Archives for August 2020

Sunday Bluetooths: TCL ANC/BT Over-Ears, A-T neckband

TCL has been [trying to] make a powerplay in the US consumer electronics market and they have also entered the highly contested ANC/bluetooth combo over-ear headphone market and one of their models, the ELIT400NC is the headliner of the Best Buy daily deals for Sunday 8/30/20 offered for $70 in the midnight blue color scheme… As of the time of writing this averages 3.8 out of 5 based on 150+ customer reviews… This runs Bluetooth version 4.2, not the most recent 5.x

From one of the upstart brands we go to one of the big Japanese headphone brand, Audio Technica, their ATH-DSR5BT neckband bluetooth earphones are on sale for $90 with free US shipping at B&H Photo as one of their deals of the day. This too runs Bluetooth 4.2…

Not a bluetooth but among the Sunday NewEGG daily deals there’s the green/white Pioneer SE-MJ-503-G closed-back on-ears going for the very modest price of $10 with free US shipping. This is another historically highly-contested segment with entries as old as the Sony ZX-series and attempts at it by many relative newcomers (AmazonBasics, Monoprice, etc) to the world of audio…

August 30, 2020 Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Friday 8/28/20: Lots of headphone daily deals

Friday August 28 in 2020 is a great day for headphone daily deals with some name-brand action as well!

We start at the Newegg daily deals where they offer:

+ closed-back Beyerdynamic Aventho bluetooth on-ears for $239 after promo code 93XPR68 entered in their shopping cart

+ Audio Technica ATH-PG1 gaming headset for $89 after entering promo code 93XPR69 over there
+ notice that the promo code differs by one digit!

+ various storage options for your music (SSD, HDD, etc)

Then we take a look at what Best Buy has to offer and we find:

+ Razr Nari wireless THX gaming headset for $100

+ RIG 500PRO EX X-Box One for $45

+ up to 50% on select ROCCAT gaming

And under the “Electronics” sub-Woot at the Woot website you can get the Cleer Flow I ANC/bluetooth closed-back headphones for $90 with a 1-year manufacturer warranty…

August 28, 2020 Filed Under: headphones, headset Tagged With: , ,

Pioneer SE-MHR5 Closed Back for $100 (ends Thur 8am ET)

The latest Musician’s Friend deal of the day, good until Thursday 8/27/20 at 8am eastern is the new condition closed-back Pioneer SE-MHR5 wired over-ear headphones offered for $100 with free US shipping… A carrying case is included…

August 26, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

Woot Sale: refurb Klipsch, Panasonic ANC/BT Over-Ears, TW (B&O, RHA, Philips), Etc

It’s a headphone party at Woot! They have an Electronics Clearance sale running until the end of day on September 6 in 2020 [or earlier for anything that sells out – a few of them already did]…

It is a headphone and audio heavy collection, including:

+ Panasonic RP-HD805N ANC/wireless over-ears for $95

+ refurb Klipsch R6 II R in-ears for $14
+ refurb Klipsch R6i II in-ears for $16
+ refurb Klipsch R6 neckband earphones for $27

+ Bang and Olufsen E8 Premium truly-wireless (TW) for $89
+ B&O E8 2.0 Qi charging TW for $140
+ RHA True Connect truly-wireless for $70
+ Philips Bass+ truly wireless for $45

+ budget bluetooth earphones (including TW) from $13 to $30, three options)

+ vinyl record players from Victrola ($30 suitcase, $100 “normal”)

+ a couple of eMedia guitar learning kits

As of the time of writing, sold out were the Master & Dynamic MW07 truly-wireless for $80 and the B&O E8 2.0 Motion

August 25, 2020 Filed Under: truly wireless Tagged With:

Tuesday: Astell & Kern SR15 DAP for $399

It’s your time to DAP! Good until 8/25/20 at 11:59pm eastern, New York’s B&H Photo is offering the new condition Astell & Kern SR15 digital audio player for $399 with free US shipping. This is obviously a more advanced DAP with dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 and DSD support with both on-board (64GB) and microSD storage…

As of the time of writing it averages 4.5 out of 5 based on ten customer reviews…

And if you want to feed this (or other) DACs and DAPs and PADs and tablets and such, one of the Amazon Daily Deals is a sale on PNY storage products that includes microSD cards going from 16GB to 512GB…

August 25, 2020 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Monday: Bang & Olufsen E8 truly-wireless for $89 to $200

Monday is not a “bang and blame” day, that’s the weekend 😉 It’s a “bang & olufsen” day at the Woot daily deals where three of their truly-wireless BEOplay models are on sale for $89 to $200. More specifically:

+ E8 Premium for $89

+ E8 2.0 with Qi charging for $140

+ E8 2.0 Motion for $200

As usual, sale ends at 11:59pm central (on Monday 8/24/20 in this particular case) or earlier if any manages to sell out. They come with a 90-day Woot warranty…

Meanwhile necklace-style exercise-bluetooth are part of the Best Buy dailies with the blue-white JBL Endurance Sprint wireless going for $18…

PS: “necklace style” is what I call bluetooth earphones that are connected by a simple cable, which ends up hanging on your chest sort of like a necklace… Not to be confused with the “neckband style” which go behind the neck and typically have some part of the cable hardened [no, not like Attack On Titan, Annie sends her regards] because I suppose few people want a lose cable dancing on the back of their necks and getting caught onto things …behind your back? 🙂

August 23, 2020 Filed Under: truly wireless Tagged With: , ,

Sunday: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (80ohm) for $129

It’s the “Return of the Beyer Dynamic” at the NewEgg daily deals for Sunday 8/23/20, it is the new condition closed-back over-ear DT 770 PRO (80ohm) going for $129 with free US shipping after entering limited time promo code 93XPQ97 over there…

Meanwhile at the Best Buy offers they have the Anker SoundCore Liberty True truly-wireless going for $50. Anker is turning their naming scheme into a proper railroad!

August 23, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Friday 8/21/20: Panasonic ANC Over-Ears and Truly Wireless (M&D, RHA, Philips), Etc

For Friday August 21 in 2020 Woot is having a Tech and Sundries sale that includes a handful of headphones. The sale ends at 11:59pm central or earlier if sold out:

+ Panasonic RP-HD805N ANC over-ears for $95, new condition but with a 90-day Woot warranty; a carrying case is included; the specs don’t mention it but the gallery pictures show that it is a wireless/bluetooth headphone; double-check before purchase to be sure!

+ RHA True Connect truly-wireless for $70

+ Master & Dynamic MW-07 truly wireless for $100

+ Philips Bass+ truly wireless for $45

+ Klipsch R6i in-ears for $60

+ a couple of other budget bluetooths ($20 truly, $13 sporty necklace-style)

August 21, 2020 Filed Under: headphones, truly wireless Tagged With: , , , ,

Wedn: Jaybird Tarah bluetooth earphones for $30

For Wednesday August 19 in 2020, Best Buy is offering as one of their daily deals the new condition Jaybird Tarah bluetooth earphones for $30 in black metallic color scheme. The other color options go for more… These are necklace-style compact-length earphones which, as of the time of writing, average 4.2 out of 5 based on 739 customer reviews…

And for the EU inclined, Amazon Germany is having a KLIM sale with their gaming headset going for 30 euro, while their colorful wired earphones go for around 14 euro [price varies by color scheme] which can also be cannibalized for their generous accessories kit: zippered pouch, extra eartips including two Comply-looking ones, and a splitter cable [so two people can listen to the same music source]

August 19, 2020 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Tuesday: Sony WH-XB900N ANC/BT Over-Ears for $148

Sony fans, you have until Tuesday 8/18/20 at 11:59pm pacific time to grab the new condition Sony WH-XB900N headphones on sale for $148 with free US shipping in two color options. Up to three per customer at the sale price…

These are closed-back over-ear with bluetooth and ANC, and as the “XB” in the model name suggests, they are part of the “Extra Bass” line of Sony audio products…

As of the time of writing these average 4.6 out of 5 based on 2180+ customer ratings. Note that as of late Amazon is publishing ratings which is a mix of written reviews and star-ratings [no text written, just selecting a star rating]…

August 18, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Tuesday: Sony WH-1000X Mark III ANC/BT over-ears for $248

The Sony WH-1000X Mark III closed-back bluetooth and ANC over-ear combo is the star of Tuesday August 11 in 2020 as it is the deal of the day for $248 with free US shipping, in new condition from authorized dealers at both Adorama of New York and also at Amazon actual. I haven’t checked recently on the latest ANC/BT top-considered combos, but the last time I checked, this was giving the Bose a ran for its money… Making Sony Great Again?

There’s plenty of action at the Best Buy deals for Tuesday as well:

+ Samsung Galaxy Buds+ truly-wireless for $130
+ various Samsung EVO Plus microSD cards on sale, from 64GB to 512GB

No BeyerDynamic this time around at the NewEgg deals du jour but they do have a couple of headphones though:

+ Beats Solo3 bluetooth on-ears for $129
+ Philips neckband bluetooth earphones for $13 [bonus points if you memorize the model name, SHB5950BK/27)…

August 11, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

Friday: BeyerD DT 1990 and lots of Sony BT headphones

Beyerdynamic makes a comeback at the NewEgg daily deals, and for Friday August 7 in 2020 they are offering the new condition open-back over-ear DT 1990 PRO (250 ohm, Tesla) for $480 with free US shipping. This is sold and shipped by East Coast retailer H. H. Gregg. No coupon is needed this time around…

There’s a theme at the Best Buy daily deals and it’s a Sony audio sale that includes the following headphones:

  • WF-1000X M3 truly wireless for $170
  • WH-CH700N closed-back ANC/BT over-ears for $100 [see our text & pictures unboxing]
  • WF-SP800N ANC truly-wireless for $150
  • WF-XB-700 Extra Bass truly wireless for $100
  • also on sale Sony bluetooth speakers, a 3.1 soundbar and 4K UHD TVs

Speaking of Sony audio, Amazon has a sale on select Sony products including a soundbar, bluetooth speakers and TVs. Mayhaps they are price-matching the Best Buy offering?

Speaking of Amazon, Amazon Germany is offering a 90-day free trial to their HD music streaming service with the purchase of 1000+ vinyl records…

August 7, 2020 Filed Under: headphones, truly wireless Tagged With: , ,

Thursday: Pioneer XDP-02U DAP for $150 [also: Libratone Q, etc]

It’s a DAP day at the B&H Photo deals of the day for 8/6 in 2020, it is the new condition Pioneer XDP-02U with Wifi and bluetooth, in the pink color scheme going for $150 with free US shipping… One of the silver linings of top tier smartphones “losing” their headphone jacks is that it “increases” the lure of a dedicated audio player for some…

Elsewhere, the Meh daily deal [former Woot employees] is the Libratone Adapt Q bluetooth and ANC on-ears (closed-back of course) going for $69. Shipping is free for MEH members, otherwise you pay a flat shipping fee…

Budget time at the Best Buy deals du jour, it’s once gain their house-brand Insignia bluetooth over-ears going for $15. This is marked as a clearance product, averaging as of the time of writing 4.5 out of 5 based on 2450+ ratings…

No Beyerdynamics today at the Newegg dailies but they go back to one of their other daily-deal-favorites, it’s the new condition Philips SHB-2505-BK/00 UpBeat truly wireless earphones going for $29 with free US shipping…

August 6, 2020 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Wedn: Beyerdynamic Aventho bluetooth on-ears for $249

Beyerdynamic Days continue at the NewEgg deals of the day, for Wednesday 8/5/20 they have the new condition Aventho bluetooth on-ears going for $249 after entering magical mystical promo code 93XPN96 during the checkout process… This is sold and shipped by NewEgg actual, not iffy marketplace sellers…

August 5, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Tuesday: Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless Over-Ears for $449 AC

Beyerdynamic is back in the NewEgg deals du jour, and good until the end of day o Tuesday 8/4/20 is the new condition Amiron Wireless (bluetooth) closed-back over-ears going for $449 with free US shipping after you enter the limited time promo code 93XPN79 at their shopping cart. NewEgg actual is the seller of record…

There’s bluetooth earphone at the Best Buy deals du jour, it is the new condition Jaybird Tarah PRO [necklace style] going for $100… There you can feed your DAPs and PADs with a 128GB Sandisk Extreme Plus micro-SDXC card for $34…

Back to NewEGG’s dailies, they also offer the refurbished Jabra Evolve 75e neckband-style bluetooth earphones and these ones have Skype affections. They go for $50… There’s also a 2-bay QNAP NAS for your networked music needs [just make sure the Cylons don’t get it and then it will play their version of “All Along The Watch Tower” non-stop!].

To the other side of the pond we go, Amazon GErmany’s dailies are headlined by bluetooth. It’s the Soundcore truly wireless ranging from 38 to 85 euro, and the August [no, not the month, the product name] closed-back over-ears [more square than round ear cups] going for 36~ euro…

Some could argue that speakers are headphones that are just not very mobile 😉 And speaking of which, Woot is having a daily deal of Harman Kardon speakers and soundbars, with five options, $250 to $600…

August 4, 2020 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Monday: Sennheiser CX 2.00i In-Ears for $15 w/FS

If you are looking for name-brand budget in-ears with the Apple 3-button remote control, you are in luck because until Monday 8/3/20 until 11:59pm eastern [or earlier if sold out] New York’s B&H Photo is offering as one of their daily deals, in two color scheme options, the new condition Sennheiser CX 2.00i In-Ears for $15 with free US shipping…

As of the time of writing these average 4 out of 5 based on 29 customer reviews over there…

August 2, 2020 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With:

eBook: 344-page eBook on Music and The Brain for $2 [limited time]

If you are interested in the scientific connection between music and the brain, for a limited time, Amazon is offering the Kindle ebook version of Daniel Levitin “This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession” for $2. This is a 344-page ebook that as of the time of writing averages 4.4 out of 5 based on 700+ ratings.

I just bought it but I can’t read it fast enough for a quick review 🙂 It has been added to my “book review list”, right below the Schiit Audio story 🙂

August 2, 2020 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With:

Sunday: Apple AirPods PRO truly-wireless for $220

We don’t want the iPhone/iPad users to feel left out, so here’s a deal for them. Good until Sunday 8/2/20 at 11:59pm central time [or earlier if sold out] Woot is offering the new condition Apple AirPods PRO truly-wireless truly-Apple [ha!] critters for $220 with free shipping for Prime members and a one year Apple warranty. Up to two pairs per customer during this particular promotion…

August 2, 2020 Filed Under: truly wireless Tagged With: , ,