Fostex the people is not a band 🙂 It is a headphone brand, and their new condition over-ear open-back TH500RP headphones are on sale for $329 with free shipping by Sonix Electronix on eBay. They have a 60-day money-back guarantee and they are an authorized internet dealer per the eBay listing. These ship from Kentucky. Calipari NOT included 🙂
Sennheiser HD600 and $150 Gift Card for $400 total
Amazon continues to experiment with product bundling. If you want to get the Sennheiser HD 600 at a reasonable price, in new condition, from authorized dealer, without having to hunt high and low, Amazon has a bundle for that: you pay $400 and you receive the HD 600 headphones along with a $150 Amazon Gift Card (plastic card delivered by mail, so you can regift it if you don’t need it for yourself). With Amazon gift cards selling at face value, you are essentially paying $250 for the HD600s. Not bad if you like a hassle-free experience.
NOTE however that if you have an existing Amazon Gift Card balance, you cannot apply it towards this purchase. This is probably because you cannot use an Amazon gift card to buy another Amazon gift card. I am assuming so, because the shopping cart won’t let me use my gift card on this, but the balance can be applied towards other orders that don’t include Amazon gift cards.
IF you are a Prime member, and you apply and get approved for Amazon’s Store Card (not the credit card by Chase, but the Store Card which can only be used at Amazon), it becomes a Prime Store Card and gets you 5% rewards on purchases made with it. So that’s another $20 to use on future purchases.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium (32 ohm) for $150
It’s portable open-back over-ear action now on eBay, where the Focus Camera eBay store is offering the new condition Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium (32 ohm) for $150 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer.
If you are not intimately familiar with the 770-880-990 line-up, there are multiple models, differentiated by Pro vs Premium and OHMage (32 to 600). So be sure to look into the line-up or read web or forum FAQs that trying to detangle this treble-web 🙂
Shipping Soon: Sennheiser HD 800 S for $1700
Hide your wallet or hide from your spouse 🙂 The new open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD800 S (“S” is an expensive part of the model name) is going to start shipping soon. Already it is in the “temporarily out of stock” state at Amazon’s website, by Amazon actual, which requires signature on delivery because of the price.
As usual, these are of interest to the early adopters and the audio-curious. As time goes by, more and more will be known about them. Make sure you turn on your hyperbole and exaggeration and hatorade filters ON, they are usually essential when new flagships get released 🙂
This was one of the more high profile headphones that were featured at CES 2016. No as high profile as the new Orpheus obviously 🙂
[DEAD] Used Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Gen) for $742 (was $757)
As of a 2/29/16 recheck, the used prices are higher by $100+…
If you are curious about the second generation Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla headphones but don’t want to pay full price, you can get them in “Used – Good” condition (minor cosmetic damage) for $742~ (was $757~) with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals which has a 30 day return policy but makes no warranty claims… UPDATE: priced updated here 2/9/16 AM – a dropping trend!
Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 for $400 [but ship May 2016]
I need to do another one of those Amazon Warehouse Deals Deal-Fishing Immersion Sessions to see what price adjustments we have now that the holidays are over and CES revealed even more new headphones (only a partial list, I’m still trying to herd all the CES chickens). In the meantime, Massdrop is back with another offer with one of the Head-Fi buzzing headphones, their own Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 for $400 with free shipping. There are 1000 units available for this offer, and already, as of the time of writing, 800 units have been spoken form. So this offer most will likely sell out before it expires in 11 days.
VERY IMPORTANT: these are estimated to ship in MAY 2016. That’s 3+ months from today (today = blog-posting date). So your patience will be tested greatly if you are not a fully enlightened being 🙂
Massdrop: Philips Fidelio X2 for $205
I am not following closely the controversy over the Philips Fidelio X2 headphones. It has once again been pulled from the Amazon website, but if you have done your research and/or checked the various forums and websites, this is now available in new condition for $200 plus $5 flat shipping at the members-only shopping club Massdrop.
They have 520 units available for this promotion and as of the time of writing, just below half of them have been spoken for. The offer ends in about six days from today. If curious, there’s a long discussion going there, with 170+ comments posted.
Sennheiser HD 700 drops to $430
Don’t you forget about me sings the Sennheiser HD 700, squeezed between the 600/650 power-duo and the 800/800S flagship duo. Which may perhaps be one of the reasons why it’s on sale, currently going for $430 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. Over there, it averages 4.5 out of 5 based on 97 customer reviews.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 (250 ohm) Limited Edition (straight cable) for $130
While Sennheiser and Audio Technica and AKG are well known for squirting new headphone models left and right, all across their line-up, Beyerdynamic is not far behind these days. Case in point, they have a recent limited edition of the DT 990 (250 ohm) open-back headphones with a straight black cable, and it is currently on sale for $130 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer by Focus Camera on eBay. This is new condition in original packaging.
TIP: easy way to tell the “open-ness” of the Beyerdynamic DT-series, the higher the number, the more open they get. The DT770 is closed, the DT880 is semi, and the DT990 is open.
Sennheiser HD 558 for $90 (limit 2)
If you are a fan of senning (verb) the heisers (noun) [feel free to throw tomatoes at me], the open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 558, the middle child of their three-tier line-up is back on sale again, going for $90 with free shipping, with a limit of two per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. It averages 4.6 out of 5 based on 770+ customer reviews and has 170+ customer reviews if you are curious about it. Both reviews and questions-answered are searchable, they have their little search-boxes but you kinda have to look for them – they are not easy to find while casually glancing around the ever-so-loaded Amazon product pages.
Used Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Generation) for $879
The second generation Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla headphones are already in-stock at various retailers for $1100, but if you are fond of used headphones, and want to save some, as of the time of writing, there is a single used listing on them, in “Used – Very Good” condition (cosmetic imperfections on the item, damaged packaging), going for $879~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. These are 600 ohm headphones and with their latest models, BeyerD has finally discovered detachable cable technology (comes with detachable double-sided braided 3 meter (almost 10 feet) cable) 🙂
AKG K3003i Reference In-Ears for $900 [Update: open-box sold-out)
Flagship time on the in-ears front, the AKG K3003i Reference Class in-ears are on the sale swing again, going for $900 (was $930) with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual where they average 4.4 out of 5 based on 23 polarized reviews (no 3-star reviews).
UPDATE (1/7/16): while the new condition price dropped a bit, the open-box on eBay sold-out, while the used prices at Amazon went up… If you prefer non-new, you can get them for $650 in open-box condition with full warranty from RazorDog Audio. This has “less than 10 hours used” per the listing… Contrast that price for the no-warranty but 30-day-return-policy in “Used – Good” condition for $640 by Amazon Warehouse Deals…
Used Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition for $105~
The Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition proved to be a blockbuster seller during Amazon’s Black Friday holiday sales according to their press release (look for it by brand because it’s a loooong press release). And as such, it was bound to have its fair share of returns.
As of the time of writing, there are seven different listings of it in Used condition by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual and more by other sellers there. The prices currently are $105~ (was $99) for “Used – Good” and $105~ for “Used – Very Good” (these sold out!). Even if these prices are not low enough, you may want to pay attention to them in case supply puts more price pressure on them.
[DEAD] Used Hifiman HE400S for $224 (one left)
As of 1/4/16 re-checking of this listing, all used units have been scooped up, and they only have new condition items at their usual $300~ price…
Sennheiser HD 700 for $450 (limit 5)
The open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 700 is on sale again, you can get it in new condition for $450 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. This averages 4.5 out of 5 based on 88 customer reviews. It was in a bit of a rock-and-a-hard-place price-situation when it first came out, squeezed by the HD600/HD650 and the HD800/HD800S. But now its price is closer to the 600/650 power duo.
HIFIMAN HE400i Planars for $300
The HIFIMAN HE400i over-ear planar-magnetics are back on sale again, going for $300 with free shipping by Hifi-Heaven fulfilled by Amazon and by RazorDog Audio on eBay.
This is the same price with the newer HE400S (not plural, “S” is part of the name) that came out of the gate at $300.
Sennheiser HD 518 for $68 (limit 5)
Back on sale again, the open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 518 headphones go for $68 with free shipping, with a limit of five pairs per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is the entry-level model of a three-model HD-5xx line-up and averages 4.4 out of 5 with nearly 400 customer reviews… Meanwhile the two headed top of this line, the HD 598 is on sale for around $144 in either the new Special Edition (limit 2) or the earlier Ivory color scheme.
Sennheiser HD 558 for $99 [updated]
This offer continues: the open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 558 headphones (the middle of the three model line) are on sale for $99 at Amazon by Amazon actual (limit 5), where they average 4.5 out of 5 based on nearly 750 customer reviews.
This offer expired: According to the Fry’s Electronics Promo Codes offers for email subscribers for Thursday 12/24/15, the open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 558 headphones (the middle of the three model line) will be on sale for $90 at either their website or the brick and mortar stores. You have to use the individualized promo codes found in the emails they send to their email subscribers…
[DEAD] Used Philips Fidelio X2 for $147 (higher risk)
As of a 12/26/15 recheck, the lowest used condition price has now jumped to $180+ at Amazon Warehouse Deals…
Sennheiser HD 600 + Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 ohm) + Audio Technica M30x for $400
Earlier in the week, we mentioned Amazon’s crazy HD 650 bundles. But the HD 600 has its own crazy bundles as well. We start with a three headphone bundle (you are reading right!) offered for $400. For that, you get, in new condition, the following headphones:
- Sennheiser HD 600 open-back over-ear open-ears
- Beyerdynamic DT-990 PRO (250 ohm) open-back over-ear
- Audio-Technica ATH-M30x closed-back over-ear
Given that the first two are 300 and 250 ohm respectively, amping is perhaps the way to make the most of these. Both have been around for a while and there are countless forum threads talking about amping options for these.
There are no coupons, no rebates. You just add the bundle to the shopping cart and proceed to checkout as usual and that’s it.
Sennheiser HD 600 + $150 Gift Card for $400 total
This is not a bad deal at all. For $400, Amazon bundles the new condition open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 600 headphones and a $150 Amazon Gift Card (plastic gift card delivered by mail). That puts the headphone at $250 since you can use the gift card for its face value or even sell/trade it for close to that amount. Or hand it off to someone else as a holiday gift. No coupons, no rebates, just add to cart and checkout.
TIP: in the remote chance the gift card arrives before the headphones ship, you may be able to apply the value of the gift card towards the purchase. This rarely happens, in the lightning strikes neighborhood.
Beyerdynamic T90 Tesla Over Ears for $519
The open-back over-ear Beyerdynamic T90 Tesla headphones are currently on sale for $519 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual along with some of the marketplace sellers over there. It’s possible that this price may be a computer price-match of one of the marketplace sellers, because outside Amazon the prices are higher.
Beyerdynamic T70 Over Ears for $329
The closed-back over-ear Beyerdynamic T70 headphones, part of the Tesla line-up, are on sale for a limited for $329 with free one day shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. Limit one per customer. You have to manually select the free one-day shipping. These are the home-use version, without the small “p” in their name. The “T70p” are the portable ones (which Amazon incorrectly calls “T70 Pro” in the title, but correctly calls them “T70p” further down the product description)… In addition to free shipping, these are also eligible for free returns, so you can give them a try if you are 50-50 on the potential purchase…
Sennheiser HD 650 + $200 Gift Card for $500
This is an interesting bundle, you pay $500 and for that you get the new condition Sennheiser HD 650 open-back over-ear headphones and $200 Amazon.com physical gift card from Amazon actual. You can use the gift card towards future purchases or give it to others as a holiday gift or do whatever you want with it (eg sell/trade it).
Power User Tip: in the rare case where the gift card arrives in your hands before the headphones ship, you should be able to put the value of the gift card towards the purchase price of the HD 650s. This happens very rarely, but there’s a statistical probability of it happening.
Crazy Times: Sennheiser HD 650 + Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250) + Audio Technica M30X for $500
You may have seen two-headphone bundles and puzzled as to what they were thinking. Well, if they can bundle two, why not three? That’s right, Amazon has bundled three different headphones for $500. You get the new condition Sennheiser HD 650, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 ohm), and the Audio Technica M30X. Two open-back with high “ohmage” and one closed-back, all over-ears. You can keep them all to yourself, or give some as gifts to other people. The holidays are almost here after all.
Versus Buying Them Separately
Now this bundle is a bit more tricky to evaluate. It makes sense if you want all three of them and you need them right now. If you don’t need all three, or you don’t need them immediately, and you don’t object to mail-in rebates and gift cards, you can get a better deal if you buy them piece-meal:
- HD650 + $200 Gift Card for $500 (so essentially paying $300 for the HD650s)
- DT 990 PRO (250 ohm) for $120 after $30 mail-in rebate)
- Audio Technica M30x for $55 on their own
So with this more complicated option, you pay $705 out of pocket, but you receive a $200 Gift Card and $30 back via mail-in rebate. So it nets $475 when it is all said and done.
Sennheiser HD 650 + M-Audio AV32 Studio Monitors + Yeti USB Mic for $500
In the second of three crazy Sennheiser HD 650 bundles, Amazon bundles it with two different products, the M-Audio AV32 Studio Monitors (speakers pair) along with the Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. All these are offered from Amazon actual. No coupon or rebate is needed. They are the only ones offering this bundle, so you don’t have to worry about marketplace sellers. Although in all likelihood, they’ll ship the three items as if you purchased them regularly. I doubt this is a “factory bundle”.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 ohm) for $120 after $30 MIR
More Beyerdynamic offers, you can get the DT 990 Pro (250 ohm) for $120 after a $30 mail-in rebate at Adorama.com. These are the rebate details in PDF. Offer ends by 12/22/15.
TIP: the DT990 is open-back. The higher the number, in the DT 770 – 880 – 990, the more open they are. So we have closed (770), semi-open/semi-closed (880), and open (990). Easier to remember now? 🙂
[DEAD] Philips Fidelio X2 for $200 (limit 2) [ends by 3am ET Tue]
This daily deal expired. So now we have a new official low for the X2s…
Finally the moment Philips Fidelio X2 hunters had been waiting for! A straight up sale, new condition, and by an authorized dealer! You can get them for $200 with free shipping, with a limit of two per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. The offer ends by 3am eastern on Tuesday or earlier if they sell out. Depending on how much it propagates across various internet places, it may sell out ahead of time. These are open-back over-ears!
Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Over-Ears for $250
The second generation (2.0) over-ear closed-back Momentums are on sale again. You can get them in the various color schemes, in either the Apple or Android button configuration, for $250 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. As you navigate between the different colors and OS options, be sure to check who the featured seller is, as it may be different between options. If buying from Amazon proper, the limit is five per option per customer.
UPDATE: the black Apple version is down to $244~. The rest remain on $250.
Sennheiser HD 558 for $80 (limit 3)
We have another discount in the open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD-5xx line-up. The middle of the three models, the HD 558 is currently on sale for $80 with free shipping, with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. This model averages 4.5 out of 5 with 700+ customer reviews and has a whooping 160 questions answered by other internet people.
[DEAD] Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition for $135 (limit 2)
As of 12/7/15, this promotion expired…
Used (trade show demo) Beyerdynamic T70 Headband (250 ohm) for $230
The Beyerdynamic USA eBay store is offering a used condition (trade show demo, in excellent condition they say) Beyerdynamic T70 Headband (250 ohm) for $230 with free shipping.
Fostex TH-500RP Planar-Magnetics for $350
Planar magnetic action now, a segment that is definitely heating up from multiple directions, the Fostex TH-500RP Premium Planar-Magnetic are currently on sale for $350 with free shipping by Sonic Electronix via Amazon. These ship from Sonix, so they are not eligible for Prime shipping benefits.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (250 ohm) for $150
If you don’t feel like waiting or chasing lightning deals, the 250 ohm variation of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO closed-back headphones are on sale for $150 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. The other options go for more.
AKG Q701 Open-Back for $170
The AKG Q701 open-back over-ear headphones, part of the Quincy Jones line-up, are on sale in each one of their three color schemes for $170 with free shipping, with a limit of five per color per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. These average 4.3 out of 5 based on 460+ customer reviews. These are for the brave of heart, the product description mentions a “leather sling” 🙂 They are designed in Austria but made in China.
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