Thursday (EU): Gaming Headset sale (various brands incl Sennheiser ZERO for 129 euro)

Gaming headsets are the order of the day in the Thursday Spring Sale at Amazon Germany, their super-charged daily deals running until April 15 in 2019. Of headphone interest, they have a variety of gaming headsets in the two gaming-themed sales, including Razer, Corsair, Trust, and of course Sennheiser Gaming Zero going for 129 euro. The other gaming sale includes various Lioncast gaming headsets…

UPDATE: if you need various audio cables and other assorted accessories, they are currently having a 25% off sale on AmazonBasics brand products…

April 10, 2019 Filed Under: headset Tagged With:

Tue (EU): Libratone, Victure budget DAPs, Klim Fusion

Spring is coming to the Amazon Germany daily deals until APR-15, and the Tuesday round of offers has some headphone sales as well:

+ Libratone Q Adapt ANC/bluetooth on-ears for 109 euro
+ neckband bluetooths for 134 euro
+ Q Adapt ANC earphones (Lightning cable) for 89

+ Victure budget digital audio players (mixed in with action cameras) ranging from 19 to 24 euro; the 19 euro model even comes with basic earbuds

+ Klim Fusion earphones and gaming headsets as part of a larger Klim gaming-theme sale. The earphones go for 15 euro in multiple spring-like colours, while the gaming headsets range from 30 to 52 euro

+ on the PAD side, there’s an Xperia XZ2 sale, the Compact goes for 399 while the XZ2 main goes for 599, with Android 9 available after they got released with 8. Of PAD interest, these are IP68, have a microSD slot, 64GB on-board storage, SnapDragon 845, apt-X HD, bluetooth 5.0, QC 3.0, NFC, USB OTG, USB-C Type 3.1, etc. Note however that they DO NOT have a 3.5mm headphone jack…

April 8, 2019 Filed Under: digital audio players, headphones, in-ears Tagged With: , , , , ,

Monday (EU): Sony Audio Sale (headphones, DAPs), Beats X, and More!

Audio is YUGE for Monday at the Amazon Germany Gold Box that is headlined by a big Sony Audio sale that includes (among others):

+ NW-A916 A45 digital audio player for 125 euro in various color options

+ H900N ANC/bluetooth over-ears for 174 euro in many color options

+ WI-1000X neckband bluetooth earphones for 174

+ NW-WS414 waterproof mp3_player/earphones AiO for 79 euro

+ also bluetooth and other speakers and car audio options

But that’s not all when it comes to audio. There are parallel sales on Anker/Soundcare headphones and bluetooth speakers, and 49 euro Ultimate Ears bluetooth speakers in many delicious colors, and a couple of Arbily sub-50 bluetooth earphones too.

Apple too is part of the sale as their Beats X neckband bluetooth earphones are on sale for 74 euro in two color options.

Denon too is part of this sale with a couple of bluetooth speakers and a couple of receivers… And there’s a few Huawei P20/M20 type of phones of PAD interest…

April 8, 2019 Filed Under: audio gear, digital audio players, headphones Tagged With:

Sunday: Senal SMH-1000 Studio Headphones for $45 w/FS

If you want to try on a different brand of studio headphones, B&H Photo’s house brand Senal is offering the new condition SMH-100 closed over-ears for $45 with free US shipping until Sunday APR-7-2019 at 11:59pm eastern time.

These take the studio headphones more seriously than most, they can with removable twisted-lock cables, include two different cables (one short straight, one long coiled), replaceable earpads, and a 3-year warranty to boot.

April 7, 2019 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Friday (EU): Avantree Audio sale (stand, low latency, etc)

For EU audiophiles and anyone who can shop from the EU advantageously (eg currency fluctuations, forwarding service, friends/relatives there, etc), one of the Amazon Germany daily deals for Friday April 5 in 2019 is an Avantree Audio sale that includes their headphone stand with a “cable pool” for 15 euro, and their TV bluetooth headphones for 52 to 67 euro… They also have other bluetooth-audio related products, including a couple of low-latency transmitters/receivers… One of their TV headphones is BT low latency as well…

April 4, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: , ,

Stealth Sonics U2 IEMs for $200 [New Massdrop Arrival]

The March march [ha!] of new products continues in April at Massdrop with the debut (marked at their website with “New Arrival”] of the new condition Stealth Sonics U2 IEMs which have no relation to the Seattle SuperSonics or the Oklahoma ThunderSonics or the arena muzak band that goes by the name of U2 {meow! or betrayed Joshua Tree fan?}…

The price is $200 with free US shipping, with international shipping around $4 depending on location of course. They come with a 1-year manufacturer warranty {always a plus in the MD listings}, with two cables, three different kinds of eartips (total of seven pairs), a hard case, a pouch, extra faceplates, and more.

They will ship in early May 2019 from Massdrop. The offer runs for the next four days and change from blog-posting date [since Massdrop does not post an exact expiration time in their listings]…

April 4, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

TFZ Galaxy T2 IEMs for $40 [MD]

Sub-$50 chi-fi action once again at the Massdrop website. This time they are offering the new condition TFZ Galaxy T2 in-ears for $40 with free US shipping or sub $5 shipping internationally… Four color schemes are available to select during the checkout process over there… They come with eartips, a clip and a pouch…

There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. They will ship by Massdrop in late May 2019. The offer runs for the next three days and change from blog-posting date [Massdrop does not show a specific expiration time instead they show “X Days” or “X hours” left]…

April 4, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Thursday: 1-Year Stereophile print subscription for $10

Among the Thursday deals of the day at the Amazon USA Gold-Box there is a sale on print magazines. One of them is of potential audio interest, a 1-year print subscription with auto-renewal activated of Stereophile for the very specific price of $9.74…

April 4, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With:

Xiaomi Fan Festival sale includes five headphones

GearBest is running a Xiaomi Fan Festival sale, and they have five headphone options under the “Top Electronics” category [there’s no method to directly link to that category ~ just page down until you find it]. There’s usually a nearly-free shipping option, sometimes registered-mail sometimes unregistered.

The options are:

+ Xiaomi PRO HD (QTEJ02JY) in-ears for $28
+ Xiaomi QTEJ03JY hybrid dual drivers for $20

+ Mi bluetooth 4.1 foldable closed-back over-ears for $72

+ truly wireless LYEJ05LM for $16
+ bluetooth headset LYEJ02LM for $13

+ also: Xiaomi bluetooth audio receiver for $18

April 2, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Wednesday: Westone W80 (w/ALO, MFi, etc) for $749

Hide your e-wallets! Good until Wednesday at 11:59pm eastern (or earlier if sold out), you can get the new condition Westone W80 eight driver true-fit earphones with lots of included accessories in the original package (ALO Audio and MFi cables, etc, etc) for $749 with free US shipping at B&H Photo…

This is a balanced armature design, with the ALO Audio Reference 8 cable included in the original box, along with a 3-button MFi cable, four faceplate of different colors, two different cases, two different sets of eartips and more…

Optionally, for $50 more, you can get it bundled with the Weston bluetooth cable ~ click on the green “Build Bundle” button on the right hand side of the page (on a laptop screen), and/or you will be prompted by the offer in the shopping cart.

This item currently ships to the USA only, so if you are outside the US, use a forward service or have it shipped to a trusty friend/related…

April 2, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Audioengine D3 Portable DAC/Amp for $65 [MD]

More and more things are getting added. This time we have the Audioengine D3 Portable DAC/Amp going for $65 with free US shipping at the Massdrop website. International shipping appears to over around $4.

This will ship in late April 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the product listing. It comes with a carrying case and an adapter cable. It runs for the next four days and change [from blog-posting time here]…

April 1, 2019 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

BREAKING! Monoprice launches Monolith High-End Cassette Tape systems

UPDATE: April 3 (2019): with magic cables and centuries-long burn-ins, it may be a good idea to expicitly point out that this had been an April Fool’s Day joke by Monoprice for 2019 🙂

It is quite trend on Bandcamp, especially among lo-fi and noise-pop style bands to have their music not only available in digital, CD and vinyl BUT also a cassette tape.

So perhaps it is not surprise that today, April 1 (2019) Monoprice decided to reveal their brand new Monolith Cassette Tape series of audio products. As of the time of writing, there are three products with prices ranging from $200 to $1300.

The new products are doing very well in the initial reviews just posted at the Monoprice website 🙂

April 1, 2019 Filed Under: audio gear Tagged With: ,

Etymotic ER3-XR or ER3-SE for $145 each [MD]

Triple-flange fans, unite and take over! Good for the next four days and change (from blog-posting time) you can get the new condition Etymotic ER3-SE or ER3-XR for $145 each [or you can get both for $290, there’s no combined purchase discount] from Massdrop.

There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. They will ship from Massdrop in early May 2019. Free US shipping. International shipping appears to be under $5 ~ but I only test a small random sampling of countries because they are too many to test for each post 🙂

PS: the “XR” has a “mild bass boost” over the SE per the listing…

April 1, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

MEE Audio 2-Pin Bluetooth Cable for $35 [MD]

Non-magic cables also exist at Massdrop, such as this new drop, running for the next five days and change, it is the new condition MEE Audio 2-Pin Bluetooth Cable offered for $35 with free US shipping. International shipping is surprisingly higher than expected, around $10 for a tiny little cable 🙂

This is bluetooth 4.0, with IPX5 rating. It will ship in late April 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing…

March 31, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: , , ,

Sunday is World Back Up Day – backup your music, feed your DAPs!

The last day of March is “World Back Up Day” and a good opportunity to back-up your music, especially music that is hard to find on streaming services, or music that has rights issues and disappears from streaming service, bootlegs, high-resolution music, audiophile editions, and so forth.

Anyway, to celebrate this day, the Amazon US Gold Box is having a big storage sale with over two dozens of products, including microSDXC cards for your DAPs/PADs, internal and external hard drives for your music collections, SSDs if you prefer faster and high-resolution music, NASes (that’s not the plural form, is it?], and more!

Limit of two of each item per Amazon account. The sale ends on Monday at 3am eastern or earlier for any item that runs out…

March 31, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: ,

Monoprice portable DAC/amp w/THX AAA for $250, Bluetooth Receiver with apt-X for $40

One of the big bang Monoprice audiophile products is currently on sale, it is the new condition portable Monolith DAC/amp with THX AAA going for $250 instead of its standard price of $280…

Meanwhile the new condition Monoprice bluetooth streaming receiver with apt-X and NFC is on sale for $40 with free standard US shipping. It averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 80+ customer reviews at the Monorprice website… It receives music through the ether (the bluetooth receiver part) and outputs it either via 3.5mm or S/PDIF TosLink digital optical… A couple of audio cables (for the 3.5mm port) are included…

March 31, 2019 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Woot headphone sale includes Bose QC25 ANC Over-Ears for $160, Momentum IEMs for $50 to $60, Etc

Woot has long-running deals, in addition to their more famous daily deals. One such is a headphone sale that features 14 models and it is good for a few weeks unless a particular model sells-out (which happens often):

+ Sennheiser Momentum in-ears for $50
+ M2 (2nd generation) (iOS buttons) for $60

+ Bose QC25 ANC Over-Ears for $160
+ Bose case for QC15 for $14

+ Sony WH-1000X M2 ANC/BT over-ears for $290

+ Sennheiser HD 471G for $56
+ Sennheiser HD-205 II for $60

+ also Philips, Cowin, Gibson Sports, Skullcandy, and … “Batman vs Superman” 🙂

March 31, 2019 Filed Under: store sale Tagged With: ,

1More Quad Driver IEMs for $130

If you are fond of more drivers, the 1More Quad Driver in-ears are currently on sale for $130 in two listings at Amazon.com, one offered by Amazon actual, while the other listing is by a marketplace seller (fulfilled by Amazon) who includes some free accessories at the same price…

NOTE that multiple different models are included on the same root listing at Amazon, so the reviews and the review-score is an aggregate of all of them. You have to go through the reviews and filter them individually to find the reviews for this quad model…

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With:

Budget find: 1-to-5 3.5mm splitter ships from China under $2

We have a budget find. If you don’t mind waiting, GearBest is offering this 1-to-5 3.5mm audio splitter for under $2 delivered. IT takes one 3.5mm audio input and has five 3.5 audio outputs. A basic 3.5mm audio cable is included so you can connect it to a music source. The headphones (should) have their one 3.5mm plugs 🙂

Note that this is unpowered, so the sound will be affected depending on which and how many headphones you connect to. I’m sure some can do the equations to figure it out ahead of time. I can’t [yet] 🙂

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: ,

$10 off $40+ purchases at HD Tracks

Good until April Fool’s Day at 11:59pm eastern time, coupon code HD10BUCKS gets you a $10 off discount on the purchase of digital music of $40+ at the HD Tracks website. Better yet, the coupon can be used multiple times during this promotional window, so if you are planning big purchases, try to organize them in chunks of $40s 🙂

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: music Tagged With: ,

Homage Earphones to Galaxy S8 for $2 shipped [from China]

If you are not in a hurry to receive them, about $2 get you a pair of earphones that appear to be an homage of the Samsung Galaxy S8 earphones. Unregistered shipping is almost free.

Being a Galaxy homage, they have a 3-button Android remote (along with a mic). They average 4.61 out of 5 based on 260+ customer reviews. As far as I can tell, you only get the earphones, no eartips or other accessories included. Well, it’s $2 after all 🙂

These are part of a GearBest.com weekend sale…

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With:

Saturday: Feed your DAPs with 512GB PNY microSDXC

Good until Sunday at 3am eastern, the Amazon Gold USA is having a PNY storage-related sale. Of DAP/PAD interest, they have 512GB PNY microSDXC cards going for $110 (Elite) to $120 (PRO Elite)… They also have full-size SD cards from 64GB to 512GB, along with a vast variety of USB flash drives, sold individually or in 5-packs or in 50-packs. Might as well send them by the pound 🙂

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: accessories Tagged With: ,

Marantz MPH-1 Closed Over-Ears for $30

Good until Sunday at 8am eastern (or earlier if sold out) you can get the new condition Marantz MPH-1 closed-back over-ears as the Musician’s Friend Stupid deal of the day. These are studio-ish style headphones and looking at them it reminds me of some Tascam/CAD models, but I haven’t mapped them out yet…

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Saturday: Jaybird Run True Wireless for $130

The headliner among the Best Buy deals du jour for Saturday 3/30/19 is the new condition Jaybird Run True Wireless offered for $130 with free shipping or free store pickup where available…

As fate would have it, we have a text & pictures unboxing of these truly-wireless.

I’m planning to plan how to start posting more content (unboxings, reviews, new headphone talk, etc), but I’m still in the planning stages 🙂

March 30, 2019 Filed Under: truly wireless Tagged With: , ,

Sony WIC-400/L neckband bluetooth earphones for $20 w/FS

For a limited time, as part of a spring time eBay featured-sale, eBay seller “1 Shop Direct 305” is offering the new condition Sony WIC-400/L neckband earphones for $20 with free US shipping with up to three pairs per customer at the sale price. These are bluetooth models with NFC… Optionally you can add a 3-year Square-Trade protection plan for +$2…

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: neckband earphones Tagged With: , ,

Fearless Audio S4 IEMs for $280, S6 for $380 [MD]

IEM fans, unite and take over! Yet another option is now running at Massdrop ~ for the next three days and change from posting time. It is the new condition Fearless Audio IEMs. Three options are offered: the S4 for $280 and the S6 is available in two differently-tuned variants (audiophile or “lively music”) for $380 each.

These will ship in mid-April from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing but at least you get 12 pairs (!!!) of ear tips with them 🙂

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Monoprice 8323 with Bluetooth Over-Ears for $23 w/FS

If you are looking for a budget or utilitarian type of a bluetooth headphone and with free shipping to boot, for a limited time, the Monoprice website is offering the new condition 8323 with bluetooth for $23 with free US standard shipping. Up to twenty pairs per customer at the sale price. This is based on the good old 8323 closed-back over-ears, with the addition of bluetooth (supports apt-X as well).

On the other hand, if you are a fan of wired in-ears, they also have a limited time sale on the new condition HR-3 Triple Driver IEMs for $45 with free standard US shipping.

Also continuing is their Quarter End sale that includes some of their more audiophile-friendly headphones:

  • M600 open over-ears for $90
  • M560 open over-ear planars for $170
  • M1060 open over-ear planars for $250
  • M300 planar earphones for $100
  • various other items on sale as well
March 29, 2019 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Focal Elear Open Over-Ears for $549

IF you are looking to get the open-back over-ear Focal Elear in new condition, as of the time of writing, Amazon actual is offering them for $549 per pair. You can buy as many as you like at the price. This is not a lightning deal, so there’s no public expiration date…

FOCAL has multiple options these days on the open-back front and of course the competition is not sitting idly either. Check your favorite forums and websites if you need ideas on what to pick and what to avoid…

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

EU fans: Massdrop begins shipping audio gear from within the EU

Are you an audiophile in the EU and want to get some of the Massdrop exclusive headphones and DAC/amps but don’t want to pay so much more and wait longer? It looks like your prayers have been answered because Masdrop has just launched a European shipping test…

[Read more…]

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: general topics Tagged With:

Creative Labs SX-FI DAC/amp bundled with Aurvana SE Over-Ears for $140 [MD]

Everybody’s jumping on the Massdrop hype train, including Creative Labs [now just “Creative”] with their Super X-Fi technology. Their new condition SX-FI DAC/amp is currently fully unlocked for $140 with free US shipping for the next five days and change from posting time. International shipping hovers around $5.

But this is not just a DAC/amp. This bundle also includes the Aurvana SE closed-back over-ear headphones, based on a Fostex-the-people design [okay, Fostex design; sorry, I can’t resist]. They have 32 ohm impedance and 40mm drivers.

Massdrop will ship these orders in late April 2019. There is no mention of warranty in the product listing over there…

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Friday Headsets: Logitech G230 for $25, G633 Artemis for $60

Amazon USA has Logitech on its mind for their Friday daily deals as a Logitech PC accessories sale headlines the day’s deals du jour. Of headphone interest, they have the G633 Artemis Spectrum gaming headset on sale for $60, and the more budget G230 for $25… Keyboards and mice dominate the rest of the sales, including the (indispensable?) Anywhere I and II mice.

PS: practice Spelling Bee word: indispensable! There are so many i/e/a/c traps in this word 🙂

March 29, 2019 Filed Under: headset Tagged With: ,

Three Month Free Trial of YouTube Music Premium

Skullcandy is offering its VIP fans a three month free trial of the new YouTube Music Premium service. After the first three months, your account will be charged unless you manually cancel it. This offer is only available to new users of the service, ones who did not previously used a trial or had been a member. If so, you may be offered a 1-month free trial or no free trial at all.

[Read more…]

March 28, 2019 Filed Under: music apps Tagged With: ,

EU: OKCSC M2 Open Over-Ears for 62 euro

Sub-$100 headphones in Europe are harder to find than the US market (there’s no Grade for one thing and AT prices are higher), but if you are willing to boldly go with a chi-fi brand instead, as of the time of writing, Amazon Germany itself is offering the new condition OKCSC M2 Open-Back Over-Ears for 62 euro with free German shipping. The in-stock estimate of this is April 4 in 2019.

This headphone has a bit of everything, some wood on the earcups, a detachable cable, and 57mm drivers. There are seven good gallery pictures over there to give you a good visual feel for it. Judging by the last picture, it comes with a zippered case (I think).

I haven’t seen or touched or listened to it. The search-engines are your best online friends 🙂

March 27, 2019 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Crutchfield Outlet sale (up to 40% off)

It’s sale time, the Crutchfield Outlet store is having a sale, featuring up to 40% off on the items featured there. These are not like those rando sales on eBay: items include a manufacturer warranty, are inspected/tested, get 60-day returns from Crutchfield and lifetime tech support. So if you are comparing prices, factor all these benefits in the price as well. For example, there are 45 items in the Over-Ears category…

March 27, 2019 Filed Under: audio gear

Little Dot Mark III for $200, SE for $460 [MD]

It’s a Little Dot that leaves a big dent in the wallet 🙂 Running for the next four days and change at Massdrop is a sale on new condition Little Dot Mark III headphone amps. The base edition goes for $200, while the SE (Special Edition) goes for $460. They have two input tubes and two output tubes.

The SE is balanced and has more power among other things. These will ship in mid-May 2019 from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing…

March 26, 2019 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,