Used AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon Semi-Open for $614

The around-ear AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon Semi-Open headphones go for $700 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you are comfortable going used, they are available in “Used – Like New” (damaged original packaging) for $614 by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. These are dynamic drivers, not everything these days is planar you know 🙂

NOTE: make sure you avoid the “Just Launched” and low-rated sellers that may be offering things at much lower prices or ask you to email them before buying. You have not won the deal lottery, unfortunately they are scammers and Amazon hasn’t apparently yet found a way to permanently shut them down.

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Used FiiO EX1 2nd Gen IEMs for $39 w/free S&H

The second generation of the Fiio EX1 earphones is currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $39~ with free shipping, in original box with all original accessories included by Electronics Expo through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships directly from EXPO, so no Prime shipping. The new condition price is $60.

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

AKG K553 PRO Closed for $110 [MD]

The closed-back over-ear AKG K5530 PRO headphones are back on at Massdrop, they are fully unlocked with four days to go (from blog-posting date) for $110 with free shipping. They come with a 2-year warranty, and will ship from Massdrop in late April 2017. Note however that all sales are final.

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Beyerdynamic DT1350 Gold LE On-Ears w/$20 Promo eGift Card for $120

Prices at NewEgg proper and NewEgg Flash (their Groupon-y style competitor) are not always the same. Case in point, the new condition gold color-scheme (there’s only some gold; the whole headphone is NOT gold) closed-back on-ear Beyerdynamic DT1350 limited edition is offered for $120 with free shipping by Focus Camera thru NewEgg. You will also receive a $20 promotional NewEgg e-gift card. The gift card will arrive on its own about four days after you are invoiced, you don’t have to file any paperwork. Promotional gift cards at NewEgg expire one year after they are issued, a reasonable amount of time to spend them 🙂 The offer ends 4/24/17 (or earlier if sold out).

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

[DEAD] Status Audio CB-1 Closed for $63

This 4-hour lightning deal ended with 73% claimed… If you missed it, there’s always a chance it will return because a lot of the lightning deals have some kind of a recurring pattern (or randomness in their return)…

[Read more…]

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

[DEAD] Last Day: New eBay coupon includes 300 headphones (20% off; max discount $50)

This coupon promotion expired, but eBay seems to be launching more and more of them these days, so stay tuned in the future for potentially future ones 🙂

[Read more…]

April 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Beyerdynamic DT 880 (250 ohm) Premium Chrome SE for $139

The Cylons are coming, hot off the Beyerdynamic baseship, Buydig’s eBay store is offering the new condition BeyerDynamic DT 880 Premium Special Edition Chrome Version 250 ohm for $139 with free shipping. Limit up to five units per customer. They sold over 370 units so far per the eBay listing statistics.

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

New “This Week in Headphoolia” round-up

A new This Week in Headphoolia round-up just went up on the parallel content website, with more reviews (including a 7-way closed top-of-the-line comparison), more CanJam action, and a detailed Bluetooth 5 explainer in text and video!

For previous editions (or future one if you are reading this in the future) check the Phoolia archives 🙂

If you have any feedback or suggestions or recommendations, please leave a comment in any of the relevant posts!

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: website news

Beats Solo 3 Bluetooth On-Ears for $160 [limit 3]

The Galaxy S8* smartphones are the first with Bluetooth 5, but as far as I know, no bluetooth 5.0 headphones yet, and since the Bluetooth connection works in a lower common denominator fashion, you’ll have to wait for compatible BT 5.0 headphones before you can take advantage of the BT 5 features of the Galaxy S8s.

Which brings us to Apple’s approach to bluetooth, their “Class 1” technology employed in some of their Fall 2016 products, headlined by the Beats Solo 3, the black color scheme of which, in new condition, is on sale for $160 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. The “gloss white” is next in terms of discounting, going for $173~. All together, they average 4.5 out of 5 based on over 1000 customer reviews and have over 300 questions internet-answered.

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Powerbeats 3 Wireless (BT) Earphones for $130

The black color scheme of the Powerbeats 3 Wireless (= bluetooth) earphones, geared towards sports/exercise, with their Class 1 bluetooth technology, ushered in with the Fall 2016 Apple line-up, are on sale, in new condition, for $130 with free shipping, at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer at this point in time.

All together (the different colors, which are the same product, no Rose Gold V-Moda apt-X shenanigans here) they average 3.6 out of 5 based on 1000+ customer reviews, but they only have a 2:1 “review intensity ratio” (5-star vs 1-star reviews), which is a sign of issues and trade-offs, so be sure to read reviews and such before buying if you are not familiar with them.

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , ,

LG TONE PLATINUM HBS-1100 Neckband BT Earphones for $100

The new condition LG TONE PLATINUM HBS-1100 Neckband Earphones (bluetooth), in the gold or black color schemes, are currently going for $100 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three per color per customer at the moment. The other two colors go for more. All together they average 3.6 out of 5 based on 260 customer reviews and have over 100 questions answered by viewers like you (anyone can answer questions at Amazon).

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Monday: Monoprice M560 Planars + Tube Head Amp drop to $240 with Coupon AND $0.01+ filler item

This coupon expired but it returns every few days or so, so if you missed it, patience is a virtue, it will return in the future 🙂

[Read more…]

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] Monday’s Offers: Status Audio, Aukey, MEE, Stand, Etc

This round of lightning offers expired…

[Read more…]

April 16, 2017 Filed Under: headphones

AKG K842 Master Reference and Beyerdynamic A20 head-amp and Slappa Case for $1499

Another bundle of three from Beach Camera through Amazon, this bundle is centered on the AKG K872 headphones, a closed-back over-ear four-figure studio-branded model. The two other items bundled with it are the Beyerdynamic A20 headphone-amp and the Slappa Hardbody PRO case.

As with some of the other bundles, some are not necessarily intended or ideally suited to be used together, they are more of interest to the headphone fan that has multiple items and likes to mix and match and experiment with.

April 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

Pioneer SE-MJ553BT-K On-Ears and Indigo head-amp and Slappa case for $70

It’s bundle up time now. You get three different products for $70. The new condition closed-back on-ear Pioneer SE-MJ553BT-K bluetooth headphones, the Indigo portable headphone-amp (which looks a lot like this M-Audio ~ they both for $30 on their own), the Slappa hardbody headphone case (goes for $20 on its own).

All these are by Beach Camera thru Amazon. It ships directly from Beach Camera (New Jersey) but if you are a Prime member, you get Prime-like shipping speed directly from Beach.

On the other hand, if you don’t want the portable headphone-amp, you can a different bundle for $10 more: it replaces the amp with an omega-shaped wood headphone stand.

PS: some of these bundles are value plays, you don’t necessarily have to (or you can’t) use all the items together, eg the portable head amp and a bluetooth-only headphone.

April 15, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs, headphones Tagged With: , , , ,

In-Stock Now: V-Moda Wireless II with apt-X for $350

The official V-Moda store at Amazon is offering the new apt-X model of their recently-revealed Crossfade Wireless II headphone, the Rose Gold color scheme for $350 with free shipping. Only the “Rose Gold” has apt-X. The other two colors do not, which is why they cost $30 less. This is fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get them in two days.

April 15, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Pioneer XDP-100R DAP for $300

DAP-DAP time! The new condition Pioneer XDP-100R is on sale for $300 in new condition in the black or silver color scheme by Electronics Expo (East Coast B&M retailer) with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free 2-day shipping if you are a Prime member. This averages 4 out of 5 based on 35 customer reviews and has nearly 60 questions answered. More questions than reviews can be a sign of a niche-interest in a product.

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With:

AKG K545 Closed Over-Ears for $85 shipped [K495NC On-Ears for $95 shipped]

The new condition closed-back over-ear AKG K545 headphones, only in the white color scheme (the black one is sold out) are going for $80 at Woot’s website. Limit three units per customer.

This is part of a random headphone sale that carries 31 headphones of different kinds, including a handful of 1Voice earphones, older PowerBeats, and the new condition AKG K495NC On-Ears for $90, with the same limit of three. This sale has a mix of conditions, so check each listing individually, do not assume they are all new condition.

Shipping is $5 flat for everything you buy in a single day. They are not daily deals, but a longer-running offer that ends 4/18/17 at 11:59pm Central time.

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

In-Stock Now: V-Moda Crossfade II BT for $330

The Matte-White color scheme of the brand new V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth (wireless) headphones is now in-stock and ready to ship for $330 by v-Moda thru Amazon. This is fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free 2-day Prime shipping. More and more manufacturers open “Amazon stores”. The other two colors are not in-stock yet from V-Moda or Amazon actual.

PS: the “Rose Gold” color scheme is the only one of the three colors that has Apt-X, which is why it costs $20 more. The price difference may be a hint at Qualcomm’s licensing fees for Apt-X and perhaps a reason why Apt-X is not everywhere 🙂

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Focal Classic Over-Ears AND Sphear In-Ears for $268

If you want a “Focal Value Meal”, AudioLAB through Amazon is offering a bundle of one over-ear and one in-ear, together for $268 with free shipping (not Prime eligible). The bundle is the Focal Classic closed over-ears AND the Sphear in-ear (a rhyme-y thing).

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: headphones, in-ears Tagged With: ,

JBL Coach E40 BT On-Ears for $30

This is a NewEgg “daily” deal, so it is offered for two days. On Day #1 (Friday), promo code EMCSREBE2 gets you the new condition JBL Coach E40 Bluetooth On-Ears for $30 with free shipping. You may have to be a NewEgg email subscriber to use this coupon. On Day #2 (Saturday), it becomes one of the daily deals posted on their ShellShocker daily deals.

PS: I can’t see the benefit of this convoluted way of doing daily deals, but what do I know? 🙂

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

CEntrance DACport Slim for $100 [MD]

It is back on again, the CEntrance DACport Slim portable little USB DAC/amp is fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop for $100 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days from today (today being blog-posting date) and will ship late April 2017. This too is an “all sales final” type of a promotion.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Amazon Prime Store Card: 10% back on select Musical Instruments (includes 36 headphones)

If you have an Amazon Prime Store credit card (not to be confused with the Chase VISA card), you earn 5% cashback on Amazon purchases. For a limited time until 5/1/17, you will earn an additional 5% cashback, for a total of 10% back on your statement when you purchase select Musical Instruments gear, which includes 36 headphones (the last row that says “Featured headphones”).

A number of well-known studio-type headphones are eligible, including the Sony V6, AKG, KRK, DT-series, Pioneer, Shure, Fostex, etc. Headphone prices are all over the place in terms of competitiveness, so if you are not familiar with a particular headphone’s price, price-check first before buying.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: headphones

NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp for $70 [MD]

Another offer has blossomed (okay, enough with the spring analogies) ~ it is fully unlocked at members-only (but free to join) shopping club Massdrop, it is the new condition NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp going for $70 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days and will ship from Massdrop around mid-May 2017. All sales are final on this offer too, so keep that mind when shopping at Massdrop. That’s one of the reasons they can offer lower prices as everything factors in the cost of doing business.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Monoprice Tube Amp with Bluetooth 15W Compact Stereo Hybrid for $65 w/FS after coupon

Speaking of Monoprice, their Tube Amp with Bluetooth 15-watt Compact Stereo Hybrid, PID 16152, can be yours for $65 with free standard US shipping when you use coupon code 15TUBE over there. This is a limited time offer but I do not know when it expires. This is not a headphone-amp.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: audio gear Tagged With: ,

Panasonic drops360° RP-HJX5-A for $13

The new condition Panasonic RP-HJX5-A earphones, part of the drops360 line, in the metallic-blue color scheme, is currently on sale for $13 each at Amazon by Amazon actual. The other two colors go for around $20. They average 3.9 out of 5 based on 50+ customer reviews and they are marketed as “Powerful Bass”.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With:

Kinera BD005 IEM for $20 + S&H [MD]

More Chi-Fi action at Massdrop’s, the Kinera (not to be confused with the Game Of Thrones Red Priestess Kinvara) is fully unlocked for $20 plus shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days and will ship mid-May 2017. It will ship from Massdrop. It comes in three colors, the pictured R’hllor-approved Red, along with Blue or Gray. This is another hybrid design, one dynamic and one balance armature (not balanced armchair) driver.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Used Focal Elear Open Over-Ears for $819

The open-back over-ear Focal Elear go for $1000 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you are comfortable buying them used, they are available in “Used – Like New” condition for $819 with free shipping by marketplace seller “Audio Fanatic” (100%, 81 ratings) through Amazon Warehouse Deals. They are not Prime eligible.

PS: ignore the “Just Launched” sellers with the ridiculous low prices and the “email us before buying”. They are harvesting data and worse.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: headset Tagged With: , ,

Sony MDR-XB950 AP Extra Bass for $59

Good until Friday, the new condition closed-back over-ear Sony MDR-XB950AP/H Extra Bass in the gray color scheme is on sale for $59 with free shipping by Focus Camera through NewEgg Flash.

PS: this is the wired-only version. The Bluetooth version has a BT appended to its model name, it is MDR-XB950-BT. Plus the bluetooth is available in black, blue or red, not gray. The Bluetooth version has a newer version even, the MDR-XB950-B1 which goes for its honeymoon era price of $198.

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

[DEAD] Beats Studio Wireless Over-Ears (BT and ANC) for $210

This daily deal expired…

PS: this market segment (over-ears with bluetooth and ANC) continues to increase in popularity (to the chagrin of some audiophiles) and it is heavily contested as a nice profit margin segment in the $200+ price range, with Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, V-Moda, B&W, B&O, and many more vying for earfection. Ear affection that is, although on re-reading this new made-up-word, it sounds more like an infection ~ which the dissenting audiophiles will agree with 🙂

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April 13, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Symphonized MTRX 2.0 Wood In-Ears for $20

This expired but different Symphonized wood-y earphones are offered in the lightning deals almost daily…

[Read more…]

April 13, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Sennheiser IE60 in-ears for $109

The new condition Sennheiser IE60 in-ears are currently on sale for $109 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. This is not a lightning deal.

April 12, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With:

V-Moda Crossfade M100 Closed Over-Ears for $200

The new condition closed-back over-era V-Moda Crossfade M100, in the matte-black color-scheme is currently on sale for $200 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. These are wired-only, no BT/ANC. All together they average 4.4 out of 5 based on 1600+ customer reviews.

April 12, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

Koss KSC21 SportClip Clip-On for $6 [limit 3]

Clip-on action now, the new condition Koss KSC21 SportClip are on sale for the very specific price of $5.89 at Aamzon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. Despite the low price, they are not an ADD-ON item, so if you are a Prime member, you get free 2-day shipping with just one pair of these They average 3.8 out of 5 based on 117 customer reviews.

PS: this should not be confused with the more famous clip-ons, the Koss KSC-75.

April 12, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

JBL S300 NBA-licensed On-Ears for $50 (six teams)

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.

April 12, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,