For NBA fans, the JBL S300 closed-back on-ear headphones that are NBA-licensed are on sale again for $50 with free shipping at the official JBL store. These are new condition available in Bulls, Knicks, Thunder, Lakers, Spurs and Celtics. Per the listing there, they come with a carrying case and a detachable cable. It’s not clear whether you get the Android or iOS 3-button cable or both.
10% off headphones at Groupon with coupon (600+ options)
Coupon code SALE3 (short and sweet and easy to type coupon, without any characters that are hard to decipher ~ eg “0” vs “O” ~ try deciphering that while redeeming a gift card with a looooong list of random letters and numbers) gets you 10% off on almost everything at Groupon Goods (the section of their website that sells physical products, not services or food or local events), including headphones. There are over 400 over/on-ears and 280 earphones listed there. Keep in mind, a lot of them are consumer-tier, you are not going to find a Focal Elear there 🙂 You can also use the Search-BOX there to search for brands or types.
The coupon can get you a maximum of a $50 discount per item. You can use it to buy one unit of an offer. If you buy two or more of the same item, only the first unit will get discounted. You can use the coupon on three separate offers. Expires April 13 (2017).
PS: a number of other sellers sell on Groupon, in addition to Groupon actual. Check the description to find clues on who the seller is, and whether returns are accepted. Also check the shipping estimate; while Groupon has improved, it’s still nowhere near Prime speed.
[DEAD] Thurdsay: Monoprice M560 Planars + Tube Head Amp drop to $240 with Coupon AND $0.01+ filler item
This coupon expired but Monoprice brings this back every few days/weeks…
Samsung Level ON Closed On-Ears for $54 [was $46]
Price updated here 4/12/17 AM…
The new condition closed-back on-ear Samsung Level ON headphones are on sale for $54 [WAS $46~] with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual in the white/brown color scheme with a limit of three per customer. It looks like a computer-generated price-match of marketplace sellers, so it may not last long.
If you prefer the black color scheme, you have to be a more adventurous shopper as Amazon actual does not carry it, but a couple of marketplace sellers fulfilled by Amazon have it for $51~ each. Fulfilled by Amazon adds some level of protection versus something that ships directly from a marketplace seller since Amazon handles the shipment and such.
These headphones average 4 out of 5 based on 110+ customer reviews.
The black color scheme is available for the more adventurous shoppers for $48 with free shipping but no returns (FINAL SALE) by a marketplace seller through Groupon Goods. This is a final sale, so in case of issues you have more headaches than “fulfilled by Amazon”.
PS: if you find these deals and this blog useful, please consider making your purchases through the affiliate links in all these posts. We only have one conventional ad in the sidebar (how many websites do that?) and no sponsors to worship, so your purchases are what helps fund the resources and time to do this 🙂
Sony MDR-100AAP Closed Over-Ears for $109
If you don’t need the BT + ANC version, we have good news, especially if you like or do “bordeaux pink” color-scheme. The wired-only Sony MDR-100AAP closed-back over-ears are on sale for $109 with free shipping by Beach Camera thru Amazon. This is fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free 2-day Prime shipping from an Amazon facility.
The other colors go for more, the yellow is close at $119 and the rest are further higher. Together they average 4.5 out of 5 based on 40 customer reviews and has an equal number of answered-questions. If these were NBA numbers, it’s guaranteed Hall of Fame induction 🙂
Sony MDR-100ABN/B Closed Over-Ear (BT, ANC) for $180
The new condition Sony MDR-100ABN/B bluetooth and active noise cancelling closed-back over-ear headphones are participating in an “add to cart” sale by BuyDig on eBay for $180 with free shipping. To see the price, you have to be logged-on to your eBay account and press the appropriate button to show the price. This is the black color scheme.
Interestingly, the limit is 50 per customer, so the “Add to cart” is for the lower price it seems. I haven’t attempted to buy 50 of them to test this 🙂 Buydig is an authroized Sony USA dealer.
The 100ABN has been superseded in the Sony line-up with the new MDR-1000X which go for $350 on sale, and according to some, they are neck and neck with the Bose QC35 in terms of ANC effectiveness.
If you don’t need ANC, the non-ANC version, check the post above this!
Open-box Philips DJ PRO headphones: A1 for $31, A5 for $89
If you are interested in the Philips A-series PRO DJ headphones, they are currently on sale in open-box condition at NewEgg by NewEgg actual as follows:
+ open-box A1 PRO / 27 for $31 with free shipping (limit one per customer)
+ open-box A5 PRO for $89 with free shipping (limit two per customer)
[DEAD] Refurbished Philips SHP9500 Open Over-Ears for $40
As of a 4/19/17 re-check, this is sold out as refurbished at this price.
The open-back over-ear Philips SHP9500 (the older model, without the “S” at the end of the name) is currently available in refurbished condition for $40 by a marketplace seller with the offer fulfilled by Amazon (so Prime eligible) through Amazon Warehouse Deals. There are no details on who did the refurbishing, so assume it is a seller refurbished. It is a smaller seller, under 500 ratings with 100%, so it’s a higher risk but the orders are fulfilled by Amazon, which is more helpful (than direct shipment from the marketplace seller) in case of problems.
PS: the latest model is the SHP9500S, with a final “S” in the name, an unboxing of which, in text and pictures only can be found here.
Klipsch Reference On-Ears for $69 (or Used for $42~)
The new condition of the closed-back Klipsch Reference On-Ears is currently going for $69 by a marketplace seller, with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free 2-day shipping if a Prime member. These ship in frustration-free packaging and average 4.2 out of 5 based on 50 customer reviews. Or you can get them in “Used – Very Good” for $41.50 by Amazon Warehouse Deals.
Or if you prefer the black color scheme, it goes for $54~ with free S&H in open-box condition by NewEgg actual. NewEgg does not guarantee that any or all accessories are included with their open-box sales.
Monday: NAKAMICHI ANC80 Over-Ears for $18
On the budget side of ANC, for Monday 4/10/17 only, promo code EMCSRERK6 gets you the new condition closed-back over-ear NAKAMICHI ANC80 with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) for $18 with free shipping at NewEgg by NewEgg actual. Limit three per customer. They have four customer reviews over there.
Sennheiser PX 200-IIi On-Ears for $50
The new condition Sennheiser PX 200-IIi Closed-Back On-Ears are on sale for $50 with free shipping at B&H Photo. Offer ends Wednesday at 11:59pm ET or earlier if sold out. All orders placed at B&H will ship after April 19.
Speaking of which, these four Geekria travel case go for $10~ to $12~, sold by Geekria direct and fulfilled by Amazon that fit folding headphones that are shaped like the PX100 and PX200 and such. Check dimensions and the 24 customer reviews for more details.
Used Grado SR60e for $59
The entry-point into the Grado sound is the SR60e, and it goes for $79 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to try out the “Grado Wall of Sound” for less, this is available in “Used – Good” condition for $59 by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.
As of 4/10/17 PM, this sold out: On the other hand, if you want to jump in a couple of steps above that in the line-up, the SR125 goes for $150 in new condition, but you can get it in “Used – Good” for $112.50 by Amazon Warehouse Deals.
Used Sony MDR-Z7 for $377
The closed-back over-ear Sony MDR-Z7 are currently available in “Used – Good” condition (cosmetic imperfections; damaged original packaging) for $377~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual (AWD). AWD’s used products have a 30-day return policy but make no promises of a warranty.
If you prefer a warranty, you can get them in open-box condition with a 1-year warranty for $439 by RazorDog Audio on eBay. They are described as an open-box return with less than two hours of use.
Used Sennheiser HD 598 CS for $68
If you can’t wait for the next Sennheiser HD 598 CS sale in new condition for $100, it is available in “Used – Good” condition for $68 and “Used – Very Good” for $72 by Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). On the other hand, if you don’t need it right away, but you still prefer used, you may want to wait until the new condition goes on sale, it may (there’s no guarantee) push the used prices down as well. As usual when buying used at AWD, make sure you check who the sellers are. If you want to lower risk, buy from AWD actual and any recognizable sellers. Things that ship directly from marketplace sellers have a higher risk since Amazon actual has the least amount of control on the transaction.
[DEAD] Used OPPO PM-3 Planars for $352
As of 4/10/17 late PM re-check, this is sold out as USED… This is a surprise, the OPPO PM-3 are available as used for a discount. As of the time of writing, there is one listing by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual of the black color scheme of these planars in “Used – Good” condition for $352. There’s another listing by a marketplace seller with the same price but only three ratings, so make sure you buy from AWD actual if you want to reduce potential risk.
Photive HF1 Bluetooth On-Ears for $30
The black color scheme of the new condition Photive HF1 Bluetooth On-Ears is on sale for $30 by a marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible). This is not a lightning deal. They average 4.1 out of 5 based on 270+ customer reviews. This is another one of the popular budget bluetooth over/on-ear headphones making the rounds there.
GermanMAESTRO GMP 8.35 for $170 [MD]
Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic are not the only German companies making headphones. The GermanMAESTRO does too as they remind us in the name 🙂 And their GMP 8.35 closed-back and promised to be “nearly indestructible” is fully unlocked at Massdrop for $170 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next six days and it is estimated to ship early May 2017. Note that “all sales (are) final” on this offer too.
Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart for $450
Dynamic Fostex headphones now, these are not planars. The Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart are back on again, offered for $450 with free shipping. Only 83 units are available for this offer which will end in seven days IF they don’t run out of units by then. These ship late April 2017 from MD, but still “all sales final”.
Fostex TH-900 Mk II and Audeze Deckard amp for $1400
Bundle up time once again. This time it is two different headphone manufacturers bundled up, the new condition Fostex TH-900 Mark II headphones are bundled with the Audeze Deckard headphone-amp, together for $1400 with free shipping at Adorama.com. No coupon, no rebate, just add to cart and proceed to checkout.
Audeze LCD-2 (Aluminum and Lambskin) for $699
This recurring promotion has recurred again 🙂 The Audeze LCD-2 (Aluminum and Lambskin) planar-magnetic over-ears are on sale again for $699 with free shipping for a limited time at authorized dealer Adorama.com. No coupon, no rebate, just add-to-cart and checkout.
Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000X for $270
The open-back over-ear Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000X are currently on on sale for $270 at Walmart by Walmart actual with free 2-day shipping. Free store pickup is also an option where available/possible. That “D” in the middle of the product name is code for “Open Back” 🙂
[DEAD] YMMV: B&O Play H6 Over-Ears for $149 [limit 1]
UPDATE 4/7/17: it hasn’t come back since, so I’ll pronounce it DEAD for now… I will post a new post if it ever comes back…
Status Audio CB-1 Closed for $55 + S&H [MD]
Status Audio is another one of the brands riding the hype train, with both open and closed headphones sitting side by side on said train. The closed version are currently offered at the members-only but free-to-join Massdrop for $55 plus shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days and it is estimated to ship early May 2017. This too is an “all sales final” offer.
If you don’t want to wait or you are not fond of the Massdrop way of doing things, Status Audio has also set up shop at Amazon with the four headphones they offer fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free 2-day shipping if you are a Prime member. The Amazon price is $79 with free shipping for either the open or closed models.
Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z for $350
Z is not for Zombies! The closed back (closed by solid wood) over-ear Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z are currently on sale for $349 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. The shipping estimate however is a nebulous “1 to 2 months”. They average 4.1 out of 5 based on nine customer reviews.
Pendulumic Stance S1+ over-ear bluetooth for $188
A quartet of fulfilled by Amazon sellers are offering the new condition Pendulumic Stance S1+ over-ear bluetooth headphones for $189 with free shipping through amazon.com. These “defeat” the “First from Asia” featured offer at NewEgg for $199. Or if you are comfortable with used, one of those four sellers are shipping them directly (not Prime eligible) in “Used – Like New” (open-box) condition for $129 plus $6~ shipping through Warehouse Deals.
On rather unique feature of these is that they have two power options. They have a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion but they can also take AAA batteries. So if you are trying to decide between those two power camps, you have both options here. They average 3.8 out of 5 based on 50 customer reviews and have 18 answered questions.
Beyerdynamic Custom i On-Ears for $40 after $10 MIR
Back to NewEgg again with another promising offer, the new condition closed-back on-ear Beyerdynamic Custom i are on sale for $50 with free shipping, sold by NewEgg actual. Optionally you can submit a $10 mail-in rebate card offer on them, making them $40 after the $10 MIR (prepaid gift card; limit 5; PDF with details over there).
It’s up to you to decide whether the $10 rebate is worth the hassle of a mail-in rebate. $50 is still a good price for them. They look very similar to the Beyerdynamic Custom Street on-ear but I can’t tell what the differences are by looking at the pictures.
The Custom Street, which I got from Amazon as an impulse buy for around $60, I am familiar with, here’s the text and pictures unboxing and here’s an on-going review diary.
The Streets are actually on sale too, when you go to the Amazon product page, they have a 15% clip-op coupon (when Amazon actual is the seller), it drops the price of the white color scheme from $63~ to $54, and the price of the black color scheme drops from $71~ to $61~.
One uncommon feature of the Custom Streets is that you can play music from two different sources at the same time without the need of splitters and switches and such. Each earcup has a 3.5mm input. So if you want to listen to an audiobook or podcast with some background classical or natural or jazz or electronic music, or monitor a video feed (that you occasionally need to unmute) while listening to music/audio, this can work. You have to manually adjust the volume on your music sources. This is where the Bass Slider can also come in handy as well, because each side is independently adjustable 🙂
Sony MDR-XB-950-AP Closed for $59 w/free S&H
Another Focus Camera through NewEgg sale, the new condition Sony MDR-XB-950-AP in the gray color scheme are on sale until Wednesday night for $59 with free shipping by Focus Camera thru NewEgg. Limit up to 20 units per customer during this sale. This is a wired closed-back headphone. In Sony-speak, “XB” is Extra Bass, and “BT” is Bluetooth. This does not have BT in its name (no Bluetooth here), but there is also a different BT model.
Beyerdynamic DT1350 Gold Edition with $20 eGift Card for $120
You can haz gold! The new condition closed-back on-ear Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphones, in the limited edition gold color scheme (gold earcups, they are not head to toe gold) are on sale for $120 with free shipping by Focus Camera thru NewEgg. They ship directly from Focus Camera. You also get a $20 promotional e-gift card to spend in the future at NewEgg. The promotional gift cards are generally issued four days after purchase and are good for a full year.
Samson SR850 Semi-Open Over-Ears for $30 w/free S&H
Another budget over-ear headphone is on sale, it is the semi-open Samson SR850 going for $30 with free shipping at NewEgg by NewEgg actual and likely priced-match by Amazon actual (ships in 1-2 months though), where they average 4.6 out of 5 based on 299 customer reviews.
I actually have these and a review is in the works [everything is in the works here], so far I only posted a useful (?) text and pictures unboxing. For the price, it’s certainly a value play, as long as you are fine with a non-detachable looooong cable without mic/remote. They are open enough that in a quiet room you can use them as temporary computer speakers if you hang them near ear level or angle, and increase the volume level.
Audio-Technica ATH-SR5 Bluetooth On-Ears for $100 (B&M Only; YMMV)
Another one of the weekly Fry’s promo code offers (you have to be signed-up for their e-mail list to get a personalized coupon code) is the Audio-Technica ATH-SR5 Bluetooth On-Ears offered for $100 after the promo code. The price before the promo is $200. This offer is available in-store only, so you have to be physically present a Fry’s Electronics store in order to get it. And the usual YMMV caveat with all things Fry’s. Offer ends 4/7/17 or earlier if sold out.
PS: this bluetooth model ATH-SR5BTBK should not be confused with the wired-only ATH-SR5BK. Why are companies able to make very complicated products but cannot have simpler/easier product naming scheme? 🙂
Sennheiser Urbanite XL Over-Ears for $75 with Promo Code (Fry’s YMMV)
This is a YMMV offer, so don’t get too excited just yet! The weekly Fry’s Electronics promo code offers (you get unique coupon codes IF you sign-up for their e-mailing list) for the week of April 2-8 in 2017, include the Sennheiser Urbanite XL closed-back over-ears going for $75 when you use your personalized promo code. The price before the promo code is $150.
If you are not signed up for their emailing list, you can still sign-up and get a promo code to use. That’s the whole point of these after all, to get you to buy things 🙂
The offer is limit one per customer, and can be used online or in-store. All seven colors schemes are eligible.
Availability varies by store and region and zipcode, so again, a big YMMV. Chaos and disorder reigns supreme at Fry’s 🙂
AKG M220 for $50 + $8 S&H [MD]
It’s back on again, one of the Massdrop staples, the new condition semi-open over-ear AKG M220 studio headphones, a follow-up to the good old K240. The price is $50 plus $8~ shipping. The offer runs for the next two days and these will ship in late April 2017. All sales final. It has a detachable 3-pin XLR to 3.5mm cable.
Sony MDR-1000X ANC BT Over-Ears for $348
One of the headphones giving Bose a run for its money on the ANC front (at least according to some of the reviewers and comparers) is the new Sony MDR-1000X with ANC and bluetooth, available in black or grey-beige, and on sale again for $348 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per color per customer.
It has already amassed 259 customer reviews with a 4.3 out of 5 and has almost as many answered questions. Keep in mind, the answered-questions are open to everyone on Amazon, so it doesn’t necessarily mean they are accurate 🙂
Photive BTH3 Over-The-Ear Bluetooth for $40
Another one of the popular sub-$50 bluetooth headphones at Amazon are the over-ear closed-back (obviously) Photive BTH3 going for $40 with free shipping (Prime eligible). They come with a travel case, also play music via 3.5mm, have Bluetooth 4.0, and are USB rechargeable. They average 3.9 out of 5 based on 3750+ customer reviews.
Star Wars Boba Fett (by SMS Street) Closed On-Ears (first gen) for $37
In a galaxy not so far away, the first generation of the officially licensed Boba Fett headphones, part of the SMS Audio and Star Wars licensing deal, are available in new condition for $37 by a couple of marketplace sellers with the orders fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible).
They come with a handful of accessories (see gallery picture #4 over there), including a flat football shaped zippered case, and various Star Wars geekery items. Note that these are NOT tuned for listen to the John Williams soundtracks, but they are very SMS Audio tuned, and they sound very closed.
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