1/8" and 1/4" stereo plugs for home and portable use
1 The Beautiful TD-80s
I've been in love with the Koss TD-80s since the early to mid nineties as an adolescent entering the likes of Nirvana and Bush. At that time, I only had enough money to purchase the TD60s, which were a fine introduction to the Koss line that I grew to love. Today, sadly, I can't commend Koss for their product changes--the introduction of the UR series, which I ridicule, "U-R stupid for buying them", and their incessant failure at making good earbuds beyond the delicate "Plug"...
However, I still hold true to their classic products, and this model is one of them. During those adolescent years, my only ability to listen to these headphones were by way of visiting downtown music stores whom displayed their latest releases at listening stations complemented by the Koss TD-80s. If there was something to be heard, the Koss TD-80s gave it. Whenever I wanted to buy a CD, if it were not on the TD-80s, I would think before buying it in fear of poor production, for if it were poor production, the '80s would let you know...
I recommend these headphones as a household reference for anyone moderately serious about their music. Yes, Sennheiser may be for the purist, and Sony may be for the everyday-er whom works out and advances in their professions or schoolings, but the classic Koss is simply for anyone who wants to hear and feel their music. In addition, given the age of this model, the bargains of today on this headphone is ridiculous and should make anyone in the market for closed headphones consider them.
Gen
2 60 Ohm Impedence - Lot of headroom reduces distortion
Closed-earpiece headphones no matter the brand are not comfy for extended wear! The reason for purchasing these headphones is the 60 Ohm impedance. The higher the impedance rating allows you to listen to your home stereo, boombox, mp3 player, etc. at higher volumes without any distortion so you get great clarity and definiton from the bass, mids and highs. Also, you can plug this set of headphones into a stage monitoring system or instrument amplifier with the same great results. The Koss line of headphones are an exceptional value. Notice the cost of other manufactures' headphones that are rated at 60 ohms and above and you will see what I mean. No! I do not work for Koss, just an informed shopper!
3 Dont get them! Spend the Extra money!
I was debating between these and some facier pairs on ebay and boy did I regret it. These are heavy, bulky, and not comfortable on my ears. They sound pretty good, the base is great, but not worth giving up comfort. My neck even hurts wearing these because the headphone are so heavy. Its like putting a textbook on top of your heard for a couple of hours. Its also such a relief when i take them off for my ears. My ears were red. They should make them out of more plastic rather than metal. Next time I will spend the extra [money] to get a better pair.
4 Definitely a good buy!
I really love these headphones. They have volume control on each ear cup which is great when you have one ear that hears better than the other, like I do. I also love that the headband itself is made of metal not plastic, so you can stretch them out to fit your head without worrying about breaking them. The ear cups are adjustible too, so I can turn them slightly to fit my ears. I have also noticed that my ears don't sweat as much as with some of my other headphones. The cord is coiled so I don't have a long cord constantly hanging behind me and dragging on the floor. The sound is also pretty good, I've heard better but these are nice for all the features and the price. The only thing I don't like is the fact that the inner part of the ear cup has nothing covering it. You have a nice cushiony padding around the rim and on the inside, nothing, just hard plastic. It almost looks like it's not finished. Besides this problem, I would definitely recommend these headphones.
5 Great value for the money.
These are a decent pair of headphones for the money. I like the bulky padding. I think they help you enjoy a richer sound than you would get from the earpiece type. So what if they make you look like Princes Leah on a leash? To enjoy music at home, it should be about comfort and sound, not looks.
6 Unless you've got money to burn don't bother
Pros:
-Good sound quality. Good clear treble and good bass for headphones
-Coiled cord which can stretch a good distance when needed
-Volume control
-Sturdy constructionCons:
-Uncomfortable on ears after 15-20 mins
-Seperate knobs for volume make it hard to keep the volumes equal in the two channels
-Earphones have very limited range of motion
-Sound bleeds out when earphones are covered
-Sound bleeds through when volume knobs are turned completely off
Bottom Line:
I really don't think they're worth the $$$. Comfort is a high priority of mine and these rank pretty low. My old Aiwa headphones were way better.
7 Remember the old tin can phones
I recently bought the TD-80 headphones and i must say i am not impressed at all. Remember the old Wendys commercial "Wheres the Beef" well i'm wondering wheres the Bass their isn't any at all it sounds very tinny and the idea to put volume controls on each speaker isn't the smartest idea you may also find yourself turning the volume up on whatever your listening to as i am right now listening to them. overall i don't know what headphones these other reviewers are listening to but not the ones i have.
8 Great Value - but a little too tight cuz I wear glasses.
For the value, these are good quality headphones. I bought these for work, looking for a cheaper alternative for my old Sony MDR-V600 (which are AWESOME if you want to drop [$$]).I am happy with the sound quality (awesome bass), but the only drawback was the comfort. These don't cover your entire ear, so the pads press on your ear (not too comfortable when you wear them with glasses). But if you can deal with that then these are an excellent value.
9 Great Sound... At a Price
The Koss TD/80 headphones reproduce wonderful sounds, and even at high volumes cannot be heard by other people in the same room when they're snug on your head. The cord is sufficiently long, and they adjust well to the size of your head. The only problem with them is that they fit so snug on your head that until you're used to them, they will make your ears quite sore. And even then you'll find yourself experimenting with different ways to wear them so as to reduce the tightness against your ears.
All in all, a good product, but be prepared for a bit of a headache for starters.
10 Five Stars for Desktop Computer Use
I use these at my desktop computer. For that purpose they are excellent. The cord is long, they cover my ears so I don't hear outside noise, and there is a volume control on each ear piece. Good quality construction.
11 There must be better.
The radio station provides these, but I'm willing to invest in my own pair if there's something better. No beefs about the audio quality. The problems with these: 1. Tight, fairly heavy, uncomfortable. Can't stay with them for more than 5 minutes; 2. The separate volume controls on the phones are just a nuisance--they're always turned down, and it's very tricky to turn them up, especially without taking the headphones off; 3. They don't seem especially sensitive or efficient--I'm turning the control board monitor switch to almost full gain (in addition to the volume controls on the phones themselves) just to be able to hear myself; 4. The closed ear design is a drag--why would you want to be completely sealed off from your immediate environment? That doesn't even replicate the experience of hearing live music.I'm hoping that Sony, Panasonic, or Sennheiser has something better in this price range.
12 hate two volume controls
these are nice headphones. they sound great. i was also pleased to note that they had volume controls on the ear pieces. this is great if you are not sitting too close to the computer with the volume controls. it is also good if your computer only has software volume controls, so you need a mouse or keyboard or something to change the volume.
however after using them only a short while, i became baffled by the need to have one volume control on each earpiece. i am not interested in changing the balance, and even if i were, it should be a seperate dial. because the left and right volume dials are seperate, it essentially makes the volumes controls useless. if you want balanced volume, unless you want to precisely fiddle with the dials, you have to have them all the way up, or else all the way down. it is the only way to know that you have balanced sound. it is OK to turn one down, and then the other, playing it by ear, but it is a nuisance i would rather not deal with. i am returning them because of this flaw.
13 Affordable and good quality!
I watch tv and I listen to music. I am also a college student who lives in a dorm and thought to use headphones to not disturb others while I'm listening to sound, but also to get good quality sound without hearing the outside distractions.PROS:
The Koss TD80 is comfortable to wear for an extensive amount of time, around 3 hours at least and is closed to outside noise. The ear cushions are very soft and form to your ears, but may make you feel inclosed and hot if warm them in above room temperature.
The headband part that rests on the top of your head is of good quality, but would be better if it had a back strap option so when you lower your head to do something, it doesnt fall forward from the weight.
The volume adjuster one each side of the Koss TD80 headphones are great because if you are like me, and you have one ear that hears better than the other, then you can adjust the volume to sound equally distributed.
The sound is wonderful. Nice bass and treble throughout the headphones. The sound is even better when you can use a program like PowerDVD to adjust the headphones to sound differently, like DolbySurround, TruSoundXT or Stereo, etc.
CONS:
The coil cord tends to pull on one side of the headphones when you are more than a couple feet outstretched. Also the coil cord is weighty enough that it also causes one side of the headphones to droop. I strongly recommend getting a headphone extension cord.
The headphone size adjuster is a bit too loose for my convenience. I have to adjust it every time I wear the headphones because the notches seem to come loose and doesn't lock, instead it sort of just slightly clicks. Or maybe they are worn out too easily.
OVERALL:
I've had my Koss TD80 for about 3 years now, and I recommend these affordable headphones for frequent to dailiy use. They work well when using it to hear audio on the computer [where I watch TV and listen to mp3s].
14 Best earphones I have bought
I bought the Koss TD/80 stereophones a long time ago and was impressed with the sound and deep deep bass. I was a little concerned about the tight fit on my head however, the inner headband is made of durable aluminum. This allows it to be bent to adjust to different head sizes. Just be warned not to make the earcups too loose on your head, or else you will not hear as much bass.I recently wanted to upgrade to even better stereophones and picked the Sennheiser eh2200 which are even more expensive than the Koss TD/80. I was surprised to find that the Koss TD/80 produced even better sound and deep bass than the Sennheiser eh2200. This is surprising because the Sennheiser eh2200 are the most popular stereophones I could find on Amazon. So I am returning the Sennheiser eh2200 and sticking with the Koss TD/80.
15 Best earphones I have bought
I bought the Koss TD/80 stereophones a long time ago and was impressed with the sound and deep deep bass. I was a little concerned about the tight fit on my head however, the inner headband is made of durable aluminum. This allows it to be bent to adjust to different head sizes. Just be warned not to make the earcups too loose on your head, or else you will not hear as much bass.I recently wanted to upgrade to even better stereophones and picked the Sennheiser eh2200 which are even more expensive than the Koss TD/80. I was surprised to find that the Koss TD/80 produced even better sound and deep bass than the Sennheiser eh2200. This is surprising because the Sennheiser eh2200 are the most popular stereophones I could find on Amazon. So I am returning the Sennheiser eh2200 and sticking with the Koss TD/80.
16 at a loss with koss
just got these and am mildly disappointed. the fit is way too tight and the ear cups are too small making for a painful experience if worn for more than an hour. the individual volume controls have a limited range making them almost useless. the response is OK, pretty much what you could expect for a product in this price range. basically, this product is an inexpensive replication of phones usually found in a professional studio.
17 Outstanding headphones in this price range
With the Koss TD80 headphones, you get your monies worth and more. They are well constructed, have very good sound, and are light weight to wear. The closed cup does an excellent job of keeping external noise out. Given the quality of these headphones and Koss's lifetime warranty, you can't go wrong.
18 Not good enough...
I bought these headphones to replace a pair Labtec LT-835s which I'd been using for five years. I am not an audiophile by any means, but the audio quality of these headphones does not meet my expectations. They sound kind of -- echo-y, I guess. Plus, the earcups are too small and the whole unit grips the head much too hard. These factors combine to make it a pain to use the TD-80 for more than 15 minutes at a time.The per-ear volume control sounds interesting (and even useful) but is not well implemented. The position and looseness of the dials makes it easy to jog one while you are putting them on or taking them off, throwing the L-R balance out-of-whack.
I'm sending them back.
19 Got them today, returning them tomorrow
For $40 I expected far better build quality. The cord is quite thin on these, and they are all around made of a light duty plastic that does not inspire much confidence. The sound is OK, but nothing to rave about. I bought this model in the first place because Amazon was out of most of the other models I wanted. Now I know why this one was left over.
20 Great sound for the price.
I have owned a pair of these headphones for four years and they have provided me with excellent sound. They are very clear and comfortable to wear, and do not distort at high levels. I highly reccomend these Koss headphones.
