More Massdrop action, this time a couple of 64 Audio IEMs are fully unlocked, with the offer running for the next seven days and an end of March 2017 shipment estimate. They come with a 1-year warranty. The U4-SE goes for $450 while the U5 goes for $500. Shipping is $8 flat. They come pre-installed with the m20 module, but they also include in the box for FREE the m15 module. The user-replaceable “apex modules” alter the sound signature and isolation. A variety of accessories are included, which should be expected given the price 🙂
XDuoo X2 DAP for $43 [MD] or $50 [Now]
The XDuoo X2 digital audio player (DAP) is offered for $40 with $3~ flat shipping at members-only but free-to-join Massdrop for the next seven days. It is estimated to ship in late March from Massdrop… If you can’t wait until then, you can get it in two days if you are a Prime member for $50 by a marketplace seller, with the order fulfilled by Amazon…
AKG M220 Semi-Open Over-Ears for $58
They are back on again at members-only Massdrop, with seven days left in the offer (from blog-posting date), the semi-open decidedly over-ear AKG M220 headphones go for $50 plus $8~ flat shipping. They will get shipped by the vendor in late March 2017.
With Samsung announcing yesterday at Mobile World Congress AKG-branding for the audio tuning of their new 2-in-1 tablets and the earphones to be included with the upcoming Galaxy S8* flagships in late March, the AKG brand is bound to get a boost in the eyes of the general population – or at least the hard-core Samsung fans.
MEE Audio Grab bag for $9 shipped [MD]
If you like the unpredictability of grab bags, Massdrop is back with another MEE Audio earphone offer. Four models are participating and you will randomly receive one of the four. The M6 and M6P are the “headliners” of this group, about 20% will get these. You pay $8 plus $1 flat shipping. You can buy two grab bags per customer. 4000 units are available for this promotion which runs for the next seven days (unless it sells out before then). Up to five prizes are available if certain quantity levels are reached. They are estimated to ship in late March 2017.
AKG K553 PRO Closed Over-Ear for $120 [MD]
It’s back on again, the closed over-ear AKG K553 Pro is unlocked at Massdrop (MD) for $120 with free shipping. This runs for the next seven days (the offer, not the headphone!), with a 2-year warranty from Samsung AKG. They are estimated to ship (from MD, not a vendor) in early March 2017.
SMSL M6 DAC/Amp for $143 [MD]
Another day, another Massdrop mad drop (ha!). The SMSL M6 DAC/Amp is unlocked for $135 plus $8~ flat shipping over there. It is available in neither or black and will ship in mid-March 2017. The offer runs for the next six days. It currently beats the eBay and amazon.com prices of $170.
Speaking of MD, these two have two days left in them before the expire:
+ AKG K812 for $939~ shipped
+ xDuoo TA-01 DAC/Amp for $129~ shipped
NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp for $64 [MD]
If you can wait until mid-March 2017, you can get the NuForce uDAC-3 DAC/Amp from members-only Massdrop for $60 plus $4~ flat shipping. Only the black color scheme is available, with 200 units maximum. It will ship directly from MD. Pictures and details on their website.
Also unlocked there is, with seven days to go (from posting-date here) is the TEAC TN-200 Turntable going for $140 plus $19 flat shipping. The shipping fee sounds like OUCH but it still handily beats Amazon’s price of $231 (Prime eligible though, you don’t have to wait until mid-March).
Getting close to unlocking (it needs to more units purchased as of the time of writing) is the XDuoo X10 digital audio player. If it fully unlocks, it will be $140 plus $8~ flat shipping, with similar duration and shipping estimate as the other two items mentioned in this post.
Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart for $450
They are back on again, this offer running for the next seven days from today (or when the 300 available units get spoken for; whichever happens first). The Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart biodynamic headphones are unlocked for $450 with free shipping. They come with a 2-year warranty and will ship at the very end of February 2017.
Running in parallel are the Earsonics SM64 double-flange in-ears, going for $280 plus $7~ flat shipping. There is very limited supply (only 35 units). They come with a 2-year warranty and will ship from Massdrop facilities in late March 2017.
Last but not least (at least in terms of comfort) among today’s unlocked drops, the ZMF Ear Pads go for $50 plus $3 flat shipping. These are the Ori. For +$10, you can upgrade to the Eikons. They ship late March 2017 as well.
MEE Audio Air-Fi Matrix2 AF 62 for $63
Not a bid discount over current prices, but if you were planning to buy it anyway or have a Massdrop coupon or store credit, the new condition MEE Audio Air-Fi Matrix2 AF 62 is offered for $55 plus $8~ flat shipping. This bluetooth headphone is running for the next eight days, and it is estimated to ship mid-March 2017. Three hundred units are available for purchase during this particular offer (a “drop” in MD-speak).
Also running for the next eight days and fully unlocked are:
+ Fanmusic E6 earphones for $34 shipped
+ Dekoni Bulletz Earphone Tips for $13 shipped
Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp for $99 [MD]
Another offer is now unlocked at members-only Massdrop, the Little Dot I+ Headphone Amp goes for $90 plus $9~ flat shipping. The offer is running for the next five days (from blog-posting date). You have a choice of power supply during checkout, and you can also optionally upgrade tubes (two choices that cost more). Shipping estimate is mid-March 2017. March Madness delivery 🙂
Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony for $500
Knock, on wood! (to test the headphone’s wooden acoustics and isolation) 😉 Massdrop is back on again with another exclusive, their “x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony” headphones are unleashed for $500 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next eight days and estimate to ship in late February 2017. They come with a 2-year warranty. Only 120 units are available as part of this run, with about 1/6th of them already spoken for as of the blog-posting date. These are (bio)dynamic headphones.
NuForce BE6i bluetooth in-ears for $90 [MD]
Back to the members-only Massdrop service, where the NuForce BE6i bluetooth in-ears are offered for $90 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next eight days (from blog-posting date), and it is estimated to ship in early March 2017. Keep in mind, February is a short month ~ if that helps make the wait seem shorter 🙂
Etymotic Research ER-20 Earplugs for $13
Hearing protection is important for music appreciation, which brings us to the Etymotic Research ER-20 Earplugs offered for $12 plus $1 flat shipping at the members-only Massdrop service. But if you are a Prime member, they are offered for $13 with free shipping (or the usual $49+ for non-members) by Etymotic Research with the orders fulfilled by Amazon. Note that at Amazon multiple options are sharing the same review pool, so you must dig into the review page and filter the reviews for this specific model if you want to read more about it. There is no option to filter the review scores though.
Massdrop DAC/amp round-up: items have 5-7 days left
And now a round-up of some of the latest items that have gone fully unlocked at the members-only Massdrop services. The offers below run for the next 5-7 days (from blog-posting date). I am adding the shipping cost to the price total below:
+ Creative Sound Blaster E5 USB DAC/Amp for $163~
+ NuForce DAC80 for $310~
+ Fiio K5 DAC/amp for $98~
+ NuForce HEM-series IEM grab-bag for $163~
+ Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00 for $35~
+ shipping date estimates vary by item
CEntrance DACport Slim (MD exclusive) for $100
It’s back on again, another one of the Massdrop exclusives, it is the CEntrance DACport Slim USB DAC/amp going for $100 with free shipping. This will run for the next eight days and the shipping estimate is mid-February 2017.
Thinksound Wood IEMs Grab Bag for $36 [MD]
If you are a fan of the randomness of grab bags, Massdrop is running another one for the next eight days. You pay $33 plus $3~ shipping, and for that, you will randomly receive one out of five Thinksound wood IEMs, among the ts01, ts02, ms02, and rain3 models. Limit up to two per customer. Some of them may be in bulk packaging. They also feature up to four “grand prizes”. They are estimated to ship at the end of this month.
PS: I did a mini Amazon immersion earlier today. Expect those posts to come out in the next few hours as I go through all the headphones I marked for checking/posting.
Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp for $515
The Grace is back, contrary to Dave Matthews! Fully unlocked (in terms of lowest price offer-wise) during the next seven days or so, at members-only Massdrop, is the Massdrop x Grace Design m9XX DAC/Amp going for $500 plus $15 flat shipping. The shipping estimate is Valentine’s Day! If you are interested in this, the 12-page user manual is available in PDF format at the MD website.
Massdrop: Topping D30 DAC and/or A30 Headphone Amp
This is more of a complicated offer at members-only Massdrop, but it is fully unlocked. Shipping is $9 flat regardless of purchase, and the offer has seven days to go, and will ship early March 2017. The options are, with prices _before_ shipping:
- Topping A30 headphone amp for $85
- Topping D30 DAC for $100
- both of the above for $185 (no combined purchase discount)
TFZ Series 5 IEMs for $59, 5S for $74 [MD]
Two TFZ in-ears are currently fully unlocked at Massdrop, the Series 5 IEMs go for $55 plus $4~ flat shipping, while the 5S go for $15 more. The offer runs for the next eight days and it is estimated to ship early March 2017. It is almost February after all 🙂
FRESHeBUDS Wireless Earbuds for $26 [MD] or $29 [Sooner]
The FRESHeBUDS Wireless Earbuds are currently fully unlocked at Massdrop for $22 plus $4~ flat shipping, with six days left in the listing, with a late February 2017 shipping estimate.
On the other hand, if you prefer a slightly faster delivery estimate (early to mid February), you can get it for $29 with free shipping at Stacksocial. Additional discounts if you have coupons or credits or if you are first time customer and sign up for their email list. They also have a promotion that gets you a $1 store credit for every $25 in purchases.
XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp for $178 [MD]
Another DAP is live at the members-only Massdrop shopping service, the XDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp is unlocked at $170 plus $8~ flat shipping. This runs for the next seven days and it is expected to ship end of February 2017. Detailed specs are in the listings over there.
Advanced Sound M4 IEMs for $34 (MD)
Another day, another offer getting unlocked at the members-only but free-to-join Massdrop shopping service, this time it is the Advanced Sound M4 IEMs going for $30 plus $3.50 flat shipping. This is running for the next eight days (from blog-posting date), includes a 3-year manufacturer warranty (which is pretty sweet considering the price), comes with a handful of eartips (ten pairs), and will ship late February 2017.
Massdrop: Maestro GMP 400 for $173, GMP 450 for $183
If you like German engineering and high impedance headphones, Massdrop has now two Maestro models fully unlocked. The open-back GMP 400 goes for $165 plus $8~ flat shipping, while the closed-back GMP 450 goes for $10 more. They will ship in late February 2017, and the offer runs for the next seven days.
While at Massdrop, if you are a fan of name-brand wooden headphone stands, the Sieveking Omega Headphone Stand (in various wood options) is fully unlocked for $130 plus $8~ flat shipping. It runs for the next seven days as well and it is expected to ship mid-February.
On the other hand, if you are a fan of the omega-style design, but also a fan of your wallet (or not getting yelled at by the Spouse CFO), you can find various wooden options under $40, or acrylic under $15 by various sellers at Amazon.
Massdrop unlocked: Koss KDE250 for $108 and more
More offers have been unleashed and unlocked at the members-only Massdrop, starting with the unconventional-looking Koss KDE250 earphones (earphones is probably the best way to describe them, in-ears or earbuds don’t quite fit them) going for $100 plus $8~ flat shipping. They run for the next eight days with a late February 2017 shipping estimate (good thing February is a short month then!).
With the same expiration date and similar shipping estimate, but a decidedly more conventional in-ear look, the NuForce Primo8 are going for $130 plus $4~ flat shipping.
Last but not least, it’s the return one of their regular bang-for-the-buck headphones, the closed-back over-ear AKG K553 PRO go for $120, and will ship early February 2017. This offer runs for the next five days.
Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350 Over-Ears for $100
Hifiman is catching a lot of FLAC (ha!) for their new expensive headphones announced at CES 2017 (let’s not forget the $2000 RE-2000 in-ears), but they also have some budget options out there, one of which is back on again at members-only Massdrop, their exclusive “Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350” over-ears going for $100 with free shipping. These are dynamic headphones, not planars. The offer runs for the next four days (but it is a recurring feature there, so don’t worry if you miss it), and it is expected to ship early February 2017.
Massdrop round-up: In-Ears Galore, and more
A lot of Massdrop offers are currently fully-unlocked (lowest offer price during this promotional period), with three to seven days left from blog-posting date (January 22nd in 2017). I am posting them in expiration date order:
Shipping fee is included in the total below, but not taxes or imports/duties/etc:
+ prices are rounded to the nearest dollar
+ LZ A4 in-ears for $183~
+ OSTRY KC06A in-ears for $48~
+ Cayin C5 DAC/Amp for $154~
+ Klipsch X6i in-ears for $100
+ Final Heaven III IEMs (Massdrop exclusive) for $73)
+ Klipsch R6 Bluetooth in-ears for $53
+ AKG K240 for $58 (it went as low as $50 at other retailers a few weeks ago)
+ Glow Audio Amp Two Tube Speaker Amplifier for $700~
+ Thinksound ON2 Wood On-Ears for $148~
+ CustomArt Ei.XX CIEM (Massdrop Exclusive) for $654
Massdrop round-up: a bit of everything
Another group of products is currently fully unlocked at the members-only Massdrop website, with the items mentioned below running for the next four days (except for the Fiio which runs for the next seven days). They are:
- Shanling UP USB DAC/amp for $135.50
- Just Mobile HeadStand for $38~
- SMSL AD18 Bluetooth Stereo & Headphone DAC/Amp for $129
- BlueEverBlue IEM Grab Bag for $22 (you randomly get one of five models)
- FiiO E17K Alpen 2 USB DAC for $94
- prices mentioned above include shipping but not taxes/duties/etc
Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Headphones for $400
The Wooden Headphones Club meets again at Massdrop where they are offering their own “x Fostex TH-X00 Headphones” for $400 with free shipping. The offer runs for the next seven days and will ship late January 2017, which is fairly fast for MD standards. They ship from Massdrop, so from the looks of it, they may already have these in their warehouse/facilities (my speculation; I have no clue).
PS: these are dynamic driver headphones, planar is not everything despite their increasing popularity 🙂
Massdrop round-up: a number of things got unlocked
Since my last check, a number of products got unlocked (=lowest price during a particular group-buy period over there), so here they are in a round-up post:
- Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00 in-ears for $35 shipped (ends in 3 days; ships late January)
- CEntrance DACport Slim (MD exclusive) $100 shipped (ends in 3 days; ships late January)
- MEE Audio Air-Fi Matrix2 AF 62 for $63 shipped (ends in 3 days; ships early February)
- Rooth C&P Earplugs for $21 shipped (ends in 3 days; ships early February)
- Topping TP30-MARK2 DAC/amp for $73 (ends in 8 days; ships mid February)
- AKG K812 Reference Headphone for $1008 shipped (ends in 8 days; ships early February)
- the “ends in X days” is from the blog-posting date 1/14/17)
- I am only calculating price + shipping; not taxes or imports and such since they vary from person to person
Heads Up (Tuesday 9am ET): Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X Gaming Headset for $120
The Massdrop-Sennheiser ship (okay, this is not a TV show, relationship) has a new product. Going live for the first time on Tuesday 1/17/17 at 9am Eastern time is a brand new gaming headset, the “Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X” which is based on Sennheiser’s existing PC 373D model.
The Massdrop model’s price will be $120, while the current price of the existing PC 373D is twice that, so while it may not be HD-6XX levels of crazy, it may get busy and bumpy.
NOTE that the shipping estimate is mid-March 2017, that’s two months away. Since this is a collaboration with Sennheiser, you get the 2-year warranty, with Senn’s blessings.
Beyerdynamic DT990 Limited Edition PRO 250 ohm (All Black, Straight Cable) for $140
Focus Camera is offering the new condition open-back over-ear Beyerdynamic DT990 Limited Edition PRO 250 ohm (All Black, Straight Cable) for $140 everywhere (on their website, eBay, Sears, Jet, Rakuten, Walmart, Amazon), but the safest place to buy it from Focus at the moment is fulfilled by Amazon. This means they ship from Amazon’s facilities (and Prime 2-day eligible for members), and if you have any issues or problems, you deal with Amazon’s customer service and payment system instead of directly from Focus).
PS: does anyone have a complete collection of all the variations of the Beyerdynamic DT 770-880-990 including the limited editions? They’d need a whole wall of their own! 🙂
PS2: the whole DT990 line-up of the Limited Editions (all black) is also running at Massdrop (32 or 250 or 600 ohm) for $220 plus $8~ flat shipping.
NuForce HA-200 headphone amp for $210 [MD]
If you can wait until early February 2017, you can score the NuForce HA-200 headphone amplifier for $200 plus $10~ flat shipping. The offer runs in the next seven days. This is the color-scheme and only 30 units are available for purchase.
The lowest “shipping now” price I could find is $250 by marketplace sellers through amazon.com.
TREBLAB RF100 bluetooth earphones for $39 [MD]
The RF product naming is typically used by non-bluetooth headphones to prevent confusion, so don’t be confused by this one. The TrebLab RF100 is a pair of bluetooth [see Wikipedia on Bluetooth frequencies and such] exercise earphones and they are currently unlocked at members-only Massdrop for $36 plus $3~ flat shipping.
They are expected to ship in early February 2017, and the offer runs for the next eight days. This model has 16 customer reviews at amazon.com while their more popular XR-series models have 2300 and 1063 customer reviews respectively. They average 4.2 to 4.6 out of 5 at Amazonia.
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