Everyone wants to be an insider, and you can be one too! Choose your poison: sign-up for our Newsletter, join us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. Do all three and you'll be swimming in the the latest news, reviews, videos and more gadget goodness!
DT Newsletter Sign-Up
Sign-up for the Digital Trends newsletter and find out about the latest contests, the hottest content, and the most popular videos. Let us keep you up-to-date!
Our Facebook
Become a DT soldier! Join us on Facebook and share the best news, guides, videos and other cool information directly with all your friends. Some might even thank you for it!
Join the thousands and follow the best of us on Facebook.
That’s Right, Sign-up For Our Monthly Random Prize Drawings and You Could Be That Winner.
BEST in its price range
By: Bob
October 12, 2009 @ 11:59 AM
Advantages:
- excellent sound (if too much bass and not enough treble adjust EQ of music player – if u can’t do this then its not the fault of the headphones)
- very good sound isolation (I can take them to a hockey game and during intermission listen to my music)
- comfortable (since these mold to the shape of your ear)
- cheap (under $15 and better quality than any other headphone worth 5x this amount – through experience)
- portable (you can take them anywhere and not worry about them)
Disadvantages:
- does not always fit securely in ear
- does not have a carrying case (but for $15 do you expect it to? Most headphones that HV carrying cases are worth much more and I feel better knowing I’m paying for sound quality rather than a fancy high quality case and headphones with worse sound quality. With expensive headphones you need to be careful as well because you don’t want to break them, but if you break these you won’t care as much because you can easily go and buy more. Also if you’re desperate for a carrying case just buy one and you would have great heaphones and a case for less than regular headphones that come with a case.)
Buy this and you won’t regret. They are my favorite headphones. The advantages are far more than the only real disadvantage. These are easily the best headphones in their price range and I only know one headphone which beats these: Koss cc_01 but that costs 10x more.
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Incredible fun!
By: Al
March 31, 2008 @ 4:47 PM
I have several headphones and earphones, recently bought the Ultimate Pro Fi5 Pro and believe me they don’t sound as good as this cheap Koss the Plug, unbelievable!
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
The bargain of the year
By: Francisco
April 7, 2006 @ 3:16 PM
I’m gonna say just 2 or 3 things:
1 – Those reviewers that say KOSS THE PLUG is a bad earbud, don’t know the meaning of “Hi-Fi”. Probably they don’t even know what the word “sound” means.
2 – Shy treble? Maybe a bit, but that’s normal. We are talking about “in ear phones”, not “headphones”. Strong high frequencies would damage spandrels severely after a few hours of listening.
3 – The issue here is that this little masterpiece sold for a mere $15 is not worse than those from SHURE or ETYMOTICS and this is not good for some people (if you know what I mean).
PROS:
- Amazing sound quality
- Very confortable and easy to put in the ear
- A real bargain. Even if they cost 4 or 5 times more, still worth every cent spent.
CONS:
- No carry case
- Wire a bit long
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
No others in it's class
By: J.Vik
January 21, 2006 @ 7:40 PM
After trying several brands/types of earbuds and being completely fed up with poor fit and sound isolation; I found 100’s of reviews saying good things about these. I ran out and bought a set. Easier said than done; they were sold out almost everywhere. I think one sales person said “those fly off the shelves”. Long story short: great fit and comfort, great sound isolation, great sounding!
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
The best in their price range
By: raindog_mx
October 16, 2005 @ 4:18 PM
These are $15 hearphones. I’ve read some reviews stating that one should buy the sony $35 model because Koss’ are a bust.
Well, they’re the best $15 earphones i’ve ever had. Yeah the bass is sometimes excessive and the highs get somewhat lost behind it -nothing a good EQ job can’t solve- but the overall sound quality and the excellent isolation adds up to a very good buy.
I’d like emphasize that you’d like an EQ in your player to turn the bass down and the treble a little up and after that you’ll get the best sound for your budget.
They fitted my ears right out of the box but they come with three different foam pieces to fit any ear shape and as others have said you can always buy some cheap safety plugs and adapt them.
If you have $50 to spend on earphones then maybe you should buy another model; even better if you have $150 for the Etymotics. If you have $15 buy these Koss marvels they’re the best in their price range and you’ll be pleasantly surprised as I am.
Im taking 2 points down becouse: 1. they’re not perfect, 2. an EQ is really needed to tame them.
Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
with a bit of tweaking...
By: DA
October 9, 2005 @ 4:27 PM
The pair I bought was an impulse buy at Best Buy, and as yet I don’t regret that decision. The overall audial performance was very nice compared to the cheap stock earbuds and cans that I have (I don’t spend too much on any headphones); I was actually able to hear details in the sound that I’ve never heard before! However, the foam that came with these were absolute crap, never sealing properly if at all. But, I was able to work around that with a pair of $1 firearm-rated disposable earplugs (which I haven’t disposed of yet; what can I say, I’m cheap). These earplugs, which are cut to length and have a hole poked through the middle, might not seal out conversations but do help dramatically reduce louder sounds, down to the point that the lowest volume setting on my ipod is still clearly audible in quieter situations. Like any canalphone, they can be a bitch to put in, but once there, Iâd never want to remove them. I donât see any reason right now to justify replacing my phones for anything more expensive.
Rating: 8 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Great Value
By: gadgetgeek
August 28, 2005 @ 7:55 PM
It’s one of the best value wired headphones, at less than $20. The foam helps block out noices and unlike many other similar headphones without the foam, I only need to put the music volume very low which let the battery last much longer on my mp3.
The wire is much longer than I thought, and it can get in my way, but don’t we complain when it’s too short.
I won’t say it is a con just because it wasnt the best fit for my ear. I don’t have too much problem keeping it in, but not too far in either, or it kinda hurts my ear abit after awhilst from the pressure due something you wont see until you put it on (the foam is covering a tube that is also inserted into your ear)
I guess as someone suggested, that try getting a different foam from the drugstore and trim it, might be more comfortable. Since I do use the earplugs when I go to dance clubs and it doesnt bother me at all.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
painful useless
By: James
June 22, 2005 @ 1:46 PM
Spent 45 minutes trying to ram the foam bullets into my ears, following the instructions on the packet. They just kept popping out. I was left with very painful ears. These can’t be hygenic, they’ll give you ear infections in no time. What a bad idea. Please look elswhere for earphones, don’t waste your monet on these.
Rating: 1 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Complete piece of crap
By: musicman
May 27, 2005 @ 8:23 AM
If you want a pair of ear phones that sound GOOD do not waste your time. I wasted my time at the shop, and now i have to waste it again to take them back (and fortunately i am allowed to do that). I was looking for something to replace my old sony MDR buds (their puny wires broke), and I am very disappointed at how they compare , they seem to somehow bring out the defects of my player without giving much depth to the music at all. I guess they are slightly better than some of the run of the mill 15 euro headphnes, but there is no way i am sticking these things in my ears for hundreds of hours in the next years, or even worse for the rest of my days by taking advantage of their lifetime warranty!
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Incredible isolation for cheap
By: Guess Who
May 26, 2005 @ 2:27 PM
These are quite simply the best earbuds by far for the price â I just donât understand how people can use the standard hard plastic earbuds or the light-weight over-the-ear models. They all suck in comparison, drain battery life faster and have lower bass response than the Koss Plugs. Granted the highs arenât quite as high as Iâd like, but the low-power consumption and excellent low-freq response â all for $15, mind you â make them well worth it. Thereâs also a great, simple mod to increase isolation and sound quality â replace your Koss Plug foam earbuds with 29db store-bought ear plugs.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Piece of crap
By: TomI
February 8, 2005 @ 6:31 AM
Overrated!
I can agree that the plugs deliver good bass, but treble is nonexisting. Tricky to fit in your ear, but once in it blocks out a lot of noise.
Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Great value but needs customization
By: TimK
February 3, 2005 @ 4:38 PM
I’m on my second set of Plugs and love them. I had the Sony’s $50 in-ear set in between, but they weren’t as full and were overpriced compared to these gems.
However, I couldn’t stand the foam sleaves that come with these. Instead, I fashion my own out of the thick foam ear plugs available at most drug stores. With a little trim on the length and a hole in the middle, the custom sleave forms a great fit that results in really wonderful sound for only $15.
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Excellent Value for the Money
By: Dodap
January 27, 2005 @ 12:42 AM
I too have used a wide array of different Headphones, on ear closed, on ear open, in ear. My latest aquisitions were Etymotics ER-6, Shure EC 2, Sony 71 SL and the Plug.
The Plug of course war by far the cheapest but sonically it is in the same ball park as the rest: The bass is far better than the Etymotic and the Sony, the highs are not bad either. For rock music it still is my favourite and it is by far easier to insert then either the Ety or the Shure, which is the worst in this regard..
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Right On!
By: CodyL
November 1, 2004 @ 6:47 PM
These are by far the best 15 dollar headphones ive had regardless of style. The foam inserts work extremely well and block out much noise. Origionally bought 40 dollar sonys but returned them because they didnt sound good for the money. Not a load of bass but enough for most people.
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
So good I bought 2 sets
By: EricS
September 29, 2004 @ 7:39 PM
I like these alot. HOWEVER Koss seems to have changed the foam between the two pairs I’ve purchased. One does a much better job at blocking the ambient noise than the other. Bass response is better than the 100Hz would indicate. Probably due to the foam. For less than $20 you can’t go wrong!
Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No
Best earbud style headphones
By: GarryK
May 20, 2004 @ 11:21 PM
Very comfortable for extended use. I’ve used many other earbud style headphones made by other manufacturers and they all felt uncomfortable and fit badly. Some of the worst were the Sony and Aiwa brands. Uncomfortable and were basically just cheap junk that would fall apart after a short period of time. Koss gives you a (lifetime!!) guarantee on these. Generous assortment of foam inserts should fit just about any ear canal. They block noise and sound great. I can’t praised these babies highly enough!
Rating: 10 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful. Was this user review helpful? Yes | No