Dark Voice fans, unite and take over! Running for the next four days and change (from blog-posting time), Massdrop is offering the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200. You can select the power-supply in the shopping cart. Orders will ship in early May from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing…
Lin Soul OCC silver-plated cables for $50 [MD]
Magic cables without the magic price? 🙂 Cable is a very hot button issue in some audiophile forums, so it is up to you to decide where you draw the line on price, specs, benefits and the like 🙂
Running for the next week or so at the Massdrop shopping site is a sale on Lin Soul OCC silver-plated cables going for $50 each. You have various options in the shopping cart for either end of the cable. It can be 2-pin or MMCX on one end, and either 3.5mm or 2.5mm on the other end.
These will ship in early April 2019 from Massdrop. There is no mention of a warranty in the listing…
Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee returns for $160 [MD]
Jovial Jubilation! The Sennheiser HD 58X open-back over-ears Jubilee edition is back on at the Massdrop website for $160.
This being a “work in progress” listing, you have until the end of March 2019 to order it, so more time to think about it instead of the usual week-or-less time of the traditional Massdrop-drops. But fear not, shipment will not take much longer, it will ship the first week of April, soon after the listing closes. Shipping is free in the US, extra for international addresses (mayhaps $15 flat).
This headphone being a Massdrop X Sennheiser product, it comes with a 2-year manufacturer warranty. They come with one detachable cable, individually serialized, a 1/4″ adapter, and are made in Ireland. Kerrygold not included 🙂
It has 150 ohm impedance, so do check forums and reviews if you are planning to use it with lower power devices.
Aune X7S balanced head-amp or X1S Anniversary DAC/amp for $180 EACH [MD]
The head-audio party continues at good old Massdrop with the new condition Aune X1S Anniversary Edition DAC/Amp getting offered for $180. Also offered for $180 is the Aune X7S balanced headphone amp. Or you can buy both but there’s no combined-purchase discount in the shopping cart. The X7S is available in two color options, selecteable in the shopping cart of course.
The orders will ship in mid-April by Massdrop, but there’s no mention of warranty in the listing, which runs for the next five days and change [from blog-posting time].
Topping DX7s Balanced DAC/Amp for $360 [MD]
Depeche Mode prophesized (spelling mnemonic: prophet + size) the popularity of balanced audio with their hit song “Get the Balance Right”. They were not just fountains of goth-emo 🙂
Which brings us to a new offer currently running at members-only BUT free-to-join shopping club/site Massdrop, it is the new condition Topping DX7s Balanced DAC/Amp for $360, in your choice of black or silver. It will ship in mid-April from Massdrop with the offer running for the next four days and change from blog-posting time. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing.
NuForce uDAC-5 DAC/Amp for $100 [MD]
And now some DAC/amp action at the Massdrop shopping e-club. They are offering the new condition NuForce uDAC-5 DAC/Amp for $100 with free US shipping. Don’t let the size in the pictures (without cables and other frame of reference devices in it) fool you ~ this is a small-ish device and weighs 3.5 ounces.
It has a USB audio input but it has more output options: RCA, coax (orange) and of course headphone out of the 3.5mm kind. Despite the size, it has a sizable (for its size LOL) rotary volume-control dial. It averages over 4 out of 5 based on 20 customer reviews at MD and it has almost 300 comments in its Discussion thread…
Thinksound ON2 Closed Wood On-Ears for $90 [MD]
Knock, on Wood, Baby! Massdrop is back with another offering, it is the new condition Thinksound ON2 on-ears, closed-back, so closed it has wooden earcups, going for $90. They come with a 2-year warranty from Thinksound and will ship on April Fool’s Day from the vendor. Two cables are included (with and without mic). The offer runs for the next five days and change [from blog-posting time]…
KZ AS06 BA In-Ears for $35 to $37 [MD]
The number of KZ earphones is increasing by the minute. One of the many models in their lineup is the KZ AS06, a three balanced-armature design, and it is currently on sale at Massdrop for $35 without a mic/remote, or $37 with a mic/remote. These will ship on April Fool’s Day from Massdrop. There’s no mention f warranty in the listing…
SMSL M3 USB DAC/Amp for $60 [MD]
And we are back at Massdrop with another fully-unlocked offering, running for the next four days and change from blog-posting time. It is the new condition SMSL M3 USB DAC/Amp going for $60 with a mid-April [something to soothe over Tax Day woes?] shipment estimate from Massdrop. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing.
Despite its compact size and price, this has three audio inputs, USB obviously [it’s in the product name after all], along with Optical and Coaxial. It also has a USB power input which is separate from the USB audio input. Output is RCA (for the DAC part) and headphone-out with an adapter included so you can use it with either 1/4″ or 1/8″ headphones.
What is not included is an AC power cable [it can be powered via USB, YMMV depending on the combination of inputs and outputs]. Also not included are optical or coaxial cables.
It averages over 4 out of 5 based on 17 customer reviews at MadDrops and its discussion has over 330 comments. A filter to separate the signal from the noise is NOT included, that too you have to procure on your own 🙂
Sennheiser PC-37X Gaming Headset for $120 [MD]
Gamers without frontiers, Sennheiser without wallet tears! It’s a new song, look it up on my non-existent YouTube singing channel 😉 Which brings us to the Sennheiser PC-37X gaming headphone offered for $120 at the Massdrop website.
This is an “in the works” offering, which means a longer shipping date, late March 2019. On the plus side though, you have 14 days and change [from posting date] to order this, not the typically shorter traditional “drops” window.
This is yet another product in the Massdrop x Sennheiser partnership (which includes the critically acclaimed HD 6XX and HD 58X open-back over-ears), so you get a 2-year warranty with it.
Blue Bag: MEE Audio X-series bluetooth earphones for $25
If you are a fan of the mild excitement of not knowing exactly which model you will receive in the mail, Massdrop is running another blue bag sale, this time is the MEE X-series bluetooth earphones. You pay $25, and for that price you are guaranteed to receive one of four bluetooth earphone models:
+ MEE Audio X5 or X6 or X7 (chance of 30% each)
+ MEE Audio X8 (10% chance)
This being a random pick, you don’t get to pick the colors – they are what they are shown over there. There is a limit of two grab-bags per Massdrop account. There’s no mention of warranty. They will ship in late March 2019.
As usual, they also have “nilestone prizes” which include various AKG x Massdrop over-ears and the Hifiman HE-350 and the Noble X Universal. Think of these as lottery ticket type of chances, so don’t buy a grab bag just for a chance to win one of these.
Audioengine D3 portable USB DAC/amp for $65 [MD]
On the portable USB DAC/amp front, the good old AudioEngine D3 is currently fully-unlocked at the Massdrop website for $65, with a late March 2019 shipment estimate. They will ship from the vendor [in other words, not by Massdrop itself], and there’s no mention of warranty in the aforementioned listing.
Cadras EM5813 in-ears for $150 [MD]
More action happening at Massdrop, running for the next four days and change [from posting time here] is the new condition Cadras EM5813 in-ears going for $150 with a late March 2019 shipment estimate from the vendor. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Dekoni Blue (by Fostex) Planars for $190 [MD]
Planet Planar continues to expand with newer options, one of which is now fully unlocked at the members-only BUT free-to-join Massdrop webite. It is the new condition Dekoni Blue (by Fostex) semi-open over-ear planar-magnetic headphones, based on the good old Fostex T50RP Mark III.
The price is $190; orders will ship in late March 2019 from the vendor. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. The drop runs for the next four days and change [from blog-posting date that is]…
Etymotic ER3-XR or ER3-SE for $145 each [MD]
Flange fans, unite and take over! For the next four days and change [from blog-posting time], Massdrop is offering the Etymotic ER3 in-ears for $145 in your choice of either the XR or the SE model. There is no mention of warranty in the listing. The shipping estimate is April Fool’s Day, which is not as far away as it sounds, with today being March 1st 🙂
KZ AS10 In-Ears for $45 to $47 [MD]
KZ is riding high on the Chi-Fi Hype Train, but they managed to release so many different models, there’s too much confusion and one can’t get no relief without some googling around. Thankfully the Journeyman’s Toolbox has published an easy to read guide to many of the existing models, with reviews of them available as well.
Which brings us to Massdrop, where they have launched a drop on the new condition KZ AS10 in-ears with detachable cable of course, going for $45 without a mic/remote and $47 with a mic/remote. It would have been nice if they offered the option to purchase additional cables (eg one with and one without a mic/remote, but they don’t).
The orders will be shipped by the vendor on April Fool’s Day. There’s no mention of warranty in the listing. Two color options are available, either red or cyan.
PS: if headphones were groceries, considering the price, that’s like paying $9 per balance armature 😉
PS2: I’ve wanted to try out the KZ earphones for a while, but I’ve been suffering from analysis-paralysis from all those different models and sellers 🙂
PS3: here’s another take on the KZ options, this one a 5-minute video from Callaghan Reviews, YouTube-embedded below [may start with a 30-second ad]:
Pre-order the new Massdrop x Fostex TR-X00 with Removable Cables
Fostex the People! I just can’t resist recycling this old joke 🙂 Massdrop is back with two new TR-X00 closed-back wood over-ear headphones! They are the old favorites but now with removable cables. These are a pre-order, an “in production” listing, with a mid-April 2019 shipment estimate. Just in time for the tax deadline 🙂
The Purple Heart goes for $470, while the Ebony goes for $520. This being a Massdrop-Fostex partnership, they come with a 2-year warranty.
These being a pre-order, they also come with these perks:
+ coupon for $10 off your next Massdrop order
+ a polishing cloth
+ an exclusive Q&A with the project leader
So if you are a fan of removable cables, and you are a boldly going early adopter of pre-production, hide your wallet 🙂
Echobox Audio Finder X1 IEMs for $50 [MD]
With three days and change left (as of the time of this post), Massdrop is offering a $50 IEM, it’s the new condition Echobox Audio Finder X1, showing that not all IEMs at MD are triple figure or above!
It comes with a clamshell case along with various different type eartips, but that’s not all, this one has “tuning filters”. Whether you find these useful or not, it’s up to you. Some like that, others find them as mostly gimmicky-marketing. We blog, you decide!
Despite the low price they come with a 3-year parts and labor warranty covered by the manufacturer and will ship from MD itself in late March 2019. US shipping is FREE, while international shipping appears to be under $8 for the various countries in various continents that I tried in the shopping cart. But obviously I can’t test every country out there – rumor has it there are hundreds of them and more are getting made every day 😉
Massdrop x Grace Design Standard DAC for $80
The Grace is Gone insists the Dave Matthews Band, but Massdrop begs to differ as they have brought back their Massdrop x Grace Design Standard DAC for $80 with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
This listing is a bit different in that the sale is open for 24 days and change [from blog-posting date]. The orders will ship from Massdrop in late April 2019. This is made up high [no pun intended?] in Colorada 🙂
It has USB Micro (aka microUSB) audio input and output is RCA and 3.5mm TRS. It is USB Class 1.
The length of the drop that is unusual that I mentioned above? That’s because this is one of the “new product in manufacturing process”, thus the longer time. On the plus side, this gives you more time to research it and read reviews and comparisons and the like…
Nuraphone Wireless headphones for $320 or 319 euro
The smartypans Nuraphone Wireless [bluetooth] headphones are one of the Amazon Germany deals of the day going for 319.20 euro with free shipping in Germany. Shipping is extra in other countries. Shipping restrictions apply as usual because even though we have internet flowing across the world, shipments are caught up in all sorts of crazy geo-socio-corporate-o-political nonsense #RANT
They are also a new drop at Massdrop going for $320 and optionally you can add cables for $more$. They will ship from Massdrop in mid-March…
1More Triple Driver Over-Ears for $130 [MD]
One more [no pun intended] headphone’s price is coming down to earth. The 1More Triple Driver Over-Ears are now going for $130 at Massdrop with the offer running for the next five days and change [from blog-posting date]… Note that despite the open-ish look of the earcup grills, these are closed-back headphones…
They are estimated to get shipped around the start of March Madness 2019 [mid-March] from Massdrop. There is no mention of warranty in the listing… They average 4 stars and change based on 15 Massdrop customer reviews…
VE Monks Plus earbuds for $5 + S&H [options w/mic-remote for more]
They are baaaack! VE Monk fans, unite and take over! Good for the next four days and change, Massdrop has brought back the Venture Electronics Monk Plus earbuds. Yes, for those not familiar, these are actual earbuds, not in-ears. This time it is the “exclusive blue” color scheme.
The price is $5 for the base model without a mic/remote. The option with a standard mic/remote is $7, or if you prefer the Android mic/remote you pay $10. For cable fans, they offer the braided cable for +$15. Yes, the cable costs 3X the price of the base earbud 🙂 However, this option also includes a VE-branded carrying case. The earfoams vary depending on the cable package chosen.
Shipping is extra regardless. US shipping is under $5, and international under $10, but I can’t check every zipcode and every country and situation, so YMMV ~ the only way you can be sure is to enter your addresses of choice and see the estimate…
I bought the red variant many moons ago, here’s my text and pictures unboxing [including the legendary (???) Massdrop-branded envelope]. There’s also an experimental and incomplete review diary.
KSC-75X Clip-Ons (with mic/remote) for $17 w/Free US shipping (International $5 flat) [MD]
I love my good old Koss KSC-75 open-ish clip-ons, which by the way I found in the clearance bin at an Office Depot (if memory serves me well) a few years ago. They are small enough you can use them in bed, especially if you sleep on the side (eg listening to podcasts or audiobooks). Or if you don’t like things hanging on your ears while you sleep, you can set them on or near or under the pillow and use them as mini speakers. But they don’t have a remote, which makes it a pain if you use DAPs or PADs (phones as DAPs) and like to frequently pause sound.
Fear not however, help is on the way. As part of the new ship, Koss X Massdrop [yes, there are fanfics about these two!], they have released a version of the KSC-75 with a mic/remote (a one-button remote), the KSC-75X, and it is an in-stock drop at Massdrop for just $17. Despite the small price, they do come with the Koss limited lifetime warranty!
US shipping is FREE BUT they are also offering expedited shipping options for more… International shipping is not bad ~ all the countries I tried in the shopping cart showed a flat $5 shipping fee. And it makes sense, these are tiny little things.
I don’t YET have the new KSC-75X but I had posted a text and pictures unboxing of the good old KSC-75. I don’t know if the packaging is the same as the new KSC-75X. One could argue this might be the best bang for the buck headphone? I’m sure there are hundreds of threads on this topic in the forums, enough to spend a few years reading non-stop 🙂
A close-up of my good old KSC-75 [not the KSC-75X sold by Massdrop]:
PS: “in-stock drops” are products that Massdrop has available in their warehouse, so they ship within a couple of business days of purchase. The “XX hours left” does not mean the listing will end. Rather, every 24 hours the listing closes, and every order that was placed during those 24 hours gets processed and shipped. So, unlike the traditional Massdrop offers that have a 5-day or 7-day window, the “in-stock drops” continue daily until Massdrop runs out of them.
Last Call: Massdrop’s Cyber Monday
This is a last call alert on the Massdrop Cyber Monday offerings which include:
+ AKG K7XX Red edition for $160
+ Koss Porta Pro X wired open on-ears for $30
+ NuForce EDC3 IEMs for $75
+ Focal Spark bluetooth IEMs for $30
+ also more from AR, M&J, Koss, and various other “off topics” products
Etymotic ER3SE or ER3XR for $150 each [MD]
The Massdrop Black Friday party continues until Sunday at 11:59pm pacific. Then their Cyber Monday offers will go live.
In the meantime, one of their regular offerings, two different Etymotics in-ears are offered for $150 each. The ER3SE or the ER3XR. There is no volume discount if you buy both. They will ship in late December 2018.
Massdrop Black Friday sales are here: Campfire, AKG K181, AT ATH AD-series and Z-series, NuForce, Etc
The promised Black Friday sale at the Massdrop website has arrived! There is a mix of products from their various departments. Of headphone/audio interest:
+ AKG K181DJ UE headphones for $35
+ Audio Technica open-back sale: ATH-AD500X for $60, AD700X for $70, AD-1000X for $260
+ Audio Technica ATH-A***Z series: ATH-A550Z for $90, A990Z for $150, A1000Z for $300, A2000Z for $450
+ 1More Triple Driver IEMs for $60
+ BGVP DMG IEMs with tuning nozzles for $100
+ Campfire Audio Lyra II for $350
+ Campfire Audio Juniper for $550
+ RL Audio FiTerra True Wireless BT 5.0 Earphones for $35
+ NuFORCE uDAC-3 DAC/amp combo for $50
+ NuFORCE uDAC-5 DAC/amp combo for $100
+ Hifiman Mega Mini DAP for $55
NOTE: because of the volume of offers, I haven’t checked whether they have shipping fees…
Thur: MEE Pinnacle P2 IEMs for $42 [MD]
Massdrop is running a few Black Friday preview sales and among those there is one earphone, the new condition MEE Electronics [now MEE Audio] P2 Pinnacle in-ears going for $42. The offer runs for about 23 hours from blog-posting time. It comes with a 2-year warranty from the manufacturer and will ship from Massdrop in mid-December 2018.
PS: Massdrop will launch their proper Black Friday sales at 9pm pacific on Thursday…
Koss Porta PRO bluetooth on-ears for $70 [MD]
If you love the good old Porta PROs but you also like the convenience of bluetooth, Massdrop is back with another offer, the new condition KOSS PortaPRO wireless going for $70. Limit up to three headphones per Massdrop member. Note also that this drop is limite to US and Canada addresses.
These support bluetooth 4.1 with apt-X, and of course like the original, they are open-back/open-air, so you can smell their dairy air? 🙂
Speaking of dairy air, even though they are a KOSS product, per the MD listing, they come with just a 1-year warranty, not the usual KOSS lifetime. But a hard case is included.
Burson Play DAC/amp for $480 [MD Exclusive]
Massdrop is back with another exclusive, this time it is a DAC/amp, it is the new condition Burson Play, going for $480. This exclusive MD version includes three V6Vivid-Dual opamps and two V6Classic-Single, all made by Burson Audio. This offer will ship in late December by Massdrop and the “drop” is running for the next four days and change [from blog-posting date]. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
Massdrop Black Friday begins Thursday 9pm pacific
Massdrop has announced that their official Black Friday sale will begin on Thursday [that’s Thanksgiving Day] at 9pm pacific time, or let’s just say 11:59pm eastern time to prevent the 12:00 date confusion 🙂
Massdrop x THX AAA 789 Linear Amplifier for $350
If you like the idea of Massdrop but hate waiting, some of their products are “in-stock drops”. These are products that are available at their facilities and will ship within one business day [shocking fast by Massdrop standards, I know!] of purchase. The “drops” [aka offers] open and close every 24 hours, so don’t panic by that “XX hours left”.
Which brings us to the new condition Massdrop x THX AAA 789 Linear Amplifier offered for $350 with a 1-year manufacturer warranty since this is a “Massdrop x” product.
NOTE: adapter is not included for outside the US use, but it has a switching power supply (100-240 VAC) per the product description…
SMSL M6 DAC/Amp for $130 [MD]
Yet another SMSL product is running at the Massdrop website. For the next two days and change [from posting time here] you can get the new condition modest-looking SMSL M6 DAC/Amp for $130 with free USA shipping. You can select between silver or black (but there is no Raiders edition!). It will ship from Massdrop in late December 2018 and as usual with SMSL products, there is no mention of warranty in the listing.
SMSL Sanskrit 10th SK10 DAC for $75 [MD]
It’s red DAC time at the Massdrop website where for the next five days and change (from blog posting time] they are offering the new condition SMSL Sanskrit 10th SK10 DAC for $75. Melisandre would definitely approve of the red, but you can also select the blue color scheme at checkout 🙂 These will be shipped by Massdrop in mid-December 2018. There is no mention of warranty in the listing…
DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp for $200 [MD]
Another Massdrop darling brand is back with another unlocked offering. It is the new condition DarkVoice 336SE OTL Headphone Amp going for $200 with your choice of 110V or 220-240V power supply during checkout. This will ship at the end of the year by Massdrop. There is no mention of warranty in the listing…
Tenhz P4 Pro IEMs for $80 [MD]
Another Massdrop headfoolia offering that came out of the gate strong. It is already fully unlocked with 5+ days to go [from blog-posting time]. “It” is not the Stephen King “It” but the new condition Tenhz P4 Pro IEMs going for $80, shipping in mid-December from Massdrop itself. There is no mention of warranty in the listing.
This earphone has four balanced armatures and MMCX cable. This is the first time I’ve heard of this company, so I literally “know nothing Jon Snow”…
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