The good old Sony MDR-7506 headphones go for $80 in new condition at authorized Sony dealers, but if you want to save some, you can get them in used for $62 to $66 in various used conditions with free shipping by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. Availability changes often, so YMMV depending on when you check.
[DEAD] Used Sony MDR-Z7 for $300
As of a late 8/10/16 re-check, this sold out… The Sony MDR-Z7 was offered as a refurbished by Secondipity for $320 (or slightly less during Prime Day and eBay promotions). The refurbished is out of stock, but Secondpity also has it in “Used – Very Good” condition for $300 through Amazon Warehouse Deals. This is repackaged with missing documentation. No warranty on this one. This ships directly from Secondpity so it is not eligible for Prime shipping benefits.
[DEAD] Monday Offers: MEE M6 In-Ears and refurbs (Sony Kids, Backbeat Go2, Kraken), Etc
These daily lightning offers expired…
Sony MDR-1aDAC Over-Ears (w/built-in DAC/Amp) for $250
The Sony MDR-1aDAC over-ear headphones, which, as the DAC in their model name foreshadows, have a built-in DAC/Amp, are currently available in new condition for $250 with free shipping and free returns at Groupon Goods. Judging by the price and the lack of a warranty mention in the product description, one can assume that these are imported, so no Sony USA warranty. The ones with Sony USA warranty go for $400 at authorized Sony dealers.
[DEAD] refurbished Sony PHA-1A portable DAC/amp for $207
This expired… Another limited time add-to-cart eBay offer by Secondipity’s store, it is also a manufacturer refurbished item, the Sony PHA-1A portable DAC/amp dropping from $230 to $207 with free shipping. This is a limited time offer.
[DEAD] Manufacturer refurbished Sony MDR-1A for $207
This limited time 10% off sale expired…
[DEAD] Manufacturer refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 for $288 [limited time]
This limited time 10% off sale expired…
[DEAD] Sony MDRZX770BT Bluetooth Over/On-Ears for $48
The six hour deal window closed on this too… This is a lightning deal that is part of the Prime Deals and it ends by 3:15pm Eastern (or earlier if sold out), it is the Sony MDRZX770BT Bluetooth Over/On-Ears for $48 with free shipping for Prime members. It averages 4.1 out of 5 based on 139 customer reviews.
PS: when I say “Over/On-Ears”, it means I can’t quickly figure out if they are Over-Ear or On-Ear. It is total Prime madness today, so I only give it 3 nanoseconds 🙂
[DEAD] Sony XBA-H1 Hybrid In-Ears for $55 w/free S&H
This daily deal expired… Good until Wednesday 11:59pm ET, or earlier if sold out, the Sony XBA-H1 Hybrid In-Ears are the B&H Photo daily deal going for $55 with free expedited shipping with a limit of five units per customer.
Manufacturer Refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 for $320 [4 left; open to all; no coupon]
With many and more audiophiles scouring Amazon Warehouse Deals for good used deals, the manufacturer refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 headphones is also getting “rediscovered” as people are looking for deals. Amazon’s used price is $387 after coupon, but it is handily “defeated” by the Secondipity manufacturer-refurbished option for $320 with free shipping. It ships from Secondipity so it’s not eligible for Prime benefits. There are now only four units left (as of the time of writing).
On the plus side, anyone can buy it, you don’t have to be a Prime member. The AWD coupon does not work on this one.
Sony MDR-S70AP Foldable On-Ears for $20
The Sony MDR-S70AP foldable on-ears, in the white-brown color scheme, are currently going for $20 by a marketplace seller with the order fulfilled by Amazon so they are Prime eligible. Not a lot of information is available on these. They might be a Japan-only product that found its way to an Amazon warehouse.
PS: the earpads remind me of the “telephone receiver” style, eg in Shure SRH 144/145.
Sony XBA-H1 In-Ears for $75 [updated]
UPDATE 6/30/16: this is now price-matched for $75 at Amazon by Amazon actual with a limit of three units per customer where it averages 3.6 out of 5 based on exactly 100 customer reviews. As with a lot of price-matches these days, it is restricted to Prime members only. But the Best Buy offer mentioned in the paragraph below continues…
We now plainly break the plane of the planars with an in-ear option. The official Best Buy eBay store is offering the new condition Sony XBA-H1 in-ears for $75 with free shipping or free store pickup with a limit of five per customer.
As the “BA” in their model name gently hints at, these “are” balanced armature.
Sony MDR-1aDAC Over-Ears for $250
If you like the idea of a DAC being built-into your headphones, Groupon Goods is now offering the new condition Sony MDR-1aDAC over-ears for $250 with free shipping and free returns.
NOTE: there is no mention of warranty in the listings. So judging by the prices, to be on the safe side, one should assume these may be imported from Asia, since the ones at authorized Sony dealers go for $400. It is a question of risk and rewards here, your decision depending on comfort levels and such.
Still Good: Refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 for $320
This offer is still going on, it dropped to $320 when we previously mentioned it in late May, and it continues with eight units left as of the time of writing.
“It” being the Sony MDR-Z7 over-ear closed-back headphones available in manufacturer refurbished condition for $320 with free shipping by Secondipity thru Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships from Secondipity, so it is not eligible for 2-day Prime shipping. Its new condition price is $700, so paying less than half for refurbished is a pretty reasonable trade off. Screenshot of the shopping cart below:
Used Sony MDR-1ADAC for $250
If you are comfortable buying used headphones from reliable and reputable online dealers, the Sony MDR-1ADAC (headphones with built-in DAC) are available in USED condition (a 9+ rating with little signs of wear) for $250 with free shipping from B&H Photo.
Sony MDR-1ADAC Headphones for $340 w/coupon [MF Rewards]
We continue highlighting some of the potentially interesting headphone sales using the Musician’s Friend Rewards member coupon code EXTRA15, this time it is the Sony MDR-1ADAC Headphones in either silver or black going for $400 before coupon. With the coupon, the price drops to $340. As the DAC in the name hints at, these have a built-in DAC. The shipping estimate for this is early July 2016.
This can be had for less if you don’t need to buy a new condition model with the Sony USA warranty. See next post for more.
Open Box 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP w/1yr warranty for $900 [refurbished for $807 w/90-day]
There is definitely a resurgence in digital audio players slowly bubbling below the surface of mainstream tech gadget hype. There are many and more options, with prices not shy of the four figure mark. One such model is the 128GB Sony Walkman NWZX2BLK Android DAP going for $1200 in new condition at authorized dealers.
But if you want to save some, you can get it in open-box condition from authorized dealers that offer the 1-year warranty for $900 by RazorDog Audio on eBay (used for less than 5 hours says the listing) and OneCall on eBay (also a customer return with full warranty) and by OneCall through Amazon Warehouse Deals (OneCall is the online storefront of real world Huppin’s of Eastern Washington, aka GonzagaLand).
Another option is manufacturer refurbished condition for $807 with free shipping by Secondipity thru eBay. This comes with a 90 day warranty as a refurbished product.
Refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 for $320 [updated]
UPDATE 5/23/16: the price dropped to $320 and there are ten units available now. Screenshot updated at the bottom of the post with the new price…
Strategically this is an interesting cat and mouse situation if you want to optimize for lowest price possible. Amazon’s pricing computers seem to have algorithms that adjust prices based on quantity available, date/time, interest in a product, and who knows what other signals they use. If something drops in price once, it may drop again, but I cannot predict what will happen 🙂
The Sony MDR-Z7 over-ear closed-back headphones are currently available in manufacturer refurbished condition for $320 $350 with free shipping by Secondipity thru Amazon Warehouse Deals. This ships from Secondipity, so it is not eligible for 2-day Prime shipping. Its new condition price is $700, so paying half for refurbished it’s a pretty reasonable trade off.
Refurbished Sony MDR-ZX770BT for $55
If you like the idea of certified refurbished headphones with a 90 day warranty and Bluetooth, the Sony MDR-ZX770BT are available in such condition for $55 with free shipping in either the black or blue color schemes by Secondipity, with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so you get fast Prime shipping if a member. The refurbished listing averages 4.4 out of 5 based on 68 customer reviews.
You can find about twice as many customer reviews at the new condition listing where ironically (?) it averages a lower 4.0 out of 5 🙂
Used Sony MDR-RF985-RK RF Wireless for $30
If you are looking for RF Wireless headphones for practical/utilitarian purposes (eg TV watching, podcasts, audiobooks, while doing chores, etc), the Sony MDR-RF985-RK RF Wireless headphones are available in “Used – Like New” condition for around $30 at Amazon Warehouse Deals, by a couple of marketplace sellers with the order fulfilled (shipped) by Amazon, not the sellers. Free shipping if you are a Prime member. The sellers have only double figure ratings, but the order is fulfilled by Amazon, so you have some extra protection there.
These headphones have been around for a while and aveage 4.1/5 based on over 3100 customer reviews. They operate at 900Mhz FM (not Kleer technology). They are a two-parter, the headphones and a transmitter base which is also a charger. It looks like this has a built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, so this is a plus or minus depending on whether you prefer this or AA/AAA power.
If you prefer AAA power instead, the Sennheiser RS 120 continue to go for $30 in “Used – Like New” condition by Amazon Warehouse Deals. Their two major knocks is that they lose connection to the transmitter if it is quiet and the AC cable situation is poorly designed.
[DEAD] Refurbished Sony MDR-RF985-RK RF Wireless for $45
This is an older post, there is a better used offer on the main listing.
Refurbished Sony MDR-XB950BT Bluetooth for $70
If you are a fan of the Double Bs (Bluetooth and Bass), the Sony MDR-XB950BT in the black color scheme is currently offered in manufacturer refurbished condition for $80 with free shipping and a 90 day warranty by Secondipity on eBay with a limit of fifty units per customer.
The eBay listing has a link to the PDF file with the warranty details, which is a nice touch since many eBay listings are chaos and disorder 🙂
Refurbished Sony MDR-Z7 for $450
The Sony MDR-Z7 headphones are available in manufacturer refurbished condition with a 90-day warranty for $450 by Secondipity through Amazon Warehouse Deals, with the order shipping from Secondipity so it is not eligible for Prime fast shipping. These made in Japan headphones average 4.5 out of 5 based in 21 customer reviews and has about as many questions answered by the interweb peoplez.
Sony MDR-10R for $85
This is a new condition item lost in a stream of “used posts” 🙂 The new condition black closed-back over-ear Sony MDR-10R wired headphones (they are part of a line-up with various models) are now down to $85 with free shipping by various sellers with the order fulfilled by Amazon.
Sony MDR-7506 currently goes for $80 (don’t buy it for more)
The closed-back over-ear studio Sony MDR-7506 headphones currently go for $80 at authorized dealers (eg Amazon actual), so there’s no reason to buy it for more.
The reason I’m posting this is because there’s a high profile eBay Daily Deals listing from a non-authorized dealer (imported with seller warranty) selling it for $95 and over 1000 people bought it from them. Not sure why people are paying more for it and not getting a Sony USA warranty.
The $80 price is also available at Jet, however, the same caution applies, Jet won’t tell you who the seller is ahead of time, and sometimes they decide on the seller based on your location, so you are not guaranteed to receive a unit from an authorized dealer that will get you a Sony USA warranty.
[DEAD] Ends 9pm ET: Sony MDR-10R-NC-IP for $125
This sale ended but some items cycle through Amazon and Woot until they run out of supplies, so this may return in the future either as a lightning deal or as a Woot daily deal (or Woot-off deal or Moofi)…
[DEAD] Tuesday Deals: Sony MDR-10R-NC-IP and Klipsch R6 in-ears
These daily deals for Tuesday 4/12/16 expired…
Refurbished Sony MDR-XB950BT Extra Bass Bluetooth for $85
If your interests of Bluetooth and Bass And More Bass intersect, Secondipidity’s eBay store is offering manufacturer refurbished Sony MDR-XB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth headphones for $85 with free shipping and a 90-day warranty. Limit five pairs per buyer during this sale.
Used Sony h.ear for $150~ (various colors)
The recently released Sony h.ear headphones go for $200 in new condition, but if you are comfortable with used headphones, there are a number of listings now in Used condition and in various colors for around $150 at Amazon Warehouse Deals. This link shows the lowest price per color. To see all options for each individual color, click on the thumbnail of that color at the top of the page or the “See all offers for this product” link next to the color of choice. There are five solid “highlighter” colors for these which all together average 4.6 out of 5 based on 13 customer reviews (interestingly, only 5-star and 2-star reviews posted so far).
[DEAD] Thursday Daily Offers: Mengo Bumps In-Ears, Sony Walkman AM/FM Radio [not April Fools!]
These limited time offers expired (they typically last 4 hours each)….
Used SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier for $378
More headphone amplifier action, the SONY PHA-2 Headphone Amplifier is available in “Used – Good” condition (without any detailed comments) for $378~ by Amazon Warehouse Deals actual. They also have a listing in “Used – Like New” for $428~.
Best Buy Rewards: Earn 3X Points on Sony Hi-Res Audio
If you are a Best Buy Rewards member, check your emails to see if you have been offered a new bonus points promotion. It gets you 3X points on Sony HiRes Audio products. The promotion looks something like this in your email (screenshot below):
There are eight eligible products: a couple of Walkman Hi-Res audio players, a couple of portable DAC/amps, a monster audio amplifier, and three headphones.
This promotion runs between 2/28/16 and 4/2/16. There’s no coupon for it, so it should happen automatically if you purchase an eligible product.
In-stock in 5 colors: Sony Premium H.Ear On for $200
I am not sure how drunk they were when they named these “H.Ear On” because that’s a rather awkward search-wise and not very memorable name, but that’s navel gazing. As of the time of writing, all five different color schemes (and these are bold colorful colors) are in-stock and ready to ship for their starting price of $200 at Amazon.com. They average 4.8 out of 5 based on 11 customer reviews so far. It’s all five stars except for a disappointed 2-star emoji review.
Used Sony XBA H3 Hybrid 3-way In-Ears for $175 to $187
The “BA” is unmistakable in the model name, it’s balanced armature time, the Sony XBA H3 Hybrid 3-way In-Ears have many listings at Amazon Warehouse Deals (AWD). The lowest price is currently $175 in “Used – Good” with many more listings for $187~ in “Used – Very Good”. It looks like there is price pressure on them, perhaps that one “Used – Good” may be the dam that is holding back the discounting. Even if this price is not right, you may want to keep an eye out for them in case of future discounts (not guaranteed that they will drop further though ~ speculation based on patterns).
B&M only: Sony ZX110 for around $10
The closed-back on-ear Sony ZX110 headphones are currently on sale for around $10 at Walgreens brick and mortar stores. They can be typically found at their electronics section. These are not available on their website. The ZX110 is a follow-up to the ZX100. They have a straight cable, no mic/remote. The Walgreens in-store sales end Saturday night, so in this case, this is good until 2/27/16. Availability and colors may vary from store to store and region to region, so as with many things B&M, there is a level of YMMV.
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