KPH14W Side Firing Headphone (White)

very clear acoustics and great stereo separation, but no bass. perfect when walking, jogging, working out and shopping as you can hear outside noises in case you need to hear something. does not hurt your ears like headphones during polonged wearing as it fits inside your ear. it's true that headband is narrow so it can squeeze and hurt your head but you can stretch out the headband to fit.. it is well made and durable, probably worth twice the price.

I worked for at a Frys electronics around 2002-2005 so the store discounts allowed me to buy the Sony MDR-W08L for around $7.00. one day i go a tip from my manager that sony was discontinuing the headphones and before the store opened he let me buy the left over stock of 22 at $6.00 for $140 he thought i was crazy but even as of 2023 the sony MDR-W08L are still the best running headphones ever made. now in 2023 im down to 9x still in box and 2x in various working conditions so im looking for an alternative, and the Koss is the closest to the sound quality of the original Sony; id say about 98% close to the sony headset quality; and they are affordable only draw back is they are uncomfortable, very little room for adjustment they grip right into your ears the SONXTRONIC Xdr-8000 are 2x the price but have the same feel and comfort of the original Sony mdr but plastic frame is brittle and the sound quality is no better than the Koss I really don't get this generation, i tried ear buds, you have to jam the things tight in your ear to stick. They either leave your ears sore or you end up loosing them. so take your pick, me i want a time machine back to 2003

These are the only earbuds I buy anymore (and not very often because they last a long time!). I basically use them every day and I am really pleased with the sound quality. They are not noise canceling, but they aren’t supposed to be. This allows you to hear what’s going on around you (like if you’re outside or at the gym). Right out of the box they’re a little tight and can hurt your ears if worn for a long time. I discovered a little trick…I heat up about 3/4 inch or so of water in a bowl in the microwave for a few minutes. Take the hot water out of the microwave and let the very top part of the headband sit in the hot water for a few minutes to soften up the plastic a little bit. Be super careful not to let the earbud part, plug or wire get wet. Once the top of the headband is fairly warm, put them on as if you were using them for several minutes until they cool off a bit. The plastic hardens right back up strong as ever but now you have a custom fit. I’ve done this with 2 sets of these earbuds and it’s worked great both times. I looked for the perfect earbuds for almost 10 years and I love everything about these earbuds! I hope they never stop making this style of earbuds, because I can’t find anything like them!

Too tight against head and hurts the ear. There's no adjustment for the tension. It's made out of plastic and if you try to stretch it it breaks.

I bought these headphones to use at the gym, to replace a pair os Sony MDR-023 over-the-ear wired headphones. The Sony headphones still work and are pretty comfortable, but they don't fit as snugly as I like so I was looking for something else. Like many other reviewers, I used to own now-discontinued Sony headphones that have the same vertical in-ear style as these Koss headphones, so I decided to try them. Before buying these, I briefly tried a pair of Bluetooth over-the-ear headphones, but I didn't like them so I returned them. I'm not interested in other earbud headphone styles because they don't stay put in my ears. The Koss headphones fit a bit snugly, as other reviewers have mentioned, but not uncomfortably so (I guess I have a smaller head than some other reviewers :-). Unlike some (but not all) of the similar old Sony headphones, these don't fold, but I can live without that. The cord is long (which I like). My only complaint is that there's no bass at all. The midrange and treble sound clear, but I miss the bass. It's been a while since I had the similar Sony's, but I think the bass was better with those. The bass is definitely better with the over-the-ear Sony MDR-023 that I'm replacing. I tried turning on the Apple Music app's bass enhancer on my iPhone, but it just made the sound muddier, so I turned it back off. I considered returning these, but since they were pretty inexpensive I'll just keep them. If you're looking for vertical in-ear headphones like these, there aren't many options. Too bad these don't sound better.

I bought these because I expected good sound quality and because they are vintage. Somewhat of a hand-me-down for family, in the future. The midrange is great and the lyrics are crystal clear. The bass is okay, but not nearly as good if you're into rap music. Also, don't panic about it's size when you put them on. They are small, but the headset just needs to be further towards the forehead. Overall, I expected more, but I can't argue about the price. Also, i can always remove one of the buds and hear what's going on around me and still hear the music. They are wired and the cord is pretty long, great for an elliptical machine. I feel fairly satisfied. I think they would be a great gift for a youngster.

I currently have a Sony DR-BT22, a MDR-A30 and a MDR-W24. I also had a countless number of Sony headphones and earphones from the good old days. The Sony's from the good old days sounded really great. I try to find one that is as good as any of the Sony. This Koss KPH14W is not it. The spec printed on the box is as follows. 3.5 mm plug 4 feet long cord 100 - 15,000 Hz 18 Ohms 104 dB SPL This Koss sounds average at best. I think the best I can describe the differences is that the Sony's sound like an expensive 2.1 speaker system with clean sound and house-shaking bass. The Koss is just a very average 2.0 speaker system. It is not FM/AM radio bad. It is just average. Your car radio sounds better. The fit of the Koss is very bad. It is for kid with small head. The Koss is at least an inch shorter than the Sony. The plastic material is hard plastic. It clamps to my head and inside my ears so tight. It hurts. Compared the plastic from the Sony, the Sony uses soft flexible rubbery plastic. The Sony is soft like a pillow but very supportive at the same time. I have to follow the advice from the other reviewers. I use my hair dryer to soften the plastic. So, I can bent it wider. Even it is wider, it is still too short and not comfortable. On the positive side, the Koss has the longest cord. It is 4 feet long. The plug is in a 140 degree angle. I have some pictures. The white one is the Koss. The picture with the Koss inside the packaging is how tight it is. It is a clamp. You can see how wide I have to bent it to fit better. I cannot recommend this Koss. It is too small for an adult and the sound is just average.

Very good sound for the value. I had a pair of these years ago that came with a Sony Walkman. Very easy to use. I can move them in and out of my ears with ease. They practically have no weight to them, so they can be worn for hours. The one drawback is they are fragile. Made of plastic materials, so handle them delicately. The cord could be another foot or two longer. It seems rather short. I still plan on getting a few more pairs of these. It's well worth it.