Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black) Reviews

• Great value

  
  By ATOKT8QYK967L on 2007-10-04
  Specifications are concrete and objective but comfort and sound quality are subjective. It won't be until you open the box and put them in your ears with your favorite music playing that you'll know if they're right for you. For me they are great performers. Easier to put in my ears and more comfortable than the Koss Plugs that I also enjoy. Sound quality is more than acceptable with sufficient base and relatively even response across the spectrum. Great sound isolation. Bottom line is that I highly recommend these because the 90/10 rule applies here. You get 90% of the sound quality of the top of the line earplugs for 10% of the cost. They are only $19.97 at Walmart. If you want TOL sound reproduction, pay the full $350 and skip listening to MP3's. But if MP3's sound good to you, so will these earbuds.
  
  

• Good sound, but will not fit in my ears

  
  By A3346F1Q4PT8Q1 on 2007-12-05
  I bought these to replace a pair of worn-out Koss Plugs. I bought the Plugs originally because the pads made them the only earphones I could find that wouldn't fall out of my ears at the slightest jarring. But I got sick of having to go through a big process to get them in my ears in the first place, which is actually kind of embarrassing to do in public (you need to put your arm over your head and pull your ear up to get them in). I wanted something a little more "normal", that I could just put in and pull out whenever.
  
  So I bought these because I figured they'd sound similar to the Plugs, they're cheap, and they've got the kind of cushions I always think I'll like - the soft rubber kind, not the little bit of foam that goes around a big, hard plastic driver. I figured rubber would be more likely to fit my ears better too.
  
  Well, I must have some huge ear canals, because even with the largest cushions installed, these still fall out. And I'm not being overly gentle, as I suspect some of the people complaining about a lack of bass are. I'm getting them in there all the way, they just don't stay there.
  
  I also didn't realize these have the behind-the-back wire design, where one wire is longer than the other. I could live with this if everything else was ok, but I don't prefer it. It makes it harder to keep the 'phones organized when you're not wearing them, if nothing else - and I still think it just looks a little dorky.
  
  I still give them four stars because not everybody is going to have my problem with the fit - but you should be aware of it if you have large ears. Sound-wise, I think these are great. They sound better than my Plugs (clearer, with better mids and highs), and they have plenty of bass if you get a seal around your ear canal. That's the key with any set of earphones like this - getting that tight seal. If you do, you'll have no complaints with bass.
  
  But I'm gonna need to go back to the Plugs just for the fit.
  
  
  

• A great Bang for the Buck!

  
  By AGM1DAZ5C4ANP on 2007-12-11
  Buying a set of earphones/earbuds is like buying shoes - you gotta shop around, get burned a few times, then once you've found your brand & style - stick with it. A couple reviewers said they don't fit, but I don't think that's a reason to give a 1-star review.
  
  For me, the Koss earbuds fit perfectly. The only problem I've had is during exercise my ears sweat a little (gross, I know) and the earbuds can slip out.
  
  Although I don't have a $100 pair of buds to compare them to, the sound is great, the bass is good, and with a good seal, I can turn my volume down to 1. Even with the music off, these things cut out a fair amount of ambient noise - they can double as earplugs!
  
  
  

• I prefer this to Sennheiser300x and even Shure e2c

  
  By A2ZFLV8WB9MRJE on 2007-11-20
  I'm sort of audiophile, owned a number of bookshelf and floor-standing speakers, Monitor Audio, JBL, Boss, Infinity are the brands I tried. My taste, clear and dynamic sounds that faithfully reflect live play, not those hysterically loud explosions or bang bang bang bass. I like a balanced presence of high, mid-range and decent depth of lows.
  
  I have a pair of AKG 240M. People who's into speakers and headphones know what I'm talking about. Yes, professional monitoring headphones especially good for classical music. I also have a number of other brand headphones. But when I moved to New York and had to take subway trains a lot, I found I have to start using ear plug headphones to block out the noises.
  
  I started from Sennheiser 300x. The music sounds messy and muddy. I wondered if it's because it's plug instead of semi-open or bigger headphones.
  
  Second purchase, Shure E2C, lots of reviews, mostly positive, though they did touch upon the lack of bass issue. When I tried them at last, I had my own conclusion. Yes, mid and highs are much clearer than the Sennheisser, almost on par with normal out of ear headphones. But the bass is really lacking, no matter how deep I push them into my ears. It's ok for me to use them for music, as sometimes we can get by with even the laptop speakers.
  
  Curious of Koss's plugs, as reviews all say they have lots of bass, and I have a pair of Koss ksc75 and have known their good bass, I bought Koss SEB24. So cheap, only 14 bucks. First hear is surprisingly good, because I didn't expect too much. Compared with Shure's E2c, the mid and highs are not as good, but clearer than Sennheiser's 300x, and here comes the bass, quite deep bass. If I have to sacrifice one end of the sound range, I'll prefer "darker" music instead of over bright sounds, because bright sounds are exhausting for me. The Koss's lower range is not bad, though on some low drum beat you can hear a little bit boomy sound sometimes, but generally, the lows come out pretty satisfactory. I'm surprised that without any break-in, the Koss is already very good sounding. I remember the open headphone Koss ksc 75 took me a long time to break in, as it sounded painfully screaching on the highs in the beginning.
  
  By the way, compared with my other two plug earphones, this Koss wears very comfortable, and easy to get in and stay put. Performance versus cost, this Koss is the best amongst my three pairs of plugs.
  
  

• best fit for my small ears

  
  By A1VIWBYVILLDNG on 2007-09-26
  I find all earbud style headphones painful to use for any length of time because my ears are small. So I am very happy to have found these. I use the smallest of the cushions and can actually leave them in for a long time. Plus they are a nice sound - for me even better than the earbuds that came with my ipod. I bought some for my husband, and though he doesn't have the size issues, he loves them too.
  
  
• Great sound but...
  By A2311UH4C9J173 on 2007-07-12
  I purchased these to replace the standard iPod earphones after reading a favorable review. The sound is better and can be played at a lower volume since the earbuds fit snuggly in the ear. (Three earbud cover sizes are provided.). However, the earbuds are not centered. The wiring is in the form of a "Y". The branch to the left earbud is 5 inches long while the right is 21. I assumed this was a manufacturing error and returned the first pair I received. (Amazon was very accommodating.) The replacement pair is the same. If you are willing to overlook this difference and wear your iPod on your left side, these are good earphones at a good price.
  
  
• Good product, if it lasts
  By A1D0O71KTFMU6J on 2007-10-28
  I bought these a while back, love the sound, even good bass out of them. (I don't know why others have problems with the bass, they produce great bass) Everything about them is great, they drown out the outside sounds so you can hear the music better, but I have had one big problem...the left earbud just "went out" after two weeks. Never treated them rough, never tugged on them much, but one day...no more sound out of the left channel. Other than that, they're everything you could want out of an affordable, China made, isolation bud. I returned them for another pair, I liked them enough to try again, but we'll see if they hold up.
  
  
• Koss delivers
  By AXG7M31TJNQW4 on 2007-11-15
  Purchased these after using Koss Sparkplugs for a year (with the tape modification to clean up the muddy base). The KEB24 is vastly superior in every way. Sound reproduction is excellent, rivaling earbuds costing much more. Three sizes of cushions provide a custom fit. I have used them exclusively for all types of music on my player and didn't even have to touch the EQ. Koss does offer a more expensive pair of buds but, I am more than satisfied with these.
  
  
• Very good for the price.
  By A3H2PFBBSZV4NP on 2007-09-08
  I bought these at Wal-Mart for 2 bucks less. I thought they might be cheap and not sound all that great considering my past Koss earbuds I bought, but that's totally inaccurate. These deliver very impressive bass for the size and are basically earplugs with speakers in them; they block out ambient noise very well. For 20 dollars, you really can't go wrong, replace almost any stock earbuds that come with an MP3 player with these, especially iPods. you for sure won't be unsatisfied.
  
  
• Good but
  By A3ORIMCLXL26G0 on 2007-12-28
  Thought they have good sound and bass, after some months they just stop working. First the right ear and a week after the left one. They just stopped working when i was in a plane to venezuela to visit some family... so no much music while i'm here.
  
  
• Different length cords per ear kill my gym workout
  By A2GNGJW6QQQ7PL on 2008-04-22
  I like the fit and the way they sound, but the major defect is that the main cord splits closer to one earbud than the other, creating a lot of extra cord that flops around when i'm working out.
  
  It's so annoying I've gone back to the white Koss Plug model, which has even cords. What's more annyoing is the pics here don't show that that is the style of the cords. Buyer beware.
  
  Great product otherwise... sounds very good and I like the connection to my iPod and the feel of the cord itself.
  
  
• kOSS KEB24 Earbuds
  By A2W2O4V674D9T3 on 2007-08-25
  Bought these to use while on my Harley. Very impressive sound. The different sized pillows is a definite plus. Best bang for the buck.
  
  
• Great for the price
  By AKSHAAPDLLF7U on 2007-12-26
  I'm no audiophile, but these sound better and are much more comfortable than the headphones that came with my MP3 player. My only complaints are:
  1. There is some noise from the wires rubbing on your chest when you walk or run with these on.
  2. The wires leading from the earbuds to the central wire are not symmetrical, looks and feels kind of goofy.
  
  
• Great set of earphones
  By A28MNH4HHAG920 on 2008-04-24
  Was disappointed in the poor volume level of this item. Other earphones I use had twice the level. And these are inserted in the ear canal so that very little sound escapes.
  
  Lo and behold, another user showed me I had them in BACKWARDS. The end of the bud that LOOKS like it has the speaker is actually the side you use to insert the bud into the ear. No wonder the sound volume was low. Once I swtiched things around and decided that the cushions didn't actually fit on the wrong side of the bud (it is reasonably symmetrical), then the sound was just fine. I wondered why my wife was saying the phones were pretty loud...the speakers were aimed toward her, not me. For some reason, I can't change the rating I gave it (Gave it a 3...would now give it a 5)
  
  
• Garbage!
  By A2QPX5GKPA3JOD on 2008-05-21
  This is the second pair of Koss KEB24 that I've owned. I liked the look of these and they fit really well, I have smaller ears. But that's as far as it goes for the pro's on these. The first started out fine then turned very tinny, within an hour of use, got this second pair, seems the left and right ears are switched, usually the right is softer than the left in most pairs I've owned, but it was switched in this pair, and now the left ear is VERY tinny, after again an hour of use, so much that I wont even put it in it sounds so disgusting. I wouldn't recommend these to anyone...ever. Now I'm off to find ANOTHER set of ear buds that'll fit.
  
  
• Audiophile grade in ear monitor
  By A114KB8LNO6RWO on 2008-09-22
  My experience with audio puts me in the sane-audiophile chapter. I appreciate my THX certified home theatre, but I realize that the monster cable is mostly a gimmick and that Bose is the biggest waste of money out there. My favorite brands are JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Klipsch, Polk, Sennheiser, beyerdynamic, Grado, Denon, Advent, Dayton Audio, Boston Acoustics, and last but not least Yamaha.
  
  Audio Quality: Comparing directly to my sennheiser HD-555's, I feel that the bass is exaggerated and can get in the way of the treble. This leads to a flatter resulting sound experience that doesn't have the transparency that I prefer. Even though it lacks the highs I desire, these earbud's in no way are bad. In fact they are very similar to my sennheiser CX300's as far as frequency response is concerned. Impressive since I paid Eighty Dollars for the sennheisers. But my sennheisers broke, and I needed something between warranty replacement.
  
  Construction Quality: I love the earbuds, stress reliefs, and the behind the neck style cord. While the line is cheap plastic, I do not expect it to be any better than what it is for this cost. The thing I replaced right away was the rubber isolation pads. The pads oddly compress too easily at the bend and end up folding over onto the hard plastic. Its best if you suspend the hard plastic casing with the pad, and not force it too deep into your ear.
  
  Naysayers: If you find you are having problems with lack of bass, definitely use the proper size of pad for your ear canal. Also, these go in your ear canal, not rotated 90 degrees like cheapo earbuds.
  
  
• Where's the bass?
  By A2G63XK1BCNJP0 on 2007-10-25
  Well, this is the 2nd pair of earbuds I've tried since my long time 10 year old brand that I don't even know what the model is have finally died. This Koss brand is very similar (maybe a hair better) than the JVC marshmellow. Main problem? No bass. Cheezy sound. Will not do. Next up: Sony Fontopia. I just ordered them from Amazon. Lets see how they do...
  
  
• bad quality
  By A3LZB6FX1AMFMV on 2007-11-26
  I Buy 2, in less than 2 months was damaged, am listened to well but they are of bad quality
  
  
• Great for the price
  By AWES2OCJ3PJC4 on 2007-12-11
  I never liked earbuds. I decided to try these because they were Koss, and the price was right. It was a good investment. These are really well balanced with clear, crisp highs and good bass. You have to get them seated right in your ear, however, and get the seal established before the bass comes through. Fortunately, they come with three sizes of cushions to help do this. Performance wise, they sound very similiar to Koss, titanium coated diaphram units....superb!! Who needs to spend the big bucks for BOSE when these sound just as good at 1/10 the price? I am still not a fan of earbuds, preferring the small ear cushon units for extended listening. But, these are great for throwing in my pocket along with my MP3 player for trips, and for journeys to the gym. They work great under a motorcycle helmet too.
  
  
• Blah.
  By A1PSQ1RHES9M9N on 2008-01-02
  These feel really awkward in my ears. I don't like them at all, the sound is completely flat aka NO bass. You can't turn the volume up very loud at all unless you want everyone around you to hear what you are listening to. On the plus side they uh.. look nice?
  
  
• Lasted a week
  By A1L1NJ45PPEOPU on 2008-02-06
  I am very careful in maintaining ear buds. That said, this pair lasted no more than a week. The volume in the right ear diminished by 2/3. There was no wax or other discernable issue. Poor quality. I ordered some JBUDS and hopefully I have better luck with those.
  
  
• Kills me to give a low review, but...
  By A3HRUTHKCYS85K on 2008-04-10
  First off, these buds do sound great for the money, but I can't recommend them for two reasons. 1 - My second pair just broke, this is in 4 months, and I'm not abusive with them. 2 - The left ear just won't seat properly. I'll screw around with them and can't get it to sound right, then they'll just 'pop' into place, or moving my head will affect the sound. Sorry Koss, but I'll stick with the Spark Plug.
  
  
• not very effective for small ears
  By A2F9NV5HU8TS98 on 2008-04-12
  These sound OK if the fit is good. However, I found it difficult to get a reliable and comfortable fit with either size sleeve. I think might have smaller than average ear canals, or maybe not round enough. I eventually took off the sleeves, and drilled holes in hunters' foam ear plugs, and slipped those on the driving elements. The fit was a little better, but at the expense of good sound, and they still popped out of my ears frequently. Nowadays I just put ear plugs in my ears, put on some cheap over-ear phones, and crank up the treble to compensate for the earplugs. That seems to work OK in my noisy work environment.
  
  
• Excellent Headphones, A few problems.
  By A3J6MD9OPYWXC2 on 2008-05-11
  First off, I'm reallly happy with these earphones. The sound quality is great, significantly better then my last pair of similar priced headphones (actually these were cheaper).
  
  There are two downsides.
  One: The asymetrical cords are OVERexxagerated resulting in all the weight being on the short ear and it's more likely to fall out. The long end it too long, but that's not so much an issue (i daisy chained it). The total length of the cord is fine, pretty long- but not too long.
  
  Other downside:
  The "muffs" on the ears are not very good. They're much more flimsy then my last pair, and do not isolate nearly as much. Worse yet for some,the effect of the poor isolation is much weaker base. Luckily, I switched with the spairs from my old pair of headphones (lost) and benefited from this better sound quality,with the same old muffs.
  
  
  
  My conclusion:
  
  Great Price! Great Sound! Two caveats: take heed.
  
  
• amazing bass!!!!
  By A2DKZWGA228YED on 2008-06-02
  Today I was watching a video on my laptop with my friend and we had to use her headphones. As soon as the video started playing I was completely blown away by the amazing bass! I have tried buying bass-boosting headphones and they never work, but these are soooo cool! I knew I had to get them for myself so here I am, just hours later, ordering a pair! The variety of colors is cool too =)
  
  
• If they fit, they are good
  By A26EV2JIIEKNUD on 2008-08-17
  The sound on these is pretty good, but I was only able to get it to fit properly in one ear. In my other ear, it just didn't want to stay in. With the ear that it did fit, it sealed well, and provided good bass response, etc.
  
  
• Poor Overall Performance
  By A1BTU9SFC5GUJQ on 2008-09-19
  Very disappointing performance from a great name in headphones and earbuds.
  
  Flat, tiny, limited bass response.
  
  Well made, but a poor performer. They do not do justice to the iPod Nano 4G.
  
  
• Sounds better than it looks
  By A46NXF5EROT5J on 2008-10-12
  I was surprised that the earbuds stayed in my ears without the use of the larger cushions. (I wore conventional banded headphones for several years because I could not get most earbuds to stay in place.) The asymmetrical earbud wire lengths are annoying, but the problem can be corrected with a twist-tie or two. The wire for the left earbud almost seems ridiculously short compared to the longer wire for the right earbud. The different lengths make them easy to identify, but I had to use a twist-tie to secure the right earbud's excess wire to the main wire so that it would not snag every free object in my vicinity.
  
  
• Affordable, no frills. Good for noise isolation!
  By A1BZEDX69S8JCA on 2008-10-24
  These are fine. They DO certainly isolate you from noisy surroundings, but they stick kind of way into your ears. They are NOT good for sweaty workouts, they get slippery. My biggest problem with them is that they follow that inexplicable design that some earbuds have where the section of wire leading to the left earbud is longer than the wire leading to right one. Doesn't make any sense. Irritating. Sound is okay though.
  
  
• great sound
  By A22M43TDGYDJZ1 on 2008-10-31
  these sound really really great, but like ALL the others I have a problem with the fit, very active at the gym and cannot get them to stay in the ears. That is the only reason they dont get a 5 star rating. After 4 different sets with the same problem I know it is a problem with me but to give the best rating I have to be completely satisfied.
  
  

• Koss SPARKPLUG - Stereo In Ear Ear Plugs
• Koss "The Plug" Portable Headphones (colors vary)
• Koss PLUG Replacement Cushions
• JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds (Black)
• Koss VC20 Volume Control