KossKPH14K Side Firing Headphone (Black)

very clear acoustics and great stereo separation, but no bass. perfect when walking, jogging, working out and shopping as you can hear outside noises in case you need to hear something. does not hurt your ears like headphones during polonged wearing as it fits inside your ear. it's true that headband is narrow so it can squeeze and hurt your head but you can stretch out the headband to fit.. it is well made and durable, probably worth twice the price.

I worked for at a Frys electronics around 2002-2005 so the store discounts allowed me to buy the Sony MDR-W08L for around $7.00. one day i go a tip from my manager that sony was discontinuing the headphones and before the store opened he let me buy the left over stock of 22 at $6.00 for $140he thought i was crazy but even as of 2023 the sony MDR-W08L are still the best running headphones ever made. now in 2023 im down to 9x still in box and 2x in various working conditionsso im looking for an alternative, and the Koss is the closest to the sound quality of the original Sony; id say about 98% close to the sony headset quality; and they are affordableonly draw back is they are uncomfortable, very little room for adjustment they grip right into your earsthe SONXTRONIC Xdr-8000 are 2x the price but have the same feel and comfort of the original Sony mdr but plastic frame is brittle and the sound quality is no better than the KossI really don't get this generation, i tried ear buds, you have to jam the things tight in your ear to stick. They either leave your ears sore or you end up loosing them.so take your pick, me i want a time machine back to 2003

These are the only earbuds I buy anymore (and not very often because they last a long time!). I basically use them every day and I am really pleased with the sound quality. They are not noise canceling, but they aren’t supposed to be. This allows you to hear what’s going on around you (like if you’re outside or at the gym).Right out of the box they’re a little tight and can hurt your ears if worn for a long time. I discovered a little trick…I heat up about 3/4 inch or so of water in a bowl in the microwave for a few minutes. Take the hot water out of the microwave and let the very top part of the headband sit in the hot water for a few minutes to soften up the plastic a little bit. Be super careful not to let the earbud part, plug or wire get wet. Once the top of the headband is fairly warm, put them on as if you were using them for several minutes until they cool off a bit. The plastic hardens right back up strong as ever but now you have a custom fit. I’ve done this with 2 sets of these earbuds and it’s worked great both times.I looked for the perfect earbuds for almost 10 years and I love everything about these earbuds! I hope they never stop making this style of earbuds, because I can’t find anything like them!

Fit nice and snug. Great for running. I could see how they might be uncomfortable for many hours of wear. But fantastic for running.Sadly these broke after the third use. The photo of fracture plane, appears to be a void in the plastic. I’m returning and have ordered a white replacement pair. Hopefully that color plastic will be stronger.Update: bought the white ones. They broke in an identical way (thankfully within the return window), snapped at the top. These are very brittle and will snap when opened any wider than your ears. I was trying to put them around my neck so opened them a little wider than my ears to clear them, I have a small head and was aware of the failure mode and was being careful, but they broke anyhow. If you choose to buy them be very careful, they are super delicate. I would recommend gluing on a curved strip of metal. Too bad because these are great otherwise. The tight fit is great for running. You could use them until try break they buy an new one and return the broken one. This is a major product flaw that needs to be fixed.I wish I could leave a second one star review for the white pair. Two different products should allow two reviews. I’ll buy the next pair from the wife’s account.

I bought these headphones to use at the gym, to replace a pair os Sony MDR-023 over-the-ear wired headphones. The Sony headphones still work and are pretty comfortable, but they don't fit as snugly as I like so I was looking for something else. Like many other reviewers, I used to own now-discontinued Sony headphones that have the same vertical in-ear style as these Koss headphones, so I decided to try them. Before buying these, I briefly tried a pair of Bluetooth over-the-ear headphones, but I didn't like them so I returned them. I'm not interested in other earbud headphone styles because they don't stay put in my ears.The Koss headphones fit a bit snugly, as other reviewers have mentioned, but not uncomfortably so (I guess I have a smaller head than some other reviewers :-). Unlike some (but not all) of the similar old Sony headphones, these don't fold, but I can live without that. The cord is long (which I like).My only complaint is that there's no bass at all. The midrange and treble sound clear, but I miss the bass. It's been a while since I had the similar Sony's, but I think the bass was better with those. The bass is definitely better with the over-the-ear Sony MDR-023 that I'm replacing. I tried turning on the Apple Music app's bass enhancer on my iPhone, but it just made the sound muddier, so I turned it back off.I considered returning these, but since they were pretty inexpensive I'll just keep them. If you're looking for vertical in-ear headphones like these, there aren't many options. Too bad these don't sound better.