Koss UR40 Collapsible Over-Ear Headphones, Lightweight, Retro Style, Silver and Black

Bottom Line - These are much more durable than they appear, are easy to drive (can be run on any device, without an amp) and give you an excellent introductory listen into how Open-Back headphones sound.-------Long Story - I've owned these headphones for 2.5 years nowI started looking into open-back headphones for gaming, because I needed to be able to hear directional detail (imaging and soundstage) in my game while ALSO being able to hear my buddies talking to me in the same room. I wanted to get Sennheiser HD 598, but it was an awful steep price to pay for something I wasn't sure would solve my problem, and I also wasn't sure how loud the sound would be from the headphones for others around me. So, I looked for a cheaper open-back headphone to try.These KOSS UR40 headphones were the cheapest option I could find with reasonable reviews (at the time), so I bought them. The first day, I was convinced that Open-Back headphones would solve my problem - they're basically transparent, I can hear everyone talking to me nearby (when ingame noises aren't overpowering), but the noise leakage isn't THAT bad (especially if my buddies also have headphones on). Bullets wizzing by certainly leak very loudly... but that's not bad information to have leaking in my scenario anyways.So, I immediately turned around and bought those Sennheiser HD 598, and brought my KOSS UR40's to work (so I could have headphones on w/o ignoring my coworkers). For the past 2.5 years, I have used these headphones all day, every day, 5 days a week at a (mostly) desk job. I very frequently take them off and fold them (clicking the little plastic-lever headphone lock) - probably take them off and on again 20+ times a day. The use case is VERY heavy, extremely regular and consistent, but not abusive. I can say that they have held up wonderfully - the only thing that has broken is one of the 4 rubber rings that hold the head-strap on, and that appears to be replaceable, but the headphone and strap work fine with just the remaining 3, so I haven't bothered.There's not much to be said about the sound quality that others haven't also mentioned (probably, I haven't read the reviews). The bass is lacking next to the V-shaped closed-back bass cannons most people are used to, but the quality of sound is good and detailed for the price. They work as headphones, and are very transparent, so if you're wanting to dip your toe into the world of Open-backs, I highly recommend!To be honest, I don't know if I will replace these when they break with new UR40's or not... because I used them as a jump-off point for Sennheisers, I think I've spoiled myself. I have a collection going for HiFi headphones now (like HiFiMAN, more Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, etc...)... but those are a bit expensive to leave on my desk at work, so I will certainly consider these UR40's again, but will be weighing them against other sub-$100 sets.(NOTE: I was asked to "Rate features" and one of them was "Noise cancellation" - Firstly, these are the opposite of noise cancelling... they are transparent... and that was the point for me - Secondly, I wish "Noise Transparency" was the real question, because when I do replace these at work, the Number 1 question I will be wondering is, if those other cheap open-backs are as transparent or not... seems I won't know until I buy them...)

I got these headphones because I was fed up with crappy earbuds that always get tangles and get uncomfortable after like 15 minutes. I was immediately pretty happy with the balanced sound as well how lightweight and comfortable they were for $30, but the thing I was disapointed by most was the fact they are indeed open headphones. Now, open headphones allow for "true audio quality" blah blah but as a high schooler let me tell you they aren't very good for listening to music in class, I went back to my zune premium headphones for classroom use. On top of that, using these on the bus isn't very enjoyable because again, sound leaks and they do not really do much to cancel the noise, and people near me can also hear what i'm listening to.That being said, I love these for using at home(MUCH better than using uncomfortable ear buds or crappy integrated laptop speakers when listening to music on my laptop), but still I was hoping for something I could use on the go more easily. The treble is a bit muffled, but some sacrafices sound quality wise are expected at $30, and they're still a lot better than skullcandy crap that costs twice as much and looks uglier(i think these are really nice looking phones, haha).Also the lows are pretty solid for phones of these cheap, they're very versatile which is good if you have a varied collection of music like I do XDI rated portabilty low for one reason; these things are really uncomfortable to wear around your neck. Where as a lot of headphones are designed to be worn around the neck, these really arent and the cheap mesh on the top is itchy. Again, they're really comfortable when you're listening to them(and they don't really make your ears sweat like a lot of other over ear headphones), but around the neck is a no. You're going to need to put these somewhere.Overall I think these are great cheap headphones for around the house. They're affordable, comfortable, and have good sound quality for the price. Just don't get them if you want something that at least somewhat isolates the noise and you want to take with you on the go all the time, because they're somewhat subpar for that