Monoprice Refurbished and Open-Box sale

Monoprice is running a refurbished & open-box sale with a variety of products on their website including headphones. The link above points to the headphone-related products. If other product categories interest you, you can use the options on the left side of the page over there.

Of headphone interest, a number of the over-ear headphones are available (planar and dynamic) starting at $99. Also part of the sale are their planar earphones (M300) going for $79, the giant Monolith tube head-amp for $299, the Monolith Cavalli Liquid Spark head-amp for $80, etc.

AS usual with Monoprice, price-check both the new condition and the refurb/open-box products as the sale prices may not be in-sync (eg you may be better off getting the new condition).

These inspected and tested refurbs and open-box products get a 90-day warranty along with 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so you are not left twisting in the wind in case of a lemon or a non-agreeable product.

Sunday: B&W C5 S2 and Beats X In-Ears, 6-ch Marantz head-amp

A trio of headphone-related daily deals is happening on Sunday 9/8/19 as follows, ending at 11:59pm in the timezone of each retailer below (or earlier for any item that manages to run out ahead of its designated expiration time):

+ Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 wired in-ears for $120 at Best Buy

+ Marantz Professional RHA6 6-Channel Headphone Amplifier for $75
at B&H Photo

+ Beats X bluetooth earphones (new condition with 1-year Apple warranty) for $70 at Woot Electronics

DarkVoice 336SE OTL head-amp for $200

Is the name a spoiler for the sound signature? I won’t spoil it but good for the next three days and change [from blog-posting time] is the return of the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL head-amp at Massdrop. Orders will ship in late October 2019 from Massdrop. There is no mention of warranty in the product listing. Over 2,600 units have been sold through Massdrop per the statistics shown on the page over there…

Monoprice Summer Clearance with FREE US shipping: Protein Leather Pads for $10, M600 Open Over-Ears for $60, Monolith Tube amp for $280, Electrostatic Headphone + Amp for $350, Etc

The Monoprice Overstock sale has some potentially interesting offerings for headphone fans as well. A total of seven options show when you filter for headphones including:

+ Memory Foam Protein Leather earpads for $10

+ MP20 in-ears for $12

+ M600 open-back dynamic over-ears for $60

+ M1060 planar open over-ears for $250

+ monster-sized Monolith Tube amplifier for $280

+ Electrostatic headphone with dedicated amplifier for $350

+ the M300 planar earphones go for $100 [corrected typo] which was their previous price

+ find them all in the Headphones Clearance page

All the items mentioned above come with free US standard shipping during this promotion. No coupon is needed. When the free shipping offer ends, it will simply stop being mentioned at the individual Monoprice product pages.

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).

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…

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…

Schiit Fulla 2 DAC/amp for $99 after coupon

It’s something you don’t see everyday! The official Schiit Audio Amazon store is offering a $20 off clip-on coupon on the new condition Schiit Fulla 2 DAC/amp that drops its price from $119 to $99. You have to be logged on to an Amazon account in order to clip the coupon. The order is fulfilled by Amazon, so you get Prime shipping anyway.

Here’s a screenshot of what to look for at the Amazon product page. Note that the coupon only works if the seller of record is Schiit Audio (Schiit’s official Amazon store)…

Now Shipping: Massdrop Objective 2 Headphone Amp (Desktop Edition) for $95 w/FUSS [MD]

Hide your e-wallets, although, considering the price-ranges of audiophile gear, this won’t do as much damage as some other CLEAR options that can put the FOCAL point of money drain on your ELEG(I)ANT wallet, probably purchased from Massdrop too 😉

With that obligatory throw-all-the-tomatatoes-at-me joke out of the way, we have good news if you are a fan of the Objective 2 headphone amp. The desktop edition of the Massdrop edition is now shipping (actually shipping) at the Massdrop website for $95 with free US shipping.

The shipping estimate as of the time of writing is July 10 in 2019, a miracle by Massdrop standards 🙂 This has become an “In-Stock Drop” that’s why it ships so fast ~ one business day after the close of the calendar day of your purchase. Your card will be charged two hours after ordering, so you have that regretsy window 🙂

During the checkout process you have two decisions to make. One is utilitarian, 110V or 220V adapter to be included. The other is more philosophical: standard gain or medium gain. Or you can get both and resolve the never-ending internal and external debates 😉

In addition to the free US shipping, they have two expedited shipping options, a +$5 and a +$15 which promises a 2-business day arrival. I wonder if it’s only a matter of time before Massdrop offers some kind of a Prime-like membership plan that includes faster shipping? [this is only a crackpot theory, I have no inside or outside knowledge]

PS: I’m planning to set out some time so I can update the two Massdrop “Tracking” perma-posts I used to keep updated 🙂 Stay tuned on that ~ no promises 🙂

Monoprice sale w/FUSS: M650 Open Over-Ears $120, Mega Tube Amp for $340, MP10 IEMs for $8, Etc

All the offers mentioned in this post below include free standard US shipping as of the time of writing of this post…

Monoprice is running another headphone-related sale with a variety of products, big and small. From small earphones to boulder-sized amplifiers 🙂

+ speaking of which, the Monolith Tube Headphone amplifier with ESS Sabre DAC is going for $340

+ Monolith M650 open-back over-ears for $120
+ the M600 and M650 are not planar-magnetic; you are correct, the model names are an “homage” to certain “Heiser” headphones ^_^

+ metal headphone stand for $18

+ MP-10 in-ears for $8
+ yes, despite the low price, you still get free standard US shipping while this promotion is running ~ after all IEMs can ship easily and don’t take up lots of space and can probably be shipped easily even with USPS first class mail [only guessing here, I have no clue how they will ship these]

+ Retro over-ears for $22.49
+ you are correct if it reminds you of a certain Superlux/Samson headphone 🙂

+ Monoprice 8323 with bluetooth for $23
+ the good old model now with bluetooth (and apt-X). I haven’t seen this new model but I had the 8323 and larger heads were not an easy fit. It also expands a bit strangely on your head, so if you are image-conscious note that when you are using it at coffee shops and libraries and such

PS: “FUSS” = Free US shipping and handling…

Dark Voice 336-SE OTL headphone amp for $200 [MD]

Amp time at Massdrop! Good for the next five days and change, you can get the new condition Dark Voice 336-SE OTL (output transformer less) headphone amp for $200 with free US shipping. Orders will ship from Massdrop in mid-August. There’s no mention of warranty in the listings. You do have an option of power supply during the checkout process, so you can get 110V or 220-240V. Per the listings there, over 2,500 units have been sold of this through Massdrop…Dar

Monoprice Monolith Tube Headphone Amplifier with ESS Sabre DAC for $330 w/FS

CORRECTION: the post-title had the sale price as $320 instead of $330. The text of the post had the correct price of $330…

This came out during the Monoprice big bangs of new products, and it is currently on sale and with free standard US shipping, which is a big plus, because this is a big boy, it’s not a tiny portable headphone amplifier – quite the opposite.

Not to turn this into a reading comprehension exam, but in this case, “this” refers to the new condition Monolith Tube Headphone Amplifier with ESS Sabre DAC on sale for a limited time for $330 with aforementioned free standard US shipping. You can buy up to twenty ~ although I doubt any non-commercial customer will get anywhere near that number.

XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp for $160 [MD]

Massdrop is back here again with another live offer, running for the next five days and change, it is the return of the new condition XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp offered for $160 with free US shipping. International shipping is under $15, varying a little by location. It is available in your choice of silver or black color scheme.

It has three inputs (USB, 3.5mm, SPDIF) and 3.5mm audio output, in addition to (of course) the headphone output on the front. It supports up to DXD and DSD ~ in addition to PCM of course. Its discussion at MD has over 1000 posts, and it has 21 customer reviews over there with an average of over 4 out of 5…

Orders will ship from Massdrop in late May 2019. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing ~ other than to say that a warranty card is included in the box.

Audioengine D3 Portable DAC/Amp for $65 [MD]

More and more things are getting added. This time we have the Audioengine D3 Portable DAC/Amp going for $65 with free US shipping at the Massdrop website. International shipping appears to over around $4.

This will ship in late April 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the product listing. It comes with a carrying case and an adapter cable. It runs for the next four days and change [from blog-posting time here]…

Monoprice portable DAC/amp w/THX AAA for $250, Bluetooth Receiver with apt-X for $40

One of the big bang Monoprice audiophile products is currently on sale, it is the new condition portable Monolith DAC/amp with THX AAA going for $250 instead of its standard price of $280…

Meanwhile the new condition Monoprice bluetooth streaming receiver with apt-X and NFC is on sale for $40 with free standard US shipping. It averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 80+ customer reviews at the Monorprice website… It receives music through the ether (the bluetooth receiver part) and outputs it either via 3.5mm or S/PDIF TosLink digital optical… A couple of audio cables (for the 3.5mm port) are included…

Creative Labs SX-FI DAC/amp bundled with Aurvana SE Over-Ears for $140 [MD]

Everybody’s jumping on the Massdrop hype train, including Creative Labs [now just “Creative”] with their Super X-Fi technology. Their new condition SX-FI DAC/amp is currently fully unlocked for $140 with free US shipping for the next five days and change from posting time. International shipping hovers around $5.

But this is not just a DAC/amp. This bundle also includes the Aurvana SE closed-back over-ear headphones, based on a Fostex-the-people design [okay, Fostex design; sorry, I can’t resist]. They have 32 ohm impedance and 40mm drivers.

Massdrop will ship these orders in late April 2019. There is no mention of warranty in the product listing over there…

Little Dot Mark III for $200, SE for $460 [MD]

It’s a Little Dot that leaves a big dent in the wallet 🙂 Running for the next four days and change at Massdrop is a sale on new condition Little Dot Mark III headphone amps. The base edition goes for $200, while the SE (Special Edition) goes for $460. They have two input tubes and two output tubes.

The SE is balanced and has more power among other things. These will ship in mid-May 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing…

Audirect Beam Portable DAC/Amp for $75 [MD]

The sub-$100 “laptop” DAC/amp segment has more and more options these days, and of those new options is offered at Massdrop, it is the new condition Audirect Beam Portable DAC/Amp going for $75 with free US shipping and low international shipping (hovering around $5 depending on country ~ and of course I can’t test all countries)…

There are two color options at checkout. They will ship in late April 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. It comes with a trio of cables so you can use it with Android (USB-C) and iOS (Lightning) and “real” computers (USB Type A)…

EU: Sabaj PHA3 Vacuum Headphone Amp for 50 euro

If you are looking for a budget vacuum headphone-amp, Sabaj is currently offering their PHA3 model for 50 euro, sold by the Sabaj online store with the orders fulfilled by Amazon Germany. This is the black color scheme.

Being an amp, this has an RCA audio input and a 3.5mm analogue input. The output is a 3.5mm headphone out. It has just one headphone-out (as most amps do), unlike their previously mentioned PHA-2 model which has one 3.5mm and one 1/4″, with slightly different impedance to support a different (but overlapping) range of headphones…

For more on the PHA3 vacuum amp, there are nine customer reviews of it at amazon.com with a 4.6 out of 5 and it has five answered questions as well…

EU: Sennheiser GSX 1200 PRO Gaming Head-amp for 162 euro

At the intersection of Sennheiser and headphones and amps, we find the current best seller in Amplifiers at Amazon Germany. It is the new condition Sennheiser GSX 1200 PRO offered for the very specific price of 161.90 euro. Because of the sale, there is a limit of up to three units per customer at the sale price.

EU: Sabaj PHA2 desktop head-amp for 57 euro

For a limited time, the Amazon Germany shopping cart is having a 5% off clip-on coupon, dropping the price of the new condition EU: Sabaj PHA2 desktop head-amp from 60 euro to 57 euro. Free shipping in Germany. Shipping is extra outside Germany depending on various international shipping factors [Amazon’s shopping cart will tell you].

This is a bit unusual it has two USB power inputs giving you more flexibility. It has an RCA audio inputs and outputs. But there’s no coaxial or optical audio input. It also has two headphone outputs, the 1/8″ being for lower impedance headphones and the 1/4″ for higher impedance headphones.

They average just under 4 out of 5 based on 31 customer reviews at Amazon Germany. Each color [black or silver] has its own reviews. At amazon.com it has 11 customer reviews with a 4.3 out of 5 average and it also has 15 answered questions.

As far as I can tell [I haven’t seen this unit], this is only a headphone-amp. Both USB inputs are for power only, they are not audio inputs…

DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200 [MD]

Dark Voice fans, unite and take over! Running for the next four days and change (from blog-posting time), Massdrop is offering the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200. You can select the power-supply in the shopping cart. Orders will ship in early May from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing…

Aune X7S balanced head-amp or X1S Anniversary DAC/amp for $180 EACH [MD]

The head-audio party continues at good old Massdrop with the new condition Aune X1S Anniversary Edition DAC/Amp getting offered for $180. Also offered for $180 is the Aune X7S balanced headphone amp. Or you can buy both but there’s no combined-purchase discount in the shopping cart. The X7S is available in two color options, selecteable in the shopping cart of course.

The orders will ship in mid-April by Massdrop, but there’s no mention of warranty in the listing, which runs for the next five days and change [from blog-posting time].

Topping DX7s Balanced DAC/Amp for $360 [MD]

Depeche Mode prophesized (spelling mnemonic: prophet + size) the popularity of balanced audio with their hit song “Get the Balance Right”. They were not just fountains of goth-emo 🙂

Which brings us to a new offer currently running at members-only BUT free-to-join shopping club/site Massdrop, it is the new condition Topping DX7s Balanced DAC/Amp for $360, in your choice of black or silver. It will ship in mid-April from Massdrop with the offer running for the next four days and change from blog-posting time. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing.

NuForce uDAC-5 DAC/Amp for $100 [MD]

And now some DAC/amp action at the Massdrop shopping e-club. They are offering the new condition NuForce uDAC-5 DAC/Amp for $100 with free US shipping. Don’t let the size in the pictures (without cables and other frame of reference devices in it) fool you ~ this is a small-ish device and weighs 3.5 ounces.

It has a USB audio input but it has more output options: RCA, coax (orange) and of course headphone out of the 3.5mm kind. Despite the size, it has a sizable (for its size LOL) rotary volume-control dial. It averages over 4 out of 5 based on 20 customer reviews at MD and it has almost 300 comments in its Discussion thread…

SMSL M3 USB DAC/Amp for $60 [MD]

And we are back at Massdrop with another fully-unlocked offering, running for the next four days and change from blog-posting time. It is the new condition SMSL M3 USB DAC/Amp going for $60 with a mid-April [something to soothe over Tax Day woes?] shipment estimate from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing.

Despite its compact size and price, this has three audio inputs, USB obviously [it’s in the product name after all], along with Optical and Coaxial. It also has a USB power input which is separate from the USB audio input. Output is RCA (for the DAC part) and headphone-out with an adapter included so you can use it with either 1/4″ or 1/8″ headphones.

What is not included is an AC power cable [it can be powered via USB, YMMV depending on the combination of inputs and outputs]. Also not included are optical or coaxial cables.

It averages over 4 out of 5 based on 17 customer reviews at MadDrops and its discussion has over 330 comments. A filter to separate the signal from the noise is NOT included, that too you have to procure on your own 🙂

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.

Tuesday: 20% off most Monoprice headphones and such under $500

A parallel coupon, promo code SURPRISE1 gets you 20% off most Monoprice brand products under $500 at their website. The maximum discount with the coupon is $100, so you have to prioritize what you want to get if your order total is over $500. As you can see at the aforelinked page, a number of headphone-related products drop interestingly:

+ M600 open over-ears drop from $80 to $64

+ M300 planar in-ears drop from $100 to $80

+ M1060 planar open over-ears drop from $250 to $200

+ Truly Wireless drop from $50 to $40

+ the above four items mentioned come with free standard US shipping

More headphone-related items are eligible, but these days Monoprice has so many headphones, earphones, DACs, amps and assorted cables and accessories that due to time constraints I cannot coupon-test right now…

Exclusions and restrictions apply. The linked-to page above has a link to the exclusions list, or more easily, you can test the coupon in the shopping cart and it will show what qualifies. You don’t need an account/login to test the coupon

Tuesday: Monoprice Electrostatic Headphone System for $560

Good until the end of day on Tuesday FEB-26-2019 in the pacific time zone, promo code SURPRISE2 gets you 20% off most Monoprice brand products priced over $500, and among them is the Monoprice Electrostatic Headphone System which, thanks to the coupon discount, drops from $700 to $560. It also comes with free standard US shipping.

It has one detailed customer review over there, so for more on it, your favorite audio forums, websites and search engines are your e-static friends 🙂

Massdrop x Grace Design Standard DAC for $80

The Grace is Gone insists the Dave Matthews Band, but Massdrop begs to differ as they have brought back their Massdrop x Grace Design Standard DAC for $80 with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

This listing is a bit different in that the sale is open for 24 days and change [from blog-posting date]. The orders will ship from Massdrop in late April 2019. This is made up high [no pun intended?] in Colorada 🙂

It has USB Micro (aka microUSB) audio input and output is RCA and 3.5mm TRS. It is USB Class 1.

The length of the drop that is unusual that I mentioned above? That’s because this is one of the “new product in manufacturing process”, thus the longer time. On the plus side, this gives you more time to research it and read reviews and comparisons and the like…

Sterling 8CH Rackmount Headphone amp for $80

Good until Thursday 8am eastern time, (or earlier if sold out), the Musician’s Friend Deal of the Day is offering the new condition Sterling Audio 8 Channel Rackmount Headphone Amplifier for $80 with free shipping and handling. They have eight channels with dual source inputs.

iFi Audio Nano iDSD LE Portable DAC/Amp for $99

Nanu-Nanu! Okay, it’s Nano! The new condition iFi Audio Nano iDSD LE Portable DAC Amplifier (LE = Light Edition) is on sale for $99 with free shipping at Amazon actual by a trio of fulfilled by Amazon sellers, including the official iFi Amazon store

Fri: Creative Sound BlasterX G6 Hi-Res DAC for $100 AC

One of the NewEgg daily deals for Friday is the new condition Creative Sound BlasterX G6 Hi-Res Gaming DAC and USB Sound Card with Xamp Headphone Bi-Amplifier dropping to $100 with free shipping when you enter promo code 119WZWX7 during Friday in the pacific time zone.

Monoprice w/FS: USB DAC for $70, M560 Planars for $150, Etc

Monoprice has been very aggressive during the 2018 Black Friday season with their discounting offers. We have yet another round of discounts that went live today:

+ Monolith USB DAC for $70 w/FS

+ Monoprice M560 open over-ears for $150 w/FS; these offer the open/closed option

+ 2-Speed Bluetooth Turntable System with Stereo Speakers for $50 w/FS; this is a budget option, not to be confused with the Monolith turntable

+ 10,000 mAh Portable Cell Phone Charger for $13 w/FS

UPDATE: I don’t want to fill up the website with Monoprice posts, so I’m appending two more offers here:

+ Monoprice SB-100 2.1-ch 36in Soundbar with Built In Subwoofer, Bluetooth, Optical Input, and Remote Control for $40 with free US shipping

+ Strata Home by Monoprice Stainless Steel Electric Kettle, 1.7 Liter for $20 with free S&H
+ you can use this to test the noise cancelling feature of headphones and also how much outside noise/sound gets into open/semi-open headphones and also to test the seal of closed-back and in-ears? 🙂

+ Monoprice MP-65RT 6.5in and Ribbon Tweeter 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) for $35 with the all-important free standard US shipping since speakers take up space and they are not exactly feather-weight shipping-fees-wise…

Burson Play DAC/amp for $480 [MD Exclusive]

Massdrop is back with another exclusive, this time it is a DAC/amp, it is the new condition Burson Play, going for $480. This exclusive MD version includes three V6Vivid-Dual opamps and two V6Classic-Single, all made by Burson Audio. This offer will ship in late December by Massdrop and the “drop” is running for the next four days and change [from blog-posting date]. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.