Koss UR-40 Collapsible user reviews

Pros Pristine sound in lightweight convenient package

Cons Webbing breaks, cord too thin and short

Summary These are my cheapest phones, but I use them more than any others, including a regular radio show on our NPR outlet. They're handy to fold up and toss into a bag and then to slip on, and as lightweight as they come, yet the sound has more "presence," bite, brightness and depth than Sennheisers, Sony's, and other Koss's costing 2-4 times the price. They're obviously designed as personal phones for the younger listener on the go. The head webbing will soon break loose, and the thin short cord be a concern, but they're a steal at anything below $40. They've spoiled me. The other phones are either too heavy with "distant" sound or too "fussy" (like folding the Sennheiser PC series--too time consuming).

Pros INCREDIBLE sound, good price, most comfortable audio device I've ever used.

Cons Bit of a hiss in the audio when the song is quiet, the cord is a bit short.

Summary I used to have a cheap (but incredibly nice) pair of Cyber Acoustics headphones, and they served me well for many years. But then they broke, so I've been using earbuds for a long while now. Oh the pain.

These headphones completely dominate every other earbud or headphone set I've ever used. The sound quality is about as good as it gets, their comfortable, they fold up, they swallow up your ear, and they drown out almost all outside noise (with decent volume on your audio of course). The bass on these is amazing, though not overboard. Perfect balance.

My only complaints are that in parts of songs where it's quiet, there seems to be some hiss at moderate-high volumes, and the cable is short. Give is an extra 2-3 feet or so to the cable, and I'd be even more happy.

For MP3 players, portable DVD players, or even gaming (if your PC \ audio connectors are close), these can't be beat, especially for their price.

Pros Reasonable price, comfortable fit, crisp sound, good base.

Cons My only complaint is the cord length. Needs to be at least 2 feet longer.

Summary I did an extensive search for headphones and have found that there is a wide range to select from and that the type you chose should really be dependant on what you are looking to do with them. I am a consultant and do a lot of traveling. Therefore I needed a set of headphones I could use with my laptop, that could fold for traveling, and are good for music, games, and movies. The Koss has fit that bill perfectly. The sound is crisp with good bass. I have had them on for up to 4 hours straight and they never became heavy or uncomfortable. The head band works surprisingly well. After such a long period of time I did notice they were hot but I think any headphone would be. My only complaint is the cord length. Since I barely notice them when I have them on I have slide my chair back a few times with the headphone plugged in and yanked on the cord, computer, and my ears pretty hard. Give me at least 2 more feet and I would be giving these a 10 out of 10.

Pros Very comfortable on head, Lightweight, Collapsible for portability, Extremely good bass, Clear and defined sound, Low price

Cons Construction feels a bit flimsy, Almost no sound deadening (incoming or outgoing), Easily shift around on head, Quite a large set of headphones

Summary In terms of sound quality, these headphones are extremely well made. They provide an experience in which one doesn't really notice he is wearing headphones. The UR40's rest comfortably and lightly on the wearers ears, hardly applying any pressure on the ears. However, this impressive comfort means that there is pretty much no sound deadening for outside noise. Ironically, there is no deadening in the other direction either, meaning anyone and everyone around you can hear exactly what you're listening to if the volume is turned up even a bit. This is not a huge problem whatsoever, but should still be mentioned. The sound quality is definitely the UR40s' strong point. Bass reproduction is fantastic, quality I've only heard before on professional studio monitor headphones. The rest of the range is also fantastic in terms of quality, with clear mid range along with crisp (but not overpowering) treble. In a nut shell, the Koss UR40 headphones offer excellent sound quality all around, in a lightweight and portable construction that rests gently on one's head, and provides a wonderful headphones experience.