless headphones going for $399 with free shipping. This is good for all shoppers, the Prime Days are over (although they occasionally feature some Prime-only offers, such as today, where the Echo Connect is offered for for $20 for Prime members)…

Anyway, back to the Dolby, these are bluetooth with ANC, average 4 out of 5 based on 38 customer reviews and they have twice as many answered questions. These are bluetooth 4.2 with support for apt-X low latency (of interest to TV/movie watching), 40mm drivers, two hour recharge and such…

Thursday (EU): Vonmahlen bluetooth on-ears for 129 euro

We land back in Germany with the headliner deal of the day at Amazon.de ~ thanks to a 50 euro off clip-on coupon (you have to click on the little box before the coupon name ~ while logged on to an Amazon account because it stores the coupon in your account) you can get the new condition Vonmahlen bluetooth on-ears for 129 euro in your choice from three stylish color schemes.

This is the first time I’ve seen this brand so I know nothing (Jon Snow). The earcups rotate 180 degrees and the hinge folds 90 degrees. It promises up to 21 hours of playtime. They come with a nice case, extra earpads and cables (charging and 3.5mm audio for wired playback). It supports bluetooth 4.2 with apt-X. They average 4.8 out of 5 based on 24 customer reviews over there…

Massdrop sale until July 19: Noble Luxe IEM for $67, X Universal IEM for $167, MEE Planamic, Cavalli, Etc

Good until July 19 in 2019, Massdrop is running their own Prime Deals which have nothing to do with Amazon Prime and anyone can buy them ~ they don’t check for Amazon ID at the door 🙂 The sale items are:

+ Massdrop X Noble Luxe In-Ears for $67

+ Massdrop X Noble X universal IEMs for $167

+ Massdrop X MEE Audio Planamic In-Ears for $97

+ Massdrop X Alex Cavalli Liquid Carbon X amp for $199

+ Massdrop Vast 35-inch curved gaming monitor for $401

What do they all have in common? A “Massdrop X” product so Massdrop can do as they please with them 🙂

EU: AKG K702 Open Over-Ears for 109 euro

Austria is close to Germany, so mayhaps the rolled them down the mountains into the Amazon Germany warehouses, so they were able to get a great price. “Them” being the new condition open-back over-ear AKG K-702 headphones going for 109~ euro with free shipping within/nearby Germany.

AKG has released a number of AKG K7-series models, including Massdrop exclusives, so you have plenty of options and comparisons, not just in terms of price but also in terms of sound and ergonomics and things of that nature.

The price different of this particular model is quite big between the US and the EU, so if you are set on this, it is worth the extra time and customs and such bringing it in from the EU to the US.

PS: I do not know if these were made in Austria or China…

Monoprice 8323 Closed Over-Ears for $17 [Prime Deal]

Be patient non-Prime members, the party is almost over. Already Amazon Germany’s Prime Day festivities are over and Amazon USA has just under 9 hours to go…

Which brings us to another Prime deal that went live, it is the new condition good old Monoprice 8323 closed-back over-ears going for $17~. They average 3.9 out of 5 based on 1670+ customer reviews.

As most hyped headphones, they are not the miracles and wonders the forum hype made them out to be, and for over-ears they are not as big-head friendly as many others, but they are definitely worth the price of admission. They have a detachable cable even, and you get two of them in the box.

EI: Used Sony MDR-Z7 closed over-ears for [Prime Deal]

The clock is ticking on this deal as there are only two hours left in the Germany timezone. For Prime members of Amazon Germany, the used closed-back over-ear Sony MDR-Z7 headphones can be yours for 294 in *Used – Good” condition to 315 euro (“Used – Very Good” condition).

Bose QuietComfort QC25 ANC Over-Ears for $99 [Prime deal]

If you prefer your noise cancelling headphones without bluetooth and you want to stay under $100, AND you are a Prime member, then you have until the end of day on Tuesday to purchase the new condition Bose QuietComfort QC25 ANC Over-Ears for $99 from Amazon actual. They are available with either iOS or Android remote control buttons (they are wired headphones after all).

They average 4.1 out of 5 based on 4300+ customer reviews and they have 1000+ answered questions by shoppers like you. These are powered by AAA batteries, so a plus if you are fond of them over the rechargeable embedded LiIons.

After this, Bose launched the QC35 series with is both ANC and bluetooth and they use a built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery instead of the AAAs.

Used Bowers & Wilkins PX ANC/Bluetooth Over-Ears for $178 [Prime Deal]

The new condition Bowers & Wilkins PX closed-back over-ear ANC and bluetooth headphones go for $299+ in new condition BUT if you are a Prime member and you are willing to buy USED, you can get the black color scheme in “Used – Very Good” condition for $178, or in “Used – Like New” for $187~ at Amazon Warehouse Deals.

This too is for Prime members only, it is part of the Warehouse Deals 20% off in-cart promotion that is one of the numerous and hard to keep track of Prime Day offerings

Used 1More Triple Driver IEMs for $40 [Prime Deal]

Prime members had a chance to get the 1more Triple Driver in-ears for $60 in new condition, but if you prefer a lower price and don’t mind used, you can get it for around $40 in “Used – Like New” condition (damaged original packaging) by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. These are much discussed/hype in-ears in an ever-growing sea of options coming in from all directions 🙂 This too is for Prime members thanks to an in-cart discount…

EU: Philips X2HR/OO Open Over-Ears for 139 euro

And now we fly back to the European Union where Prime members at Amazon Germany can get the new condition open-back over-ear Philips X2HR/00 headphones for 139 euro with free shipping within Germany. Yes, the open-back Philips headphones are back! The price is close enough to the SHP-9500, making it a more difficult decision…

EarStudio portable DAC/amp & BT receiver for $79 or 79 euro [Prime Deal]

Finally a “synchronized” prime deal! For a limited time, Prime members on both sides of the pond can get the sale on the new condition EarStudio portable DAC/amp and bluetooth receiver! It goes for 79 euro at Amazon Germany and for $79 at Amazon USA. This is for Prime members only as are most of today’s deals…

EU: Bowers and Wilkins P3 Series 2 Closed On-Ears for 65 euro

And now we jump over the pond once again and we land at Amazon Germany where their latest headphone sale for Prime members includes the new condition closed-back on-ear Bowers and Wilkins P3 Series 2 going for 65 euro. A significant discount over what Amazon USA charges for it. And this is sold by Amazon Germany actual, not marketplace sellers…

Sabaj D2 DAC/amp for $42 [Prime Deal]

One more offer for Prime members! An $18 off automatic discount in the shopping cart drops the price of the new condition SABAJ D2 DAC/amp to $42 with free shipping in the black color scheme. This has three inputs (USB, coaxial, optical [see gallery picture #3 over there), and headphone output (obviously, how else can it be a headphone amp) and RCA output. This can also be charged via the 5V USB on the back, so it is portable as well as desktop.

It averages 3.5 out of 5 based on seven customer reviews, so read up on it if curious…

B&O Play H4 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $105 to $115 [Prime]

This is a nice haircut in terms of a discount, good until 2:20pm eastern (or earlier if sold out) Prime members can get the new condition B&O Play H4 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $105 in the black color scheme or $115 in the gray color scheme. They average 4 out of 5 based on 180+ customer reviews…

Used Pure Resonance MH10c Closed Over-Ears for $12 to $15

From the looks of it, these look like Superlux / Samson cousins but I haven’t looked it up in the forums, so if you are interested, check to be certain.

The price is certainly right, especially if you are a Prime member, you can get the “Used – Very Good” (damaged original packaging) Pure Resonance Audio MH10C closed-back over-ears for $12 after the in-cart Prime discount. But fear not, if you are not a Prime member, you can buy them for $15~. These are sold by Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) actual…