KossKTXPRO1 Titanium Portable Headphones with Volume Control, Single, Standard Packaging

I'll admit, I haven't been into using headphones now for nearly 10 years, but with the advent of the iPod and other MP3 players, I decided that it'd probably be a good time to look for and invest in a good pair of headphones. I'll also admit that I don't yet have a portable MP3 player, but I' probably get one sooner or later. However, with that said, I do listen to MP3s that I've transferred from my purchased CDs on my PC. I have boomy 5.1 surround speaker system for the PC that literally shakes the house, so for me to listen to my tunes at adequate volume without disturbing the other occupants, I figure a good set of headphones was in order.So what is it that I, or anyone should look for in a good set of phones? Well, clarity of sound for one. That includes several aspects. One being bass response. Most [cheap] headphones can't replicate solid deep bass. Because lets face it, good bass (in loudspeakers) require huge magnets and a large cone and lots of power. A headphone has none of that, but apparently, technology in headphones have come a long way in the past 15 years. Another aspect of clear sound is a phone's ability to replicate the high and mid-range frequencies. What good does a lot of bass do if it drowns out the rest of the frequencies? None. And of course the last thing a set of phones need to do is not crackle and distort at high volume. This is a MAJOR problem with a lot of cheap headphones. Well, even some higher priced ones I'd imagine.Well, going back to 10 years ago, I had a pair or two of KOSS headphones that could replicate good bass, but this was way before digital music media and from old style cassette walkman-type devices, so the full range of sound fidelity was limited due to the medium used. I remembered and liked the KOSS headphones, which lead me to check out these after they were pointed to by a reviewer for a similar set of Sony headphones.So how does the KOSS KTX-PRO1 Titaniums perform? EXCELLENT! I must admit though, I was at first confused at why I wasn't getting good bass. Like I said, I use these on my PC, so I have several different software players with different enhancement "plug-ins", one having a "headphone setting", nonetheless, giving a slightly tinnier sound than I was expecting. Turns out that all it took to boost the bass, was to increase the main soundcard mixer's bass level, rather than the plug-in's "hyperbass" level. And what I got was the deep solid, supposedly 15Hz bass response that this product advertises. And it doesn't drown out the other frequencies either. The grill mess on the outside of the ear piece, I suspect, may help with the bass response, but don't quote me on that. And the most important thing with these phones is that they do not distort at all. Crystal clear sound at practically any volume.The set itself is very comfortable to wear. Some reviewers here may have mentioned that there's only ome pivot point on the ear piece, but it's at the correct angle that it should be adequate for most people's ears.The bottom line is that if you want a good, sounding set of headpones, you're gonna have to pay more than $5. Let's face it, you get what you pay for. From what others have said here, this exact set sells for over $45 at places like Radioshack under a different model name. So getting this set at Amazon for under $20 is a hellava deal.Oh, one more thing...over the ear phones rather than these "new" air-bud things.... for one I can't stand sticking anything into my ear. They usually don't stay in cause my ear canals are strangely shaped and two they are just downright uncomfortable. I can't even wear earplugs for the same reason. So this was a nice find to get a excellent pair of over-the-ear headphones at a great price.You can't go wrong with the KTX-PRO1s. I listen to heavy metal mainly and they do a great job in replicating all the intricrate sounds in probably one of the most sophisticated forms of music outside philharmonic orchestrations.

This is a thoughtfully designed product and so far it works great (I'll post an update if it breaks). I'm very pleased.Sound: the sound is quite good, especially for a small, cheap pair of headphones. I am very pleased with the sound. Both bass and treble sound clear and strong and the sound seems accurate and well-balanced.Fit: I am a small person and this product fits me comfortably but at the smallest setting, with the earpieces perhaps 1/4" lower than would be ideal but still quite comfortable. I don't think it would work on a child. There is plenty of room to adjust the headpiece larger by up to 2" more, so I imagine it will fit much larger heads, too. The blue band at the top of the headpiece is maybe silicon? Something kind of rubbery anyway. It seems to prevent the headphones from slipping because it is sticky (like rubber, not like honey). Very clever! The on-ear earpieces are covered in standard black foam stuff and are comfortable. If I wear the headphones for more than an hour my ears start to feel squished but if I push the headpiece farther back on my head, so the earpieces come just a little forward of my ear (resting a little more on my skull and less on my ear) then it solves that problem.Cord, Connector & Volume Control: The split portion of the cord, coming from the earpieces to the volume control, is 16" long, so, on me, it hangs just below belly-button level, which seems like a convenient location to have the volume control. After the volume control is another 45" of cord to a very small-profile straight 3.5mm stereo jack connector. Looks like it would fit most mini-stereo applications even where space is tight. The volume control is medium-sized (about 2cm x 5.5cm) and has only a slider (for volume control - no other control buttons). The slider acts as a mute if you slide it to the far low end of its range. The slider action is smooth and noise-free. It comes with an adapter from 3.5mm stereo to standard 1/4" stereo jack, which is very thoughtful. Be advised, it comes with the 1/4" jack "installed" on the end of the connector, so if you don't need it, it just pulls off, revealing the 3.5mm jack.Packaging: it comes in a cardboard box with a couple small paper inserts: the warranty and a multilingual reminder that it is illegal in the EU to throw out electrical devices in the trash (they must be returned to "public collection points" for recycling). Nice idea EU. We should do that in the US. There are also two molded plastic pieces that hold the headphones, the clear one made of PET (#1 plastic - yeah!) and the opaque one made of polystyrene (#6 plastic - boo!). Finally, there is a surprisingly large piece of plastic just for hanging the package up in a store and it has no recycling symbol on it (boo, hiss). You would think it would be easy for the cardboard box to have a hanger on it instead. So, very nice that most of the packaging is, at least theoretically, recyclable. My only complaints are about the unlabeled plastic and the polystyrene. Many localities do not have recycling options for #6 or for unlabeled plastic, so I would prefer plastic packaging be minimized and that any plastic used could be something more widely recyclable (such as #1). And before you criticize me for being too picky, be forewarned that plastic waste is getting broken into tiny pieces and floating around in the ocean and causing many problems, one of which is that it is ending up in sea salt products (see the Scientific American article, among others), so you might ask yourself if you want to be eating the plastic later (or feeding it to your kids and grandkids) or if you prefer to recycle it properly now. Just saying...Warranty: It comes with a "limited lifetime warranty" which says, in part, that it covers "normal use by the initial user or purchaser" and warrants the product to be "free of any defect in materials". However, the terms are that you mail it to their factory in Wisconsin with a check for $9.00 and they can, at their option, refund your money or replace the unit, so that doesn't really sound like a warranty so much as buying a new one from the factory. You can check the details for yourself at www.koss.com if you want to know more. Sounds like the kind of warranty designed to encourage you to just buy a new one instead of exercising the warranty.So, besides improvements to packaging recommended above, I have no complaints about the product so far and would recommend it confidently to others.

These sound better than similarly priced headphones. Decent volume and decent bass, can't complain about these for this price point. They have a volume slider for those who like that feature. Very comfortable and can be worn for hours at a time, they practically disappear on your head. And I personally like how they look.I find there's 1 major problem with these headphones. The cups are not rotatable nor are they foldable in any way. So it's a bit difficult to take them on the go. These work well as a good 2nd pair of headphones at home imo.