Koss KPH40 Utility On-Ear Headphones, Detachable Interchangeable Cord System, Ultra Lightweight Design (Rhythm Beige)

I absolutely love these headphones. I picked up the Koss KPH40 Utility On-Ear Headphones and they’ve completely won me over. I did upgrade them with the official Koss oversized replacement cushion ear pads, and that made a huge difference in comfort—highly recommend doing that. I mainly use them with Apple Music on my Mac Mini, while at my desk, and the sound quality is just fantastic for the price. They’re clear, detailed, and have a really enjoyable, natural tuning that makes everything from vocals to instruments shine. They don’t try too hard—they just sound right. They’re also incredibly lightweight, which makes them perfect for long listening sessions. With the upgraded pads, I can wear them for hours without any discomfort. What really surprised me is how much I keep reaching for these over more expensive headphones. There’s just something about the sound and simplicity that makes them so enjoyable. Koss really nailed it with these. Amazing value, great sound, and super comfortable (especially with the upgraded pads). Highly recommend!

I love the sound of the Koss KPH30. An unexpected treat given their low price, they're airy and have great treble balance and clarity. They're not very comfortable for my big head for more than an hour or so, though, due to pressure on my ears. I figured these would have a similar sound but be more comfortable. For the most part, I was right. They are more comfortable in that they rest lighter on my ears (you can almost forget that you're wearing them). I also like that they barely use any plastic.. I could see the '30s plastic getting brittle and cracking over the years (time will tell, though). These look more elegant, and weigh almost nothing. Not using as much plastic also heightens the impression of quality/luxury (not that these are going to be mistaken for $400 Mezes..). The interchangeable cable is appreciated, as my new phone unfortunately doesn't have a 3.5mm. I haven't purchased the C-cord yet, but it's a nice option to have. Sound-wise, the treble is slightly softer and more rolled-off than the '30s. Still plenty of detail, and they're less fatiguing (not that I'd call the '30s fatiguing.. just that these are even less so). Perhaps a smidge less bassy/punchy, but still good for the class. I'd say these are even more spacious-sounding, though. These are the kind of headphones that you close your eyes and throw your head back to be enveloped in sound. That's a marvel at this price point, and something that Koss probably does the best, which is why despite having significantly more expensive headphones from multiple boutique brands in my collection, I still consider Koss one of my favorite brands and keep coming back to them. You get so much quality sound for the money, they embarrass most brands costing 2-4x as much; and when you do find headphones that are truly better, you look at how the Koss are a mere fraction of the price, and you kind of laugh to yourself about the law of diminishing returns.. So ultimately, while I do miss the extra bite of the treble of the Koss KPH30s, the added comfort and even more spacious sound mean these are still the ones I use most. Even for those of you that have much more expensive sets, I still recommend buying these, even if just to use when you travel. I originally bought these/the KPH30s as a cheap travel set, but I like them so much they're pretty much all I use anymore. It's kinda funny--15+ years ago it was the Koss PortaPro that first captivated me and made me obsessed with sound. I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be back to midrange Koss sets all these years later, but here I am. These feel and sound like a contemporary analog to the PortaPros. In a way, it feels like home to me.

When I first got these I got them out of the box and started listening to music, and music for these is pretty good for the price range. Not much sub-bass to speak of, but it's a small driver open back unit. The bass that is there is pretty strong. There's a little bit of bloat in the upper bass range that can be distracting for me right at first, but I find that as I listen longer my ears/brain adjust and it's not too much of a problem. Kick drums and floor toms have a lot of impact, but I don't hear much resonance in them like you might through better headphones. Mids and highs are smooth enough that I don't notice any distracting peaks in tone. Resolution gets better than what these offer, but again, they are 40 dollars. All in all, not a bad sounding unit at all and they are definitely good enough to just relax on the couch, drink a drink, turn your brain off and enjoy music. They are also great if you need to wear something while you are working, doing chores, running errands, or whatever because they aren't so detailed you start to get overly analytical with the music and get distracted. They are also crazy open in terms of sound isolation, so you won't miss out on anything happening in the real world. Sound leak is real though, so I would avoid wearing them anywhere where you might be bothering someone else if they could hear them (libraries, planes, etc.). The soundstage on these, though? *chef's kiss* I was listening to a song where the volume starts low and slowly increases over the first part of the track and I took them off for a second because I thought I had forgotten to switch my source from my living-room speakers to the headphones. It didn't sound like the music was being pumped straight into my ears, it sounded like the music was in the room with me. At full volume, this effect is less noticeable, but the soundstage and imaging are pretty great for headphones at this price range. I'm always hearing sounds that have me looking around the room. You really feel surrounded by what you are listening to. I don't know how many people are going to use these for watching movies, but they are crazy good. I like to use headphones to watch movies at night so I can turn them up loud without disturbing my duplex neighbor. I just watched Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City with these (first movie I've used them with), while running the headphones off of a Fiio BTR5 (bluetooth adapter) connected to my media computer. I took the headphones off probably 4 or 5 times during the movie thinking that I heard something in the room with me, or something happening outside my house. Little faint noises don't just sound quiet, they sound like they are actually around you spatially. The effect is honestly pretty striking. I have other gear that technically sounds better if I really want to get analytical with my listening session, but these really do deliver at this price point. If you're an audiophile you probably have gear better than this, but I would still recommend them just for the reminder that you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy what you are listening to. For anyone else, or anyone new to the hobby, this is an awesome place to start. For 40 bucks, how can you lose?

I wanted a lightweight & comfortable, affordable, yet great-sounding pair of on-hear headphones to sit at my desk (not travel) with. Fortunately, Koss came up in one of my many searches and I suddenly remembered my very first pair of headphones for my very first stereo back in the late 70's. They surprisingly blew away all the competition back then, even Pioneer, Panasonic and Sony headphones. Sounded like you were right in the concert hall! So I looked at all the latest offerings by Koss, and really appreciated the long review for this pair by the top reviewer 'Ender'—comparing different models of Koss & other headphones. (I don't have time to be an audiophile, I just want to enjoy my music collection in iTunes while sitting at the computer). I immediately ordered these headphones. I knew I would also want to extend the cable, but waited until after they arrived to see the size and types of plugs they were fitted with. (The Q&A for this product in regard to that was too technical & confusing to follow.) These headphone did not disappoint! They have that great Koss sound, with a comfortable lightweight band on my head, which gratefully doesn't get snagged in my thick curly hair. Don't let the appearance of the thin foam earpads fool you— they are comfy, secured well and transmit the audio clearly. (UPDATE: I had initially tried adding a pair of Yaxi pads as suggested by another helpful reviewer, but those would not stay on, and were so thick the sound was being muffled. Stick with the OEM earpads!) Next up was to find a longer extension cable that fit. Curious that Koss doesn't offer anything—even on their website. I first noted that the tip that plugs into the cable that is permanently attached to the headphones is 2.5mm (male) and the other plug that goes into your computer, music device, etc. is 3.5mm (thicker plug), also male. Then I had to learn the difference between TRRS (3 black rings on the tip of the plug) and TRS (2 black rings). So the search was on for a quality extension cable with a 2.5mm male TRRS plug and a 3.5mm male TRS plug—which is exactly what these headphones require. I found only one such cable on Amazon—ASIN: B08MX53T1T and took a chance despite the ridiculous product name. Turns out it is of solid build and does not diminish the sound quality of these Koss headphones. Total length of combined straight & coiled cord is 51 inches, not stretched. Minimal upgrade costs and these headphones are customized for my comfort & listening pleasure! I recommend all of these parts, but probably not as a mobile on-the-go setup—I'm not sure the headphones would hold up to that, they seem too fragile for traveling with. (The extension cable would certainly hold up, though.) Enjoy, and I hope this helped!

IMPORTANT DETAIL - the stock earpads are fine, but an instant, OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD upgrade for them is a pair of yaxxi pads. The ones designed for the Koss Porta Pro's are the ones you want. Get whatever color you want. Orange gives some proper starlord 80's retro cred. *update* I still adore them, but I have found a cheap way to add an in-line mic. Get a replacement cord for something like the bose 700 or QC25, anything with a 2.5 to 3.5mm plug will work. Much, much cheaper than the usb-c or apple cord Koss sells. Side-benefit is it also made the cord a bit longer, which I've found nice. These have no right to sound so legendary. I'm serious. This sound in a $300 pair of headphones would be justifiable. They sound amazing out of everything. Dedicated digital dac? yep. Tube amp? yep. headphone jack on my lame laptop? YEP. They don't have that cramped, squeezy feel of the KPH30's. They sound better than the 30's (which were already amazing) These little guys just disappear on your head. Even if you think you hate headphones that sit on your ears, these (with some yaxxi pads) just might as well not exist on your head. The sound is just fine from the stock earpads, but I bought some yaxxi pads (available here on amazon) in orange for some more retro look and the comfort went up dramatically. Yaxxi's are like $10 and so luxuriously soft and ethereal. As for tuning, they're supremely chill. The same kind of vibe that my $300 Meze Classic 99's have. They're not the sparkly goddess sound that makes people love or hate Grado, but they're not overbearing anywhere in the sound signature, so mids are nice and rich, with deep, punchy sub-bass that you would NEVER expect (beastie boys intergalactic HITS) The treble is gentle and clean, and they're just supremely laid back, enjoyable things to listen to. I find the only area they don't trade punches with $300 headphones on is imaging. It's not bad by any means, but you don't get that "you can point at exactly where in front of you the sound is" level of detail that some Grado sr60's would give you. But the fact that the only place I can start to find a complaint is imaging, and using a pair of headphones that cost twice the money as an example should start to paint a picture that these are truly special. The party piece in the sound stage to me, is that they are tuned superbly for outdoor use too. No, they aren't going to isolate the world, but they don't get drowned out to nothing on the ferry like my Hifiman Hex4's do. I don't necessarily always need headphones outside that isolate the world, but I do need them to sound good if they don't. The only actual gripe I have is the cord doesn't include the nice little in-line microphone and single button control that the KPH30i's have. Since I do use these outdoors a lot (they're just so light and tiny that they can just be chucked in my bag) I would REALLY have liked to see a microphone. And maybe if there was a way to give the earcups a way to swivel and lay flat, I'd like that, as it'd make them even more pack-able. As it is, these are some truly god-tier beater headphones. But seriously, get some Porta Pro yaxxi pads. There's no work involved to swap them, just peel the old ones off and stretch the new ones on.

These won my budget headphone shoot-out! I highly recommend you buy them. A very detailed review is below. I recommend yaxi pads for these, but its not really necessary. They are quite comfy on their own. I also modded it with a silicone comfort band from my KPH30i's. These are now my favorite sounding and feeling headphones. Good job Koss! --- MY HUNT FOR THE BEST BUDGET HEAPHONES: (I use my headphones for 80's Rock, 90's Alternative, Oldies, Classical, and plenty of TV and Movies) - SHORT VERSION...BUY THE KOSS KPH40'S AND SOME YAXI PADS! LONG VERSION... FIRST I HAD THE PX-100-i's for like 10 years. Loved them, but the connector broke a few years back. THEN I got the PX-100-ii's. I didn't like it as much as the first iteration. Way too much Bass! And the bass bled like crazy. They sounded super muddy. But everything else sounded like my old px-100's. Then a few months ago, THOSE broke at the connector (I'm nice to my headphones, they get plugged into my computer and stay there, there's really no reason for those connectors to go faulty, just bad manufacturing). Then I found out that Sennheiser was no longer making ANY PX-100's anymore, so I had some research to do... NEXT WERE THE KOSS PORTAPROS https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001P4ZH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 - The sound is 'soft' for the mids and uppers, and a slightly boomy bass. Very easy-listening. The bass was a little too boomy for my taste, but it wasn't bad. The high's weren't sibilant, which I loved. I missed some clarity from my px-100's, but it was worth it. What I didn't like about it was that the bass bled into the mids, which made some things sound weird. Still, I liked them better than my original sennheiser PX-100-i's which is saying something. The PX-100-i's have highs that are harsh on my ears, too much sibilance. The Bass on the PX-100-i's can be a little to boomy also, but no bleeding. It had an accurate, clear sound I loved. But overall I considered the Portapro's a nice upgrade. For those of you who have trouble with it pulling your hair, my remedy was to wrap painters tape (blue to match the highlights on the headphones) around the middle section of the headband. It also keeps the headband the perfect length so I didn't have to constantly adjust it every time I took it off. This DOES make it less portable for pocket carry, but I never used that anyway. The temple pads were giving me migraines so I ripped them off. Then I replaced the foam earpads with the YAXI ones. Now they feel great! KOSS KPH30i https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FBRYM1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 - I didn't like the bleeding bass of the Portapro's, so I kept hunting. I tried the Koss KPH30i's next. VERY nice. I consider them better than the Portapro's. Slightly more clarity in the highs and the bass didn't bleed. The high's were only a little more powerful than the Portapro's, pretty much had the same 'soft' sound quality I liked in the Portapro's. The bass was a little underwhelming. I could tell where the bass was meant to be, which was nice, but it wasn't boomy at all. Like HEARING the bass, but not FEELING it. At first I really appreciated that, especially for classical, but after a few days I kind of missed the bass punch of the Portapro's. The biggest problem with the KPH30i's were they were uncomfortable! The earpads are huge and they press on my ears hard. Its not just the compression strength causing it, its the flat earcups that press against the entire ear. I could only wear it for 10 min before taking them off. So I tried the Grado Ear Pad mod, put it around the earcups and it was MUCH better. Warning, do NOT remove the original foam of the headphones. They tear and you cant get them back on. I made that mistake and now my KPH30i's high's hurt my ears because there is nothing between my ear and the driver. I wished I would have kept the original foam on, and THEN put the Grado pads over them. Instead I had to use the paper towel mod and now the high's don't hurt my ears. The hole in the pad still make a tunnel effect and I feel like that creates a pressure chamber that hurts my ears over time. I DO love the silicone resting band on this set. With that and the Grado pads, these became a lot more comfy, but I still would have to take them off after a couple hours, from my ears over-heating and the firm pressure on the ears. That combined with the lack of bass punch, I decided to keep looking. KOSS KPH40 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KZC94X1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I had heard that the KPH40 was the sound 'sweet spot' between Portapro's and KPH30i's, and they were right! These are currently my favorite headphones, even more than my less-than-budget-friendly Sennheiser HD599's (see below). The KPH40's are my Goldilocks Headphones. The KPH40's sound profile are a LITTLE more V-shape than the Portapro's and the KPH30i's. A little more bass than the KPH30i's and a little more high's than the Portapro's. Perfect. The bass is just right, and very accurate. The mids are there, but not overpowering. The high's are clear but still have that 'soft', 'easy-listening' sound I enjoy from the Koss drivers. Honestly I don't think a lot of people will hear a difference between the 3 Koss headphones I tried, its very subtle. They all have the same basic sound. But the differences were enough for me to recommend the KPH40's over the others. The koss headphones I tried aren't as clear and accurate as my HD599's but I enjoy listening to music on them more. It's just more laid back while still being clear and accurate enough. It has a pleasant 'cloudiness' to the whole sound image. I think some people call this 'veiled'. That's a good description. It's just not as harsh on the ears, I could listen to them all day without pain or fatigue. I put the YAXI pads I bought for my Portapro's on them and they fit fine. Super comfy. It didn't really need it because Koss learned from the KPH30i's mistake and made these earcups small. They sit right on the ear where it needs to and it doesnt hurt. The headband is also metal instead of plastic, so you can adjust it to exactly the clamping force and shape that you want. At first, I found the metal headband too skinny, it felt like it was cutting into my scalp. It wasn't, It just felt that way. So I actually took the silicone band I loved from the KPH30i's and taped it to the inside of the metal head band. LOL, I'm not fancy. I bet you could tape some rolled up paper towel to the inside and get a similarly comfy effect. This mimics the all day comfort I always got from my PX-100's. I think any future iteration's should still keep the metal band, but maybe include the silicone comfort band from the KPH30i's, don't touch the drivers or earcups, they are great. I LOVE the ribbon style cable that doesn't tangle. I don't really need the "utility series" connector, especially when the utlity cables cost $45, so if removing that makes these headphones $30 instead of $40, please do so and make these headphones an even more ridiculous bargain! SENNHEISER HD599 https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-599-Open-Headphone/dp/B01L1IICR2?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 - At $150, I almost didn't want to mention these as budget headphones, but for those looking to become Audiophiles, I think they are the cheapest Audiophile-quality option. Some recommend the Grado SR60's or SR80's, but I don't. They have zero bass, ear canal piercing highs, and are VERY uncomfortable to wear. The earcups are flat, high compression, and unyielding. I couldn't wear them for more than 3 minutes. The sound profile of those Grado's might be good for monitoring high's and mids, but not bass, so what's the point of them? Vocals and violins only? No thanks. The HD599's, on the other hand, have a very neutral profile with a SLIGHTLY elevated bass, perfect for monitoring, IMO. The bass is present, a little punchy, but not muddy or boomy at all. While the headphones were comfy on my ears, I found that it created weird air pressure differences in my ear canal. This became very fatiguing after an hour, even at the lowest possible volume to hear the music. Probably because of the bigger, more powerful drivers. I think they started to damage my ears. After a few weeks I couldnt wear them for more than 10 minutes without my ears hurting again. The only time any budget Koss driver did that was when I had the tunnel effect going on with the Grado Cushion Mod, and even then it was at a much lesser degree. --- A NOTE ON AUDIOPHILIA... - But mostly I just recommend people don't become Audiophiles. It sucks. What a music-lover like me didn't understand was that Audiophiles don't listen to music, they monitor it. They don't absorb the entire composition, they nit-pick specific parts of it. This robs the listener of any enjoyment of the music. It kind of bother's me that they have stolen the title of "Audiophile". I think that belongs to music-lovers and music-makers. What we call "Audiophilia" should actually be called "Audiomonitoring". Calling it Audiophilia compels music-lovers like me to spend massive amounts of money on "better" headphones and audio setups to rob of us of any listening enjoyment we previously had with our $40 budget headphones, and rob our wallet while they are at it. I don't mean to insult or begrudge Audiophiles for a hobby they enjoy, I just don't like it when they are propped up as experts of the best sounding equipment. They aren't. They are experts for the best MONITORING equipment for sound engineers. If you enjoy music, I recommend you get a "consumer" headphone. I recommend you get the Koss KPH40. I like my KPH40's the best for listening to Music, TV, and Movies. Even over my Sennheiser HD599's. Its true that the HD599's have better clarity, but I enjoy music more with my KPH40's because I'm not hearing harshness or noises that the sound engineers never meant people to hear. Sometimes I felt like I was hearing TOO MUCH accuracy on the HD599's, like things the orchestra didn't want us to hear. I couldn't ENJOY my music because I was MONITORING it too much. I heard too much noise, not enough music. And I didn't have a CHOICE to enjoy the music, I HAD to monitor it. Audiophiles are nit-picky sound analysts, so take their hard-earned advice with that in mind. OK, A short message on Amp/DAC's. Don't bother. I have a Dragonfly Cobalt Amp/DAC. It costs $330. While it DOES make all my headphones sound better, it's practically negligable. MAYBE a 3-5% improvement in sound. Not really worth spending any kind of money on. The DAC on my computer is fine, same with my iphone. Especially with the Koss budget headphones. It's recommended that you have an amp for heaphones that have an impedance of 50 ohms or higher. If its higher than 50 ohms you might want an amp just so the drivers are poperly driven, or it will sound real quiet. But test it first at full volume, you might not need it. If you do, there are Amp/DAC's in the $60 range that should do just fine. You definately don't need it with the KPH40's. So unless you can get it for free like I did (VERY nice friend), then I wouldn't bother with it. What about special cables? Not needed with the KPH40's alone. I had trouble with distortion running headphones from my amp using a cheap amazon 3.5mm extension cable, so I just got a USB extension cable instead and ran the headphones driectly from the amp. Problem solved. If your still having problems with distortion, there's guides online on how to make quality cables on the cheap. But you shouldn't need them. Please don't spend more than $20, the cost-to-sound improvement ratio is the worst here. OK, rant against the heaphone consumer industry over...and thank heaven for Koss! --- THE BOTTOM LINE - So for normal people (99.9% of the population), I recommend you forget the expensive monitor stuff and get the KPH-40's for the $40. :D Other than the modifications I mentioned, you can also use the Kramer Mod to further fine tune the sound profile, but I don't think it's necessary with the KPH40's. Guides for the Kramer Mod can be found online. LINKS TO STUFF I MENTIONED - Here's the YAXI pads I used on the Portapro's and the KPH40's https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQVHX84/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 Here's the Grado Pads I used on the KPH30i's https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TGCDHL2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Here's some painters tape for the Portapro's. It doesn't leave residue if you change your mind later, and it matches the blue in the headphones nicely! :D https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Painters-1-5-Inch-1-41-Inch-240194/dp/B0025KUSW8?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 A cheaper $7 3.5mm-to-lightning adapter so you don't have to buy the $45 one from Koss, (COUGH!) https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Lightning-Headphone-Jack-Adapter/dp/B01LXJFMGF?ref_=ast_sto_dp A popular budget Amp/DAC you don't need. https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Digital-Analog/dp/B07VDQQY95?ref_=ast_sto_dp If you made it to the end, thanks for listening, and enjoy those heaphones! **UPDATE 8/9/2023 I have to add a note here. Since this review I have noticed that the Koss KPH40 headphones do tend to "bloom" in the upper-mid Bass range. What does that mean? There is a mildly loud reverberation when the Bass hits a certain frequency, and ONLY that frequency. As the sound gets lower the bloom goes away. For this reason I have gone back to my repaired Sennheiser PX-100 (originals) as my main headphone. But I still love these headphones!

I love Kph40s. They're not the best sounding headphones I've ever heard, but as far as quality/cost and quality/comfort ratio goes, they're top notch. I put those medium sized earmuff looking pads on them, and side sleeping becomes more comfortable with them than without. What I don't love is that I've purchased 6 of these bastards in the last 2 years because those little plastic tabs holding the drivers to the headband keep breaking. You can't glue them very well; there's too little surface area in contact, and you lose the articulation. Buying one of the cheaper label bands and switching them doesn't work out either - the extremely thin, minimalist, smooth quality of the kph40 band is why they're so comfortable to lie on. If Koss is going to refuse to fix this long standing, common flaw, they can at least sell the bands separately so people don't have to buy a whole new set because one 1mm plastic tab broke off their headphones.

I got tired of the in-ear earbuds as I could never find a comfortable pair. These headphones are exactly what they say they are. Super light, extremely comfortable (no discomfort over the band or the actual ear pads even after a few hours of use). The sound is also amazing, you won't find better sounding earbuds at this price point and would be hard pressed to find better sounding headphones as well (if you're music app has an equalizer they can sound even better). Added bonus is the cable on them is actually really nice, doesn't get tangled, and I love the retro look.