Customer Reviews
Overrated, even with tape trick 
2008-06-01
If you want cheap, knock-around earbuds, these should fit the bill. Make no mistake about it, they sound like $11 earbuds. Taping up the holes to subdue the sloppy base helps but does not turn them into a great set.
good for the money 
2008-05-27
If you've got 9.99 to toss and you want good noise canceling cheapies with boomy bass these are the headphones for you.
They are definitely worth it.
I like clean tight bass...but I wanted something that canceled out absolutely all surrounding noise, was extremely cheap, and had decent sound.
Note: The boomy base is easy to fix with the "tape" method.
"Great for sleep, coffee shops, annoying noise in local libraries, and just about any other crowded place that you might be in, where you'd rather feel more like your out in the Ozark Mountains on a warm sunny day."
-darren
most underated headphone 2008-05-24
I collected numerous headphones. My music "disturbed" other family members so much that I need to use headphones in the last 30 years or so ;-). Most are forgetables (30 brand and mdoels or so).
My current collection: Sony MDR-V600, Bose Quiet comfort 2(QC2) several bad Sony earphones (bad but expensive), a JVC HC-N100 with Noise Cancelling, Philips with Noise cancelling etc etc. The JVC and Bose are very useful for both long distance travelling and cardio workouts.
My latest acquisition is this Koss headphone. I consider this headphone as a blessing for the cardio group - people who has to work out for their health. This headphone is really powerful. Set yr Ipod at minimimum volume and this heaphone already give you such a powerful sound, enough to drown the noise of your treadmill. The quality is good to excellent, a bit muddy vs Sony MDR-V600 & Bose QC2 but considering the price (Sony was bought at $150 years ago and Bose QC2 at $300) at less than $20, this is the best kept secret of audiophiles.
Thanks Koss for giving such a great value to the cardio and long distance travelers communities. I recommend this headphone highly if you find it hard to fork out $300 for a headphone and you still get the quality and good noise canceling for your enjoyment.
Oh yes, the new ear interface is also great for people like me, those whose left and right ear have different form due to childhood accident, you can easily fit these into your unsymetrical ears. This is a very creative solution on how to fit the phones into the ears. Big kudos to Koss for this creative solution.
I cannot thank Koss enough for introducing this headphone, so I have to write this review to tell the world!
Can't beat them for the price 2008-05-17
These earphones are top quality at this price. They are not 'audiophile' level, but offer surprisingly good sound. The foam earpieces give excellent noise immunity, and the phones come with a spare set of earpieces. For the price, they give unbeatable value.
Make Your Own Replacement Plugs 2008-05-14
I love these buds since they virtually block out all other noise which is great in an environment where the noise gets to you too. The replacement plugs are on the market but are as expensive as buying a full headset. You can make your own plugs. Buy earplugs at the decible level you want and simply heat a nail (approximately the thickness of the sound stem) over the stove or cigarette lighter. Be sure to hold the nail with a pair of pliers. Heat the nail very HOT. Stand the earplug on the flat side. Burn a hole in the middle of the earplug...all the way through. If the nail was just the right size, the burned through hole will fit snuggly on the sound tube of the headset. Voile...the new ear plugs will pinch down and expand even better than the originals that came with the headset...and you can make a dozen or more in minutes...replace them when the old ones no longer pinch down and reshape. It may take a few practice plugs but it's far cheaper than buying the replacement plugs. BTW...you can buy whatever style of earplugs you want and make your own plugs for pennies. Hope this helps!!!
Best for the price available 
2008-07-24
I'm on my third set (They'd get 5 stars, but when you use them every day (like I do), the wires eventually break and you wind up with only one earphone working (which I then use in my computer at work). I've always had problems with earphones falling off my ears, regardless of shape (and I've tried most of them). The foam on these really is excellent, so that once inserted, they remain comfortably inserted (I've had them in for 6 hours straight in long air flights without any discomfort). The sound quality is actually pretty good - about as good as one can get with in-the-ear phones without spending a couple of hundred dollars. And these are about the only kind that fit under my motorcycle helmet, providing much better sound quality than is available in helmet speakers.
Great Evolutionary (but not revolutionary) Bargain 2008-07-17
The Koss SPARKPLUG is a marginal improvement over the Koss "THE PLUG" in only in one area: The foam.
Previously, with THE PLUG, many owners had become quite adept at replacing the stock foam with modified earplug foam. The ear foam of the SPARKPLUG is comparatively better, but still not as good as earplug foam from your local drugstore. (I use Hearos.)
Other than the foam, the color and some minor design and styling changes, the SPARKPLUG is THE PLUG's snazzier twin.
The lifetime, no questions asked, warranty is nice. You will probably need to use it, as I have several times. There is little if any cable strain relief where the cable exits from the plug housing. Like THE PLUG, I use my SPARKPLUG's all the time: The wiring can wear out pretty quickly if you are very active.
Regardless, great audio quality. Great passive isolation. Great bargain. Highly recommend with some minor caveats.
Great Value for Price. Smart Choice for Cell Phone MP3s. 2008-06-26
Very impressed for the price. Good bass and treble and very clear mid-range. Because these earbuds put the sound closer to your eardrums, while closing off outside noise with expanding foam plugs(covers), I found it takes only a little over half the volume(power) level setting on my Cellphone player to get the same ear volume as my larger sony non-plug type earbuds and even larger sony headset I had been using.
This means I get sound as good or better as my larger headset, using less battery power, and in a much smaller package. I call that a triple play. Good job Koss.
PS: For those not used to earplugs, they may be less comfortable than sit-on-the ear headset type phones, no more uncomfortable than non-plug earphones. A tip when inserting them is to hold the plugs so their leads point straight out in front of you. Then begin to insert them while rotating them as you insert them further so leads finally end up pointing down when fully inserted.
great sound quality, but uncomfortable 
2008-06-16
Some people have complained about the loud bass you hear from these earbuds, but I like it that way. The main down side (which I probably will trade these in for something better) is that they are uncomfortable if you're not used to wearing earbuds and they keep falling out after I've been running awhile and get sweaty.
LOVE the sound...just one problem 2008-06-05
...I find myself having to re-purchase a pair of these ear plugs almost exactly every 3-5mo, because inevitably, one of the buds will just stop producing sound for no apparent reason. This latest frustrating occurence I found out just last night, after they'd gone unused for close to 3days, got ready to hit the treadmill and when I started the mp3 player, only the right bud had sound (and was muffled). I thought maybe the cushion on the left just needed a little tweaking in my ear (I had to do that a lot to get the placement right but is a small annoyance)...still no sound. After a good two mins the ugly truth dawned on me & yeah, I was p.o.'d. I'm really frustrated w/ these ear buds, cos of ALL the headsets I've owned, I love the sound (READ: BASS) in these the most and once you find just that right spot in your ear, it's like heaven listening to music on these. I'd started buying them two at a time just bcos I didn't want to be stuck w/o a pair if--WHEN--the current ones decided to conk out on me, but this last time I didn't for some reason (can't remember). I'm afraid I'm going to have to bite the bullet & try another headset; it just doesn't make sense to spend $8-12 ea on TWO of these only to last a few short months, when I could just plunk down $25 on ONE pair that will last much longer. Koss, please fix this; I know it can't just be my bad luck, I've had this happen with EVERY pair of these I've ever bought (and it's usually the LEFT side that goes first) and I'm super careful w/ them so no winding the wires tight or tossing them around in the purse or whatnot, so I can't explain why this keeps happening. Word of caution if you're planning on trying these out. Great Sound; poor endurance.
