noise-cancelling headphones

These are great headphones. The sound quality is excellent and very clear; they handle treble and bass without any fuss, and have the largest frequency response on a headphone under $100 I've seen. I've heard many good things about Koss headphones, and decided to get these after reading the positive reviews on the Internet. When I got them, I realized that I underestimated how heavy these headphones are. I've read all the warnings, but never imagined headphones could be so heavy - but they are! Imagine having a pair of speakers hanging from your head - you get speaker quality sound, but you also get speaker weight. These are pretty hard to drive - my Pioneer receiver did fine, but my computer's Sound Blaster Platinum had trouble pushing these headphones to the same level.

I finally returned them after a month of use, not because of poor sound (these headphones really rock when it comes to sound, even at very loud levels, I didn't hear distortion till 98db), but out of sheer discomfort - I couldn't listen to them for more than half an hour at a time, and my head and ears got very sweaty because of the cushions. I needed headphones that sounded good and that I could wear for prolonged periods of time. Koss Pro 4AA offered great sound at a great price, but I couldn't wear them while writing a paper or reading a book. Recommended for people who have strong necks and want to hear everything clearly and without distortion. Perfect for isolation from outside noise and studio monitoring when hearing every exact detail of the recording is essential.

Strengths:
Excellent detailed sound - perfect treble, almost perfect bass. Very good for critical listening - you'll hear stuff you've never heard before. Isolation from outside noise. Retro look (if you're into that).

Weaknesses:
Heavy! VERY heavy!

Similar Products Used:
Sony MDR V300, V600, V700DJ, Sennheiser 495 & 497, cheap Jensens & Aiwas

These are perfect for my application. I am a studio drummer who mixes 4 drum mics through a Macke 1202 VLZ Pro and the recording I am to play with. I use the output of this mix through these great headphones for perfect playing balance. The fact that they eliminate most of the actual ambient sound of the drum set and allow me to here the mixed output of the drums and recording (only) make them well worth the price. They have a great bass response as well as mid and highs and are perfect for me to establish a feel as if I am playing with the recording live.

The only negatives I can come up with are that they are heavy and adjustments of the position of the speakers on my ear are limited and cumbersome. Also, they will cause your ears to sweat after a long session and if your ears are sensitive to this you must let them breathe.

However, there must be tradeoffs, and the quality of these phones well outway the negatives. Don't buy them to jog with. They are not meant for that. However; if you want to emerse yourself into the music without outside sound interruptions these are the headphones for you. You can hear things you will never hear through your speaker system with these phones.

Superb! Sturdy construction, great sound, a great value. Much better quality than Bose, Sony or Sennheiser.