Excellent sound

doesn't let you forget you are wearing them

This is a venerable stereophone which first came out in the early seventies.
Yes, they look dated, they are some two to three times heavier than any comparable phone and the seal on the ear via the pneumatic cushions is tight. But the sound is exceptional even today; transparent mids and highs which are unmuddied by the phone's exceptional ability to produce very deep but clean bass. Compare them to Koss's recent "studio" line of headphones and you wonder what the company has been doing all this time.
The virtually hermetic seal of the earcup cushions and "impenetrable" design of the earcup (they look almost gastight) give a recording studio ambience to the sound, but this is a plus for inner city living - you are going to be hard put to hear the smoke detector going off.
Today, most headphone users like the open backed variety of phone, but if you like total acoustic isolation and don't use them for background music i.e. very long periods of continuous wearing, you might just like them - I doubt that Koss has been manufacturing them all this time for the sake of nostalgia.

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AKG K240D

Slightly canny; HEAVY!

I saw these on sale at J&R Music World a few years back and decided that they were just what I needed: something tried and true to replace my very quickly aging AKG pair. The design has been around since the early 70s and they've kept making them for a very good reason: they're simply great headphones!

They have excellent clarity and fantastic power handling, with very tight bass. The external noise reduction of the sealed design is good - such that outside sounds are masked almost completely while music is playing, but do seep through when listening to silence. Bass response is excellent, aided I'm sure by the sealed design. The Sony MDR-7506 has a bit more sparkle, but these have the edge in overall imaging.

Yes, they are heavy. I can't wear them for more than an hour or so before I have to rest. I've seen people replace the foam in the arch with something a little bit lighter, but I don't know how much of a difference it would make in the long run.

Overall, these are good for uses where you're sitting at home and really want to get the full clarity of a recording - not for extended use or walking around in public.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-7506, AKG Model 141

Bought these used from a second hand shop for pratically bugger all money. They are very very heavy headphones and build up your neck muscles. What I've found with ALL Koss single wire sided headphones is that the wire seems to break and you've gotta fix them. Which is what I did. opened them up (they have lovely big magnets, by the way) and put in some old 42strand OFC speaker wire and they're up and running now.
The sound is pretty revealing. The midrange is pretty natural. The treble is not too bright, not too dull. The bass is quite deep and just the 'right' amount. Well balanced sound but I can't wear them for over an hour.

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Grado SR80, Sennheiser 580, Beyer 811 yada yada yada