Koss UR55 Headphone

I've had these headphones for about two months now, and I'm still enjoying them so far.I picked these specific headphones because I have a few ear piercings that can make certain headphones uncomfortable. I'm able to wear these for hours with little to no discomfort or necessary adjustments. More often than not if I do take them off it's because my ears get too warm; I live in a cold climate though so it's more like having musical ear muffs when that does happen, which is seldom.I use these every day when I take the bus, and for the first month before I got a case I would usually carry them around in my backpack, and they held up, no sign of wear or damage or anything. So these headphones have durability going for them as well. Plus having the lifetime warranty was one of the primary factors that made me want to buy Koss.One other thing to be aware of before purchasing these headphones: they tend to leak noise after a certain, though not unreasonable, volume threshold. I'm also not an audiophile by any means, but they sound pretty good to me, even if playing at lower volumes. They muffle and dull outside sound, but don't block it out entirely.So, tl;dr - these headphones meet my auditory needs with quality sound & durability, work with my piercings, but leak sound when reaching a certain volume.

A recent purchase of a Grundig Mini 300 led me to look for headphones. The little Grundig has questionable audio quality and I figured a pair of headphones would help the cause. The set from Koss did the job in getting me back to something that is higher fidelity.Construction of these headphones is not bulletproof. Take care when using them. That's why I rated them 4-star instead of 5-star. You only get the miniplug on the end of the cord so order up an adapter if the headphones will be used in other applications. Size-wise they fit my adult head snugly and I would say I have an average-sized head. The earpads accomodate average sized ears but if you are a larger eared person you will want to get another set of headphones.Packaging in an easy open clamshell is a positive. Placed in a typical Amazon.com shipping box with a bit of slop resulted in no harm to the headphones. So is the lifetime limited warranty. Price-wise, the seller is giving a pretty good bargain as retail list price is just a bit under $50.Shoes. They have a lot in common with headphones in terms of comfort and fit. Read all reviews carefully so you get the right ones for you. These worked out fine for me but your mileage may vary...LOL!

So, a few weeks ago I started shopping for decent headphones so I could listen to my music in good quality without being at home, so I was looking for something portable, comfortable, but that sounded great. The first pair of headphones I decided on were the Koss UR40s, which sounded great and were very comfortable, and still quite portable. However, I broke the first pair in less that two weeks when I was walking out my door and the cable caught on the door knob and gave it a slight tug. So, I got another pair for free with Koss' warranty. I was a little more careful with the second pair, but I broke them also when I stood up to get out of the car, and they caught on the handle for the reclining seat. This time the tug was a little more severe, they wouldn't even make a sound after that. So, I was disappointed, and didn't want to spend money on new headphones, but didn't want to have to keep replacing the UR40. But I had a $25 gift card to amazon and figured I could get something around that price that was a little sturdier. So, I settled on the Sony MDR-XD200, which seemed to have good reviews and was inexpensive and had a thicker cable than the UR40. However, when they arrived I was disappointed. They were uncomfortable, heavier, loose fitting, and didn't sound nearly as good as the Koss phones. The soundstage was slightly better (probably the bigger driver?), but the midrange and bass was muddier. The treble seemed to extend a bit better, but treble and soundstage barely matter to me when the midrange and bass clarity are so poor. They also weren't as loud, my soundcard didn't drive them very well, I had to use my reciever. Also not portable at all. At that point, I thought; alright, I love the way the UR40s sound, maybe Koss has something similar, I'll just go ahead and not be a cheapskate and get something nicer.That's where the UR55s come in. They sound quite similar to the UR40s to me (can't test them side by side though, since the UR40s are broken), with good midrange clarity, great bass response, and slightly rolled off treble, to a degree which I like. They're also comfortable, fit well, and much sturdier than the UR40s or even the Sonys. They're not as portable as the UR40s since they don't fold, but I can forgive that since it has a real metal headband. I love them! I don't think I've taken them off since they came in.

I already have the koss portapro's which are an excellent, time proven design, and so I thought I would try an over the ear design this time by koss.BIG MISTAKE.I. Sound QualityI don't know what their engineers wanted to achieve with this headphone. The sound signature is just flat out bizarre. There is an overwhelming emphasis upon the midrange. Predictably, the highs are drowned out as a result of this over-emphasis. The bass is also weak and tepid. It's as if Koss engineers only want you to hear the vocals and nothing else. I enjoy an a capella performance every once in a while, but let's face it, most of us enjoy hearing musical instruments such as bass and percussion as well.In terms of offering a balanced sound signature, the 55's fail miserably.II. FitAgain, the headphones are a major failure in this regard. The headband is ridiculously inadequate in adjustment range. Even if you remove the padding, the range of adjustment may still not be adequate. It's as if Koss never tested these headphones on actual adults before OKing manufacturing.Conclusion:This is one of the most ill-conceived, poor sounding headphones Koss has ever created. What were they thinking? They don't fit and the sound quality is ridiculously imbalanced.Please don't waste your money on this shoddy product.

After 4 years of constant use my Koss Portapro gave up (loose connections). I was going to replace them with another set of portapro. Then I saw these in an Amazon warehouse deal for £31 and decided to try. Very impressed. Great detail, clear high, mid and bass, nothing overpowers something else. A little small so may be a problem for those with larger heads, fitted me fine (though that was with fully extended head band). After 3 days to get used to their sound I can say that I prefer them to Portapro, particutly for use with home hi-fi. I have become a Koss fan now. There will be better headphones that I have never heard, but they will be far more expensive. Koss have showed me yet again that great sound quality can be found for a very low price. If these become available again: I recommend them to potential headphone buyers.

You can't go wrong with Koss headphones! I previously owned the Koss PortaPros and they were awesome! The price for what you get is definately low, so these are the best value for money headphones for what they deliver. The sound quality is great, you can hear all the instruments loud and clear and they do not fog with high volumes. The mids and highs are pretty good and the bass is responsive enough.Build quality is also good although the cups are a little tight to the ears. Tried with any kind of music from rock, metal to dubstep to classical.

I use these, Shures and Bose depending on my activity.The Bose are 10x the price and my Shures 20x. They are better but not 10 or 20x.Excellent headphones for the price.I'm a convert to this brand and if I need to replace my other headphones, I'll invest in an equivalent product from Koss.

Good sound and clarity from these headphones. also comfortable to wear for several hours on end. Their only weakness is that they are a bit small for those with big heads.

Although you can't expect amazing sound quality for this sort of price, I was very disappointed. I always buy headphones around this price range, and this is the worst sound quality I've experienced. Really quiet, no bass....it's like you're trying to enjoy them whilst they're on somebody elses head. Also the fit was too tight, and I don't have a particularly big hat size. It's a shame because they look good, and I thought Koss was boss!