5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Worst Headphones Ever!
Date of Review: Aug 30, 2002
The Bottom Line: STAY AWAY!!!
This is by far the most poorly designed pair of headphones ever!
To be fair, I will state their only advantage: they block out some sound. Their sound quality is average, for a set of portable headphones. The bass is alright, the high-end is poor. Overall, they sound dull. Now on to my complaints, which are many.
First a little background on how the headphones work: the drivers deliver the sound in to thin plastic tubes, which connect to a separate set of cheap cushions (which are really just foam earplugs with a hole in the center). The cushions come in two types, conical and cylindrical.
Annoyance #1: It is a real trial to get the cushions positioned in each ear for optimum sound quality (especially the conical type). Using these headphones has made me painfully conscious of how frequently I have to take off my headphones (to answer the phone, or get a drink of water), as I dread having to try to insert them again.
Annoyance #2: The cushions and drivers easily separate, so any slight tug on the cord makes a driver pop right out. So then you have to take the cushion out, put the driver in the cushion and the set back in your ear. Repeat ad infinitum... This makes the headphones completely unsuitable for using outdoors or performing any activity. Only when you are careful to avoid tugging the cord will they actually stay in your ears.
Annoyance #3: The virtually useless mute button. The first problem with the mute button is that because it is not a switch that will stay in the position it is put in, you must hold down the mute button for as long as you want to mute the sound. This is fine for a second or two, but becomes uncomfortable for anything longer, making you wish you had just paused your player instead. More significantly, as the headphones block out a good amount of sound you can't really hear anything clearly from the outside. To hear any outside sound clearly, one must take off the headphones (see Annoyance #1). A volume dial would have been much more useful.
Annoyance #4: Even if you clean your ears religiously before using the headphones, the cushions easily get mucked-up in ear-wax, which is impossible to clean off the cushions with any effectiveness. There are some replacement cushions, but unless you replace them after each use, your listening experience is bound to get disgusting quick. Which brings me to the most horrible part of my personal experience with the Koss Plug In-Ear Headphones:
Ultimate annoyance: After a week of using them I developed a rash inside my ears, where the headphones made contact. Perhaps I didn't change the cushions frequently enough, or perhaps it is an allergic reaction to the unusual foam material of the cushions. But I have never had such a reaction to any other set of headphones I have ever used. Even with a new set of cushions, it is now painful to even put the headphones in my ears, making my purchase useless. If my ears get any worse I will contemplate legal action.
