we find good deals for you!
For DAP fans (phones as DAPs), good until Saturday 1/30/21 at 11:59pm central time [or earlier if sold out] you can get the new condition unlocked LG V30 US998 smartphone for $200 with a 1-year LG warranty. Up to three per customer at the sale price.
This is the silver color scheme with 4GB RAM, 64GB on-board storage (and microSD slot), 3.5mm headphone jack of course, Snapdragon 835, USB-C, etc, etc, etc…
The Thursday 11/19/20 deals at Woot have a couple of Android smartphone offers of headphone interest:
+ Sony WH-1000XM3 ANC/BT over-ears bundled with the new condition Sony Xperia 1 [SD 855] unlocked former-flagship smartphone for $550; with Sony warranty
+ the Xperia 1 supports LDAC, AAC, and apt-X HD per the PDF file specs linked-to from Woot
+ LG G8 ThinQ with Alexa for $350
+ the PDF file linked-to from Woot that has the specs says this has a 32-bit Quad DAC, and MQA decoder
+ I’ve lost track which LG phones have quad DACs, so be sure to research it to your satisfaction if you are not sure
On the PAD side of things, for Saturday 4/24/20, one of the Best Buy deals du jour is on the new condition unlocked LG V40 smartphone. You pay $250 IF you activate it (with a carrier) when you place the order, or $300 if you do not activate it when you buy it.
Either way, it is unlocked, it’s just that Best Buy is giving you a $50 discount if you activate it with a carrier because they are probably getting a cut from the carrier and they are sharing it with you [or something like that].
The nice thing about the LG V-series phones is that their model number rhymes with the Snapdragon model-name second-digit, so the V40 uses the 845, the V50 the 855, the V60 the 866, and so forth. The exception being the V35 which uses the 845, and you have to do some rounding for the V10 (SD 808) 🙂
Lots of audio options are available in the April 17 in 2020 deals of the day at the Best Buy website. They are:
+ Sennheiser Momentum truly wireless for $180
+ Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 PRO truly wireless for $130
+ MEE Audio BTR bluetooth audio receiver for $25
+ on the smartphones with a headphone jack front, there are various offers on the new condition Samsung Galaxy S10e, with the lower prices on the carrier-versions. Some of them also get a $50 Best Buy e-gift-card. Per the listing this includes in the phone’s box “AKG tuned” earphones.
+ the $60 ION bluetooth speaker type thing is sold out
It’s PAD time! Good until Saturday 4/4/20 at 11:59pm eastern, B&H Photo is offering the new condition unlocked LG V40 ThinQ smartphone for $330 with free US shipping…
This is now two flagships behind (the latest flagship is the V60 which is about to roll out), so it has the Snapdragon 845 processor, with 6GB of RAM, 64GB of on-board storage and a microSD slot (up to a theoretical 2TB, to fill up with music). It also has the newer Bluetooth 5.0, IP68, Quick Charge 3.0, USB Type C, etc.
And of course on main audio interest is the 32-bit Quad DAC…
Betrayed by Samsung, headphone jack fans can say goodbye to the Note 10, and can mayhaps hold on to the Galaxy Note 9 which is the most recent (and previous generation model) that has a 3.5mm headphone jack. And as fate would have it, the factory unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is on sale for $650 in the 128GB edition or $840 in the 512GB edition (FLAC fans unite and takeover) as one of the Amazon Deals of the day for Tuesday December 3 in 2019.
Up to three devices per customer at the sale price (ends 11:59pm pacific time or earlier if sold out). Three is also the number of colors the phone is available in. Unlike the Note 10, there was just one Note 9. This is sold and shipped by Amazon actual, so no worries about the warranty…
PADs, PADs, PADs on a budget! Good until Wednesday 7/3/18 at 11:59pm central (or earlier if sold out), Woot Electronics is offering the refurbished LG V20 Android smartphone for $100 with free shipping for Prime members or $6 flat calendar-day shipping for non-members. Limit up to three per customer.
This is a 4GB RAM with 64GB on-board model with microSD slot as well, and of course the famous V-series DAC/amp technology. It is the Verizon model with its GSM unlocked so you can also use it as a smartphone on Verizon or your favorite GSM provider (check bands if there are issues in your area).
It comes with a 90-day Woot warranty. NOTE that this is a “scratch and dent” refurbished, so if you are a perfectionist, you may want to avoid it 🙂
MEANWHILE if you scoot on over to “Computers”, there, their daily deal is a 3-pack of Samsung 64GB microSD cards for $30 total…
You don’t have to spend the big bucks if you want to get a solid Android phone with good audio/phile innards and with a big screen to boot when you are watching music videos or concerts or when you want to use elaborate equalization curves.
All that brings us to the refurbished scratch and dent LG V20 (unlocked) offered for $100 with free shipping for Prime members [or $6 flat shipping for non-members] and with a 90-day Woot warranty. Limit up to three per customer at the sale price.
As a refresher, this has the Quad DAC, a headphone jack, 4GB RAM, 64GB on-board and microSD storage, removable battery, USB-C, 5.7-inch screen, Snapdragon 820, Adreno 530, etc. This came out in the Fall of 2016.
Speaking of daily deals, the Best Buy website offers the new condition MEE Matrix Cinema Wireless Over Ears for $90 with free US shipping or free store pick up if possible.
The above offers end on Saturday 6/8/19 at 11:59pm central time ~ or earlier if they sell out…
For Monday in the pacific time zone, among the daily deals at NewEGG, you can get the new condition LG V30+ (model LS998) for $399 with free shipping from marketplace seller BREED [a rather unfortunate seller name if you ask me]. This phone of course is of PAD interest. PAD being “phones as DAPs”. With its famed quad DAC, 128GB of on-board storage that can fit plenty of digital music and streaming downloads, along with a microSD card, 6-inch screen and Snapdragon 835 that should be able to handle music and video apps for years to come, and IP68 water/dust-proofness to survive life as a DAP, and such…
It’s PAD time once again! Among the Monday deals of the day at Amazon you can get the new condition factory unlocked LG V30+ smartphone for $400 with free shipping, sold and shipped by marketplace seller BREED. Being the “+” model, it comes with 128GB of storage, so if you prefer to store your music on-board or use high-capacity formats (WAV, etc), then it’s a plus. This being a V-series of course, it is well-known for its quad DAC and such…
PS: I am tempted to get one of the V30* models as a PAD and turn it into a universal music and music-video player since my Fiio and Clips can’t stream or play videos…
There are two headphone-related offers at the B&H Daily Deals running until Wednesday at 11:59pm eastern (or earlier if any of them happens to sellout ahead of time).
We start with the earphones, they are earbuds, of the neckband type. IT is the new condition Sennheiser PMX 684i In-Ear Neckband Sports earbuds with iOS remote control buttons for $20 with free shipping.
Next up, on the PADs front (Phones as DAPs), the new condition factory unlocked LG V30S ThinQ Smartphone (128GB onboard) is offered for $600 with free shipping with two different color options to pick from. This was among the last Snapdragon 835 smartphones with a headphone jack [the latest models have the 845], with 128GB of on-board storage plus microSD slot for even more FLACs and WAVs and such, Android 8.0, 6″ screen, a solid 6GB RAM which should be more than enough for all your music streaming and equalizing and visualizing needs, Bluetooth 5.0, apt-X HD, FM radio, USB Type C version 3.1, and so forth. And of course the famous V-series DAC technology.
For a limited time, New York’s B&H Photo is offering the new condition factory unlocked LG V30S ThinQ smartphone for $680 with free expedited shipping. It is available in two color schemes. It comes with a 1-year warranty out of the box, but if you register it with LG, you get a second year of warranty coverage!
The LG V-series is praised for its audio components, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike certain other flagship smartphone lines. The nice screen is also a plus if you like to watch a lot of music videos or concerts on it! Note though that this uses the Snapdragon 835, while the brand new flagships are using the newer 845.
It comes with 128GB of on-board storage, which may be more than enough for some music collections if you also utilize a lot of music streaming, but if you need more, it also takes microSD cards up to a theoretical 2TB.
If you like a more compact Android phone as your “Phone as DAP” (PAD), and you prefer new condition and factory unlocked with a previous-generation flagship Snapdragon, and you like your PAD to support LDAC, the new condition “Sony XZ1 Compact” is on sale for $370 with free shipping by Amazon actual in the black color scheme with up to four per customer at the sale price. This is an old fashioned sale, not a lightning deal.
It supports LDAC, has a Snapdragon 835, 4.6″ display (yes, under 5 inches!), 4GB RAM, 32GB on-board, GSM, Android Oreo, USB-C charging, QC 3.0, AND a headphone jack!
From the “PADs” department (Phones as DAPs”), the official Honor Store is offering for a limited time the Honor 7X phone along with the Honor bluetooth earphones for $225, or you can add the Band 3 wearable to the bundle and pay $254 instead. This has a 3.5mm headphone jack, 18:9 display (think playlist editing), 32GB on-board storage and microSD (up to 256GB), microUSB, Bluetooth 4.1 with LE (Low Energy), etc…
For a limited time, the Google Play store is offering these two for-pay music player apps for FREE! These are the pro versions without the ads. As long as you get them or install them before the free promotion ends, they are yours to keep without the ads.
They are the Elite Music PRO player by Bugga software with over 10,000 downloads, and the OneAmp PRO from the same company with similar download numbers.
Speaking of music, the Scale Logic app by Daliance is also free for a limited time. Move over pink and white noise, here comes the major and minor scale burn-in party 🙂
If you are not tempted by the new AI version of the LG V30, the one with the goofy name of “ThinQ” revealed at MWC 2018 [yes, it has a headphone jack], Verizon Wireless is having a $300 off trickle-monthly promotion on the new condition LG V30 if you buy it on a 24-month installment plan. The monthly price will be $22.50 and at the end of the 24 months, you own the phone. That’s because the discount is applied monthly, instead of up front. That makes it $540 for the phone with ownership at the end of the 24 month cycle.
If you want to buy the phone upfront, it doesn’t look like it’s eligible for the $300 off discount. This is only a good deal if you plan to have Verizon Wireless service in the next 24 months.
From the “Phones as DAPs” department, if you are looking for a double figures Android DAP without breaking the bank, the refurbished HTC One M8 is offered as a “Scratch & Dent” for $90 at part of the longer running Woot deals, this one is good until March 1st (or earlier if sold out). Limit up to ten per customer.
This is a Verizon + GSM unlocked phone, with 2GB RAM, 32GB on-board and microSD card (of particular music interest obviously), Snapdragon 801, 5 inch screen, etc. It comes with a 90-day Woot warranty.
Shipping is free for Prime members (must login to Woot with our Amazon Prime account), otherwise it’s the usual $5 flat for everything you buy during the central time zone calendar day.
If you want a quad DAC in your Android smartphone but for one reason or another don’t want the LG V30, there is now a US warranty alternative, the LG G6+, new condition, factory unlocked, with USA warranty, in the Amazon Prime Exclusive version dropping from $520 to $470 with free Prime shipping.
This went for $500 before Amazon removed the Lockscreen Ads from their “Prime Exclusive” phones and increased their price by $20 to $520. So now it’s down $50 (or down $30 from the previous previous price) but without lockscreen ads.
Limit one per customer at the moment. The shipping estimate is currently a variable “1 to 2 months”. Amazon tends to be conservative on the estimates (so as not to over-promise something they can’t deliver on time), but still, if you want this by a specific time in the near future, there are no guarantees for delivery when you need/want it! So keep that in mind.
Starting today (February 7 in 2018), Amazon is no longer selling their Prime Exclusive phones with Lockscreen and other Ads. Instead they are sold ad-free. Their prices went up by $20 since yesterday to counter the ad removal. Of audio interest, the LG G6+ with its Quad DAC and 128GB on-board storage is now going for $520 with free shipping. This is a US warranty model, unlocked, and working with US carriers. Only Prime members can buy them.
From the “Phones as DAPs” department, especially if you are looking to get both a new phone and a new DAP, the new condition, factory unlocked, with USA warranty LG V30 is currently on sale for $675 with free shipping in the cloud silver color scheme at B&H Photo. You can also get a second year of warranty by registering the product online with LG.
Considering all the specs of this model, it can be used as a DAP long after it may be considered too old to be your main phone. The Quad DAC, 64GB onboard and microSD, Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 18:9 (easier playlist management), 802.11ac, NFC, FM radio, IP68, Qi charging, are more than good enough to handle music streaming apps for many years to come.
LG G6+ for $500 with Prime Lockscreen Ads
If you want a Quad DAC, but prefer a slightly smaller screen and slightly smaller price, Amazon is offering the Prime exclusive LG G6+ for $500. You will get Amazon Lockscreen Offers and Ads, which is why you pay a lower price. The G6+ model has the quad DAC in the US version, with 128GB on-board storage, microSD, 4GB RAM, Snapdragon 821, 18:9 screen, IP68, and so forth.
I haven’t used any of Amazon’s “Lockscreen Ads” phones/tablets, so I don’t know how annoying or helpful they can be [helpful if you are an Amazon bargain hunter]. The ads on the Kindle e-book readers are not annoying and occasionally useful [in finding deals], but e-ink screens limit the type of advertising, while smartphones have a lot more [annoying] ads options 🙂
Seller Refurbished LG V20 for $210
If you want an even better price, the LG V20 is offered seller refurbished for $210 with free shipping by eBay seller “Guarantee Cellular” (96.3%, Brooklyn) is Titan or Silver color schemes. This is a higher risk purchase, but they offer a 30 day guarantee. Still if you hate the idea of having to return something, you may want to avoid this. Over 480 units have been sold from this listing so far.
From the “Phones as DAPs” department, especially if you want one for a big enough screen to watch music videos or music performances, eBay seller Guaranteeee Cellular is offering the seller refurbished LG V20 for $230 with free shipping and 30-day returns and a 60-day seller warranty.
It is available in two color schemes. This is the Verizon version with unlocked GSM. Check bands and such if you are planning to use it as a phone as well. Given the screen size and specs, you can also use it as an in-home/in-office mini-tablet.
Seller refurbished is a higher risk than manufacturer refurbished, as you rely on the seller to stand behind their work. That’s why the price is lower, so that’s a trade-off some are willing to make.
In addition to the praised DAC/Audio module, this has other music-playback friendly features, such as 64GB on-board plus microSD (up to 256GB), 4GB RAM, a previous generation flagship processor (so it won’t have problem using music/streaming apps for many years), 5.7-inch screen, etc.
PS: I have now began putting the “Phones as DAPs” under the Digital Audio Players category
From the “Phones as DAPs” department, the well-regarded LG V30 is now on sale for $675 with free shipping, factory unlocked, with USA warranty at B&H Photo, a very reputable online and B&M dealer.
Of audio interest, in addition to the well-regarded DAC/amp, this has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of on-board storage, a Snapdragon 835, a microSD slot, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, 802.11ac, water/dust-proof, headphone jack, USB-C charging/connector, and more. All these means it will be able to keep up with music streaming apps for many years to come, and it has the latest Bluetooth version and fast Wifi.
For the Android music player fans, the Adblocker (ad remover) for the NRG Player is currently FREE for a limited time on Google Play. The price before this promotion was $5. This is the unlocker (ad remover). To play music, you also need to install the main NRG Player app.
Also free during this promotion is their Robo Skin and Car Skin.
For a limited time only, Google Play is offering the otherwise not-free PowerAudio Pro Music Player for FREE. It goes for $0.99 typically.
Another music app, the PlayerPro Music Player is on sale for $2, instead of its usual price of $4.
If you are looking for a Phone as a DAP, the good old HTC M8, a Verizon unlocked phone, in the red color scheme (which makes it loom more DAP-ish than phone-ish) is on sale for $75 with free shipping in seller refurbished condition by eBay seller “Guarantee Cellular” with a 60-day seller warranty. The other colors are sold out.
Android phones, even older ones, are typically better suited at dealing with music and streaming apps than Android DAPs since the DAP manufacturer have nowhere near the same level of Android experience as a phone manufacturer (other things equal).
The M8 has a microSD slot, it marks the re-embrace of the microSD card by HTC after the M7. HTC was also among the first to abandon the headphone jack, so they may be among the first to do the mea culpa 🙂
The M8, M9 and M10 all have a headphone jack. The HTC U11 abandoned it.
On the “Phones as DAPs” front, the current LG flagship, the new condition with USA warranty V30 phone with all its state of the art phone audio features has a special promotion until 12/13/17 at Verizon Wireless. If you purchase it with a 24-month installment plan, you will get a $300 off discount on its current price of $840. You will pay $540 for it, divided over 24 months, making it a $22.50/month installment. You own the phone at the end of the 24 months, this is not a confused Sprint lease plan 🙂 On approved credit and all that good stuff.
During the Black Friday and Cyber Monday festivities, the HTC website has dropped the price of their U11 smartphone (no headphone jack) to $599 factory unlocked with USA warranty BUT they are also including for free the JBL Aware C USB-C earphones. The product page there just mentions “FREE JBL earphones”, it’s when you add the U11 phone to the shopping cart that you see more details about the free JBL USB-C earphones.
Here’s a screenshot of the shopping cart with more details on the earphone:
The eBay listing for this is over…
The LG V30 was just announced, with a price expected to be somewhere between the Galaxy S8+ and the Note 8. But if you want a smartphone with some quality audio and don’t need to have the latest and greatest model, the previous generations of the LG V-series are dropping in price as follows:
+ certified refurbished LG V10 (Unlocked T-Mobile model) for $180 by marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible)
+ certified refurbished LG V20 (T-Mobile) for $290
+ new condition, USA model with USA warranty LG V30 (Titan Grey) for $390
We call using smartphones as digital audio players PADs (Phones As DAPs). You can get something like a Fiio X1 [text unboxing here] for under $100, so why would you need a smartphone?
One reason is because you want to use music subscription services, and phones are better at running Android apps than the few DAPs that are running GooglePLAY Android.
Another reason is because you also want to use the smartphone as a phone, or use it for various other purposes, eg as a media remote control at home, a bedtime Wifi device (so you don’t eat up your daily driver phone’s battery or sleep with an AC charging cable next to your head), and so forth…
More on this in a future post.
On Amazon, “Certified Refurbished”, when indicated so on the product listing, is a program run by Amazon that offers refurbished products that include a minimum 90-day warranty, and a charger or cable (that may or may not be original). More details at the Certified Refurbished Home page.
Amazon only allows some sellers to participate in this, so in theory, you would have more leverage in case of warranty issues, because if a seller is playing games with you, you can call Amazon’s customer service and complain, and if they are caught mistreating customers, they can lose their status in the “certified refurbished” program, or even get booted off the program.
If you want to get the LG V20 but don’t want to be hogtied to a cellular carrier and don’t want to risk buying used or seller-refurbished on eBay, there’s another option, you can get the 64GB LG V20 in new condition, in the titan color scheme, factory unlocked and with LG USA warranty for $500 at B&H Photo. It comes with a 30-day return policy as well.
This being factory unlocked and able to work on GSM and CDMA networks, it will likely fetch a price if/when you decide to sell it later on. Only a small percentage of smartphones out there are “all-carrier phones”.
Of headphone/music interest of course is the Quad DAC, 64GB on-board storage, microSD slot, 4GB RAM so you can run various music apps, nice screen for music videos (eg YouTube Music app), removable battery, Android 7, etc.
On the “Phones as DAPs” front, for the more adventurous shoppers, eBay Seller “Cellular Stream” (98.2%, Lincolnshire), is offering “New – Other” condition of the Sprint-locked LG V20 smartphone, model LS997, for $300 with free shipping. Limit up to five per buyer.
Cellular-wise, you can only use it on Sprint and any of the Sprint-approved MVNOs (Ting, FreedomPOP, etC). It is LOCKED to Sprint. It comes with a 30-day warranty from the seller, no LG warranty. The LS997 is the Sprint-designated model (see Tech Walls or use your favorite search engine).
Per the listing, you get the phone, the battery, the OEM LG charger, and a USB-C cable. No original box, nothing else included. The listing promises a Clean ESN.
If you are planning to use it strictly as a Wifi-only DAP and Media Player (5.7″ screen and microSD card along with 64GB on-board storage and 4GB RAM), then the cellular part is not as important. However, this being Sprint-locked, it means (other things equal) that if you decide to sell it in the future, it will fetch less than a GSM-unlocked model would.
Also, since you are only getting a 30-day seller warranty, this increases the risk. All of these factors, along with the seller’s feedback score, contribute to this being offered for $300 instead of a lot more.
If any of the above does not make you comfortable, DO NOT BUY!
The third generation Fiio X5 Android-powered but dual-OS digital audio player was one of the products that stood out during the CES 2017 cycle, and now, if you want to get in line to get it, as a boldly-going early adopter, you can pre-order it for $400 at authorized dealer Adorama.com. Your credit card will be charged after it ships. There is no shipping estimate at the moment. Orders will be sent out on a first-come first-served basis.
The Pioneer XDP-100R-K digital audio player is offered in new condition for $300 with free shipping by Electronics Expo (East Coast B&M retailer) thru NewEgg and also through NewEgg Flash. This DAP has both 32GB of internal storage, and two microSD slots (up to 200GB cards per slot). A variety of features, including a built-in speaker, and a 720p touchscreen. This is an Android-based device with Google Play support and a Snapdragon Krait 400 quad-core processor with Adreno 330.
The JBL Coach E40 bluetooth on-ear headphones appear to be NewEgg’s favorite smartphone bundle. Earlier on they were bundled with a ZTE Axon, now they are bundled with the Huawei Honor 8 Dual Camera smartphone, together for $300 with free shipping. This is an unlocked phone with 32GB storage, USA warranty. They also include a few more phone accessories for free.
It’s bundle time! The closed-back on-ear JBL Coach E40 bluetooth headphones, in a Limited Edition Pink-Black color scheme is bundled for FREE with the new condition unlocked no-contract 64GB ZTE Axon 7 Android smartphone with North American warranty, for $350 with free shipping at NewEgg by NewEgg actual. Limit up to five bundles per customer… No coupons, no rebates, a welcome surprise for NewEgg :)… Upon receipt, you can split them and they can make two gifts for the price of one 🙂
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