Now Shipping: Massdrop Objective 2 Headphone Amp (Desktop Edition) for $95 w/FUSS [MD]

Hide your e-wallets, although, considering the price-ranges of audiophile gear, this won’t do as much damage as some other CLEAR options that can put the FOCAL point of money drain on your ELEG(I)ANT wallet, probably purchased from Massdrop too 😉

With that obligatory throw-all-the-tomatatoes-at-me joke out of the way, we have good news if you are a fan of the Objective 2 headphone amp. The desktop edition of the Massdrop edition is now shipping (actually shipping) at the Massdrop website for $95 with free US shipping.

The shipping estimate as of the time of writing is July 10 in 2019, a miracle by Massdrop standards 🙂 This has become an “In-Stock Drop” that’s why it ships so fast ~ one business day after the close of the calendar day of your purchase. Your card will be charged two hours after ordering, so you have that regretsy window 🙂

During the checkout process you have two decisions to make. One is utilitarian, 110V or 220V adapter to be included. The other is more philosophical: standard gain or medium gain. Or you can get both and resolve the never-ending internal and external debates 😉

In addition to the free US shipping, they have two expedited shipping options, a +$5 and a +$15 which promises a 2-business day arrival. I wonder if it’s only a matter of time before Massdrop offers some kind of a Prime-like membership plan that includes faster shipping? [this is only a crackpot theory, I have no inside or outside knowledge]

PS: I’m planning to set out some time so I can update the two Massdrop “Tracking” perma-posts I used to keep updated 🙂 Stay tuned on that ~ no promises 🙂

July 8, 2019 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: , ,

New at Massdrop (Thursday 9am ET): Hifiman Edition XX Open planars for $600

UPDATE: the shipping estimate has been revealed, it is the end of May 2019, that’s almost seven months from now, so patience is a virtue even for the patient ^_^

Massdrop strikes again! The date of interest this time is Thursday November 1st at 9am eastern! At that very point in time, after the Halloween festivities are over, they will launch a brand new custom co-brand headphone, the Hifiman Edition XX, an open-back planar-magnetic over-ear headphone. The verbiage at Massdrop says that at 20 ohm, an amplifier is not required, it can be driven from a laptop or portable media player. But what about the Sandisk Clip Plus? 🙂

The price is revealed in the listing, it will be $600 with free US shipping and subsidized international shipping. It will come with a 1-year manufacturer warranty which makes sense since it is a Hifiman x Massdrop co-operation.

The big unknown that will be revealed tomorrow is the shipping estimate. This is a new product, so I’m guessing don’t expect it to arrive in 2018 🙂

October 31, 2018 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

KZ ZS10 shipping late April for $45 to $46 [six options]

If you are a fan of the KZ in-ears, their brand new ZS10 is currently on sale for $45 (without mic) or $46 (with mic) with free slow shipping from China at GearBest. There are three colors, multiply by two (with or without-mic), making it a total of six options.

The shipping estimate is April 26-30. How fast you’ll get them after that depends on the shipping method. The free shipping option is unregistered (no tracking) with a 15-25 business days estimate. The $1.20 option is Registered Air Mail. The $2.04 option is “Priority Line” with a 7-10 business days estimate. Expedited shipping jumps to $15 with a 3-8 business days estimate.

Here’s a screenshot of the three color schemes:

April 17, 2018 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Shipping Soon: AKG K5005 Flagship IEMs

An update of the new Headphones Tracker has good news for those of you wanting to be among the first to get the AKG N5005 flagship earphones at their starting price of $999. A number of authorized dealers are scheduled to have them ready to ship next week:

April 8, 2018 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

In-Stock Soon: Denon AH-D7200 for $999

Now that the Monoprice M1060 is steadily in-stock, it is time to start “babysitting” other headphones. If you are looking to find the Denon AH-D7200 in-stock, good news, the new condition will be in-stock on May 2nd by HiDef Lifestyle (real world A/V B&M store) with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members will get it in about two days after it becomes available (eg arrives at Amazon’s warehouses).

April 28, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Shipping this weekend: Sony MDR-XB-950-N1 ANC BT Over-Ears

Another one of the headphones announced at CES 2017 is getting ready to ship. The Sony MDR-XB-950-N1, part of the Extra Bass line-up, with bluetooth, NFC and active noise cancellation, is scheduled to come in-stock on Sunday in either black (/B) or green (yes, green; the /G in the model name) color schemes at Amazon by Amazon actual.

It promises battery life up to 22 hours, 40mm drivers, included soft pouch, a Sony Connect app [see on Google Play, offered by Sony, not Sony Mobile], etc. If you look closely at the pictures and the comparison table in the middle of the product page, you will also notice that it can also play music via a 3.5mm input.

March 9, 2017 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Back In-Stock: Philips X2/27 Fidelio for $248 [was $236]

The Philips X2 open-back over-ear were in the headphone world headlines for the right and the wrong reasons the last few months. They were also in and out of stock, but as 11/11/16 AM of the time of writing, they are back in stock for $248 [was $236] with free shipping, with a limit of five units per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual.

UPDATE: the price of this bundle no longer tracks, it’s $30+ more expensive than buying the two items separately… NOTE also that starting November 12, Amazon will begin shipping a new Philips X2 bundle, the headphones together with the V-MODA BoomPro, together going for $265, which is the same as buying them separately. I don’t know if the price adjusts automatically based on the two components or it is set separately. At the moment it’s the same.

November 10, 2016 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Fiio A1 portable headphone-amp ships NOW for $28 [updated]

If you have an Amazon Prime membership, or are planning an Amazon order that gets you free shipping ($25+ in books or $49+ in physical goods), you can now get the brand new tiny Fiio A1 portable headphone amp with free 2-day Prime shipping (if a member). This is now in-stock as of 3/27/16 PM, The shipping estimate at the moment is March 28 (2016) and the seller of record is the Tinbel Store with the order fulfilled by Amazon.

This is the replacement and follow-up to the good old Fiio E6, part of the newly revamped Fiio line-up. It has volume control via two distinct +/- buttons (the E6 had a unibody volume rocker of sorts). The Equalizer shares the same button as the Power button. All buttons are now straight up buttons, moving away from the more slidery nature of the adorarkable E6.

Audio input is on the other side of the device, you can see it in one of the pictures on the Fiio website. Another difference is the A1 is using micro-USB versus the mini-USB of the E6. Detailed specs at the Fiio product page. You can also find its user manual on its support page.

March 25, 2016 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

V-Moda Crossfade Wireless (BT) now orderable

If you are an Amazon shopper, and want to get the new V-Moda Crossfade Wireless (bluetooth) over-ear headphones, which are based on the closed-back over-ear M100s, they are now available for purchase at Amazon by Amazon actual for $310. The shipping estimate is not set yet, it has the mysterious “Temporarily out of stock”.

With the new ones occupying the “Beats Studio” price range ($300ish), the Crossfade M100s are now down to $235 in the “Shadow” color-scheme.

October 28, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Samsung Earpods for Galaxy S6/S6_Edge for $8

The white earpods (they soooo don’t look like the Apple earpods) that Samsung is including with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones can be purchased on their own in new condition for $8 per pair at Amazon.com via various sellers. BluTek is fulfilled by Amazon. Amazon’s own inventory will be in-stock on September 17 (2015).

September 12, 2015 Filed Under: earbuds Tagged With: ,

Coming Soon: AmazonBasics On-Ears in Blue or White (still $15)

After a successful introduction of their black color-scheme closed-back on-ear bass-favoring-but-not-obnoxiously-so AmazonBasics On-Ears, the company is bringing it out soon in two new color schemes, in blue color scheme or white color scheme. The price remains the same, $15 per pair. They have a single-entry cable (left side), layflat earcups, and come with a basic/cheap drawstring bag (the only accessory). They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 284 customer reviews so far.

September 1, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Shipping next week: Philips L2 Semi-Open for $280

Hot on the heels of their X1 and X2 success, Philips continues onwards with a new headphone release scheduled for around July 30 at amazon.com, it is the Philips L2 (aka L2BO/27) with a current price of $280. These are over-ear semi-opens with universal mic/remote. Pictures and specs comparison to the other various recent Philips headphones over there.

July 24, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Now shipping: Apogee Groove portable DAC/amp

The brand new portable small Apogee Groove USB DAC and amp combo is now in-stock and ready to get shipped to you for $295 by Adorama and amazon.com. This takes USB 2.0 audio input and outputs 3.5mm for headphones. This is built in the USA per the product description over there.

July 2, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Orderable Now in USA: the $80 Xiaomi On-Ear Headphones

The wait is over! If you are in the USA, you can now purchase the new semi-open on-ear Xiaomi Mi On-Ear headphones for $80. Their online store began accepting orders at 10pm ET on 6/1/15. They even have a “Total Harmonic Distortion Curve” comparing them to the AKG K551 and Sennheiser Urbanite in the middle of the product page. The “Buy It Now” button is semi-hiding at the top right corner, you don’t have to keep scrolling down at that ever-scrolling page 🙂

June 2, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

June 1: you can order the $80 Xiaomi Mi Semi-Open On-Ear headphones

Xiaomi will officially open its US store on June 1st at 10pm eastern (per their facebook), and among the items that will be on sale are their semi-open on-ear headphones, the “Mi Headphones” (50mm drivers) for $80. Xiaomi is perhaps better known so far for their bang for the buck Pistons 2 and 3 in-ears. This is the detailed page for the headphones, with their reliability test data at the bottom. They come with a variety of accessories (bottom of page).

May 27, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

Shipping Soon: Apogee GROOVE Portable USB DAC/Amp for $300

If you like to be among the first to try out new amps and DACs, the new Apogee GROOVE Portable USB model for Windows and Mac (USB 2.0) is estimated to begin shipping in 2-4 weeks at Amazon with a price of $300. Supports up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution and Built in the USA per the listing.

May 26, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

Shipping soon: Schiit Audio SYS Passive Preamp for $60

The SYS Passive Preamp from Schiit Audio (yes, I vow not to make any “schiit” jokes in 2015) is expected to re-start shipping very soon, the estimate at Amazon.com is May 10 for $60, sold by Schiit with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so it is eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping.

May 4, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

10% off new Creative In-Ear3 Plus and In-Ear2 Plus

The new “Plus” Creative Aurvana in-ears are currently in-stock and have a 10% off discount if you use promo code NEWAURV at the Creative online store for the new In-Ear3 Plus ($150 – 10%) and the In-Ear2 Plus ($100 – 10%). Coupons end 4/19/15.

The Ear3 Plus is discounted at Amazon but not quite as much ($139 instead of $135) without coupon but it is “temporarily out of stock”.

April 14, 2015 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

In-stock: Grado GR10e for $400 (authorized)

As of the time of writing, the new Grado GR10e in-ears are in-stock and ready to ship by 4OurEars thru Amazon.com. The order is fulfilled by Amazon, so it is eligible for free 2-day Prime shipping. 4OurEars is the official Grado store, I don’t know why they don’t call it the Grado Store, as some people may not be aware, but that’s another story. 4OurEars is the only seller offering these at Amazon at the moment, no marketplace or other sellers.

April 5, 2015 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Schiit Fulla now available thru Amazon for $90

The Schiit Audio Fulla tiny USB DAC/Amp is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. The seller is the manufacturer, with the order fulfilled by Amazon.com, if you are a Prime member, you get free 2-day shipping. This tiny creature has eight customer reviews so far with an average of 5 out of 5. This is really made in USA per the description.

April 5, 2015 Filed Under: amps and dacs Tagged With: ,

New arrival: Phiaton MS 100 Balanced Armature in-ears for $80

If you are a boldly-going early-adopter of new headphones, there’s balanced armature action from Phiaton. Their new MS 100 BA in-ears are now in-stock and ready to ship for $80 at Amazon.com by Amazon actual and marketplace sellers (Electronics Expo). They have no customer reviews as of the time of writing.

April 1, 2015 Filed Under: in-ears Tagged With: , ,

Philips X2 in-stock NOW (or USED for $270 now)

There is some movement on the Philips X2 availability front. There are multiple used units in-stock at Amazon Warehouse Deals with prices starting at $270 in “Used – Good” condition and going higher for better condition.

Great news for new condition as of 3/31/15, it is in-stock now, and ready to ship, at Amazon.com by Amazon actual at its regular price of $300. Limit five per buyer! Mayhaps they should have a lower limit so “resellers” don’t buy them and then sell them for crazy prices on eBay. This would give “real customers” a chance to buy them. And create more happy Amazon customers.

March 30, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

New headphones from Amazon Basics: $45 Over-Ears

Amazon has more headphones under its house brand (“AmazonBasics”). They already released their on-ears, and now, coming out pretty soon are their new Over Ears with a $45 starting price. They are folding and have a detachable cable. Not a lot of details are known yet and they have zero customer reviews as of the time of writing. Their shipping estimate is the all encompassing “Temporarily out of stock”.

March 23, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Philips X2 in “Temporarily OoS” [updated again]

As of a 3/18/15 AM recheck, the two Amazon Warehouse Deals used condition listings got sold out. The only one that remains is by a marketplace seller… UPDATE: they are in-stock in “Used – Very Good” condition for $280 at Amazon Warehouse Deals.

The open-back over-ear Philips X2 headphones now have a different shipping estimate at Amazon.com, it is “temporarily out of stock”. The previous time I checked it was “4-6 weeks”. The “temporarily out of stock” however is not guaranteed delivery, so if you want them to arrive very very soon, you may want to wait for a more deterministic status update over there.

These continue to pick up reviews, they average 4.7 out of 5 based on 70 customer reviews, with this one perhaps the most detailed of the negative (under 4 stars) reviews. They also have more questions answered if you are curious about them, now with 27 and a few more left hanging (unanswered).

March 17, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Shipping now: Monster DNA Pro 2.0 for $280

If you are a headphone early adopter and curious to check out the new Monster DNA Pro 2.0 headphones, they are currently in-stock and shipping for $280 with free shipping by Monster’s Amazon store. The orders are fulfilled by Amazon so they are eligible for Prime benefits.

March 17, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

Shipping Now: Fostex TH-500RP for $700 [updated]

As of 3/3/15, the Fostex TH-500RP planar magnetics are now in-stock and shipping for $700 with free shipping at Amazon.com by market place sellers. They have one customer review so far over there, but it is from an audiophile.

UPDATE (3/5/15): Amazon actual sold out (1-2 months estimate) but various marketplace sellers have them in-stock at the same price.

March 3, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,

Now shipping for $300 with freebies (Fiio E06): Audio Technica ATH-M70x

After all the buzz generated by the M50 and M50x, it was only a matter of time before Audio Technica decided to jump on to the lucrative $300 price point with their Mx line-up. And now, the ATH-M70x are in-stock and shipping for $300 from various sellers at Amazon and Pitbull Audio on eBay.

Meanwhile, other retailers are beginning to offer some small freebies while still keeping the price at $300, for example Pitbull Audio on eBay includes the Fiio E6 portable headphone amp, while Kraft Music includes an extra cable, Kinyo earbuds and 4GB flash drive.

February 25, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

In-stock for $300: Sony Walkman NWZ-A17-SLV DAP [updated]

The new Sony Walkman NWZ-A17-SLV 64GB digital audio player (DAP) is back in-stock for $300 from Sony’s own store and Sony’s eBay store

UPDATE (2/24/15): the in-stock marketplace option sold-out, and Amazon’s own in-stock estimate has it at a floating “3 to 6 weeks”. In addition to the 64GB of on-board storage, this takes up to a 128GB microSD card, which is definitely a plus if you are using FLAC and other higher-than-MP3 file formats. It averages 4.2 out of 5 based on 47 customer reviews, and has a total of 90 questions answered.

No, you don’t need to buy an “audiophile” microSD card at 5X+ the price, unless you want to help kickstart Sony’s profit margins during their hard financial times 🙂

February 23, 2015 Filed Under: digital audio players Tagged With: ,

In-stock in all colors: Master & Dynamic MH40 for $400

One of the headphones generating some buzz are the Master & Dynamic MH40, and as of the time of writing, all three different colors (black, gunmetal, brown) are in-stock for $400, sold by Master & Dynamic with the order fulfilled by Amazon (so eligible for Prime benefits). You can find them all at the Master & Dynamic Amazon store. Note that the three different colors of the MH40 are separate product listings, so their reviews are not pooled together. Each color has its own set of reviews.

February 19, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: ,

In-stock now: Philips X2 for $300

If you have been trying to nail down the Philips Fidelio X2 open-back over-ear headphones in-stock at a reputable dealer, as of the time of writing of this post, they are in-stock and ready to ship for their starting price of $300 at amazon.com by amazon actual with a limit of five pairs per shopping cart.

February 16, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , ,

In-stock February 15: Sennheiser Urbanite XL Bluetooth

According to Amazon’s latest estimate (as of the time of writing), the brand new Sennheiser Urbanite XL Wireless (Bluetooth) headphones will be in-stock on February 15 in 2015, at their starting price of $300 by Amazon actual.

February 9, 2015 Filed Under: headphones Tagged With: , , ,