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Another one of the Monoprice Big Bang at CES 2018 is now _Finally_ in-stock and ready to ship. It is the new condition Monolith Desktop Headphone Amp with THX AAA, Product ID 24459, going for $480 plus shipping.
PS: it is not eligible for the previously mentioned weekend coupon…
If you like the idea of Massdrop but hate waiting, some of their products are “in-stock drops”. These are products that are available at their facilities and will ship within one business day [shocking fast by Massdrop standards, I know!] of purchase. The “drops” [aka offers] open and close every 24 hours, so don’t panic by that “XX hours left”.
Which brings us to the new condition Massdrop x THX AAA 789 Linear Amplifier offered for $350 with a 1-year manufacturer warranty since this is a “Massdrop x” product.
NOTE: adapter is not included for outside the US use, but it has a switching power supply (100-240 VAC) per the product description…
Yet another SMSL product is running at the Massdrop website. For the next two days and change [from posting time here] you can get the new condition modest-looking SMSL M6 DAC/Amp for $130 with free USA shipping. You can select between silver or black (but there is no Raiders edition!). It will ship from Massdrop in late December 2018 and as usual with SMSL products, there is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Wallets, open wide! Here comes THX! One of the CES 2018 [yes, that’s almost a year ago] products offered at the Monoprice Big Bang then is now ___finally___ shipping! It is the new condition Monolith Portable Headphone Amplifier and DAC with THX AAA Technology, PID 24460, going for $280 plus shipping. Come on Monoprice, at least give it free shipping after 10 months of waiting 🙂
Digital inputs are of the micro-USB and 3.5mm optical kind, while the analog input is a standard 3.5mm. The 3.5mm is shared between optical and analogue Line IN. Lots of details and a couple of charts at the aforelinked page. There’s also a sub-1MB PDF user manual linked to there that is 22 pages long. There we learn that the volume knob is also a power button, a convenient way to save up on having yet another button ~ as long as it doesn’t accidentally turn on while in your bag.
PS: PID is the Product ID, a unique identifier given to every Monoprice product. The larger the number, the more recently it has been added to their website’s database.
PS2: the Monolith line-up at Monoprice has expanded so much so that they have created an audiophile-magazine splashy-ad type of a website to highlight all the products. There’s a total of eight Monolith branded headphones now. Guess the names before looking and win fabulous (virtual) prizes ^_^
It’s red DAC time at the Massdrop website where for the next five days and change (from blog posting time] they are offering the new condition SMSL Sanskrit 10th SK10 DAC for $75. Melisandre would definitely approve of the red, but you can also select the blue color scheme at checkout 🙂 These will be shipped by Massdrop in mid-December 2018. There is no mention of warranty in the listing…
Among the Monday NewEGG daily deals, thanks to promo code 115BBSR2, you can get the new condition Creative Sound BlasterX G6 Hi-Res Gaming DAC and USB Sound Card (with Xamp Headphone Bi-Amplifier for PC, PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch) for $100 instead of its regular price of $150. It has three reviews at NewEgg with a low rating, but the 17 at amazon.com do slightly better with an average of 3.3 out of 5.
Another Massdrop darling brand is back with another unlocked offering. It is the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp going for $200 with your choice of 110V or 220-240V power supply during checkout. This will ship at the end of the year by Massdrop. There is no mention of warranty in the listing…
With four days and change to go [from blog-posting date], fully unlocked and ready to go, with 260+ units sold, Massdrop is offering the new condition Topping DX7s Balanced DAC/Amp for $360 in your choice of black or silver color-scheme for the device. This can go up to DSD-512. It has various connectors/options as expected of the price. It is expected to ship mid-December, so it could make it in time for the holiday gift giving seasons…
One more headphone-related product is now in-stock and shipping at the Monoprice website. It is the new condition Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli, PID 33305, going for $700 plus shipping. The number of new products at Monoprice has increased so much so that this is in the 33,000s. The good old 8323 closed over-ears were merely in the 8000s…
For the USA market, Creative (formerly Labs) are NOW accepting pre-orders for their brand new Super X-Fi headphone amp (aka SXFI) for $150. And for a limited time, while supplies last, during the pre-ordering period, pre-orders will receive a FREE pair of SXFI certified Creative Aurvana SE SFXI earphones per the bottom of the press release [screenshot of that section below]…
The earphones are added automatically included in the order when you add the SFXI amp to the shopping cart. The product title in the shopping cart indicates there are free earphones included [screenshot inside the shopping cart below]:
This has already been released in Singapore. Creative is learning from the world of smartphones and they are attempting to build a whole ecosystem around this with various SFXI-certified headphones and such.
They have also unleashed a FREE Google Play music player app that takes advantage of the technology but everyone can use it. It requires Android 6 and later and is 54MB. It was updated a couple of days ago.
Here’s a 3 minute video from the IDG/PC-World group of companies talking about this…
Massdrop strikes again! Unlocked and ready for purchase with an early December 2018 shipment date is the new condition SMSL SU-8 DAC & SH-8 Headphone Amp drop [aka offer]. There are three options in this listing ~ you select them at the checkout. The SU-8 DAC goes for $200, the SH-8 amp goes for $160, or you can buy both for $340 [a $20 off combined purchase discount; stingy?] There are discussions, reviews and links for these models over there at the aforelinked MD webpage…
It’s a sale, not coupon-based at the Monopriced of select audio products, headlined by the new condition Monolith USB DAC, Product 29512, going for $85 with free standard US shipping during this promotion. Think of this as a DragonQuest AudioFly type of a competitor device. Okay, it’s AudioQuest Dragonfly ^_^
Purchasing a product that gets free shipping also helps (or eliminates depending on weight/etc) the S&H fee of other Monoprice products, so you may also be interested in these sales which don’t get free shipping on their own:
+ Monoprice Lightweight Closed On-Ears, PID 13191, for $10
+ these have shared lineage with the AmazonBasics on-ears and also sell under a couple of other brand names. I’ve had both but not at the same time ~ from memory they seem to have a similar sound signature, a pretty good value for modern music with some modest and rather tasteful bassiness ~ considering their price
+ an unboxing post is in the works, followed by a review
+ Wired Earbuds with Mic/Remote, PID 18591, for $2.49
+ very serviceable for the price, the kind you keep in bags and cars and workplaces and give to kids and friends and relatives who break or lose things all the time
+ these are of utilitarian use, don’t throw away the Tennmak PROs 🙂
For 9/26/18 only, you can feed your DAPs, PADs (Phones as DAPs) and backup or network your digital music with external hard drives as part of the Amazon Gold Box. They feature high capacity Sandisk memory cards (microSD and SD), along with external hard drives from Western Digital (WD) and G-Technology.
On the other hand, with no deadline set in stone, there’s a $10 off clip-on coupon [nothing to type, just click on the empty box next to the coupon name while logged on to your Amazon account] that drops the price of the new condition EarStudio ES100 24-bit Bluetooth DAC/amp from $99 to $89, with free Prime shipping for members of said service. This critter averages 4.5 out of 5 based on 150 customer reviews and it has 120+ answered questions by viewers like you. However, 7% of the customer reviews are 1-star, so read those to consider the trade-offs and potential issues.
Into the Amazon Forest Gold Box we go where we find one of the deals of the day running until Saturday at 3am Eastern on the 1st of September in 2018 is the new condition EarStudio ES100 24-bit Bluetooth DAC/amp going for $75 with free shipping. This is fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get free 2-day shipping. You can buy as many as you want.
Its review profile has beefed up since the last time I checked, it averages 4.5 out of 5 based on 110+ customer reviews, with 6% of them being 1-star and 92% of them being 5 and 4 stars. Out of five that is. This has lots of buzzwords including apt-X, apt-X HD, AAC, balanced output, 24-bit, custom app, etc.
The marketers aim high for this, as picture #3 in the product gallery is a high end Sennheiser headphone…
Good until Tuesday at 11:59pm eastern, New York’s B&H Photo is offering the new condition M-Audio Micro USB DAC for $24 with free shipping. It has a USB Type A musical input and outputs music via 3.5mm or via digital coaxial. It is USB powered and it has a high impedance switch as well.
These offers expired…
JDS Labs is having a Beef Stock Sale. Okay, a B-Stock Sale 🙂 All five pictured items are orderable, with all but the “El Dac” being currently in-stock. As usual, compare prices to new for any products whose price ranges you may not be familiar with…
If you had been waiting for a good used price on the FiiO Q1 Mark II DAC/amp, which goes for $100 in new condition, as of the time of writing, you can get it in “Used – Good” condition (original accessories, not original box) for $69 with free shipping by Electronics Expo through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships directly from Electronics EXPO and it is not Prime eligible… It averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 37 customer reviews…
The new condition Astell & Kern XB10 Portable Bluetooth Amplifier with DAC goes for $98 fulfilled by Amazon but if you are willing to wait for a few weeks, you can get it for $80 with free US shipping at the members only but free to join Massdrop for the next six days and change from blog-posting time.
These will ship from Massdrop in early May 2018 with all sales final. There is no mention of a warranty in the Massdrop product listing.
We already mentioned that the Klipsch Heritage HP3 headphones are shipping, but they are not alone! The Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier is also in-stock and shipping for $500 by HiDef Lifestyle through Amazon. It ships directly from HiDef and it is not Prime eligible.
On the other hand, if you are comfortable buying used from individuals and/or haggling on price using the eBay “Best Offer” system, a 100% eBay seller is offering it in USED – Excellent Condition for $399 plus shipping which is the USPS Priority Mail rate ($7.25).
eBay “Best Offer” is enabled, so you can try to get a lower price using the eBay “negotiating” system:
$7 shipping (essentially charging whatever USPS charging) is very reasonable. Unlike this eBay idiot charging $295 (!!!) for shipping.
PS: if you are not in a hurry to receive it, you can pre-order it in new condition for $499 at Adorama…
Another offering is now fully unlocked at Massdrop, it is the new condition SMSL SAP-II Headphone Amp going for $50 with free US shipping for the next two days and change from blog-posting time. These will ship in early May from Massdrop with all sales final as usual. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
In a parallel discount to the CL1, the RHA DACamp L1 portable DAC/amp [the name gave it away] is now down to $240 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to three per customer at the sale price. It went for $255~ on sale before.
With these two on sale, other RHA products may also be on sale, so if interested in any others, you may want to price-check them at Amazon….
Both the coupon and the sale ended, bringing it back up to $90…
For Lightning-connected iPhone, iPod and iPad devices, Massdrop is offering the new condition Advanced Sound Accessport Lightning DAC/Amp for $45 with free US shipping for the next five days and change (from blog-posting time). This will ship in late April 2018 from Massdrop by the vendor. There is no mention warranty in the listing.
PS: compatible devices are iPhones 5 (and later), iPod Touch 5 (and later), iPad Mini 2 (and later), all the iPad PRO and Airs, and iPad 4 Retina (and later).
Another offer has “blossomed” (okay, unlocked) at the members-only Massdrop, it is the new condition xDuoo TA-10 Balanced Headphone DAC/Amp going for $240 with free US shipping. The offer runs for the next four days and change from blog posting time. It will ship in early May from Massdrop with all sales final as usual. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Another day, another offer unlocked at Massdrop! It’s the new condition Aune X1S Anniversary Edition DAC/Amp going for $200 with free US shipping. But that’s not all. On the same listing you can instead purchase the X7S balanced headphone amp in silver or black (but no Raiders edition). If you want both, there is a $20 combined purchase discount, you pay $380 instead of $400.
These will ship in early May 2018 from Massdrop, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing. The drop is running for the next four days and change from blog posting time.
I think this is the last one of the currently unlocked offers at Massdrop, we are back to the headphone amps with the new condition Aune B1S Portable Headphone Amp going for $170 with free US shipping, running for the next three days and change from blog-posting date. You have a choice of silver or black, but no Raiders edition 🙂 It will ship in early May from Massdrop, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Another offer is fully unlocked at the members-only but free-to-join shopping club that is Massdrop. It is the new condition AudioEngine D3 portable USB DAC/amp going for $70 with free US shipping. The offer runs for the next two days and change from blog-posting time and will ship in mid-April from Massdrop with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
The new condition Motorola USB-C to 3.5mm adapter is currently on sale for $5 [WAS $4] with free shipping at All 4 Cellular (A4C). Even if you buy only one, you still get free shipping because everything on their website comes with free shipping. But you can buy as many as you want.
This is made for the Motorola Moto Z smartphones which are among the smartphones without a headphone jack but it should work with most USB-C ports.
Also running for the next two days and change (from blog posting time) is the new condition Headamp trio of products. The Slim goes for $160 with free shipping, the Pico DAC/amp goes for $250 and the Pico Power goes for $250 as well. Details on the individual models over there. They will ship in mid-April 2018 from Massdrop with all sales final as usual. They come with a 3-year HeadAmp warranty which is nice considering many things at Massdrop do not come with a warranty.
It may be a little dot but it’s not a little price 😉 Running for the next two days and change (from blog posting date), Massdrop is offering once again the new condition Little Dot MK III Tube amp for $230 with free shipping and an end of April shipping estimate. It will ship from Massdrop with all sales final. On the same listing, they offer the SE (Special Edition; balanced, more power) for twice the price.
The newly released Fiio Q1 II DAC/amp with DSD support is holding steady at its starting price of $100 as it is generating some buzz.
But if you don’t care for DSD or want to spend significantly less, you can get the first generation Q1 for $40 with free shipping in “Used – Very Good” condition (tested, all accessories, damaged packaging) by seller “K&M Camera” with the order fulfilled by Amazon. This averages 4.1 out of 5 based on 145 customer reviews.
The new condition Bravo Audio V2 Class A 12AU7 Tube Multi-Hybrid Headphone Amplifier goes for $66 by fulfilled by Amazon sellers but if you want to save some of that, you can get it for $58~ with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual in “Used – Like New” (original packaging) condition. It averages 4 out of 5 based on 325 customer reviews. It has parallel RCA and 3.5mm audio inputs.
The new condition price of the Fiio A3 headphone amp is $60 but you can shave $15 off that price by going used. As of the time of writing there is a listing of this in “Used – Good” condition (cosmetic imperfections; damaged original packaging) for $45 with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. This averages 4.2 out of 5 based on nearly 500 customer reviews at Amazon and it has half as many answered questions, so it is definitely a known quantity…
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