Airist Audio Heron 5 Amplifier for $600 + S&H [MD]

The Massdrop party begins today with a series of offers that got unlocked during the last 24 hours or so. We start with one close to expiration, running for the next two days and change, the new condition Airist Audio Heron 5 Amplifier going for $600 plus shipping. Only 15 units are available for this drop. Five of them have been sold so far. These will ship in late January 2018 from Massdrop, with all sales final, and no mention of warranty in the listing.

Aune T1 SE MK3 Headphone DAC/Amp for $180 [MD]

Another Massdrop offer has unlocked and running for the next four days and change, it is the new condition Aune T1 SE MK3 Headphone DAC/Amp going for $180 with free US shipping. There’s a choice of color and also of 110V or 220V in the shopping cart. These will ship in early February 2018 by Massdrop, and all sales are final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

Used Creative E1 portable head-amp for $31.56 w/FS

The Creative Sound Blaster E1 portable headphone amplifier goes for $40+ in new condition (Fry’s), but if you are comfortable with used condition, you can get it in “Used – Like New” condition (original packaging) for $31.56 with free Prime shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual

Topping MX3 Power/Headphone Amp w/ Bluetooth for $100 [MD]

More action on the Massdrop front as more “drops” have “fully unlocked” (reached the lowest price of this particular Massdrop offer), including the new condition Topping MX3 Power/Headphone Amp w/ Bluetooth going for $100 with free US shipping. This offer is running for next day and change (from blog posting date) and will ship in early February by Massdrop. All sales are final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

2pk of Merdumia Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapters for $6

Ending at 5:15pm ET, an Amazon lightning is offering a 2pk of Merdumia Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapters for $6 with free shipping for Prime members or with a $25+ order. It averages 4.7 out of 5 based on 48 customer reviews.

Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp for $90 w/FS [MD]

Massdrop again, running for one day and change (as of blog posting date) is the new condition Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp going for $90 with free shipping at Massdrop. In the shopping cart, there are also two options to upgrade tubes for +$13 or +$28. Tube Mania is a slippery slope 🙂 It will ship in early February 2018, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

Pyle Phono Turntable Preamp for $12.76

It’s budget time! The new condition Pyle Phono Turntable Preamp is currently on sale for the very specific price of $12.76 in new condition at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to ten of them per customer. Free shipping with $25+ orders, or if you are a Prime member. It averages 4 out of 5 based on nearly 1000 customer reviews, and it has over 110 answered questions.

It has RCA input (from turntable) and Line Level output to RCA. It also has a 1/4″ output (not sure if this is line level or headphone out).

Open-box Pro-Ject Phono Box MM DC Phonograph Preamplifier for $60

The new condition Pro-Ject Phono Box MM DC Phonograph Preamplifier goes for $79, but if you want to save some, you can get it in open-box condition as “Used – Very Good” at Amazon Warehouse Deals, sold and shipped by real world B&M A/V retailer HiDEF Lifestyle. It ships directly from them and it is not Prime eligible.

Open-box Fostex HP-A4 DAC/amp for $240 after coupon

Coupon code CLEAROUT15 gets you 20% off select clearance items at BuyDIG until 12/31/17 at 11:59pm ET. One of those options is the open-box Fostex HP-A4 24-bit DAC/amp which drops from $299 to $240~ with free shipping. There is only one unit available of this per the listing there.

DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200 + S&H [MD]

Running for the next two days and change (from blog-posting date), Massdrop is offering the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200 plus shipping and handling. This will ship in early February 2018 from Massdrop, and all sales are final. There is no mention to warranty in the listing.

During checkout, you have a choice of 110V or 220~240V power supply.

Optoma NuForce uDAC5 for $180

The new condition Optoma NuForce uDAC5 goes for $199, but if you purchase it from the official NuForce Amazon store, the price will automatically drop by 10% in the shopping cart, making it a $180~ with free shipping. The shipment is fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get the usual free two days. Only the option sold by the NuForce Amazon store gets the automatic in-cart 10% off.

This too has a USB audio input and RCA and digital coaxial outputs. It supports up to DSD 256 and averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 7 customer reviews and has five answered questions. It is USB powered, there is no separate power input.

Optoma NuForce uDAC3 for $90

The new condition Optoma NuForce uDAC3 USB DAC/amp goes for $99 with free shipping, but if you purchase it from the official NuForce Amazon store, the price will automatically drop by 10% in the shopping cart, making it a $90~ with free shipping. The shipment is fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get the usual free two days. Only the option sold by the NuForce Amazon store gets the automatic in-cart 10% off.

This has a USB audio input, and two audio output, RCA and digital coaxial output on the back. The headphone input and volume dial are on the front. It averages 3.6 out of 5 based on 82 customer reviews and has 34 peer-asnwered qeustions.

Open-Box Chord Mojo for $450 [three left]

As of the time of writing there are three units left of the Chord Mojo marble-y button DAC/amp in “Used – Very Good” Open Box condition for $450 with free shipping by HiDef Lifestyle through Amazon Warehouse Deals. It ships directly from HiDef, and it is not Prime eligible. The new condition price of these is $529.

Pyle-Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier and Splitter for $16.58

If you are looking for a budget powered splitter, the Pyle-Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier is on sale for $16.58 at Amazon by Amazon actual with up to four per customer at the sale price. This is not a lightning deal.

This takes one 1/4″ input, and has four 1/4″ outputs, with individually controlled volume via four rotary dials. It only works when connected to the wall AC (adapter included). You have to use your own adapters if you plan to use it with 1/8″ headphones. It averages 3.7 out of 5 based on nearly 600 customer reviews and it has almost 100 answered questions.

Needless to say, this is mostly of utilitarian interest. If you are planning to do a flagship headphone comparison, you may want to use something better 🙂

Beyerdynamic DT 880 PREMIUM (600 ohm) + iFi Micro iDSD Black Label Headphone amp for $499 after coupon

Running until January 5 (2018) or earlier if sold out, you can get this bundle for $499 with free shipping from BuyDig: it is a Beyerdynamic + iFi combo. Use coupon code LISTENCLEAR to drop the price from $728 to $499. For that, you get:

+ Beyerdynamic DT 880 PREMIUM semi-open over-ear Headphones (600 Ohms)
+ iFi Audio Micro iDSD Black Label Headphone Amp

NuForce DAC80 DAC for $250 + S&H [MD]

Three days and change (from blog posting time) remains for this Massdrop offer, it is the new condition NuForce DAC80 DAC going for $250 PLUS shipping and handling. It has a late January 2018 shipment estimate from Massdrop. All sales are final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

This is only a DAC. One dead giveaway is that it doesn’t have a headphone out 🙂 Inputs are USB Type B, Toslink (optical) and two digital coaxial. Output is RCA.

Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amp for $59 + S&H

I will be reviewing this too, hopefully the holiday season will give a nice buffer to write much and more and make progress on the backlog.

“This” refers to the new condition Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amp going for for $70 plus shipping. But until Monday night (12/25/17), coupon code ENJOY drops the price by 15% off, making it $59.50 plus shipping.

We have a text and pictures unboxing of it here, with a review is in the pipeline as promised a thousand times before 🙂

LH Labs Geek Out Portable USB DAC/amp for $150

The LH Labs Amazon store is offering the new condition LH Labs Geek Out Portable USB DAC/amp for $150 with free shipping and handling. This is shipping directly from LH Labs and it is not Prime eligible. It ships from California, so delivery will vary depending on your location and the shipping lanes.

Used Sony PHA1A portable DAC/amp for $186, Open Box for $229

In new condition, at authorized Sony USA dealers, the ony PHA1A Portable DAC/amp goes for $300. But if you are comfortable with used, Amazon Warehouse Deals own listings start at $186~ in “Used – Good” condition, and $198~ in “Used – Very Good” condition.

On the other hand, if you prefer open-box from authorized dealers, you can get it in open-box condition with full warranty by OneCALL on eBAY (aka Huppin’s from the State of Gonzaga). From the looks of it, there’s only one open-box unit available.

Sennheiser HDVA600 Analog Headphone Amplifier for $549 after coupon

Coupon code CP1711129217 drops the price of the new condition Sennheiser HDVA600 Analog Headphone Amplifier from $799 to $549, with free shipping and full warranty since BuyDig is an authorized dealer. Offer ends 12/18/17 or earlier if sold out.

NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp Combo for $60 [MD]

The party never stops at the members-only Massdrop. This offer has three days and change left as of the time of writing and it is fully unlocked. It is the new condition NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp Combo going for $60 with free shipping. This has a USB input, and RCA and Coaxial digital output. And headphone output of course 🙂

The offer ships in early January 2018 from Massdrop, with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

SMSL SAP-II Headphone Amp for $50 + S&H [MD]

On the budget side of headphone amps, the new condition SMSL SAP-II Headphone Amp is fully unlocked for $50 plus shipping at Massdrop. This is a proper headphone amp, no DAC. It has RCA and 3.5mm audio inputs, selectable with a flip switch on the front of the device.

It will ship in late January 2018 from Massdrop with all sales final. There is no mention of warranty on the product page. Three different color schemes are available to select during the checkout process. The offer runs for the next four days and change (as of the time of writing).

Pay $999 with Prime Credit for Shure SHA900 USB DAC/Amp, Get $200 Statement Credit

A number of the posts below, starting with this one, are participating in a limited time offer at Amazon that gets you a 20% back as a statement credit IF you pay with an official Prime credit card, either the Prime Chase VISA or the Prime Store Card. The offer is mentioned on each eligible product’s individual page. If you don’t see it there, it means the offer expired (or you may not be logged on to an Amazon Prime account). The products must be sold and shipped by Amazon actual (not marketplace sellers).

We start with the new condition Shure SHA900 Portable Listening Amplifier with USB DAC and Customizable EQ Control. You $999 for it with a Prime credit card and your next statement will show a 20% statement credit, around $200 in this case!

Big Ticket Items eligible for 20% Prime Credit Cards Statement Credit: Peachtree Audio SONADAC, KEF

There are some big ticket items that are also participating in the Prime Credit Cards 20% Statement Credit promotion. If you pay with either official Prime credit card (VISA or Store), you will get a 20% statement credit of the purchase price as a statement credit while this offer is running. The big ticket items:

+ Peachtree Audio SONADAC Digital to Analog Converter/Preamp/Headphone Amplifier (High Gloss Black) goes for $1299
+ there is a 20% “Add to Cart” discount for Prime members, dropping its price to $1040 in the cart
+ then if you pay with a Prime Credit Card, your next statement will show a 20% statement credit of the amount you paid: 20% of $1040 = $208 statement credit!

+ Pay $5000 for the KEF R900 Floorstanding Loudspeaker – Gloss White (Pair), Get 20% Statement Credit = $1000 statement credit!
+ NOTE: only the White color scheme gets 20% back. The other three colors get 10% back

+ Pay $7500 for the KEF REFERENCE 4c Center Channel Loudspeaker – Satin Walnut (Single), Get 20% statement credit = $1500
+ ONLY the Satin Walnut is eligible!

This is a limited time offer, expiration date unknown. The offer is running while you see it mentioned on the individual product pages. If you don’t see it mentioned, it means it expired!!!

While this offer is running, you see something like this on its product page:

[DEAD] Little Dot MK III Tube amp for $220 [MD]

This offer expired…

[Read more…]

Topping DX7 Balanced DAC/Amp for $320 [MD]

More action at Massdrop, the new condition Topping DX7 Balanced DAC/Amp is fully unlocked for $320 with free shipping with four days and change left in this offer. Orders will ship in mid-January by Massdrop. All sales are final. There is no mention of warranty on the listing.

Fiio Q1 USB DAC/amp (Flask) down to $51

A trio of Prime-eligible sellers have drip-dropped the price of the new condition Fiio Q1 USB DAC/amp (the “whiskey flask”) down to $51 with the orders fulfilled by Amazon. Amazon’s own price remains at $55.

Or you can get the Q1 bundled with these iRiver A&K IEMs for $60 with free shipping. The IEMs are the Astell & Kern ICP-AT1000 earphones.

Note that the Q1 is the “previous generation” model. The “current generation” is the “Q1 II” which loses the whiskey for a more conventional look for $100.

Open-Box CHORD Electronics Mojo DAC/amp for $449

Marble buttons, here we come! The CHORD Electronics Mojo DAC/amp is available in “Used – Like New” open-box condition with full warranty for $449 with free shipping by authorized dealer Gramophone of Maryland through Amazon Warehouse Deals. The new condition price is $529.

SMSL M8A DAC for $180 w/FS [MD]

Another offer has been unlocked at the members-only shopping cart that is Massdrop, they are offering the new condition SMSL M8A DAC for $180 with free shipping, with a mid-January 2018 shipment estimate. Massdrop will do the shipping and all sales are final. No mention of warranty is mentioned.

Zorloo ZuperDAC USB DAC/amp for $59 w/FS [MD]

A new offer has unlocked at the members-only Massdrop, running for the next four days and change (as of writing time), it is the new condition Zorloo ZuperDAC, a portable USB DAC/amp, going for $55 with free shipping. These will ship by Massdrop in early January 2018, and all sales are final. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.

[DEAD] Schiit Audio SCH-13 Sys Passive Preamp for $59

As of a late 12/12/17 re-check, this sold out…

Don’t stop believing Schiit hunters! The new condition Schiit Audio SCH-13 Sys Passive Preamp is in-stock for $59 with free shipping, sold by Schiit Audio with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get free 2-day shipping. It averages 4.6 out of 5 based on 86 customer reviews and has 35 answered questions. The in-stock estimate is December 19 as of the time of writing, a possible sign that their supplies are running out. Limit one unit per customer.

Little Dot MK II Tube Headphone Amp for $130 [MD]

I fell behind on Massdrop updates, thus the avalanche of Massdrop posts. Good for the next one day and a few hours (as of the time of writing; unfortunately MD does not post a specific countdown until the clock is under 24 hours) is the new condition Little Dot MK II Tube Headphone Amp offered for $130 with free shipping. There are options for other tubes for additional cost.

These will be shipped by Massdrop in early January 2018 and all sales are final. There is no mention of warranty in the listings.

Monoprice Tube Amp sale (7 options)

Monoprice is running a sale on seven of their Tube amps with prices ranging from $100 to $600. Three of them are amps only, while the other four are amps + speaker bundles.

Speaking of Monoprice, they have a couple of coupons that are running until Sunday at 11:59pm pacific time:

+ GINGER gets you $5 off a $25+ order
+ BREAD gets you 15% off an order of $150+

Google USB-C DAC/amp for $9 w/free S&H

Google announced this at a higher price than Apple’s lightning adapter, but reality hit them, common sense prevailed, and Google’s very own USB-C DAC/amp adapter is now going for $9 with free shipping (even if you don’t buy anything else) at the official Google Store. You can’t use Google Play gift card balance to pay for it though, the Google Store insists on credit cards, while almost anything you buy at the Google Play store (including music subscriptions) can use your Gift Card balance.

I bought this a few days ago, and it’s here, so we have our customary practical text and pictures unboxing of it. But don’t expect a tiny box in the mail, mine came in a giant padded envelope:

Sennheiser HDVD 800 Headphone Amplifier with DAC for $1800

The new condition Sennheiser HDVD 800 Headphone Amplifier with DAC is now on sale for $1800 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. On the same listing, a 3rd-party seller has it for the same price, so make sure the one you buy is from Amazon actual (authorized dealer), not the marketplace seller. This may be a computer-generated price-match of the 3rd-party seller, or a general sale. It is not a lightning deal so the expiration time is unknown.