Shanling M5 DAP for $348 [MD]

More DAP action, this time at Massdrop, where the slow-burn finally got the Shanling M5 digital audio player fully unlocked for $340 plus $8 flat shipping. This is available in either black or silver color schemes and can support up to 32-bit 384 kHz and DSD 64 and 128. This will ship in mid-October 2016. All sales are final and the offer has another six days to go (from blog-posting time).

If you instead prefer near-instant gratification, it offered for $400 with free S&H by ShenZenAudio through NewEgg Flash.

September 23, 2016 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Monoprice Coupons Return: Desktop Amp for $80 (w/filler cable), USB DAC/Amp for $55 (or less), Etc

Weekend is coupon time once again at the Monoprice website, coupon SOLONG is $5 off $25+, and coupon SUMMER is $20 off $100+. Coupons expire Saturday 9/24/16 at 11:59pm or so.

+ Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amp, Product ID 11567, plus filler item (eg 3.5mm mobile cable) to get the total slightly over $100 and use the coupon, dropping the price to $80~

+ Monoprice Stereo Hybrid Tube Amp with Bluetooth, product ID 13194, for $130

+ Portable USB DAC/amp, model aka Product ID 15494 for $55 after coupon
+ but if your order total is $100+, you can use the $20 off coupon, bringing the price further down

September 23, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp for $99 [MD]

Another day, yet another offer is currently fully-unlocked at the members-only Massdrop shopping club (free to join though). It is the Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp going for $90 plus $9~ flat shipping. This has seven days to go (from today = blog-posting date) and it is estimated to ship in early November 2016, so patience is an audiophile virtue 🙂 It comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty. This is a tuby amp-only, as it is visually hinted by the inputs and outputs. Optionally at checkout there are two options for tube upgrades for +$13 or +$28.

September 23, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Refurbished AUDEZE EL-8 Closed Back Planars for $350

This sale ended as well… The closed-back AUDEZE EL-8 Planar-magnetic headphones are currently offered in refurbished condition with a 1-year manufacturer warranty for $350 with free shipping at Adorama.com, good until 9/28/16 or earlier if sold out.

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] Spend $1000+ in select Premium Audio products, Get $100 Amazon Store Credit for future use (267 options including 27 headphones)

This particular promotion expired 10/1/16…

EXPIRED PROMOTION
This Premium Audio offer is back at Amazon, if you make a purchase of $1000 or more on any combination of select Premium Audio products (267 options), you will receive a $100 Amazon store credit to use in future purchases. This only works if Amazon is the actual seller of the product (not marketplace sellers).

Thankfully you can verify your order qualifies before you make the purchase, because if you have eligible items, the Checkout page (the last step before you place an order) will have a box notifying of this. Screenshot below:

amazon_100_1000_premium_audio

A total of 27 headphones are participating in this promotion including:

  • Sennheiser HD 700, IE 800
  • Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd G), T5p (2nd G), T90
  • B&O Play H8
  • Grado RS2e
  • Sony MDR-Z7
  • Master & Dynamic MH40, MH30
  • Denon MM400
  • Final Audio Design flagship, Sonorous IV
  • Fostex TH-500RP
  • Ultrasone Edition 10 Ltd, TIO, IQ
  • Definite Tech Symphony 1
  • Hifiman HE400i, HE560

REMEMBER: Amazon’s links in the Promotional page do not always point to Amazon’s own listing for the product. For this promotion, you have to make sure Amazon.com is the actual seller, not any of the many marketplace sellers over there.

This offer expires October 1st at 11:59pm pacific. Limit one per customer during this promotion. The $100 credit must be spent by August 2021 (yes, twenty-twenty-one)

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

Earsonics Velvet IEMs for $533 [MD]

IEMs are multiplying like bunnies these days, it’s a fully time job keeping up with them. And this is happening across the board, it’s not just bandwagon consumer price-tier models. Which brings us to the Earsonics Velvet IEMs, currently fully unlocked at Massdrop for $520 plus $13~ flat shipping. This is an “all sales final” offer, and is running for the next eight days (from blog-posting date). They come with a 1-year warranty from MD and ship mid-to-late October 2016.

Their claim to fame is a tunable sound signature, a tool is included to switch between the three options. Or you can use your Jedi mind powers to change the position 🙂

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Vsonic GR02 Bass Edition In-Ears for $25 [MD]

Another offer is now unlocked at the members-only shopping-club Massdrop, it is the Vsonic GR02 Bass Edition going for $22 plus $3~ flat shipping. It comes with many colorful eartips (an easy way to tell left from right as I discovered with the Monk Plus) and a basic pouch and a 1-year warranty from Massdrop (not the manufacturer). Considering the price, worrying about the warranty is probably not a big deal. The shipping estimate mid-to-late October 2016, and the offer is running for the next 8 days (from blog-posting date).

If you don’t want to wait that long, and you are a Prime member, you can get them for $30 from “Lend Me UR Ears” with the orders fulfilled by Amazon. “Lend Me UR Ears” is in Singapore, but “fulfilled by Amazon” means they sent a box of items to an Amazon USA warehouse and they get shipped with all the other shipped-by-Amazon items.

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Thur: AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2 USB DAC/Amp for $75

This daily deal expired, but the price after expiration is $80, not that far off… This was a daily deal in early September and it’s back now for Thursday, AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2 USB DAC/Amp going for $75 with free shipping (or store pickup if available) instead of its new-usual price of $80. This is not the latest model. The V1.5 goes for $100 (regular price).

OOPS! I forgot the link, this is the Best Buy link.

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With:

[DEAD] B&W P5 for $243 [SOLD-OUT: Sennheiser HD 650 for $303] {UPDATED}

These lightning deals expired…

[Read more…]

September 22, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Dekoni Premium Ear Pads for Fostex TH-X00 for $36 [MD]

This is a very specific offer but considering this is a popular headphone at MassDrop (MD), it makes sense that they would be offering this, it is the Dekoni Premium Ear Pads for them, going for $32 plus $4~ flat shipping. Optionally you can upgrade to Sheepskin for +$13. The offer is running for the next 7 days (from blog-posting date), comes with a 1-year warranty from MD, and will ship late October 2016. This is an “all sales final” type of an offer.

September 21, 2016 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: ,

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (250 ohm) for $110 [from marketplace seller]

NewEgg Flash is their attempt at the social shopping thing (eg Groupon, LivingSocial, Woot, etc), the offers there typically last a week (or so), but many of them return every few weeks, others do not.

To cut a long story short, marketplace seller “ClassyU” is offering the new condition closed-back over-ear Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (250 ohm) for $110 with free shipping with a limit of 30 units per customer. The listing there says they come with a 2-year Beyerdynamic warranty. I am not familiar with the seller “ClassyU”, so I don’t know if they are an authorized dealer.

It’s also kinda sneaky of NewEggFlash not to prominently list the seller’s name. The only reason you discover this on the product page is when you page down towards the warranty. Because this and Jet’s “magical deliveries” it is a rather disturbing trend when you are buying more expensive items where authorized dealer status is important for warranty purposes.

Screenshot below:

beyerdynamic_classyu_neweggflash

However, people who pay more attention to details, will also notice that this is mentioned in the Shopping Cart, again this is good, but it should be prominent on the main product page, the mythical average consumer shouldn’t have to put on their Sherlock Holmes hats just to buy something…

beyerdynamic_classyu_neweggflash2

September 21, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

[DEAD] Beyerdynamic Custom Street On-Ears for $67~ [ends 11pm ET]

This 6-hour lighting deal expired but it established a new low price for these headphones at $67~…

[Read more…]

September 21, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With:

[DEAD] Thursday’s Offers headlined by Sennheiser HD650 and B&W P5

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

September 21, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

AKG K553 PRO Closed Over-Ears for $120 [MD]

This is the first (in reverse chronological order that is) of a handful of Massdrop posts today, they are back, the closed-back over-ear AKG K553 PRO headphones are fully unlocked for $120 with free shipping. The offer is running for the next seven days (from blog-posting date), and will ship in mid-October 2016. It comes with a 2-year AKG warranty as MD and AKG have been increasing their co-operation in recent months.

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Thinksound ON2 Headphones for $178 [MD]

Another offer at Massdrop got the mid-week bump and it is now fully unlocked, it is wooden earcup time with the Thinksound ON2 Headphones going for $170 plus $8~ flat shipping. The offer has four more days to go (from blog-posting date), and comes with a 2-year warranty from the manufacturer, and will ship in early October 2016. These have detachable cables (two are included).

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Now shipping: Bose SoundTrue Wireless (BT) for $150

If you want to be among the first wave to get these, the black color scheme of the Bose SoundSport Wireless (Bluetooth) earphones is now in-stock and ready to ship for $150 with free shipping by Best Buy on eBay (limit 3) and Amazon by Amazon actual (limit 30).

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Sentey GS-1401 Universal Black Carrying Case for $7

The Sentey GS-1401 Universal Black Carrying Case is currently down to $7, in new condition, sold by Sentey with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so they are Prime eligible. Shhh! Don’t tell them, it’s not an Add-On item 🙂 It averages 4 out of 5 based on 570+ customer reviews. Check the pictures, item description, customer reviews and 170+ answered questions to get a feel of what size/shape headphones can fit in this one.

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: ,

Bose QuietComfort 20 ANC In-Ears drop to $250 at Authorized

Like a choir, the prices at authorized dealers of the Bose QuietComfort 20 in-ears with Active Noise Cancellation have dropped to $250 with free shipping in either the iOS or the Android/Galaxy versions (the OS versions refer to the functionality of the remote control) at authorized dealers such as amazon.com.

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

DarkVoice 336SE OTL Head-Amp for $233 [MD]

Another offer is now fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop, and it has four days to go (from blog-posting date), it is the DarkVoice 336SE OTL Head-Amp going for $220 plus $13~ flat shipping, with a mid-to-late October 2016 shipping estimate. This is an amp-only (it only has analogue inputs).

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Fanmusic E6 IEMs for $38 [MD]

It’s unlocking day it seems at Massdrop, yet another offer is now at its lowest during this promotion, it is the Fanmusic E6 IEMs with mic/remote (1 button) going for $35 plus $3~ flat shipping. They come with multiple eartip sizes and a basic drawstring pouch. Shipment estimate is mid-October 2016 and the offers runs for the next eight days (from blog-posting date, since MD does not post an actual expiration date, only a “X Days Left”).

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp for $500

Dave Matthews thinks Grace is Gone, but it is back at Massdrop, another one of their exclusive is back on and fully unlocked, the Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp going for $500 with free shipping, with seven days left in the offer, with 250 units available for this particular listing. The shipment estimate is mid-October and the listing there has plenty of pictures and specs.

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Wednesday’s Offers: BeyerD Custom Street On-Ears, Symphonized, Etc

Wednesday’s offers expired but don’t miss the Thursday 9/22/16 offers headlined by the Sennheiser HD 650 and Bower & Wilkins P5 (wired)…

[Read more…]

September 20, 2016 Filed Under: headphones

Monster DNA Rave On-Ears Limited Edition for $55 w/free S&H

It’s not just audiophile brands that do the “Limited Edition” thing, Monster is on that game too, and their official eBay store is offering the new condition Limited Edition Monster DNA Rave On-Ears for $55 with free shipping with a limit of 50 per customer. They are available in two colors, black/red or red. Over 175 units got sold so far from this offering.

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Open-Box Sennheiser Momentum In-Ears for $55

If you don’t want to wait for future discounts on the new condition Sennheiser Momentum In-Ears, at the moment you can get them in open-box condition from authorized dealer VM Innovations for $55 with free shipping from their eBay store or through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This is the iOS version (this refers to the remote functions; audio works with any 3.5mm music source, it’s only how the Volume and Back/Fwd buttons perform that changes with the iOS vs Android buttons).

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , , ,

Harman IE ANC In-Ears for $28 w/free S&H

The official Harman Audio eBay store is offering the new condition Harman IE ANC In-Ears for $28 with free shipping, with a limit of five units per customer. Over 3600 units have been sold so far by this particular eBay listing according to the statistics over there. This has a built-in rechargeable battery, it does not use AA/AAA.

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

SMSL IDOL+ DAC/Amp for $35 shipped [MD]

The parade of small USB DAC/amps continues with the SMSL IDOL+ DAC/Amp currently going for $32 plus $3~ flat shipping at the members-only (but free to join) shopping website Massdrop. There are seven days left in the offer, it comes with a 1-year warranty from MD (not the manufacturer) and shipments will begin in mid-October 2016.

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Creative Sound Blaster X7 DAC/Amp for $320 [MD]

It took a couple of days but the Creative Sound Blaster X7 DAC/amp combo device is now fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop going for $300 plus $20 flat shipping, with five days left in the offer (from blog-posting date). You can optionally upgrade to the Limited Edition for +$100. Shipping estimate is mid October 2016.

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Monday’s Offers: MEE Sport-Fi M6, refurb Beats Solo 2, Etc

These daily offerings expired…

[Read more…]

September 18, 2016 Filed Under: headphones

Open Box Sennheiser Urbanite XL for $70

The VM Innovations eBay store has, as of the time of writing, four units available of the closed-back over-ear Sennheiser Urbanite XL in Open-Box Condition with a 1-year warranty for $70 with free shipping. This is the black color scheme with the iOS mic/remote.

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-Ears (Bluetooth, ANC) for $256.50

It looks like a price-match discount of sorts, the new condition Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-Ears with Wireless (Bluetooth) and ANC (active noise cancellation) is going for $256.50 with free shipping at Target.com (online only) and Amazon by Amazon actual (limit 5), where it averages 3.8 out of 5 based on 37 customer reviews and has 26 questions answered by customers there.

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Used Status Audio HD One for $20+

In the case of the Status Audio HD One folding closed-back over/on-ear headphones, going used gets them to you for less than half the price of new condition. There are available for three colors, and at the lowest condition, used prices start at $20 for “Used – Acceptable” at Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). This link shows the lowest price per color.

To see more per color, click on the “See all offers for this product” next to each color-scheme’s name. The lowest “Used – Good” price is $25, the lowest “Used – Very Good” is $30. Some of them are available from AWD actual, others are offered by Status Audio themselves with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so both options are Prime eligible.

These average 4.4 out of 5 based on 600+ customer reviews. They have detachable cables.

PS: I use the term “Over/On” if I can’t quickly or easily tell deterministically whether a headphone is actually over-ear or on-ear.

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Used Creative Aurvana LIVE for $41

The Creative Aurvana LIVE (first generation) go for $51 in new condition, but if you are comfortable with used, you can shave $10 off the price and get it for around $41 in “Used – Very Good” condition (minor cosmetic imperfections, damaged packaging (maybe)) by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.

The headphones average a 4.4 out of 5 based on 270+ customer reviews, and have a very solid “review intensity ratio” (5-stars vs 1-stars) of 21:1 (63% vs 3%).

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

CozyPhones Sleep Headphones with Travel Bag for $13

The gray color scheme of the CozyPhones Sleep Headphones with Travel Bag is currently on sale for $13 per, sold by manufacturer with the order fulfilled by Amazon so it is Prime eligible. Unlike the iPhone 7, these have 3.5mm technology 🙂 They average 4.0 out of 5.0 based on nearly 950 customer reviews.

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Sunday Offers: Creative Sound Blaster, Headphone Stands, Etc

These offers expired…

[Read more…]

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: headphones

[DEAD] Saturday: JBL Reflect Mini Bluetooth Earbuds (Stephen Curry Edition) for $50

This daily deal expired, just like the Warriors 2016 Championship dreams. OUCH!

[Read more…]

September 17, 2016 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: ,