The audiophile closed-back Sony MDR-1A over-ear headphones are currently available in “Used – Good” condition for $195 by seller “Blinq” and for $220 by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.
Used Philips Fidelio X2 for $240
The Philips Fidelio X2 has been steadily in-stock for a few weeks now, and that means some of them are making the rounds in the used market. With a new condition price of $300, as of the time of writing, there are multiple used listings at (and by) Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). The “Good condition” goes for $240, the “Used – Very Good” for $255, and “Used – Like New” for $270. All these are by AWD actual, not marketplace sellers.
Even if $240 is not a good price for you now, with so many listings (there’s two pages of them!), it is possible (but not guaranteed by any means) that market-driven forces will drive the used prices further down.
PS: please note the prices are as of blog-posting time. Amazon Warehouse Deals prices change more often, and the prices in the blog-post cannot update on their own automatically.
Massdrop Unlocked: Fostex TH-900 for $1116
A new round of offers are up at members-only Massdrop. As of the time of writing, the Fostex TH-900 headphones are fully unlocked for $1116 shipped, with the offer expiring in about seven days from today (today being blog-post date, not the date you are reading this).
Also added but not fully unlocked, with the same seven days from today expiration period are the following three items:
- TTPOD T1S IEM as low as $32.55 shipped
- SMSL M8 as low as $180 shipped
- CEntrance DACmini CX Amp/DAC as low as $400 shipped
Please note I can’t keep track of individual offers as the days go by, that is up to you if you find any items that are of interest. You can only see the offers at the Massdrop website if you are logged on with a free-to-get account. Otherwise the links point to their empty home page. Since most people don’t have a Massdrop account, posting dead links would frustrate the majority of people reading this, so I am not posting any links.
Massdrop unlocked: Audeze LCD-2 and Violectric HPA V200 for $1608
Hide your wallets, delete your digital wallets! Temptation is coming 😉 Fully unlocked at members-only Massdrop is the Audeze LCD-2 and Violectric HPA V200 amp combination offered for $1608 shipped. This listing closes in about seven days from today (today being the blog-post date, not the date you read this). This will ship early May, so keep that in mind if you need them right away.
Sennheiser HD 558 for $105
The open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 558 headphones (middle child of the three sibling line-up) is currently on sale for $105 (was $100) with free shipping at Amazon.com (limit 3) and at Best Buy (free shipping or pick up at store).
At the Great River, it averages 4.6 out of 5 based on 510+ customer reviews, and if you are curious about it, it has 110+ questions answered.
Sennheiser HD 600 for $260 [limit 5]
Fire up your amps and DACs! The new condition Sennheiser HD 600 open-back over-ear headphones are currently on sale for $260 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer by Focus Camera on eBay.
Massdrop: Shure SE846 unlocked for $780 (and many more not yet)
At members only shopping club Massdrop.com (you have to login over there in order to see the offers but it is free to get an account), the Shure SE 846 in-ears are fully unlocked for $780 with free shipping. This is the lowest price under this particular offer. It ends in about seven days from today, with today being blog-posting date, not the date you are reading this.
A few more items are live at Massdrop with a 6-7 day expiration from today, but none of them are fully unlocked as of the time of writing. Here they are:
- Fostex TH-600 as low as $520
- Sony MDR-1A as low as $250
- MEElectronics A151P (2nd gen) as low as $36
- iBasso DX90 as low as $335
- Mayflower Electronics CMOY amp as low as $72
In-stock: Grado GR10e for $400 (authorized)
As of the time of writing, the new Grado GR10e in-ears are in-stock and ready to ship by 4OurEars thru Amazon.com. The order is fulfilled by Amazon, so it is eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping. 4OurEars is the official Grado store, I don’t know why they don’t call it the Grado Store, as some people may not be aware, but that’s another story. 4OurEars is the only seller offering these at Amazon at the moment, no marketplace or other sellers.
[DEAD] Sennheiser HD 518 for $60 [limit 5]
This particular sale ended but the HD 5xx series appears to be on discounted and on sale on a recurring basis (but I don’t know when and how much)…
[Read more…]
Used Sony MDR-Z7 headphones for $370
If the new condition sale price of $510 is still too high, and you are comfortable with used headphones, the Sony MDR-Z7 currently have a “Used – Acceptable” condition listing for $370 by Amazon Warehouse Deals. Supplies may be limited, so it might be gone by the time you read this blog-post (you can also subscribe to the RSS feed for the latest updates).
Sony MDR-Z7 headphones for $510 (limit 3)
The audiophile Sony MDR-Z7 headphones are currently on sale for $510 with free shipping, with a limit of three per customer at Amazon.com by Amazon actual. You must add to the shopping cart in order to see the sale price. This is a limited time offer but I don’t know when it expires.
Massdrop adds DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp
Another desktop amp is offered at members-only Massdrop, the DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp could go as low as $235 shipped, with six days left (from blog-posting date) on this offer.
Meanwhile two popular closed-back over-ear entry-audiophile headphones continue to be unlocked (lowest price possible), the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro for $165 shipped (ends in two days from blog-posting date), and the AKG K553 studio for $140 shipped, with the possibility of the price dropping to $120 shipped if over 1000 units are committed through this offer (800 commits as of the time of writing, so it’s getting close).
Massdrop: Shure SE535s, SoundMagic WP10, PortaPros
A new round of offers is up at Massdrop, including the Shure SE535 IEMs with the lowest price being $380 shipped if this offer becomes fully unlocked (five days left as of blog-posting date). For wireless non-bluetooth over-ear fans, the SoundMAGIC WP10 Wireless could go as low as $200 shipped. Last but not least, the Koss Portapro Headphones have the lowest price possible being $33 shipped. However, if you don’t need these right away, every few weeks, they go on sale for $25 at Amazon. As of the time of writing, none of these three are fully unlocked. They expire in 5-7 days from today (today being the blog-posting date, not the date you are reading this).
Philips X2 in-stock NOW (or USED for $270 now)
There is some movement on the Philips X2 availability front. There are multiple used units in-stock at Amazon Warehouse Deals with prices starting at $270 in “Used – Good” condition and going higher for better condition.
Great news for new condition as of 3/31/15, it is in-stock now, and ready to ship, at Amazon.com by Amazon actual at its regular price of $300. Limit five per buyer! Mayhaps they should have a lower limit so “resellers” don’t buy them and then sell them for crazy prices on eBay. This would give “real customers” a chance to buy them. And create more happy Amazon customers.
Massdrop exclusive AKG K553 unlocked for $140
The members-only (but free to join up) shopping club Massdrop continues their relationship with AKG with another exclusive model, the K553 Studio headphones, and they are currently offered for $140 with free shipping. This is the fully unlocked price. As the model name suggests, this is a closed-back headphone. This offer has a limit of 2400 units. As of the time of writing, 97 of them got sold. Offer ends in about seven days from today (today = blog posting date).
[DEAD] In-stock (USED condition): Philips X2 for $279
As of 3/24/15 at 2:30am ET, the used options by AWD are sold out again… If you are comfortable with used headphones and you can’t wait a few more weeks, the Philips X2 over-ear open-back headphones are available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $279 at Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) by AWD actual. The new condition price is $300 with Amazon’s release estimate being “2-5 weeks”.
Used (open box) Hifiman HE-6 for $1000
Staying at Amazon Warehouse Deals, marketplace seller Gramophone is offering the Hifiman HE-6 planar magnetic headphones in “Used – Very Good” condition for $1000 with free shipping. These ship from Gramophone, not Amazon. The description of this listing over there says: “Open box. Packaging may be damaged. Store display model. Full factory warranty. We are an authorized dealer of every brand that we carry and have been in business for 40 years”.
Philips X2 in “Temporarily OoS” [updated again]
As of a 3/18/15 AM recheck, the two Amazon Warehouse Deals used condition listings got sold out. The only one that remains is by a marketplace seller… UPDATE: they are in-stock in “Used – Very Good” condition for $280 at Amazon Warehouse Deals.
The open-back over-ear Philips X2 headphones now have a different shipping estimate at Amazon.com, it is “temporarily out of stock”. The previous time I checked it was “4-6 weeks”. The “temporarily out of stock” however is not guaranteed delivery, so if you want them to arrive very very soon, you may want to wait for a more deterministic status update over there.
These continue to pick up reviews, they average 4.7 out of 5 based on 70 customer reviews, with this one perhaps the most detailed of the negative (under 4 stars) reviews. They also have more questions answered if you are curious about them, now with 27 and a few more left hanging (unanswered).
Unlocked at Massdrop: Audio Technica MSR7 Bundle (and Gustard H10)
Back to Massdrop we go where some new offers are up on that members-only (but free for anyone to join) website. The reason for the login wall is that some of their offers are below MAP (minimum advertised prices) prices, so they can’t have an “open” website with them.
As of the time of writing, two offers are fully unlocked (= lowest price possible during this promotion). Each one has four days left from today, with today being the blog-posting date, not the date you are reading this. They are the Audio-Technica MSR7 Exclusive Massdrop Bundle for $250 that includes the muted Antlion Modmic 4.0 and Brainwavz Zirconia headphone stand, with two color choices at checkout. This offer has a maximum of 400 units (129 purchased as of the time of writing).
The other one is the Gustard H10 headphone amplifier going for $300 plus $11.50 flat shipping.
Koss ESP-950 Electrostatic Stereophone for $824
Come on Barbie, let’s have an Electrostatic party! You can’t unread that line, but you can get the new condition Koss ESP-950 Electrostatic Stereophone for $824 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer, at Amazon.com by Amazon actual. It averages 4.2 out of 5 based on 21 customer reviews and has four questions answered. This is not a lightning deal, so the price is market driven or manufacturer-promotion driven.
Used Ultrasone Edition 12 for $1000
The Ultrasone Edition 12 go for $1700 in new condition at authorized dealers, but if you want to save a lot, you can get them in “Used – Good” condition for $1000 by Sonic Sense at Amazon Warehouse Deals. These ship from Sonic Sense, so they are not eligible for Prime shipping benefits.
The description for this listing says: “Authorized Dealer * In Stock * Orders Received by 10:30 A.M. MT SHIP SAME DAY!!!”
PSA: Headphones stolen from Audeze factory
There was a big break-in and theft at the Audeze factory in Southern California with a quarter million dollars worth of headphones stolen per the Audeze blog. If you are shopping around the auction/used/refurbished/off-market, be careful as the thieves may try to sell the stolen headphones. Audeze will soon publish the serial numbers of the stolen property.
Shipping Now: Fostex TH-500RP for $700 [updated]
As of 3/3/15, the Fostex TH-500RP planar magnetics are now in-stock and shipping for $700 with free shipping at Amazon.com by market place sellers. They have one customer review so far over there, but it is from an audiophile.
UPDATE (3/5/15): Amazon actual sold out (1-2 months estimate) but various marketplace sellers have them in-stock at the same price.
Used Beyerdynamic T70 Over-Ears for $352 [updated]
The Beyerdynamic T70 Over-Ears are currently available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $352 (was $336, was $344) with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. The description says “Item is in original packaging, but packaging has damage…”
Price updated 3/4/15 1:21 PM ET.
Massdrop: Philips Fidelio L1 unlocked for $115
The Philips Fidelio L1 semi-open headphones are currently fully unlocked for $105 plus $10 flat shipping at members-only but free to join website Massdrop.com. There are about four days left in this offer from today (today = blog posting date here). These are semi-open with 40mm drivers and 28 ohm impedance.
Some of the marketplace sellers at amazon.com are close in price, starting at $118 with the order fulfilled by Amazon. Amazon actual does not have them and they are marked “discontinued by manufacturer”. They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 69 customer reviews.
Pre-orders for Audio-Technica ATH-R70x for $350
Audio Technica was busy planning how to attack the $300~ price range. Not only did they reveal the closed-back ATH-M70x but they also revealed a parallel open-back audiophile-baiting model, the ATH-R70x, and this model is now available for pre-order for $350 at Amazon.com with a May 1st release estimate. As the name suggests, this is a co-flagship with the M70x in this part of their product line-up.
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250 ohm) for $180 after $30 MIR [limit 2]
Warm up your AMPs and DACs, there’s a 250 ohm headphone offer in this post. Adorama is offering the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250 ohm) for $180 after a $30 mail-in rebate (MIR). This mail-in rebate offer expires 3/5/15 (direct link to the rebate instructions). The Adorama website has a limit of two per shopping cart. The mail-in rebate form says limit three. The rebate form is specifically for purchases made at Adorama.
NOTE: Adorama is testing a website redesign with some visitors, and the redesign doesn’t mention the mail-in rebate until after you add the item to the shopping cart. The price you see is $180 after the $30 mail-in rebate, not before the MIR.
PS: the DT880 are semi-open. A simple rule of thumb to remember the open-ness of the BeyerD Trilogy is that the higher the number, the more open they get. The DT770 are closed, the DT880 are semi-open, the DT990 are open.
Fully Unlocked (Massdrop): AKG K7XX for $200 and more
If you are a fan of the AKG K7XX open-back headphones, the tuned for Massdrop AKG K7XX (actual model name, the Xs are not stand-ins or variables), is offered fully unlocked (= lowest price possible) for $200 with free shipping. The K7XX is based on the K702 65th anniversary edition. Per the listing, these are the final 1000 units of the first edition of this particular headphone. As of the time of writing, 41 units got purchased from this listing. The listing ends in about seven days from today (= blog posting date).
Massdrop is the only retailer to buy it from, but that hasn’t stopped some people from trying to sell it on eBay at a high premium ($340).
Nowhere near as shiny audiophile wise as the K7XX, but also fully unlocked are the Moe Audio MOE-SS01 in-ears going for $42~ shipped. Uncle Moe currently goes for $50 at amazon but it only has two reviews there so far.
Last but not least in this Massdrop round-up, not fully unlocked yet (but has seven days left from today) are the Samson SR950 50mm driver over-ears, with the lowest price possible being $55 shipped. They currently go for $70 at various retailers including amazon where they average 4.4 out of 5 based on 14 customer reviews. It’s all 5s and 4s, except for one 1-star review.
[DEAD] Used Philips X2 Over-Ears for $279
Even with a $21 discount, the used option sold out as of a 2/24/15 PM re-checking. It remains in-stock for $300 in new condition at Amazon by Amazon actual…
[Read more…]
AKG K550 headphones for $187
The AKG K550 closed-back over-ear headphones are currently going for $187 with free shipping at OneCall and at Amazon.com. Amazon’s own price is $189. They average 4.2 out of 5 based on 125 customer reviews and have 17 questions answered.
[DEAD] Refurbished Audio Technica ATH-AD700X for $75
This limited time offer expired… The open-back over-ear Audio Technica ATH-AD700X headphones are available as factory refurbished for $75 with free shipping at BuyDig.com and $80 thru amazon.com where they average 4.1 out of 5 based on 57 customer reviews. These have 53mm drivers, detachable cable, and the iconic AKG self-adjusting 3D wing mechanism.
Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro (250 ohm) for $120 after $35 MIR
The open-back over-ear Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro (250 ohm) is currently going for $155 with free shipping at Adorama. It also has a $35 mail-in rebate (MIR), and if you chose to do the mail-in rebate, it is $120 after MIR. The PDF form of the MIR is available at the product page, right above the price, on the right side of the page. The MIR expires 3/1/15.
Sennheiser HD 650 Over-Ears for $330
The open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 650 audiophile headphones are currently going for $330 with free shipping by at Amazon.com (by Focus Camera and Precision Audio) and at B&H Photo and Rakuten (by Focus Camera).
If you are trying to decide between these and the HD 600, there are plenty of forum discussions to keep you busy for hours and hours, so there is no lack for data, but rather there is the risk of information overload and useful information drowning in a sea of chatter.
In-stock now: Philips X2 for $300
If you have been trying to nail down the Philips Fidelio X2 open-back over-ear headphones in-stock at a reputable dealer, as of the time of writing of this post, they are in-stock and ready to ship for their starting price of $300 at amazon.com by amazon actual with a limit of five pairs per shopping cart.
Used Philips X1/28 for $177 to $183 [updated]
If you are banging your head trying to decide between the brand new open-back over-ear Philips X2 (in-stock estimate February 11) or the previous generation X1, one way to break the deadlock is to consider the situation from a new vs used perspective. If you are going to get the previous generation model (X1), it goes for $250 in new condition which is too close to the $300 price of the X2.
Instead, you could go for the X1 in used condition, available in multiple listings ranging from $177 to $183 (“Good” to “Very Good”) at Amazon Warehouse Deals. Since there are multiple listings and a newer model, market forces may push the price of the used X1s further down. Prices updated 2/12/15.
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