Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Blue) Reviews

• A low cost jewel

  
  By A1CZ051CZMVZFN on 2007-07-24
  Having owned Shure e2c phones in the past and a current owner of Sennheiser CX300 buds, I was not expecting much in the way of competition from these $20 Koss buds. I expected them to sound like the $20-range JVC Marshmallows, which could NEVER be confused with a pair of e2c or CX300 headphones. But, these Koss headphones surprised me. When properly fitted in the ear canal, they present a rich sound. Head-to-head against the CX300 phones (which sell for three times as much), I found the bass to be more accentuated on the Koss', but the highs are not as discernible, telling me that the Koss headphones are a bit distorted in favor of bass, but not much. I cannot discern any noticeable difference (aside from color) between the silicone sleeves provided by Koss and the soft silicone sleeves provided by Sennheiser or Shure. I've swapped them around between headphones and they all do the job equally well. The Koss phones give you nice isolation, comfort for long-term use, and good sound at a great price.
  
  I'm a bit baffled by some of the reviews here. It makes me wonder if the sleeves being provided by Koss have changed, or if there isn't some user error involved in getting a seal of the sleeve against the ear wall. These are good phones for the price.
  
  

• Comparable to E2C Sures!!!

  
  By AYHLL61Y7UFAS on 2007-07-14
  The gentlemen above on a vacation trip mustve had a worn-out earphone port in his iPOD. It is HIGHLY unlikely to have different volumes on identical coils...
  
  If you know anything about IN-THE-EAR headphones and what to expect from them, you would appreciate the KOSS Earbuds.
  Ive had A LOT of experience with IN-THE-EAR "plug" "bud style earphones" as they call them (see my other reviews)because I commute in the train and subway in a big city and I HATE the feature called "exhaust port" "BASE port" "AIR vent" in the BACK OF THE EARPHONES, no matter how expensive they are.
  The existence of hole in the back of an earphone speaker means that they are absolute crap when it comes to filtering the sounds of kids, teenagers etc..the ambience of the subway.
  The less noise hits your eardrum the better for your health. (The holes in the back of these phones are purely cosmetic - YES i've blown into them! :)))
  
  You can control the volume of music as you please but to isolate the sound of the city is of utmost importance for me.
  
  Seems having an airtight case will impact the response of the membrane. Well, me and my buddies at work tested different earbud headphones listening to the same song with HIGHs and LOWs (f.e Karmah - "Just Be Good to Me" spin off from Police "Every breath you take".) and the difference in sound response across speakers is shocking..
  
  For example compare KOSS and JVC Earbud! JVC buds' BASE response is non existent!
  
  

• good for the price

  
  By A1NC87NBUQPE3W on 2007-10-17
  noise cancelling. no (i can still hear almost everything around me, though it is a bit muted).
  sound isolating? yes (people can't hear my music).
  fit is good, sound quality is good. pretty good value for the money.
  
  

• Worst Headphones I've Ever Used

  
  By A1KV21QV4SYRK7 on 2007-06-08
  I bought these headphones from a retail store before going on an overseas trip and they were the worst headphones I've ever purchased! The left ear bud was distinctly louder than the right - making it annoying to listen to anything. If I buy another Koss product, it'll be a pair of their full-sized headphones.
  
  

• great sound good price

  
  By AGTJ7M0S67TGG on 2007-08-10
  This is the earbud that has deep bass. It's very good for R&B and Rap music. The weakness of this product is sometimes it is not stick so deep into the ear. you need to fix it every time if it not plug very well to get a full performance. Overall this is a good earbud with a great price.
  
  
• A+ They Pass The Test!
  By ASBW8I6830B4R on 2007-11-18
  I got the Koss KEB24 to replace the "worst head phone I've personally ever owned." The Philips SHE5910/27, I got them at Wal-Mart for $14.95 + tax. About the best thing to say about them is you get a bag to put the ear buds in.
  
  These, the Koss KEB24, are an A+ for the price they are almost as good as my full size head phones, only they don't have a microphone attached to them and a 9 foot cord. Not the best thing for just walking around listing to your iPod.
  
  I am using the smallest of the three cushions (I have small ear canals.) Good tight fit in the ear, my room mate scared the crap out of my when he taped me on the shoulder. I did not hear him walk up.
  (And no, I was not blasting them at top volume.)
  
  It's amazing that little ear-buds can give you deep bass and good crisp highs. And here I thought you had to settle for bad sound out of ear-buds. I'm glad I was proven wrong. And last but least, the color is cool looking.
  
  So for just under $20 they are Great.
  
  Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Blue)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Good Sound, Very Low Build Quality. Not for iPod or Exercising.
  By A3ON015NJ0HPQ0 on 2008-03-04
  Two stars--very good sound quality with a high output device; otherwise poorly designed and not well built.
  
  I purchased one pair and exchanged for a second pair. The first pair was quieter on the long wire side and the bud died in just six days. It was instantaneously just dead one day, no crackling or halfway working.. The second pair died exactly the same way in about six months.
  
  These earbuds require more voltage than an iPod can output to perform correctly. Plugging them into a higher output headphone jack such as the X-Fi dock or an iRiver player presented very clean and clear sound, more accurate I think than my Sony earbuds. On the iPod 5G Video they sounded flat, and distorted whenever heavy bass frequencies played. I would not list these as iPod accessories.
  
  There is something too difficult about adjusting the latex sleeves, they're very thin, and really difficult to put on correctly if you change sizes. Also had a lot more trouble getting them seated properly in my ear. Lastly they allow your ear canal to build up a lot of moisture, and after a while it itches and you have to take them out. Total failure in this respect as an exercise accessory. I've never had this problem with the Sony set, but they have much thicker sleeves. The Sonys might be nylon or neoprene.
  
  The wiring likes to stay crimped and tangled, and stays quite rigid in cold weather. The problem there is the plastic sheathing is just plastic, it should be a more flexible material. Also note the plug at the end has no 90-degree bend, so it sticks straight out of the player. Combine that with the stiff wiring and this resembles what I'd expect to find on dollar store headphones.
  
  This is the third time I've owned a pair of KOSS headphones or earbuds where I can say with absolute confidence the sound quality with the ideal equpiment was just about the best I could hope for, but on the other hand they failed in just about every other way. I keep trying KOSS and hoping they'll get it together..
  
  
• Great sub-$25 earphones
  By A34O98PX4TZCYP on 2008-07-20
  I bought these at Wal*Mart, and they sound great for the price range. I had them for 6 months, and my dog chewed up the cord. I sent the broken earbuds to Koss, because all Koss headphones have a "No-Questions Asked" Lifetime Warranty. All you have to do is send the broken set, a note describing the failure and return address, and $6 for return postage. Within 9 days, I got my new set in the mail. Same model (KEB/24b) but, they refreshed the look and sound. The new ones now have an iPhone compatible mini-plug, have a nice pastel metallic blue color with black accents, and sound better than before. The sound has fuller sound, more bass. NOTE: The new version does not have a microphone to be used with the iPhone as a headset. Also, the iPhone 3G does not have a recessed audio jack.
  
  
• Good 'buds for the money
  By A2TZWUANA4UMB3 on 2007-07-20
  I purchased these after my cat ate through the cord on my standard Ipod ear buds hoping for a slight upgrade since these are in-ear, sound isolating buds. Although they aren't perfect they are a good set of ear buds for their price. The fit snugly in my ears with the medium size covers and are very comfortable even when wearing for a long time. They block out external sound very well. I use them on the treadmill and cannot even hear the treadmill's motor at all. Sound quality is on par with apple's standard ear buds but sounds a bit richer due to the in-ear design. My only complaints are that the sound can get pretty muddy at high volumes and sometimes it sounds like the left bud is slightly louder than the right but i'm not sure if this is a defect or if the right one might not be as snug as the left. Overall, a very good product for the price.
  
  
• Don't waste your time OR money!!!
  By A13A943ZWQVT0Z on 2007-08-21
  I am in desperate need of headphones that sound good and are comfortable, durable, and reliable. I can't find ANY like that under $70. Other Koss products have good sound quality but fall apart easily. I was satisfied with them overall though.
  
  These suck. I bought them looking for ear-buds that were more comfortable than those for my iPod. I put these on and thought "WOW! These are comfortable!" I turned on my iPod and nearly barfed. They sounded so bad. I turned the volume up to max and all I heard was a bunch of booming and no singing or anything. HORRIBLE sound quality! I'll take slight discomfort over vomit-inducing white noise any day. I am taking the Koss buds back tomorrow and returning them. What a waste of a ten-minute drive!!!
  
  Just stick with the Apple ear-buds. They are actually REALLY good for ear-buds.
  
  Take my advice--DON'T buy them. If you read this review and haven't bought the headphones yet, then DON'T. If you haven't opened them yet, DON'T EVEN BOTHER!!! I really didn't want to have to return them but I have no choice...
  
  

• Koss "The Plug" Portable Headphones (colors vary)
• Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black)
• Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Pink)
• Koss SPARKPLUG - Stereo In Ear Ear Plugs
• Koss KEB24 Portable Isolation Earbud (Green)