NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp for $64 [MD]

If you can wait until mid-March 2017, you can get the NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp from members-only Massdrop for $60 plus $4~ flat shipping. Only the black color scheme is available, with 200 units maximum. It will ship directly from MD. Pictures and details on their website.

Also unlocked there is, with seven days to go (from posting-date here) is the TEAC TN-200 Turntable going for $140 plus $19 flat shipping. The shipping fee sounds like OUCH but it still handily beats Amazon’s price of $231 (Prime eligible though, you don’t have to wait until mid-March).

Getting close to unlocking (it needs to more units purchased as of the time of writing) is the XDuoo X10 digital audio player. If it fully unlocks, it will be $140 plus $8~ flat shipping, with similar duration and shipping estimate as the other two items mentioned in this post.

February 16, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Used Sony PHA2 headphone amplifier for $329

Yesterday’s Sony PHA2 headphone amplifier lightning deal was a disappointing just 10% off sale ($540 vs $600), but if you are interested in it, and you are comfortable with Used purchases, there is a “Used – Good” condition option going for $329 with free shipping, sold by a marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon. The seller has a detailed description along with five pictures of the actual product.

Marked screenshot of this (click on the pictures over there, to see the gallery of five product pictures):

February 16, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Open-box Chord Mojo for $450

With the HUGO 2 revealed at CES 2017, the prices are finally dripping down for the Chord Mojo, it is currently available in “Used – Like New” Open-Box condition for $450 with free shipping by authorized dealer Gramophone of Maryland sold through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships directly from Gromophone, so it is not Prime eligible.

Used supplies are limited, so it may be gone by the time you read this post. It cannot be updated automatically.

February 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier for $540

This lightning deal, which offer a rather small discount, expired… Good until 1:35am ET on Thursday, as teased last night within the Gold Box at Amazon, the SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier is on sale for $540 with free shipping. The price before the sale was $600 last night. Non-Prime members can purchase this starting at 8:05pm eastern.

February 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

[DEAD] Starts Wednesday 7:35pm ET: SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier sale

This offer expired…

[Read more…]

February 14, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp for $99 [MD]

Another offer is now unlocked at members-only Massdrop, the Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp goes for $90 plus $9~ flat shipping. The offer is running for the next five days (from blog-posting date). You have a choice of power supply during checkout, and you can also optionally upgrade tubes (two choices that cost more). Shipping estimate is mid-March 2017. March Madness delivery 🙂

February 11, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Used AudioQuest DragonFly Black for $82 [updated]

This ended… The AudioQuest DragonFly Black USB DAC/amp is currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $82~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. Updated 2/9/17 with new lower priced listing.

February 9, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

MEE Pinnacle P1 in-ears with choice of Fiio A3 or Q1 or A1 + cable for $200

The new condition price of the MEE Pinnacle P1 in-ears is $200. Sometimes it goes on sale (eg, featured in the lightning deals). If you don’t want to wait for another sale or if you happen to also want either the portable Fiio A3 headphone amp _OR_ the Fiio Q1 headphone DAC/amp, you can get them bundled together, along with a Monoprice 3.5mm cable, for $200 by Beach Camera, with the orders Prime-eligible by Amazon, so you get free shipping.

Here are the listings, P1 with A3 and P1 with Q1. The Q1 bundle is fulfilled by Amazon, while the Q3 bundle ships from Beach Camera, but it will ship with Prime-like speed (you only see this option if you are a Prime member, and logged on to your Prime account). This is a lesser known benefit of Prime. See screenshot below indicating this:

But wait, there’s more! The P1 is bundled with the Fiio A1 and a 3.5mm cable extender, for the same price of $200, sold by a different marketplace seller, but the order fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime eligible. The A1, just like the A3, are headphone amp only (the A-series is AMP-only, so perhaps there is some method to the Fiio naming madness).

NOTE: the A3 (nee E11K) is a headphone amp only. The USB input is for battery charging, not audio in!

February 8, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Massdrop DAC/amp round-up: items have 5-7 days left

And now a round-up of some of the latest items that have gone fully unlocked at the members-only Massdrop services. The offers below run for the next 5-7 days (from blog-posting date). I am adding the shipping cost to the price total below:

+ Creative Sound Blaster E5 USB DAC/Amp for $163~
+ NuForce DAC80 for $310~
+ Fiio K5 DAC/amp for $98~
+ NuForce HEM-series IEM grab-bag for $163~
+ Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00 for $35~
+ shipping date estimates vary by item

February 6, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

CEntrance DACport Slim (MD exclusive) for $100

It’s back on again, another one of the Massdrop exclusives, it is the CEntrance DACport Slim USB DAC/amp going for $100 with free shipping. This will run for the next eight days and the shipping estimate is mid-February 2017.

February 3, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp for $515

The Grace is back, contrary to Dave Matthews! Fully unlocked (in terms of lowest price offer-wise) during the next seven days or so, at members-only Massdrop, is the Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp going for $500 plus $15 flat shipping. The shipping estimate is Valentine’s Day! If you are interested in this, the 12-page user manual is available in PDF format at the MD website.

February 2, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Massdrop: Topping D30 DAC and/or A30 Headphone Amp

This is more of a complicated offer at members-only Massdrop, but it is fully unlocked. Shipping is $9 flat regardless of purchase, and the offer has seven days to go, and will ship early March 2017. The options are, with prices _before_ shipping:

  • Topping A30 headphone amp for $85
  • Topping D30 DAC for $100
  • both of the above for $185 (no combined purchase discount)
January 31, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Used Schiit Lyr 2 headphone amp for $374

A rare sizeable discount on a Schiit product, sold by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual! It is the Schiit Lyr 2 headphone amp, in “Used – Good” condition going for $374~ with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals. Per the listing, this is missing the power cord and the user manual, and comes in damaged original packaging. Note that supplies are typically very limited on used items, so it may be gone by the time you read this.

January 30, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp for $178 [MD]

Another DAP is live at the members-only Massdrop shopping service, the XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp is unlocked at $170 plus $8~ flat shipping. This runs for the next seven days and it is expected to ship end of February 2017. Detailed specs are in the listings over there.

January 28, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Used Pro-Ject Phono Box MM DC Phono Preamplifier for $63

If you are dabbling in vinyl, the new condition Pro-Ject Phono Box MM DC Phonograph Preamplifier goes for $79 in new condition at reputable dealers, but if you want to save some, there are some used options at Amazon Warehouse Deals with the “Used – Good” going for $63~ (cosmetic imperfections, original packaging), and “Used – Very Good” going for $67~ (cosmetic imperfection, original packaging).

January 25, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, audio gear Tagged With: ,

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 for $280

The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (Black color scheme) is currently on sale, in new condition, for $280 with free shipping, Prime eligible, offered by two different marketplace sellers at this price at amazon.com (“Audio Advisor” and “avSoundz”). Used prices there are at $250. The DAC averages 4 out of 5 based on 46 customer reviews.

January 24, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

Used Audioengine D1 24-bit DAC for $135

The Audioengine D1 24-bit DAC is currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition (original packaging, original accessories) for $135 with free shipping by “Audio Advice” through Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). This is not Prime eligible. The lowest price eligible used price is $139~ sold by AWD actual. This DAC averages 4.3 out of 5 based on 293 customer reviews.

January 24, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Used iFi Micro-iDSD 512 head-amp for $344 + S&H

The used iFi Micro-iDSD 512 portable headphone amplifier is currently available in “Used – Demo” condition for $344 plus shipping (under $10 for most zipcodes) at Adorama.com.

January 23, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Used iFi Micro iCAN SE 4000mw 16ohm Class A head-amp for $194 + S&H

The iFi Micro iCAN SE 4000mw 16ohm Class A headphone amplifier is available in “Used – Demo” condition for $194 plus shipping and handling at Adorama.com. The lowest shipping option is around $8 (varies slightly by zipcode – at least of the zipcodes I tried).

January 23, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Fiio E18 Kunlun USB DAC/Amp for Smartphones for $95

I have yet to crack the Fiio line-up code, but if of all the options they offer it is the E18 Kunlun USB DAC/Amp for Android/Smartphones the one you want, it is currently on sale, in new condition, for $95 with free shipping by Adorama.com, an authorized dealer.

Speaking of DAC/amps, the desktop Monoprice 11567 dropped further down today to $70 and it is eligible for the $35 off / $100+ MasterPass promotion (expires 1/24/17 PM).

January 23, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

Refurbished Marantz HD- DAC1 USB/DAC-amp for $629

The Marantz HD- DAC1 USB/DAC-amp is available in refurbished condition with a one-year warranty from the seller, authorized dealer OneCall (Huppin’s), sold through Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). This ships directly from OneCall, so it is not Prime eligible. AWD’s own price is $639 in “Used – Very Good” condition. AWD actual (Amazon Warehouse Deals being the actual product seller) offers a 30-day return policy but makes no claims of warranty.

January 23, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

(ENDED) Monoprice $35 off $100+ order with MasterPass (the 11567 Desktop Headphone amp is eligible and goes for $74 before coupon!)

This promotion expired, but a different one popped up, good until 1/26/17 PM… Expired offer is after the break for reference only…

[Read more…]

January 22, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

iFi Pro iCAN Headphone Amplifier for $1299

A new sale is up, the iFi Pro iCAN Headphone Amplifier is offered for $1299 with free shipping and handling until 1/23/17 at Adorama.com.

January 18, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

Audeze LCD-3 Planars + iFi PRO iCan amp for $2300

This offer is back! The iFi PRO iCAN amp is bundled with the Audeze LCD-3 planar magnetic headphones (zebrano and leather), together for $2300 with free shipping at Adorama.com. This is a limited time offer but some of their Audeze specials are recurring every few weeks/months.

January 17, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Audeze LCD-2 (Shedua) and iFi micro iDSD for $995

It’s bundle time again, the Audeze LCD-2 planar magnetics (Shedua wood) is bundled with the iFi micro iDSD Black label edition, together going for $995 with free shipping for  a limited time at authorized dealers Adorama.com. This is a limited time offer. No coupon/rebate needed.

January 17, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Fiio E12A Mont Blanc Special Edition for IEMs for $98 to $100

If you’ve sorted out the Fiio line-ups and decided that the E12A Mont Blanc Special Edition for IEMs is the one for you, you can get it for $98 to $99 fulfiled by Amazon, and $100 at B&H Photo.

January 16, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

[DEAD] M-Audio Micro USB DAC/amp for $59

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

January 16, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

[DEAD] Used iFi Micro iCAN SE head-amp for $202

As of a 1/16/17 recheck, this is sold-out. Used supplies are very limited (often one unit), so when they are gone, they are gone until more used options appear (trade-ins, returns, store demos, etc)…

The iFi Micro iCAN SE headphone amp is currently available in “Used – Demo condition” for $194 plus $7.55 shipping at Adorama.com.

This was the first in a series of back-to-back posts after going through their used headphones inventory.

January 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Used Audioquest Dragonfly Red USB DAC/amp for $161

As of 1/16/17 recheck, this sold out… The Audioquest Dragonfly Red USB DAC/amp goes for $200 in new condition, but if you prefer used, you can get it in “Used – Excellent” condition for $154 plus $6.75 shipping at Adorama.com. Used products from their website come with a 30-day return policy and a 90-day warranty from Adorama.

January 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

NuForce HA-200 headphone amp for $210 [MD]

If you can wait until early February 2017, you can score the NuForce HA-200 headphone amplifier for $200 plus $10~ flat shipping. The offer runs in the next seven days. This is the color-scheme and only 30 units are available for purchase.

The lowest “shipping now” price I could find is $250 by marketplace sellers through amazon.com.

January 12, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $213 [MD]

Another offer launched and is quickly unlocked (= lowest price during this particular offering) at members-only but free-to-join Massdrop, it is the DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp going for $200 plus $13~ flat shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days (from blog-posting date) and will ship mid-February 2017.

January 10, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

TEAC AI-101DA Integrated Amplifier with USB DAC for $209

Another drop is fully-unlocked at members-only but free-to-join Massdrop, it is the TEAC AI-101DA Integrated Amplifier with USB DAC going for $200 plus $9~ flat shipping. They are available in black or silver. You also have options to add the LS-101 speaker set for +$75 or buy the speakers outright without the DAC/amp (ha!). The offer runs for the next seven days (from blog posting date) and it is estimated to ship early February 2017.

NOTE: this is not a dedicated headphone amp!

UPDATE: our round-up of the CES headphones continues, with a more detailed look at the Audio Technica DSR9 and DSR7 Digital Signal to the Drivers mystery.

January 7, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] LH Labs LH-GP-GPX-INF-001 Pulse Infinity DAC and Headphone Amplifier for $1262

This daily deal expired…

[Read more…]

January 7, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

Fostex TH-900 II + iFi Micro iDSD Black Label DAC/amp for $1300

And now to the four figures with a bundle at Adorama.com, they are offering the new condition Fostex TH-900 Mark II headphone bundled with the iFi micro iDSD Black Label Edition DAC/amp, together for $1300 with free shipping. No coupons, no rebates, but this is a limited time promotion.

January 5, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , ,

Objective O2 Headphone amp for $88 to $103 [MD]

There are many solid options in the $100-or-less headphone amp or DAC or combo units, one of them is the legendary Objective headphone amp [lots of info and knowledge at the NwAVGuy blog], and Massdrop is offering their own co-branded O2 (Objective 2) headphone amp, fully unlocked for $80 plus $8~ flat shipping. Or for an extra $15, you can get the “Desktop Edition” with RCA inputs, 1/4″ headphone output, and rear power.

The offer runs for the next eight days, and will ship directly from Massdrop, in mid-to-late January 2017, which suggests they may have the units available in their warehouse (or will get them soon enough).

January 5, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,