Now shipping: Audio Technica ATH-DSR9BT with Pure Digital Drive for $549

UPDATE: Blog-post title correction: the price is $549, not $600!

The Audio Technica ATH-DSR9BT that generated some buzz at CES 2017 thanks to its semi-mysterious “Pure Digital Drive” technology has now began shipping at its starting price of $549 by a couple of recognizable sellers, “Audio Advice” and “Electronics Expo”, both fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get them in about two days.

Amazon’s own listing is a nebulous “Usually ships within 1 to 2 months”. This headphone is a Bluetooth 4.2 with support for aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC codecs.

July 6, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Now shipping: Audio Technica ATH-DSR7BT with Pure Digital Drive for $299

The twin of ATH-DSR9BT is the $299 ATH-DSR7BT, and this too has began shipping for $299 from a couple of fulfilled by Amazon sellers, “Electronics Expo” and “Wasabi Japan”.

Amazon’s own listing is a rather ambiguous “Temporarily out of stock”. These too support aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC codecs.

July 6, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Refurbished PowerBeats 3 Bluetooth Earphones for $85 to $90

The official Best Buy eBay store is offering the Geek Squad refurbished PowerBeats 3 bluetooth earphones for $85 in the black color scheme and $90 in the other three color schemes. Free shipping. Limit three per color per customer during the sale. The new condition ones are NOT on sale. They come with a 90-day Geek Squad warranty.

July 5, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , , , ,

[DEAD] Refurbished Bragi Truly Wireless for $104

This daily deal expired but if you missed it, fear not ~ it is a recurring offer at Woot…

Good until 1am ET on Thursday, you can get the factory reconditioned Bragi Truly Wireless bluetooth earphones for $99 plus $5 flat shipping as the current Woot Daily Deal. Limit up to three units per customer. They come with a 90-day warranty from BRAGI.

July 4, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , , ,

Panasonic RP-HJE120B bluetooth earphones for $30

Trying to piggy-back on the popularity of the frequently recommended single-figures RP-HJE120 earphones, Panasonic has released a new version with a starting price of $40, but as of the time of writing, the new condition bluetooth version in the blue color scheme, model RP-HJE120B-A, is on sale for $30 at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is not a lightning deal but an “organic” sale.

PS: in Panasonic-speak model naming, “A” = blue, probably Azure, and “B” = bluetooth.

July 2, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Monoprice Sonic Solace ANC/BT Over-Ears for $54 + S&H after coupon

Coupon code CHILL15 gets you 15% off many (but not all) products at Monoprice until Tuesday night. Yes, finally, a 3-day coupon, so you won’t miss it and you can find time to plan a purchase, since they have many affordable cables and adapters and such.

Which brings us to the brown/tan color scheme of the Monoprice Sonic Solace ANC + Bluetooth Over-Ears dropping from $64~ to $54~ with the coupon CHILL15. Shipping is extra and varies depending on what else you buy and such. The black color scheme is not on sale, and is not coupon eligible.

PS: I just re-tested their M560 and M1060. Neither of them is eligible for the coupon (they rarely are).

July 2, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] 8GB FecPecu MP3 Player with Bluetooth for $23

This lightning deal expired. It was $4 off the current price. With prices so low, there is a pretty low ceiling on how much they discount them ~ unless it’s a fire sale 🙂

Good until 5:34pm ET today, as one of the lightning deals at Amazon, you can get the 8GB FecPecu MP3 Player with Bluetooth for $23~ in two color options. This plays a number of audio files, but not DRM files. It has 8GB storage of its own, and can support microSD cards up to 64GB.

June 29, 2017 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

Bose SoundSport Wireless (bluetooth) for $135

Shhhh! Don’t let the audiophiles see you read this post. It has two of the four triggering Bs 😉

The various color schemes of the Bose SoundSport Wireless (as in bluetooth) are on sale for $135 with free shipping at some authorized dealers, including Adorama.com and Amazon and B&H Photo.

PS (SPOILERS): the other two triggering Bs being Beats and (Extra) Bass(y)…

June 27, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

B&O PLAY H4 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $245

The charcoal gray color scheme of the new condition B&O PLAY H4 Bluetooth Over-Ears is on sale at the moment for $245 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is an organic sale, not part of the Gold Box lightning deals. They average 4.1 out of 5 based on 52 customer reviews. In addition to Bluetooth 4.2, they also play audio via a standard 3.5mm input.

June 26, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Symphonized Wraith Wood On-Ears for $47 to $60

This lightning deal expired…

Symphonized also makes wood on-ear headphones, not just in-ears, and good until 8:54pm ET tonight (Tuesday 6/27/17), you can get their Wraith Wood On-Ears for $47 to $50 in various wired options, and for $60 in two Bluetooth options with 3.5mm input as well. All together they average 4.5 out of 5 based on 1000+ customer reviews and they have over 180 questions answered.

June 26, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Sony XB950B1 Extra Bass Bluetooth (LDAC) for $150 (RED only)

As of a late 6/27/17 PM re-check, their price returned to $200…

[Read more…]

June 26, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Parrot Zik 3 ANC and Bluetooth headphones for $209 to $230

The black crocodile color-scheme of the Parrot Zik 3 bluetooth and ANC headphones is currently on sale for $209 with free shipping at B&H Photo. The restt of the color schemes go for $230 after coupon code ZIKUS20OFF at the official Parrot USA store.

June 23, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] Samson RTE 2 Bluetooth On-Ears for $30 w/FS

This recurring offer expired…

[Read more…]

June 21, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Used NuForce BE6i for $41+, BE6 for $49+ [bluetooth apt-X earphones]

If you are interested in the NuForce BE6* bluetooth earphones with apt-X and you are comfortable with used earphones, you can get them for around half of the new condition price at the moment, depending on color:

+ USED Nuforce BE6i Gold for $41~ in “Used – Good”, $44 in “Used – Very Good”, $47~ in “Used – Like New” (last two pages
+ there are a lot of used listings for this, which means chances of further discounts are possible

+ USED NuForce BE6i Gray for $45 in “Used – Good”, $48 in “Used – Very Good”, $51 in “Used – Like New”
+ there are a lot of used listings for this, which means chances of further discounts are possible

+ USED NuForce BE6 Grey for $49 in “Used – Very Good” (AWD actual) or $50 in “Used – Like New” (Butterfly Photo) or $52 (AWD)

June 19, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth Over-Ears with Apt-X for $270

AS of 6/23/17 the sale is over again…

It is the Rose Gold color scheme of the new V-Moda Crossfade II Wireless (bluetooth) over-ear headphone going for $270 with free shipping at authorized dealer Adorama.com.

The “Rose Gold” color is important in this case, because it is the only one of the three colors that supports apt-X. The other two colors do not.

June 19, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Monday: Sonic Solace ANC + Bluetooth Over-Ears for $51 + S&H

This coupon offer expired…

[Read more…]

June 18, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] Philips L2BO Semi-Open Over-Ears for $85

This sale ended…

This was a daily deal a few days ago at Woot, but now it has moved to a longer-running Plus offer at Woot. It is the new condition Philips L2BO Semi-Open Over-Ears offered for $80 plus $5 flat shipping. Limit up to three per customer. This is new with a 1-year Philips warranty per the listing. The offer continues for the next eight days, it is not one of their daily deals.

Running in parallel with that is a sale on the new condition Philips SHB9850NC Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (bluetooth 4.0) going for $100 plus $5 flat shipping. The same terms as above.

June 18, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth Over-Ears with apt-X for $270

As of 6/19/17 recheck, this offer ended, but now we have established a sale price of $270 at two different retailers….

This was on sale at Amazon earlier in the week, but if you missed it, fear not! It’s on sale again, it is the Rose Gold color scheme of the new V-Moda Crossfade II Wireless (bluetooth) over-ear headphone going for $270 with free shipping at authorized dealer Adorama.com. The “Rose Gold” color is important in this case, because it is the only one of the three colors that supports apt-X. The other two colors do not, and they are not on sale.

June 18, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Used Skullcandy Hesh 2 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $34

These are no longer available at the low used price…

You can get these for almost half the price of the new condition option, it is the black color scheme of the closed-back Skullcandy Hesh 2 Bluetooth Over-Ears available in “Used – Very Good” condition in multiple listings at Amazon Warehouse Deals. The multiple listings also mean that over time price pressure may lower used prices even further.

June 17, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Powerbeats 3 bluetooth earphones for $140

The new condition white color scheme of the Powerbeats 3 bluetooth earphones is back on sale again, going for $140 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per customer. The other colors either go for more or they are not available. This is a sale or price-match, not a lightning deal.

June 16, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Saturday: Rockwin Bit Truly Wireless for $80

This daily deal expired…

Good until 3am Eastern on Sunday (or earlier if sold out) you can get the new condition Rockin Bit Truly Wireless bluetooth earphones for $80 in your choice from three different color schemes.

June 16, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , ,

Jaybird Freedom F5 bluetooth earphones for $100

The new condition Jaybird Freedom F5 bluetooth earphones in various color schemes are currently on sale again for $100 with free shipping by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three units per color per customer while this sale is going on. Marketplace sellers have them for a couple of dollars less, so pay attention to who the actual seller if you prefer to buy from Amazon actual.

June 15, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

Used B&O Beoplay H5 Wireless for $144

If you are comfortable with used earphones, the B&O Beoplay H5 Wireless (bluetooth) are available in “Used – Very Good” condition for $144~ in the black color scheme, and $148~ in the “Moss Green” color scheme through Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD) by AWD actual.

The above link shows you the lowest price per color. To see the detailed listings per color, click on the color tabs or click on the blue link “› See all offers for this product” next to each color of interest.

June 15, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Samsung Level U Pro Bluetooth neckband earphones for $28

The new condition black color scheme of the Samsung Level U Pro Bluetooth earphones is currently on sale for $28 at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of up to three sets per customer. Only this color scheme is currently on sale. All together they average 3.9 out of 5 based on over 1000 customer reviews, and they have nearly 300 questions answered (one way or another) by Amazon shoppers.

June 14, 2017 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: , ,

Sony MDR-XB950 B1 for $148, N1 for $178 [LDAC support]

Revealed at CES 2017 the new Sony MDR XB 950 duo is on sale again at authorized Sony dealers. They are both closed-back, and part of the Extra Bass family, with the B1 being bluetooth, while the N1 is both bluetooth and active noise cancelling.

The B1 goes for $148 at various places including Dell Home and various at Amazon in three different color schemes.

The N1 goes for $178 at various authorized dealers including Buydig and various at Amazon in two different colors, including the less common green (more of an industrial/black green, definitely not the AKG Quincy Jones green)

They support LDAC
I should point out that both of these headphones support LDAC, Sony’s technology [see also the Sony Asia page for it] that is being baked into Android 8.0.

For a history of LDAC, starting in August 2015, check this AV Hub article.

With this, Android 8.0 will have support for LDAC, AAC, SBC, apt-X and apt-X HD, with sample ratio options as well. You can manually select them or use the system default.

It is important to point out that both your music source and your headphones have to support the protocol you want to use, otherwise the system will automatically default to a lower common denominator. For example, a Bluetooth 5 music source (eg Galaxy S8) connecting to a Bluetooth 2.X headphone will use Bluetooth 2.X, not Bluetooth 5 since the headphone would not know what to do with it.

June 12, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth Over-Ears with Apt-X for $270

The party’s over! As of late 6/14/17 recheck, the price has returned to $350. But now we have a target sale price for the future 🙂

The new condition V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth with apt-X in the Rose Gold scheme is on sale for $270 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. This looks like a computer-generated price-match of a marketplace seller, so it may not last long. Its standard price is $350. The “Rose Gold” is the only one of the three colors of this model that supports Qualcomm’s apt-X.

June 12, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Sony MDR-1000X ANC and Bluetooth Over-Ears for $328

The new condition Snoy MDR-1000X ANC with Bluetooth closed over-ears are on sale again, going for $328 with free shipping, in either color scheme, with a limit of up to three units per color per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is competing directly with the Bose QC35 and the like, and it averages 4.3 out of 5 based on nearly 350 customer reviews over there, where it also have over 280 questions answered.

PS: this week’s “This Week in Headphoolia” should be ready by 11pm ET tonight (Sunday 6/11/17)!

June 11, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Jaybird X3 bluetooth earphones for $100

Another bluetooth earphone that occasionally dives down to $100, the new condition Jaybird X3 bluetooth earphones are going for $100 with free shipping in the “Alpha Green” color scheme at Amazon by Amazon actual. This is not a lightning deal but an “organic sale”. The other colors go for more.

Meanwhile the Blackout color scheme is on sale for $100 with free shipping by Best Buy on eBay (limit three per buyer).

June 11, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] BeatsX Wireless In-Ears for $100

This sale ended again… Back on sale in this cycle of prices going up and down, it is the new condition BeatsX Wireless In-Ears (bluetooth) in the blue color scheme (no color pun intended) going for $100 with free shipping by Amazon actual. This is not a lightning deal, so YMMV on the duration.

June 10, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Used V-Moda Crossfade II Bluetooth with apt-X (Rose Gold) for $276

This is an older post. Check the top of the blog for the latest update…

The new condition price for the closed-back over-ear bluetooth V-Moda Crossfade II is $330 for the regular models, and $350 for the apt-X model which is only available in the Rose Gold color scheme. If you are comfortable with used headphones and want the apt-X technology, you can get it in “Used – Very Good” condition (small scratches on item; original packaging) for $276~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual.

June 10, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

[DEAD] Friday: refurbished Beats Studio 2 Bluetooth + ANC Over-Ears for $150

This daily deal ended…

[Read more…]

June 8, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

[DEAD] MEE Audio Matrix 2 Bluetooth Over-Ears for $59

As of 6/15/17 recheck, this offer ended….

The new condition closed-back over-ear MEE audio Matrix 2 bluetooth headphones are on sale for $59 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of one unit per customer during this sale. This is not a lightning deal. The headphone averages 4 out of 5 based on 660+ customer reviews.

June 7, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Symphonized NRG Bluetooth Wood In-Ears for $14

This lightning deal expired…

[Read more…]

June 5, 2017 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: ,

[DEAD] Noontec Hammo TV Wireless Headphones for TV with Docking Station for $96

This lightning deal expired…

[Read more…]

June 4, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Used Blue Satellite bluetooth for $330

The new Blue Satellite bluetooth headphones are now in-stock for $400 at various retailers and they’ve been around long enough that there are multiple used listings of them at Amazon Warehouse Deals going for $330 in “Used – Very Good” condition. They only have five customer reviews there which are a mixed bag, so be sure to read up on them if you are not already familiar with their trade-offs.

June 3, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,