Also had those Koss in my teens, came to hate them due to how uncomfortable they were, painful in fact. Ears also sweated. Have them collecting dust somewhere in the house.
Wow, those Koss sure bring back the memories. I spent far too many hours under a pair of those in my teens and early 20s. Happy hours, to be sure.
These days I wear Sennheiser HD580 cans. That series of Sennheiser is about the only I can tolerate for tonal balance. So many other cans sound boomy, muddy or screechy to me.
the Sony MDR7506 I have at work and they are pretty good, too.
Also had those Koss in my teens, came to hate them due to how uncomfortable they were, painful in fact. Ears also sweated. Have them collecting dust somewhere in the house.
Yeah, but when I was young all I had was AR3a speakers. And the closed cans allow you to listen to any goofy thing you want without embarrassment.
I do prefer speaker listening, tho, by a long shot.
For standard over-the-ear headphones, I prefer the Sony Model 7506 previously mentioned. However...
I've switched to in-ear monitors, Jerry Hardy JH-7 custom and Ultimate Ears 700 off-the-shelf. HIGHLY recommended.
A decent off-the-shelf set runs approx US$100-200 so it is worthwhile to try. JH also offers closed-ear and open-ear options on their customs.
-Bob
Back in the 70s I had the pro 4a, too. But you can't really wear those in public spaces, like the gym, unless you're looking for a lot of attention. I remember them becoming uncomfortable after only a few songs, though they sounded great.
I've tested several $25 to 150 lightweight portable headphones for use outside of the home and my favorite is the Koss Porta-Pro, which is about $50 new.
Another thing I like about Koss is their lifetime warranty. Over the years I've damaged the cord twice and then sent them to the Koss plant in Milwaukee, along with a $13 'handling' check. They attached new cords and shipped them back promptly, with new ear cushions too.
Frank 'potty mouth' Zappa definitely had to be confined to headphones in my neighborhood![]()
Thank you for the very interesting input. Like some others I am sensitive to the 'clamp' pressure and find close fitting 'phones hot and sweaty to wear.
Sadly, my trusty 40 y.o. sennheiser HD420 have succumbed to terminal foam rot and cannot be refurbished. I will look into some of the models mentioned here.
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