Chromecast Audio for $35 w/free S&H [was $30]

As of 5/30/16 recheck, the sale ended, they are now $35 with free shipping. $35 is the standard price for the 2015 Chromecasts, the free shipping is the plus.

Google’s Chromecast Audio is currently on sale for $30 $35 with free shipping, with a limit of five units per customer, by the newly launched official Google eBay store.

This is a promising versatile little audio device, perhaps its biggest issue is that it needs to be powered all the time. I am planning to do some posts (practical unboxing, tips, review, hacks, etc) on it in the next few weeks ~ other things equal, because I am behind on all the promised posts 🙂

May 26, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Open Box 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP w/1yr warranty for $900 [refurbished for $807 w/90-day]

There is definitely a resurgence in digital audio players slowly bubbling below the surface of mainstream tech gadget hype. There are many and more options, with prices not shy of the four figure mark. One such model is the 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP going for $1200 in new condition at authorized dealers.

But if you want to save some, you can get it in open-box condition from authorized dealers that offer the 1-year warranty for $900 by RazorDog Audio on eBay (used for less than 5 hours says the listing) and OneCall on eBay (also a customer return with full warranty) and by OneCall through Amazon Warehouse Deals (OneCall is the online storefront of real world Huppin’s of Eastern Washington, aka GonzagaLand).

Another option is manufacturer refurbished condition for $807 with free shipping by Secondipity thru eBay. This comes with a 90 day warranty as a refurbished product.

May 24, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: , ,

Audeze LCD-2 and AK Jr 64GB DAP for $995

More Audeze temptations, this time it is the LCD-2 (bamboo and lambskin leather) planar-magnetics that are bundled with the Astell & Kern AK Jr 64GB DAP, all together for $995 with free shipping at Adorama.com. Offer ends 5/17/16.

The AK Jr can also serve as a USB DAC, and in addition to the 64GB of on-board storage, it can also take a microSD card (up to 64GB per the specs ~ check forums/reviews to see if higher capacities would work well).

PS: for the purposes of this blog, I am drawing the line between DACs and DAPs on the ability to play music. If something can play music, I am filing it under DAP (digital audio player). Otherwise it goes under the “Amps and DACs” category. I am resisting temptation to further break down that category because I fear I will be lost in a sea of sub-categories 🙂

May 12, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Audeze LCD-3 and Centrance HIFI-M8 and Fiio X3 II for $1945

How about a triple bundle? That’s right, you get headphones and a DAC/amp and a DAP! For $1945 with free shipping at Adorama.com you get these three items:

  • Audeze LCD-3 planar headphones
  • Centrance HIFI-M8 XL4 DAC Amp
  • Fiio X3 Second Generation Digital Audio Player

All of them are in new condition and authorized dealer. The sale ends 5/15/16 or earlier if they sell out (unlikely since this is a specialty bundle).

May 9, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Fiio X5 (first gen) DAP for $200

The first generation Fiio X5 digital audio player is currently down to $200 with free shipping and handling, in new condition, at B&H Photo and aSavings on Amazon.

PS: if you are not familiar with the Fiio DAP line-up, make sure you read up on them and understand the trade-offs of the various models and generations. Their product line-up is ballooning 🙂

May 2, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

Used Fiio X3 (2nd gen) DAP for $155

The second generation Fiio X3 digital audio player goes for $200 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to save some, you can get it for $155 with free shipping by “All About Office” through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships from the seller, so no Prime eligibility. The listing says “store display in original box AUTHORIZED FIIO DEALER”.

PS: I wonder how many people reading on small screens or with smaller fonts think Fiio is FiLo 🙂

April 18, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Sunday (Phones as DAPs): LG V10 H960A 32GB Unlocked for $480

This daily deal expired…

[Read more…]

April 16, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

Former Flagship Phones as DAPs: Certified Used HTC One M8 for $110

The number of dedicated digital audio players continues to increase, but most of them are not able to play music from streaming services. If you want to off-load your main smartphone from some of its music playback duty, one thrifty way is to get a former flagship smartphone and use it as a music streamer. Which brings us to the HTC One M8 (two flagships ago), available in certified pre-owned condition (aka used) for $110 from T-Mobile directly (no contract). If you are not an existing T-Mobile customer, the shopping cart may force upon you a $20 SIM set. I don’t know if you can waive the charge if you call or live-chat with them.

April 15, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: , ,

Refurbished 16GB Zune HD for $60 w/free S&H

The slow resurgence of digital audio players is also bringing back to the surface some older models such as 16GB Zune HD, available in manufacturer refurbished condition for $60 with free shipping by the Digital Outlet eBay store. Over 760 units got sold so far from this particular eBay offer. The description says this is in “like new” condition, has a 60 day warranty (does not say from whom), and a headset is NOT included.

Back in the day when this was a “current product”, I was close to getting a Zune HD, but Microsoft pulled the plug on the whole Zune project just as I was deliberating which one to get. They also had a fun Zune-themed music podcast that also got lost in the Zune shuffle 🙁 At that time I was so frustrated with Rhapsody’s Windows desktop client, syncing subscription music to the Sandisk devices (Clips and Fuze) was an exercise in frustration (to put it very politely), so I was looking for alternatives.

April 12, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: , , ,

Sennheiser HD650 + Fiio E12 Mont Blanc Amp + Fiio X3 II DAP for $550

It’s bundle time, if you happen to need all three of them, $550 gets you the Sennheiser HD650 headphones, the Fiio X3 second generation digital audio player, and the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc headphone amplifier. Click on the “show details” link there to expand it and see clickable links to the three products included (that’s where you see that the Fiio X3 is indeed the second generation). The seller is Adorama.com, an authorized dealer. No coupons, no rebates, simply add to cart and proceed.

The bundle is more of interest if you typically use a variety of devices in different situations, since the two Fiios are more portable devices, and the HD650 is an open-back 300 ohm headphone. There is one review there, the reviewer says 100 hours of non-stop white-noise greatly improved the sound. It does not say whether the reviewer was listening to those 100 hours of non-stop white noise or not 🙂

April 8, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Pono Music Portable Music Player for $284

The Neil Young Pono digital audio player is currently on sale, in new condition, in the black color scheme, for $284 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. The yellow goes for five dollars more. This is not a lightning deal. It averages 4 out of 5 based on 150+ customer reviews.

March 19, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

AUDEZE LCD-2 Planar Magnetics for $750

The AUDEZE LCD-2 planar-magnetic headphones (aluminum, lambskin, open-back) are currently on sale for $750 with free shipping and handling by authorized dealer Adorama.com. This sale ends 3/20/16.

If you happen to want to get a DAP with them, they are bundled with the 64GB AK Jr (Astell & Kern) for $1000.

If you happen to want a DSD-capable DAC/Amp with them, they are bundled with the iFi Micro-iDSD Headphone Amplifier for $1200.

March 14, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , , , ,

Used HIFIMAN HM-901 for $800

We continue “digesting” various used items at Amazon Warehouse Deals, this time we go Hifiman with their HM-901 digital audio player, available in Used condition by two different sellers for $800, with both orders fulfilled by Amazon. The two sellers are Kraft Audio and HeadAmp Audio Electronics.

PS: in terms of categorization for the purposes of this blog, if a device can play music (regardless of how good its DAC/amp may be), I file it under Digital Audio Players. If it cannot play music, I file it under the AMPs and DACs category (speaking of which, I am resisting temptation to split it, because of hybrids and other categorization complications).

March 7, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Audeze LCD-2 and 64GB AK Jr DAP for $1000

If you have $1000 audiophile dollars to spare, Adorama has a limited time bundle good until 3/13/16. No coupons and no rebates, just add to cart and continue with the purchase normal. It is a A Bundle Of Two Items, the AUDEZE LCD-2 Planar-Magnetic Headphones (aluminum, lambskin) along with the 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr digital audio player. They are new condition from authorized dealer.

March 7, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Best Buy Rewards: Earn 3X Points on Sony Hi-Res Audio

If you are a Best Buy Rewards member, check your emails to see if you have been offered a new bonus points promotion. It gets you 3X points on Sony HiRes Audio products. The promotion looks something like this in your email (screenshot below):

bestbuy_rewards_sony_hires

There are eight eligible products: a couple of Walkman Hi-Res audio players, a couple of portable DAC/amps, a monster audio amplifier, and three headphones.

This promotion runs between 2/28/16 and 4/2/16. There’s no coupon for it, so it should happen automatically if you purchase an eligible product.

March 2, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: ,

DAP specials at Fry’s: Pono for $230, Fiio X1 at $89

If you missed the Black Friday digital audio player specials, you have another shot at them now. You have to be willing to subscribe to the Fry’s daily email newsletters which gets you unique (per person) coupon codes that you can apply to get their latest Weekly Specials. Among the items offered for this week is Neil Young’s Pono player for $230, and the Fiio X1 for $89. There’s a limit of one per customer for each DAP. This is good for in-store purchases and also online orders with free shipping.

PS: I picked up an X1 during the holiday sales and will be posting about it in more detail once I get organized. If you have any specific things you want me to check or test, please leave a comment in any of the posts. It reminds me of a more mature and serious version of the good old Sandisk Fuze with that click-wheel. Except I was using the Fuze with the Rhapsody Windows Desktop client software (to transfer subscription tracks), and the frustration with that horrible piece of Rhapsody s***ware rubbed off on my memory of the poor old Fuze 🙂

February 7, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: , ,

You Can Get the Chromecast Audio instead when you complete the AndroidPay Tap10 promotion

I have some great news for you if you are Android user and want to get the Chromecast Audio device without paying a penny for it! The on-going AndroidPay Tap 10 promotion lets you have the Chromecast Audio as a reward instead of the regular Chromecasts!

The Chromecast Audio is not shown in the promotion’s pictures, but when you go to the Google Store website to redeem this offer, you can simply add the Chromecast Audio to your shopping cart instead of the regular one, and the $35 off discount will still work.

androidpay_redeem

Here’s a screenshot of my order with the Chromecast Audio (the purple “handwriting” is added by me for emphasis):

[Read more…]

February 2, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

Used 32GB ZTE Axon Pro for $292~

This is a bit of an unusual DAP (digital audio player), although I suppose not really since we are in the era of smartphone domination. One of the priorities of ZTE’s flagship Axon Pro line was hifi audio. This phone goes for $400 in unlocked new condition, but if you want to save, you can get it used. The blue color scheme goes for $291~ in “Used – Very Good” condition at Amazon Warehouse Deals and there are plenty of listings there, so price pressure may lower it further. Meanwhile the silver color scheme goes for $293~ in “Used – Very Good” condition. This too has multiple listings so there’s the possibility of further discounting because of supply and demand.

This is the 32GB version. The 64GB version goes for more. Sadly it does not have a microSD slot, but it has 4GB RAM and runs on the Snapdragon 810, with Quick Charge 2.0 (so you don’t have to wait too long for recharging), and comes bundled with JBL earphones. Plenty is written about it online, so one could spend time researching it while waiting for the used prices to drop further down.

December 31, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Fiio X3 II DAP + Audio Technica M50x for $230

The second generation of the Fiio X3 digital audio player is bundled with the Audio Technica M50x closed-back over-ear headphones for $230 at Adorama.com which is an authorized dealer of both. The X3 is the same color, what changes is the color of the M50xs (plural) in the bundles: black M50X or white M50X… Offer ends 12/27/15…

December 20, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , ,

Fiio X3 II DAP + Blue MoFi Headphones for $390

Time for another bundle, this time it is the second generation Fiio X3 II digital audio player bundled with the Blue Microphones Mo-Fi powered headphones, all together for $390 with free shipping at Adorama.com. Offer ends by 12/22/15.

December 16, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] MEE Audio RX18 Earbud-y In-Ears for $5.50 [also 4GB Sandisk Clip Sport DAP for $30]

These daily deals expired too…

[Read more…]

December 15, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, earbuds Tagged With: ,

Audio Technica M70x + Fiio X3 II DAP for $300

Here’s another headphone + DAP bundle, this offer is good until 12/12/15 at Adorama: you get the Audio Technica M70x headphones AND the second generation Fiio X3 digital audio player, together for $300. No coupon, no rebate, just checkout. As with many of the bundles, they make sense if you have use for both items included. For example, keep one and gift the other. Because the holidays are almost upon us.

December 10, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , ,

Cowon P1 Plenue DAP for $800 [was $750]

I jinxed it! As of late 12/7/15, the price went up, the lowest price is $800 by Amazon actual.

[Read more…]

December 7, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

Fiio X3 II DAP and 64GB Samsung microSD for $160

IF you don’t need a headphone bundled with your Fiio digital audio player, Adorama’s Cyber Monday offers have an option for that as well. For $160 with free shipping, you get the Fiio X3 2nd Generation bundled with a 64GB Samsung microSDXC memory card and 5% reward (about $9 to use on a future purchase over there). This is the orange “EVO” Samsung card, so it can survive some of the elements. In other words, don’t start crying if it drops while trying to change memory cards 🙂

November 30, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

Fiio X3 II DAP and Audio Technica M50x for $225

Temptation time! The second generation Fiio X3 digital audio player is bundled with the white Audio Technica M50x, together for $225 with free shipping at Adorama.com.

There as well, the black M50x is bundled with the FiiO E17K Alpen 2 USB DAC/Amp for $180 with free shipping.

Both offers expire at the end of day on Tuesday 12/1/15.

November 30, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , ,

Fiio Sale: X1 for $80, X3 II for $160, E6 for $22, E17K for $100

There is a big Fiio sale at authorized dealer B&H Photo as part of their Black Friday specials. Some of the all-star bang-for-the-buck Fiio products are on sale as follows:

* DAPs: Fiio X1 for $80, X3 (2nd generation) for $160
* Portable DAC/Amps: Fiio E6 for $22, Alpen 2 E17K Portable USB DAC-Amp for $100
* all get free shipping

November 26, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs, digital audio players Tagged With:

Monday Fry’s Promo Codes: Pono DAP for $250 [B&M only]

Neil Young’s PONO digital audio player will return as one of the Fry’s Electronics promo code offers for $250 for Monday 11/16/15, good in-store only, so you have to be physically near a Fry’s store to be able to get it. No rainchecks, with a limit of one per customer. The promo codes are individualized and included in their email subscription e-newsletters.

November 15, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Audeze LCD-2 + Fiio X5 (2nd Gen) for $1000

We have a second Audeze-Fiio bundle at Adorama’s website. You get the AUDEZE LCD-2 Planar Magnetic Headphones (Bamboo/Lambskin Leather edition) along with the Fiio X5 Second Generation DAP, all together for $1000 with free shipping. No rebates, no coupons, no hassles, just add to the shopping cart and proceed with the checkout process.

November 11, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones + 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr DAP for $1700

And now another bundle from Adorama’s website, this time of the Audeze kind. The Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones + 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr are bundled together for a limited time for $1700 with free shipping… No coupons, no rebates, just add to the shopping cart and proceed as usual…

November 10, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr DAP for $350

The DAP revival continues to bubble under the mainstream, and another sale is feeding the bubbles bubbling under. The 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr digital audio player is on sale for $350 with free shipping at Adorama.com as a limited time offer ending by 11/15/15.

PS: I am calling them “DAP” if they play audio. Obviously, most of the portable DAPs also have some form of a DAC/amp, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to produce sound. Different DAPs have different DAC and amp features and options. I am trying to keep these posts simple, so if they play music, I classify them as DAPs. Otherwise they go into the Amps and DACs category.

November 10, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

[DEAD] Monday: Pono DAP for $250 w/Fry’s promo codes

This daily deal expired, but it’s not the end of Pono deals for sure…

[Read more…]

November 1, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Now shipping: Fiio X1 DAP in new colors (Black or Blue) for $100

The Fiio X1 digital audio player is expanding its reach with two new color-schemes, and they are both in-stock for their regular price of $100 by various sellers at Amazon (check the detailed list of sellers for more specifics). The two new colors are Blue or Black. This is the actual color of the device, not a shell/skin.

If you are not mesmerized by the two new colors, you can get the previous colors in Open-Box condition for $86 with free shipping by “All About Office” (99%) through Amazon.com, in either the Silver or the Gold. These ship from “All About Office”, so no Prime 2-day shipping.

October 30, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr DAP + 64GB Sandisk microSD for $380

The 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr digital audio player is bundled with a 64GB Sandisk Ultra microSDXC memory card, all together for $380 with free shipping at Adorama.com. No coupons, no rebates needed. It’s a bundle sale!

October 28, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Astell & Kern AK100 Mark II DAP for $427 with coupon

The Astell & Kern AK100 Mark II digital audio player is currently oh sale for around $427 with free shipping and free returns at Groupon Goods with coupon code SCREAM3 (5% off). The coupon expires on 10/27/15 at 11:59pm eastern (unless it’s pacific, in which case add three more hours to the deadline).

October 26, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Mon Fry’s Coupons: Pono DAP drops to $280

A new low price for the Neil Young Pono digital audio player. If you are receiving the Fry’s email newsletter unique-for-you promo codes, their offers for Monday Oct-26-2015 include the Pono going for $280. The offer is limit one per customer, and you can get it at their brick and mortar stores or their website using the unique promo code from your emails.

October 25, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,