A/550

Perfect reproduction given truly comfortable form

It might become yet another secret of the budget audiophile scene, but I hope it doesn't! Absolutely superb soundstage and tonal balance, quality fit and finish, and shockingly comfortably to wear, not to mention developed just a handful of miles from my house. I'm going to recommend these to everyone.

Sublime sound and comfort, backed by a solid lifetime warranty. It would be nice if they offered a longer cable option and / or a microphone cable for phone usage.

Expensive Koss is also good

If I was rating these on sound alone they'd be a 5/5. The best way I could describe the sound is like the kph40, but less "cheap". Like sometimes some songs or games would push the 40s driver to the point where I could hear it get a little tinny because it was being pushed to the limits. These are like that Koss sound signature, but technically perfected. I only subtract one star for comfort. I wish the headband was just a smidge wider as these do give me a minor hotspot after wearing them for about an hour, though a slight readjustment fixes that. The bigger confort issue I have is with the earcups. I find them to be too shallow. There's a thin piece of fabric covering the driver, and my ears press up against it, and on my left ear specifically I find it very distracting. The materials for the earcups are also not the most ventilating, so with it being summer they can make my ears quite sweaty. In theory, both of those issues could be easily fixed because the cushions are magnetically attached and easily replaceable, but that depends on if Koss or a third party actually make any replacements. Personally, as a Koss lover, I have no regrets getting them, but the price point is not very competitive. There are a lot of options around $200-$400, and for $350 I worry these might only appeal to people who already love Koss, and want a premium Koss headphone. I know this review might seem mostly focused on the negatives, but I'm the type of person who is the most critical of things I love, and I love these headphones. They are very close to being my ideal headphones.