Now shipping: Sennheiser HD 660 S2

Hide your e-wallets! IF you cannot wait to get your head and hands and ears on this, the highly anticipated Sennheiser HD 660 S2 open-back over-ears wired headphone is here, at the early adopter price of $600 AND more importantly it is currently in-stock and shipping at its starting price of $600 at Amazon and at B&H Photo

Why this and why at this price over the many other options out there? This question has been answered, is currently being answered, and will also be getting answered in the future, just check your favorite audio forums, blogs, YouTubes and social media!

In-Stock Now: The New Sennheiser HD 400 PRO Open-Back Studio headphones

Sennheiser can’t quit the “400” number it seems 🙂 They have announced and it is already released, in-stock and ready to ship at Adorama for $250 is their new open-back (yes, OPEN BACK) studio headphone, the “HD 400 PRO”!

It comes with two cables (one straight, one coiled) and the usual 2-year Sennheiser warranty. No bags or carrying case in the official kit…

PS: not to be confused with the existing closed-back HD 400S over-ear headphones…

Now shipping ($30): Koss KPH30i in the Clear color scheme

All aboard the new Koss Hype Train! The “Clear” color scheme of the KPH30i open-back lightweight headphones is now in-stock and ready to ship for its standard price of $30 by the Koss Amazon store. This is sold and shipped by the Koss store. It is not fulfilled by Amazon…

I have yet to see or hear this, so I can’t comment on it yet…

Now shipping: Samsung Galaxy Buds PRO for $200

Speaking of Galaxy Buds, their brand new “hype train du truly-wireless” “Buds PRO” are, as of the time of writing, in-stock and ready to ship for their starting price of $200 at Amazon by Amazon actual in the Phantom Silver and in the Phantom Black color schemes…

If you prefer the Phantom Violet, that one is expected to be in-stock February 5. Keep in mind though Amazon’s estimates, especially for low-supply / high-demand items are rather volatile and change as the minutes and the hours go by…

In-Stock Now (USA): Sennheiser HD 560S for $200

All aboard the hype train! If you had been looking to find the new open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 560S headphone in-stock, you can get it, as of the time of writing, for its starting price of $200 with free US shipping at authorized and reputable dealer B&H Photo of New York

To make sure I’m not hallucinating or sleep-blogging, here’s a screenshot of their page as of the time of writing:

Plenty has been written and said about it already on the interwebs, and the nature of the Sennheiser HD line-up makes for a never-ending combination of comparisons 🙂

EU: Sennheiser HD560S In-Stock for 195 euro

European e-shoppers, your time has come if you want to jump on the Sennheiser HD 560 S open-back over-ear wired bandwagon! As of the time of writing, the headphone is marked in-stock and ready to ship for 195 euro at Amazon Germany

In Ameereeka, the HD560S has “disappeared” from the Amazon website. It may sound like a strange thing, but on rare occasion historically this type of thing happens at Amazon with high-demand but hard-to-find items.

No need to panic, the headphone is NOT disappearing from the US market. New York’s B&H Photo has it in “Coming Soon” status and accepting pre-orders of it for $200…

Of course by the time it gets here, the hype train may decide to move on to a different train station, mayhaps the Koss KPH-30i 😉

Finally IN-STOCK: Drop + THX Panda for $399

It’s FINALLY in-stock! Ring the online bells! The Drop + THX Panda wireless over-ear closed-back headphones are, as of the time of writing, in-stock at the Massdrop website for $399 with free US shipping [discounted international shipping available] and free US returns, with a 2-year Drop International Warranty.

Better yet, this is estimated to ship in mid-December (based on the blog-posting date; obviously if you read this a week later, the estimated shipping date will be different)…

Optionally you can add a Drop Panda Boom Mic to your order for +$49.

As a quick refresher, this uses planar-ribbon drives, supports LDAC, apt-X HD and Adaptive, AAC, SBC of course [the lowest common bluetooth denominator these days and the ones to be avoided by audiophiles of course], bluetooth 5.0, 10-minute quick charge for 3 hour battery time, 375g weight, IPX 6, USB-C charging [finally the headphone companies are waking up], and carrying case.

Plenty has already been written about it, the internet and forum search buttons are your friends 🙂

Here’s the Drop “Hype video” (about as long as most of today’s hit singles):

Now shipping: Monoprice multi-driver IEMs including the Quintet

The “Driver Wars” did not fail to gain traction at the Monoprice website and now they have up to five drivers in their latest in-ears. The Quintet (five drivers per side as the name suggests) goes for $80, the Quartet goes for $60, and the Trio goes for $50.

That’s about $16 per driver because headphone drivers are just like buying groceries by the pound or storage by the gigabyte 🙂

These have a detachable cable and they are new enough they don’t have any customer reviews on the Monoprice website. This is the first time I’ve heard of these, so I know nothing Jon Snow about them 🙂

Speaking of which, this is a handy link, it shows the last new products to hit the Monoprice online store. This is all products, not audio-related only…

Now shipping: Monoprice Smart Magnetic bluetooth earphones for $30 w/FS

Monoprice is back again with yet another new headphone release, this time it is a budget utilitarian product, the new Smart Magnetic Bluetooth earphones, PID 34369, with a 3-button mic/remote with cVc 6.0, going for $30 with free standard US shipping for a limited time… These are necklace style bluetooths ~ in that they have a cable connecting the two eartips but obviously there’s no 3.5mm audio input…

Now (finally) shipping: Monoprice Monolith Desktop THX AAA Headphone Amp for $480

Another one of the Monoprice Big Bang at CES 2018 is now _Finally_ in-stock and ready to ship. It is the new condition Monolith Desktop Headphone Amp with THX AAA, Product ID 24459, going for $480 plus shipping.

PS: it is not eligible for the previously mentioned weekend coupon…

New Arrivals: Monolith Electrostatic Headphone System

The Monoprice Monolith headphone party continues with a new open-back electrostatic headphone system, now in-stock for $699 plus shipping. This comes with a portable headphone amplifier. Audio comes in (to the amp) from a 3.5mm audio input and goes out to the headphones through the electrostatic headphone jack. Annotated screenshot of the areas of interest of the portable headphone amp below:

Now (FINALLY) shipping: Monolith Portable HeadAmp + DAC with THX AAA

Wallets, open wide! Here comes THX! One of the CES 2018 [yes, that’s almost a year ago] products offered at the Monoprice Big Bang then is now ___finally___ shipping! It is the new condition Monolith Portable Headphone Amplifier and DAC with THX AAA Technology, PID 24460, going for $280 plus shipping. Come on Monoprice, at least give it free shipping after 10 months of waiting 🙂

Digital inputs are of the micro-USB and 3.5mm optical kind, while the analog input is a standard 3.5mm. The 3.5mm is shared between optical and analogue Line IN. Lots of details and a couple of charts at the aforelinked page. There’s also a sub-1MB PDF user manual linked to there that is 22 pages long. There we learn that the volume knob is also a power button, a convenient way to save up on having yet another button ~ as long as it doesn’t accidentally turn on while in your bag.

PS: PID is the Product ID, a unique identifier given to every Monoprice product. The larger the number, the more recently it has been added to their website’s database.

PS2: the Monolith line-up at Monoprice has expanded so much so that they have created an audiophile-magazine splashy-ad type of a website to highlight all the products. There’s a total of eight Monolith branded headphones now. Guess the names before looking and win fabulous (virtual) prizes ^_^

Now shipping: Monolith Liquid Platinum HeadAmp by Cavalli

One more headphone-related product is now in-stock and shipping at the Monoprice website. It is the new condition Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli, PID 33305, going for $700 plus shipping. The number of new products at Monoprice has increased so much so that this is in the 33,000s. The good old 8323 closed over-ears were merely in the 8000s…

Now shipping: FOCAL’s first closed-back audiophile

FOCAL made a handful of consumer closed-back headphones but not an audiophile-targeting headphone until the release of the “Elegia”. This new black-silver over-ear model is now in-stock and shipping by various well-known audio-sellers that are fulfilled by Amazon including OneCall, ListenUP, HiDef Lifestyle, etc.

I do not know if there are any plans for a Massdrop variant of this…

Speaking of FOCAL, they were the focus of episode #3 of the relatively new post-Tyll Innerfidelity podcast, talking with Nicolas Debard of the french maker. You can listen to it on all your favorite podcasting apps and sites, such as Stitcher which also offers a web widget:

There is discussion of their approach to headphones and also how it relates to their loudspeaker philosophy. These and more!

Now shipping: Monoprice HR-5 (Open or Closed options)

Monoprice continues to roll out new products, and among them are two new headphones under the HR-5 model. One pair is open-back, the other pair is closed-back. They sell for $70 each and they are, as of the time of writing, in-stock and shipping at the Monoprice website… These are wired with removable earpads (two pairs included), along with a case [see picture #4 in their gallery over there] and … I know little and less about these, so be sure to check your favorite audiophoolia websites and forums for more details…

UPDATE: thanks to Allan in the comments for pointing out this Head=Fi thread that discusses these headphones!

In-Stock: Audeze LCD2 Closed for $899

It is not hard to lose track of the various Audeze headphones as they have similar names and variations on a theme. One of their latest models is the LCD2 Closed-Back planar over-ears and as of the time of writing, five units of these are in-stock and shipping for their starting price of $899 by World Wide Stereo (WWS), through Amazon. Prime members get them with Prime-like delivery speed even though they ship directly from WWS.

Now shipping: the Monoprice M600 and M650 Open-Back headphones for $130 and $150

It’s the Attack of the Name Clones and they are now in-stock and ready to ship! The Sennheiser HD 600 and HD 650 are two of the most influential open-back headphones in the history of audiophoolia, so of course Monoprice “had to have” two open-back headphones with the 600 and 650 numbers 🙂 I haven’t seen or heard thee new Monoprice headphones, so check reviews and forums and such for more details…

But if you have already researched them, or you are ready to boldly go and give them a try, the new open-back M600 headphones are in-stock for $130, while the open-back M650 headphones are in-stock for $150. They get free standard US shipping which is a plus since Monoprice does not have predictable free shipping like Amazon or Best Buy.

Just like Sennheiser itself undercut the HD 600 and HD 650 with the Massdrop-exclusive HD 6XX, Monoprice is now undercutting the HD 6XX with their M600 and M650 duo.

FOCAL CLEAR PRO available on eBay as well

If you are stocked up on eBay Gift Cards and/or eBay Bucks, or plan to take advantage of the Chase Q2 5% PayPal cashback rewards [up to $1500 per individual credit card; must activate offer], Sweetwater’s [no, not the one from Westworld] eBay store has TWO new condition FOCAL CLEAR PROFESSIONAL (the red/black color scheme) for their regular price of $1700 with free shipping.

A Feast of Trade-Offs: the new Koss Porta Pro Wireless (BT 4.1, apt-X) for $75 [MD] or $80 NOW!

Good news, bad news! If you wished there was a bluetooth version of the legendary Koss Porta PROs, we have both! A brand new wireless (bluetooth 4.1 with apt-X) version is now available for purchase at Massdrop. The bad news is that it goes for $75. Up to three headphones per customer. The drop is limited to US (free shipping) and Canada.

Seven more units need to get purchased before this offer unlocks. The drop ends Sunday night. It will ship in late May 2018 and it comes with just a 1-year warranty, not the legendary Koss limited lifetime warranty.

This is a feast of trade-offs and silver linings… A hard case is included. No NFC.

However, if you don’t want to wait for Massdrop, for $5 more you can get them from KOSS fulfilled by Amazon. $80 wiht free shipping ~ free 2-day shipping for Prime members. Two days is faster than late May 2018 🙂 Amazon does not have a limit, you can buy as many as you want.

Now shipping: Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier for $500 [or $400 USED]

We already mentioned that the Klipsch Heritage HP3 headphones are shipping, but they are not alone! The Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier is also in-stock and shipping for $500 by HiDef Lifestyle through Amazon. It ships directly from HiDef and it is not Prime eligible.

On the other hand, if you are comfortable buying used from individuals and/or haggling on price using the eBay “Best Offer” system, a 100% eBay seller is offering it in USED – Excellent Condition for $399 plus shipping which is the USPS Priority Mail rate ($7.25).

eBay “Best Offer” is enabled, so you can try to get a lower price using the eBay “negotiating” system:

$7 shipping (essentially charging whatever USPS charging) is very reasonable. Unlike this eBay idiot charging $295 (!!!) for shipping.

PS: if you are not in a hurry to receive it, you can pre-order it in new condition for $499 at Adorama

Now shipping: Focal Listen Professional for $299

The “red Professional” we are seeing with the Focal Clear is also available for the Focal Listen. The new Focal Listen Professional closed-back over-ears are currently in-stock and shipping for $299 by ProAudioStar through Amazon. They ship directly from the ProAudioStar (Brooklyn) and they are not Prime eligible.

Now shipping: Klipsch Heritage HP-3 for $1200

These headphones took their sweet time to come out, the Klipsch Heritage headphones were announced at CES 2017 but they are still hard to find. But as of the time of writing, they are in-stock for $1200 by “HiDef Lifestyle”, a Pennsylvania A/V dealer through Amazon (four units left) and also through eBay and … Nordstrom

Now shipping: Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless [corrected]

An update of the Headphone Tracker has another new headphone shipping, it is the Jabra Elite Sport 65t Truly wireless going for $170 by Amazon actual.

CORRECTION: I got the model names mixed up yesterday. The one that WAS on sale at Best Buy for $150 was a different and older model. All apologies for the confusion. Confusion is my superpower it seems 🙂

Now shipping: FOCAL CLEAR Professional for $1699 [CORRECTED]

Hide your wallets! The Red Temptation is Here! No, not Melisandre, it’s the Focal Clear Professional headphones, in-stock and ready to ship right now at B&H Photo [CORRECTED LINK!]. If you want them now, order them before Thursday at 7pm eastern! After that, B&H Photo closes for Passover and orders placed after that time will be processed beginning April 8! Their starting price is $1699 with free expedited shipping…

For more comings and going of hard to find or recently-released headphones, check our Headphones Tracker… Speaking of which, the RHA CL1 is estimated to be in-stock again on April 1st for $219…

Now shipping: Monoprice Monolith USB DAC/amp for $100

Well, well, well! An update of our Headphone Tracker [bookmark that!] has good news for Monoprice DAC/amp hunters! The first of the four new DAC/amps they revealed at CES 2018 is now in-stock and shipping at the Monoprice website. It is not eligible for the Monday coupon

And the DAC/amp that is in-stock is… *drum roll* … the new condition Monoprice portable USB DAC/amp, model/product number 29512, for $100 with free standard US shipping… It supports up to DSD 256, and has an internal (obviously) 32-bit 384 kHz ESS Sabre DAC, with a Savitech SA9227 USB controller, and comes with a 1-year warranty and 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Now Prime shipping: MEE Audio M6 PRO (2nd Gen) IEMs

An update of the Headphone Tracker finds that both colors of the new condition second generation MEE Audio M6 PRO in-ears are now in-stock and fulfilled by Amazon (Prime eligible) for their starting price of $50. They are sold by the MEE Audio Amazon store.

Now shipping: the new Sony MDR-1A M2 Closed Over-Ears

An update of the New Headphones Tracker has another in-stock alert for one of the headphones revealed at CES 2018. It is the follow-up to the Sony MDR-1A, the confusingly named Sony MDR-1AM2 (which makes more sense when you break it into MDR-1A M2), going for $298 with free shipping, its starting price at B&H Photo and by Focus Camera through Amazon (not Prime eligible). Amazon own listing remains as “temporarily out of stock” which could mean anything in terms of delivery date…

These are closed-back over-ears, wired, no bluetooth, no ANC, no NFC, no touch controls, just a “real” headphone 🙂

Now shipping: 5ft Monolith Oxygen Free Copper Braided Headphone Cable 3.5mm and Dual 2.5mm TRS

Monoprice cable arrival alert! Their brand new 5 foot Monolith Oxygen Free Copper Braided Headphone Cable 3.5mm and Dual 2.5mm TRS is now in-stock and shipping for $30 plus shipping! This just came in-stock. They are designed to work with the Monolith M1060* and M56* planar headphones (and anything else that fits).

The MMCX dual connectors model continues to be out of stock.

Speaking of Monoprice, they have their 3ft USB-C to microUSB cable on sale for $0.77 in the white color scheme and other colors for slightly more. The 6 inch and 6 foot models are also sale in a similar price range. Shipping is extra.

And on the headphone front, the new condition Sonic Solace ANC/Bluetooth Over-Ears is on sale for $50 plus shipping.

MEE M6 PRO 2nd Gen now shipping in Smoke

An update of our headphone tracker reveals that the smoke color scheme of the second generation MEE Audio M6 PRO in-ears is also in-stock and shipping at its starting price of $50 from the MEE Audio store thru Amazon (not Prime eligible but get free shipping from MEE).

Now shipping: the new Sony CH-series of Bluetooth Over/On-Ears

Revealed during Sony’s CES 2018 new product launches, the trio of Sony CH-series headphones are now in-stock and shipping at various dealers as follows:

The closed-back over-ears Sony WH-CH700N is the “leader” of this CH-series with both bluetooth and ANC and NFC [why NFC in headphones?] and 3.5mm playback, and it is going for $198 with free shipping in the black color scheme by World Wide Stereo through Amazon.

The “second in command” is the Sony WH-CH500 Stamina Wireless, a closed on-ear model, going for $78 by DataVision thru Amazon. These do not support 3.5mm playback, no ANC, but they have NFC.

Last and probably least of the trio is the WH-CH400 bluetooth on-ears, going for $58 and available in four different color schemes by various thru Amazon. Just like the one above, no ANC, no 3.5mm audio, but they have NFC.

All these have been added to our New Headphones Tracker

PS: the model names are a pain to type. Marketing teams need to learn that product names and numbers need to flow! Easier to name, easier to buy!

PS2: the WH-CH700N should not be confused with the WH-H900N which is a different line and it is on sale for $230 for Costco members.

Now shipping: 1More Triple Driver Over-Ears for $250

We have another new headphone arrival after updating our good old Headphone Tracker [BOOKMARK THIS!], it is the new 1More Triple Driver closed-back over-ear headphones, in-stock and shipping at their starting price of $250 by 1More with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get free 2-day shipping.

It looks like there’s only one unit available, because the shopping cart won’t let you buy more than one, and the main price area says “1 Left”.

Now shipping: MEE Audio M6 PRO 2nd Gen for $50 w/FS

If you want to be among the first to get this, and don’t want to wait for it to become Prime eligible, MEE Audio is selling directly on Amazon their brand new second generation M6 PRO In-Ears for their starting price of $50 with free shipping in the smokey color scheme… For other newly released headphones, check our Headphone Tracker

Finally: Sennheiser HD 660 S shipping from Amazon actual

If you like to buy your headphones from Amazon actual (not marketplace sellers), the time has come! The new condition open-back over-ear Sennheiser HD 660 S are _finally_ in-stock and shipping from Amazon actual for their starting price of $500 with free Prime shipping.

Now shipping: Fiio Q5 for $345 with free shipping

If you can’t wait to get the new Fiio Q5, we have good news! Two recognizable sellers at Amazon have it in-stock for $345 with free shipping by “ProStudio Sound & Music”, or $350 plus $5 flat shipping by the “Tinbel Store”. Both ships directly from the sellers and they are not Prime eligible. This is a device with lots of features, read up on it on the interwebs if curious.

Speaking of Fiio, their A5 portable headphone-amp is available in “Used – Like New” condition for $110 with free shipping by K&M Camera through Amazon Warehouse Deals. It ships directly from K&M and it is not Prime eligible.

Now shipping: Anker Zolo Liberty+ Truly Wireless (Bluetooth 5.0)

The update of the Headphone Tracker has surfaced another new release, one of the first Bluetooth 5.0 earphones out there, it is a truly wireless model, the Anker Zolo Liberty+, available in either black or white, for $150 with free shipping by Anker fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime shipping for members.