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I would avoid the Koss R-line of head phones and look else where. I wish I could say that all the negative review it gets are unwarranted but I can't. I recently purchased a pair of the Koss R80 and all I can say is they have a very nice clean sound and despite what people have said about build quality they seamed decently built for a pair of $34 dollar head phones. The problem is the cord was defective on both pairs I ordered (I had to replace the first pair), the right channel would cut in and out.
There must be several attractive people already working at Koss that could model their headphones on their web site with different views showing the connected equipment and applications, the cost to Koss for providing more and better photos would be $zero. I bought the AKGs for best sound quality available for less than $1000Akg K702 Reference Class Open-Back HeadphoneMY REQUIREMENTS WERE:* Fits big noggin* Comfortable for hours of use* sounds great* less than $400* eliminates noise from dishwasher, vacuum and significant other when I am listening* For use at home in my favorite chair* No leakage so my daughter can sit next to me reading or doing her homeworkREQUIREMENTS TRANSLATED INTO FEATURES:* Over the ear cups that completely encase the ear* Adjustable headband that fits big heads, not giant* Sling configuration headbands are the best for long wearing comfort and rest on the head as opposed to clamping on the head and ears. Simply buying the units to see what they sound like and how they fit is both expensive and time consuming. See my review of AKG 702 headphones for listing of my test system and CDs.
No leakage in or out* Long straight cable, preferably replaceableKOSS R80 REVIEWWhy R80:Same drivers as highly acclaimed Koss Porta Pro open headphones, replaceable cord, closed cans, US company made in Korea, adjustable headband, familiar name from the old days who made Audiophile quality headphones. I had planned to use them with my PC but too tight and too hot, stereo and movie listening was a long shot based on the drivers that didn't work out.RECOMMENDATIONIf your head isn't big, and you are looking for some good-sounding inexpensive-headphones this might be the pair for you for all stationary applications including sitting at your work cube jacked in. Noise isolation is good. Cans don't fold and they are not echo-noise canceling so using them on the commuter train or airplane may not work. KOSS R80 REVIEWWhen my 30 year old high-end headphones died a few months ago, I went on the hunt for a replacement pair.In all things, my preference is to buy American made, or at least American designed and owned, so I looked first at Koss. Bose and several others qualify too. Available straight or coiled cord.PROS* Semi sling adjustable headband* Closed cans and ear pad do eliminate leakage* Sound quality is good but not great, if the AKG 702s are a 99% of perfection, these are an 85-90%* Price, these are very affordable headphones that should last a long time* Build quality appears to be good, time is the best judge for reliability* The drivers should last forever* Replaceable ear pads and cordsCONS* Fit is good for medium and small noggins, a bit tight for my large noggin.* Closed cans and ear pads do not breath and can get very hot with a tight fit, it may be the material the ear pads are made of, possibly Koss could add some venting to the closed cans to alleviate the heat buildup* Sound quality is good, not great; but for the price, 1 tenth of the AKGs, hard to argue with* Sound stage is a bit narrow compared to AKG 702s and Audio Technica open and closed 700s, both 3x to 4x more money. Koss should benchmark their Ur20, UR 40 and R80 vs the AT 700 for fit and comfort and continue to use their existing high-volume highly-acclaimed drivers.closed canClosed-back dynamic audiophile headphones, 53 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems, 3.5 mm connector w/ 1/4" adapteropen canAudio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones with 53mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnet SystemsKoss needs to decide the target market customer for each product and clearly state the applications on their web site, commerce sites and packaging, otherwise one is left guessing what the Koss designers were thinking when they designed the unit.
Until Koss addresses the heat build up issue, they will always be at a significant disadvantage with an easily correctable problem. Alternatively, Koss could go all out and pay a professional photographer a few hundred for a photo shoot using Koss employees wearing the headphones and jacked into the target equipment like: i-pod, chair next to expensive stereo, next to sampling kiosk in store, sitting in an airplane pilots seat, ham radio etc.In the end, I gave the R80s to my 10 year old since her head is smaller than mine, the clamping is not as tight resulting in less heat buildup. If you wear them walking around the neighborhood, make sure you have great insurance since you would be likely to walk in front of a car or truck. They are her early Christmas gift. Narrow sound stage may be a result of the closed can damping implementation and the materiel in the padsSUMMARY In reading the other Koss reviews, if you are looking for stationary listening affordable Koss headphones, the UR40 open backs may be a very good option since they both breath and allow the drivers to move freely without damping concerns. For listening to her I-pod nano, Nintendo game and pc applications the headphones are perfect.
I have a bunch of very high end speakers and amplifiers rounding out at $8K for my primary system, so my ears are spoiled. Head size recommendations would be giant plus on their web site. If the sling and ear pad materials on the R20 config can be significantly upgraded for a few bucks the designers should do it. If you move around a lot with headphones on, slings are not for you.* Closed cans, to isolate outside sounds. Leakage would be a factor, but the sound stage should be bigger and heat gone.Koss UR40 Collapsible Over-Ear HeadphonesMy impression is that that from a design point of view the R80 was a good first effort by the Koss designers who should follow up by moving the R80 drivers and replaceable cord config to the R20 sling and bigger rounded ear pads configuration and offer the R80 in open and closed back cans like the AT 700.
The biggest downside to these is that you have to re-adjust them every time you put them on, as they slip back to the smallest size every time you take them off. I don't think I am going to buy another pair because I have a little more money these days and I want to buy something that looks cool, but I definitely recommend them. I bought the UR-20's about 5 years ago, I've used them almost every day, and they are only just starting to break. The weak link seems to be the joint where the cord meets the audio jack. for these and they lasted 5 years. I use these almost every day, I've sat on and stepped on these countless times, and I've moved with them 5 times, so they have seen a LOT of abuse. I'm no audiophile, but the sound quality seems good to me, and has not degraded over time.
I paid $[.]. I know I am hard on my headphones, I figured I would probably break any headphones within a year so I might as well buy something cheap.
The rest of the headphones look and sound brand new. I originally bought these because they where cheap and seemed sturdy.
I think that pretty good. Also, these are not suitable for use as portable headphones, they are way too bulky and dorky looking.
Pro:CheapVery durableGood soundComfortableCon:Must be re-adjusted every time you put them onNot portable Every once in a while the sound will get distorted or cut out entirely, but if I jiggle the cable it will come back.
I'm amazed that they lasted this long.
Those of you out there needing a set of inexpensive earphones,(except in quality and sound) look no farther. Especially for the Buck, this is a big bang. I was needing a set of earphones but didn't want to spend 60 or 70 dollars so after seing this produce and who made it,I thought I would take a chance. Well, I am not dissapointed.
its hard to explain with text but you'll understand what Im talking about if you actually have to experience it.I would definetly reccomend this to anyone. My mom bought me these headphones last week and they are amazing. my spanish teacher couldnt hear it when I had them on my head full blast, but they are very loud around your neck.PROS: amazing sound, extremely comfortable, and easily eliminated consCONS: Poor plastic constuction, but is easily fixable.MUST HAVE. when you put these badboys on full blast you cant hear a thing thats going on around you, which is okay I guess but not so great if you need to know whats going on. The sound quality is superior and well I love them.There is a small problem with the plastic construction though, but this can be easily fixed with a paperclip and a lighter. If you heat the paperclip enough you can push it through the swingy part that attatches to the actual headphone and use that instead of the small peice of plastic that it came with (thats the part that breaks off).
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