These lightning deals expired, but all three are recurring items, so if you missed them, fear not ~ they will likely return in the future…
[DEAD] Avantree Bamboo or Steel Headphone Stand for $20
This offer expired…
Pre-order 1More Quad Driver IEMs for $200
If you want to be among the first to get the new 1More Quad driver IEMs and don’t want to wait for future discounts, they are now available for pre-order for $200 at Amazon.com, with two seller options, Amazon actual or 1More’s Amazon store (fulfilled by Amazon, so you get Prime benefits). 1More’s estimate is April 11, while Amazon’s own estimate is “temporarily out of stock” which could mean just about anything 🙂
PS: the Costco website does not carry the quad drivers (yet?). I can’t check the Costco stores due to lack of superpowers 🙂
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.
Koss KDE250 Earphones for $100 + S&H [MD]
This defy conventional categorization, are they earbud-speakers or headphones with a mini earcup or earphones in the true sense of the word? We’ll let the various subcommittees debate this while Massdrop offers the Koss KDE250 Earphones for $100 plus shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days with an early May shipment estimate. This too is an “all sales final” promotion.
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.
AmazonBasics In-Ears with mic/remote for $5~
On the budget side of things, almost disposable pricing, or bed time earphones mayhaps, the new condition AmaznoBasics angled in-ears with mic/remote are on sale for around $5 at Amazon’s own website. Despite the low price, they are NOT an Add-On item, so as a Prime member, you get free 2-day shipping even on one pair of this. Non-Prime members have the usual $35+ hurdle to climb. They also not quantity-restricted (in practical terms), you can get up to 30 per color per customer.
[DEAD] Thursday: Sony Walkman mp3 players: 8GB for $50, 16GB for $70
These Thursday daily deals expired…
[DEAD] Thursday: refurbished Turtle Beach Ear Force XO ONE for $20
These Thursday daily deals expired…
Astell & Kern Michelle Siren IEMs and Fiio A3 and cables for $499
It’s bundle time! The regular price of the Astell & Kern Michelle Siren IEMs is $499, but for the same price, you can get them with three freebies, the Fiio A3 headphone-amp, along with two cables (Fiio L16 interconnect, iFi micro headphone matcher). This is offered by Beach Camera thru Amazon, with Prime members getting them with Prime-like delivery speed. It ships from Beach Camera though, not an Amazon facility.
Used FiiO E11 Headphone Amp for $37 + S&H
If of all the Fiio (and competitor models) it is the FiiO E11 Headphone Amp the one you want, it is available in “Used – Excellent Plus” condition for $37 plus shipping (around $4 for most zipcodes) at Adorama. Used items sold through their website come with a 90-day house warranty (meaning Adorama offers the warranty) and you have 30-days to return an item if it did not satisfy.
Used Shure SE535 Clear IEMs for $344 + S&H
If you are sure you are interested in Shure IEMs [#badpuns] of the used kind, Adorama is offering the Shure SE535 Clear IEMs in “Used – Demo” condition for $344 plus shipping which is under $10 since IEMs don’t take a lot of space and don’t weigh much, making shipping less costly.
PS: this is a different listing from the one posted last week, which was the Melisandre-red limited edition.
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.
Refurbished Klipsch X12 bluetooth neckband earphones for $139
They look a bit like a prop from a futuristic movie recorded in the past, but they actually play music, they are the manufacturer refurbished Klipsch X12 Bluetooth Neckband earphones offered for $139 with free shipping by BuyDig’s eBay store. Limit five units per customer during this promotion. They are balanced armature and support AAC and aptX.
PS: keep in mind, when it comes to bluetooth, the protocol between your music source and your headphones is the highest common denominator between the two. Your phone may support apt-X HD and LDAC and Bluetooth 5.0 and Unicorn MQA Quad-HD DSD but if your headphone only supports Bluetooth 2.1, that’s what you will connect with.
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 🙂
Qadira Wooden Headphones Stand for $23
PRO TIP: if you have a wood inkling, it’s cheaper to buy a wooden headphone stand than a wooden over-ear headphone 🙂 Which brings us to the new condition Qadira Wooden Headphones Stand currently on sale for $23 by the maker with the order fulfilled by Amazon. This is not a lightning deal. Free shipping for Prime or with a $35+ order.
This stand has a solid review profile so far, it stands at 4.7 out of 5 based on 16 customer reviews. So many wood puns in a single sentence. BAD 🙂
Powerbeats3 Bluetooth earphones for $145
You may get kicked out of your local audiophile club if you are caught wearing these, but it’s your ears and your music 🙂 The new condition Powerbeats3 bluetooth earphones are on sale for $145 in the black color scheme and $150 in the other four color schemes at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of three units per color per customer. There, they average 3.7 out of 5 based on 900+ customer reviews, with a 2:1 review-intensity ratio which is pretty low.
PS: what I call “review intensity ratio” is the number of 5-stars divided by 1-star reviews. A “10:1” or better is ideal (other things equal since customer reviews are not uniform and reviewers rate things and brands differently for different reasons).
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.
Fiio X1 II DAP for $80 with promo code (Fry’s B&M only)
Another one of the weekly Fry’s personalized promo code offers is headphone-related, this time it is a B&M in-store only offer, on the new condition second generation of the Fiio X1 digital audio player for $80 when you use your promo code. It is available in three colors. Limit one per household. This typically goes for $100, while the first generation goes for $80 at authorized Fiio dealers. The offer runs until Saturday 4/8/17 close of business or earlier if sold out.
This is very YMMV since you have to be able to find it at a local Fry’s B&M store.
I haven’t seen the second generation model, but I have the first generation. So far I posted a text-and-pictures unboxing post. More in the pipeline but no promises on when they’ll get posted 🙂
Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp for $500 + S&H
It’s back on again, another one of MassDrop’s recurring promotions. It is the Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp exclusive model, going for $500 plus shipping and handling. The offer runs for the next seven days and it will ship mid-April from Massdrop, which suggest they may already in-hand at the warehouse. All sales are FINAL.
8GB Sandisk Clip Jam for $30 (two of the five colors)
On the budget side of DAPs, the blue and black color-schemes of the new condition 8GB Sandisk Clip Jam (with microSD slot for a lot more music) are on sale for $30 at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three per color per customer. The other three colors go for $35.
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.
LG V20 (Unlocked, US warranty) for $450 with coupon
More discounting on the quad-DAC front, the LG V20, unlocked and with US warranty, in the “Titan” color scheme, model US996, is going for $450 with free shipping at NewEgg by NewEgg actual when you enter promo code EMCSRERD5 over there. The sale ends Tuesday night or earlier if they sell out.
Yamaha EPH-C200 earphones for $5 w/FS after coupon
NewEgg daily deals now last two days instead of one. The first day happens when you use a promo code from the daily Shell Shocker emails. The second day of the deal is when it goes live on their website. This sounds a bit too complicated for a “daily deal” but hey, their roof their rules 🙂
Which brings us to the Yamaha EPH-C200 earphones going for $5 with free shipping with promo code EMCSRERD3. Offer should end Tuesday night.
New Weekly Round-Up is Ready!
Another week flew by, and another weekly round-up is cooked and ready to go. Just posted is the 6th edition of This Week in Headphoolia rounding up related and semi-related topics 🙂 You can also check all previous editions using the Category archives and please feel free to opine on what else you want to see covered (or not covered) there.
Fiio EX1 (2nd Gen) In-Ears for $60 (ship from USA)
More new headphones shipping, the second generation of the Fiio EX1 in-ears are now in-stock by multiple USA-based retailers, and shipping for $60 by various marketplace sellers that are fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible), along with Adorama directly with free shipping as well.
JLab Audio Epic Earbuds for $16.46
Fleeing the bluetooth tyranny, there is also a wired version of the JLab Audio Epic Earbuds, and the black/gray color scheme of those is on sale for $16.46 at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. The usual shipping terms apply. As of the time of writing, this is restricted to Prime members!
NOTE: three different models and many different colors are sharing the same list of reviews, so you have to dig deeper into the reviews page. This particular model/color combined has over 400 of those customer reviews. Unfortunately there’s no way to calculate the review score average when you filter the reviews, and I can’t go through 400+ of them and calculate [and stay sane after doing so] 🙂
JLab Epic Bluetooth Exercise Earphones for $35 to $37
On the bluetooth front, the JLab Epic bluetooth waterproof exercise earphones are on sale for $36 with free shipping and free returns in three different color schemes at Groupon Goods. Over 1000 units sold through this listing. The discount ends 4/4/17 per the listing there.
On the other hand, if you are a Prime member, or plan a $35+ order otherwise, they go for $34.99 at Amazon by Amazon actual in the black or blue color schemes. The “cloud white” color scheme is not on sale. They average 2.7 out of 5 based on 1100+ customer reviews, so be sure to read up on them if you are not familiar with.
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 🙂
Audeze iSine 10 Lightning with FREE Fiio X3 II for $399 [also: iSine 10 w/STD cable and X3 II for $369]
The brand new FiiO X5 (3rd Generation) with smartphone and Android internals is going for $400 in new condition at authorized dealers (eg various at amazon.com). If you don’t want the latest Fiio model AND you also want the new Audeze iSine 10 in-ears, then you can get the second generation of the Fiio X3 (not X5) bundled with the iSine 10s for either FREE or for $20 more (depending on which iSine 10 model you get). The X3 II goes for $170 on its own so this is a pretty sizeable discount!
So to the bundles after that senatorial introduction 🙂 Adorama has two bundles of the iSine 10 IEMs bundled with the Fiio X3 II DAP. They are authorized dealers for both brands.
The iSine 10 with standard cable is bundled with the Fiio X3 II goes for $369 with free shipping; versus $349 without the Fiio X3 II. No coupon or rebate is needed, just add to cart and proceed.
If you are of the Lightning/Apple persuasion, the iSine 10 with Lightning is bundled with the Fiio X3 II goes for $399 with free shipping; versus $399 without the Fiio X3 II. That’s right, the Fiio X3 II is FREE for this bundle! No coupon or rebate is needed, just add to cart and proceed.
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.
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