Koss KPH40 Utility On-Ear Headphones, Detachable Interchangeable Cord System, Ultra Lightweight Design (Rhythm Beige)

I love the sound of the Koss KPH30. An unexpected treat given their low price, they're airy and have great treble balance and clarity. They're not very comfortable for my big head for more than an hour or so, though, due to pressure on my ears. I figured these would have a similar sound but be more comfortable. For the most part, I was right.They are more comfortable in that they rest lighter on my ears (you can almost forget that you're wearing them). I also like that they barely use any plastic.. I could see the '30s plastic getting brittle and cracking over the years (time will tell, though). These look more elegant, and weigh almost nothing. Not using as much plastic also heightens the impression of quality/luxury (not that these are going to be mistaken for $400 Mezes..). The interchangeable cable is appreciated, as my new phone unfortunately doesn't have a 3.5mm. I haven't purchased the C-cord yet, but it's a nice option to have.Sound-wise, the treble is slightly softer and more rolled-off than the '30s. Still plenty of detail, and they're less fatiguing (not that I'd call the '30s fatiguing.. just that these are even less so). Perhaps a smidge less bassy/punchy, but still good for the class. I'd say these are even more spacious-sounding, though. These are the kind of headphones that you close your eyes and throw your head back to be enveloped in sound. That's a marvel at this price point, and something that Koss probably does the best, which is why despite having significantly more expensive headphones from multiple boutique brands in my collection, I still consider Koss one of my favorite brands and keep coming back to them. You get so much quality sound for the money, they embarrass most brands costing 2-4x as much; and when you do find headphones that are truly better, you look at how the Koss are a mere fraction of the price, and you kind of laugh to yourself about the law of diminishing returns..So ultimately, while I do miss the extra bite of the treble of the Koss KPH30s, the added comfort and even more spacious sound mean these are still the ones I use most. Even for those of you that have much more expensive sets, I still recommend buying these, even if just to use when you travel. I originally bought these/the KPH30s as a cheap travel set, but I like them so much they're pretty much all I use anymore.It's kinda funny--15+ years ago it was the Koss PortaPro that first captivated me and made me obsessed with sound. I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be back to midrange Koss sets all these years later, but here I am. These feel and sound like a contemporary analog to the PortaPros. In a way, it feels like home to me.

I bought these looking to replace some Klipsch headphones I’ve had for about 15 years where the foam is starting to disintegrate. I also have a pair of Audio-Technical headphones. I used the Klipsch phones for going to the gym or the times I’m allowed to use at work. They have a slightly better sound quality than these Koss phones but were about three times the price (15 years ago). The AT phones have a superior quality to either the Koss or Klipsch and I use those exclusively for music editing. They were also at a higher price point. There’s probably someone out there with a $500 set of phones who think the ATs are not the greatest, but most of us probably don’t require that level. These Koss phones are doing what I need at a very modest price. They are comfortable and lightweight as can be, and don’t fall off even when I’m running or otherwise moving quickly. I don’t believe they are labeled as noise-cancelling, but my gym plays horrible music over the speaker system and I don’t hear it while I’m listening at a modest level on these Koss phones. My personal preference would like it if these had a better high range, but the bass is perfect without getting muddy. One other feature I like is the cord length. The wires coming off the earpieces end at about one foot length with a female mini-plug end. The supplied extension is just short of three feet, making the total length around four feet with a tangle-free cord. I find this ideal, but for those needing more length, a different extension is an easy fix.

I bought two pairs of these for my wife and myself to use while traveling, both on airplanes and with tour group audio systems.They sound good, and fit well, but we found that when putting the headphones into our backpacks or other luggage, the earpieces tended to come off.They didn't actually break - we were able to put them back on, but they are difficult to reattach.Next time, I would look for a headset where the earpieces can rotate to a "flat" position relative to the headband, or ones with stronger (maybe not plastic) connections to the headband, or both.