Customer Reviews

Coosh Headphones, White, 1-Count

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

UPDATED 2/18/2009: Just a few short months after owning these headphones and using them as regularly as any other pair I've owned, the rubbery portion covering where the wires enter the jack simply broke off. Now with exposed wires, I'll need to toss these and get a new pair (another brand). It's a shame.


Original review:
As of late I've taken up running and I was in the market for a new pair of earbuds with over the ear holders.

These seem like the perfect find.

While they are over the ear part is comfortable and the sound quality decent, I am disappointed with one very big thing:

The buds don't like to stay in my ear.

By this I mean, as I workout and sweat, the cooshy party around the actually bud slips with the moisture. This appears to be more of a problem with one ear than the other. The up side is I do have the over the ear portion to keep the bud near my earhole at least, but then this compromises the sound quality/experience.

I suppose it will help me from going deaf though.

In the end, these are pretty average earbuds.

Pros:
- Comfortable over the ear holders
- Ear holders removable AND there are these little rubbery bits to put in place at the straight end base of the earbuds so the cord doesn't get weird.
- Comes with a little clip (also removable) in case you don't like your cord swinging all over the place.

Con:
- Earbuds don't stay secure. O-kay with holders in place, but without them it's a real problem.

This review is for the Coosh headphones white.

I must admit that a lot of engineering has been put into these headphones including the box cover and packing materials that comes along with the product, I was pleasantly surprised with the comfort and ease in which these headphones sits in the ear.

Now bear it in mind that these are designed for active people who may use this while jogging or doing exercise and thus compensating for not so good sound quality. If you are an audiophile and expect deep bass and full range of sounds coming out of these headphones then look elsewhere.

PROS:

(+) Very well designed for comfort and will not hurt your ears while jogging or exercising.
(+) Silicon and rubbery soft feeling for all the components of the headphone including the plug!
(+) Has a conversation kit that makes these headphones into regular ear buds

CONS:

(-) Not for Audiophiles, It lacks deep bass, Mids and Highs are okay
(-) Longevity may be an issue as the silicon material may eventually become sticky?

For $20 these are decent quality headphones which can be used with IPOD and other portable players and these are intended for people who live a active lifestyle which includes running and jogging.

Like many music lovers who have tried headphones and earplugs, I've never found a set that fit my ears comfortably. So after 20 minutes or so of listening, regardless of the intrinsic quality of the headphones, fatigue sets in and enjoyment of the music is attenuated or worse. Large headphones are soon uncomfortable, and earplugs become painful with time while their sound is usually tinny and weak.

I tried the Coosh Headphones out of sonic desperation. The first surprise was that they are really "Headphones". They fit comfortably in front of the ears and not in them. The lightweight rubber ear pieces that support the tiny speakers sit behind the ears. They are soft and light - so soft and light that I could barely feel them there. Fatigue never sets in. Even after lengthy listening. The sound quality of these headphones is quite good: clear, crisp and with sufficient bass response for my kind of music, which is usually Classical and Jazz. Rock listeners might need to boost the bass a bit. The Coosh Headphones are probably the best option currently available for those who find listening with headphones or earplugs to be a painful experience.

Every morning I go out walking, sometimes jogging with my cat. I should say here that I don't like cats. He was feral and lived by the stream that runs behind our house. I'd seen him fight Raccoons out there for the scraps of food I'd sometimes toss out at night (though I don't like cats, I figured someone abandoned him and it was my duty to sometimes feed him, to kind of right a wrong another human had done him). He's big, a mangy old tom. One day he got hurt, something got the better of him in a fight and Vesta (my better half) took him to the vet.

For two weeks he lay by the dryer, sort of in and out of cat death, then he miraculously recovered and once whole again, he decided he liked the store bought dry cat food much better than what he'd been hunting up and fighting for outside. Now the only time he goes out is when I do, when I jog in the morning. This animal stays right on my heels, like a dog. It's as if he's afraid I'm going to leave him. He also sleeps on the foot of the bed and sometimes wakes me by breathing his foul cat breath into my face.

I'm digressing. This is supposed to be a review about these nifty Coosh Headphones. I've got an iPhone with music to jog by on it and I'd been using my old headphones, the ones that came with my first generation iPod. Those are mighty fine headphones (earbuds some people call them), but they pop out of your ears when you're running away from your cat. It's not that I'm trying to lose him, it's just that I wanna see if he can keep up. He can. It'll be a cold day in Satan's domain when I get back to that front door before he does.

So I got these Coosh guys and guess what, this is a product that does just what it claims to do, no more no less. They stay on, they're not uncomfortable and they deliver good sound, every bit as good a sound as the iPod earphones I'd been using. They look a bit strange though, I know, because I've gotten a funny look or two, but heck, what's a funny look when you're listening to The Beatles White Album.

Vesta has a pair of those inner ear kind of headphone (earbuds) but I've tried those and don't like `em a bit. Uncomfortable and unnatural they seem to me, however these Coosh guys deliver good sound without my ears feeling like someone's poking fingers in them. These are just super. If you're trying to outrun your cat or just jogging with your dog, you can't go wrong with these.

First off, allow me to provide some definitions I humbly consider standard when discussing headphones / earphones / earbuds if for no other reason than to define how I am using these terms in my review. I have been on a lifelong (OK, really, only for the last seven years or so since I was an early adopter of the first iPod model) quest for the "perfect" mobile solution for iPod / MP3 player listening, and have found that there is some general confusion about these terms:

Headphones - these are traditional, around-the-ear (circumaural) or over-the-ear (supra-aural) units. They, generally speaking, have the best sound quality but are the least portable; i.e., not good for jogging, etc.

Earphones - these are in-the-ear units; i.e., they fit inside the outer ear canal. Think earplugs but wired for sound. They can be super-comfortable, can offer very good sound-quality and are highly portable. But, since they are extremely effective at blocking out external sounds, they can be dangerous for use while jogging.

Earbuds - these are the units shaped like little mushrooms, if you will, and are intended to rest in the outer ear cavity just outside of the entrance to the ear canal. They can offer decent sound quality and, since they let in some measure of external noise (depending on the volume of the music being played), they are probably the best choice for jogging, walking, etc. around traffic. However, depending on the shape of an individual's ears, they can be uncomfortable at best, or fail to stay in the ear at all at worst, especially when physically active. I have seen estimates (not based on any real scientific analysis, mind you) that up to 10 - 15% of the population has ear shapes not suited to standard earbuds.

OK, now having gotten that out of the way, based on these definitions, these Coosh units are obviously earbuds. In my listening tests, I compared them to a "stock" pair of Apple iPod earbuds (the ones that come with the iPod), a pair of on-the-ear, noise-reducing headphones by AWG (model K28NC), and my "gold standard" headphones for indoor, stationary iPod listening, a pair of Grado Labs SR60s. I included this last pair for sound quality comparisons only - they are not suited for use while exercising. Neither are the AKGs in my opinion, but I use these a lot at school & therefore included them as well for sound quality comparison purposes. All listening was done on an Apple iPod, listening to music encoded at 256 kbps (very good, but not CD, quality).

First comparison - sound quality. I rank these 4 sets of 'phones / 'buds in the following order, best to worst:

Grado SR60s
AKG K28NC
Apple iPod Earbuds
These Coosh Earbuds

Some may be asking, why 4 stars if these Coosh earbuds ranked last in sound quality? A fair question, and something I struggled with regarding the number of stars I awarded. I was torn between 3 stars and 4 stars, but decided in the end to compare these Coosh earbuds only to other earbuds. Traditional headphones have an inherent advantage in sound quality I believe and therefore can not be compared directly to earbuds. So compared primarily to the Apple iPod earbuds, these ranked 4 stars to me based on slightly lower sound quality but vastly superior comfort and fit, particularly while exercising.

Compared to the Apple iPod earbuds, these Coosh earbuds were slightly lacking in bass (with both units, like all earbuds, this depended on how tightly wedged in the outer ear the 'buds are). As a result, the Coosh 'buds were a little "brighter" sounding. They also did not get quite as loud as the Apple 'buds. But, all this considered, the Coosh 'buds were only marginally inferior to the Apple 'buds in the sound quality department.

Now, where these Coosh 'buds shined compared to the Apple 'buds was in comfort and fit. I am one of the minority of people whose outer ear shape does not conform well to earbuds in general. I have never used the 'buds that come with Apple iPods because they are uncomfortable to me & do not stay in my ear - especially when exercising. These Coosh 'buds, while being the same shape & size as the Apple 'buds, have the advantage of their ear "hooks" which fit around the ear, keeping the buds in place without relying on their being wedged into place in the outer ear itself. These hooks are made of very lightweight and soft silicone - so soft & lightweight that I soon forget they are even hooked around my ears. And they stay in place much better than the Apple earbuds during physical activity.

A couple of asides - one, the silicone ear hooks can be removed & then these can be used as "normal" earbuds. Included are two small silicone adapters that route the wires properly out of the base of each 'bud with the ear hooks removed. Second, these do not come with foam 'bud covers like iPod earbuds, but since these buds are virtually identical in size, you can use the foam covers from a set of iPod earbuds on these Coosh earbuds, or order after market covers that are meant to fit iPod earbuds.

I apologize for the long review but music, and equipment for listening to music, are my passions. Bottom line? If you are looking for a pair of comfortable earbuds for use while exercising outdoors that have acceptable sound quality, are comfortable to wear and allow a measure of external noise in (safety first!), I would recommend these Coosh earbuds without hesitation. Especially if you find other earbuds uncomfortable or unusable due to lack of fit.

I have such a hard time with headphones. My ears are too small so they always pop out when I move, like when I am exercising with my iPod on. I was looking forward to trying these ones, hoping they would be more comfortable.
They are, though if you have small ears like me, they won't be much more comfortable than other earphones - however they do stay put and don't pop out as often, thanks to the curved piece that goes around to the back of the ear. because it's soft, it doesn't press nor hurt like other similarly shaped earphones, and it still holds.

The quality of sounds is also great, which is a nice surprise, as some other headphones I tried ruined the experience of listening to MP3s for me, because the quality was so bad. This isn't the case with these ones.

The best thing about these headphones is the sound ... surprisingly full ... nice bass response; clear mids and highs ... the "around the ear" design keeps these from falling off, although not necessarily in the ear which can be anoying if you are very active while using these ... another very nice touch is that the ear rings are very comfortable silicone ... there is also a convertable option to remove the ear rings which is a nice feature (although that may negate the assurance of staying on ... which was my experience) ... comes with a rugged plastic case ...

For the price, these headphones are a good value ...

- Scriptor

These are great! I spent about a week looking for lightweight headphones that wouldn't go flying out of my ears when I did my jump rope or jogging, and I had decided on a pair of Sony headphones. I went into Radio Shack and picked up the Sony headphones, and then saw the Coosh earphones, and picked them up in curiosity. What a great find I made! I decided on them because they looked like they would fit my ears better than the GINORMOUS Sony ones.

I have used them while jump roping and they both stay in my ears VERY well. I only have to push in the left one every 4-5 minutes, and I think it's just because my ears are tiny. I love that the silicone is completely flexible, as opposed to the normal kind that are plastic and stiff. It makes for a much better fit around your ears.
Also, the option of taking OFF the hooks and just using the buds is great, too - and the buds stay in by themselves VERY well! I shook my head around and jumped up and down and they didn't come out.

Now for the sound. The sound is AWESOME! The bass isn't lacking too much at all, and they actually are louder than my normal headphones that I have. The great thing is you can't really hear the music if you're standing outside of them unless you REALLY try to listen - and even then it's very quiet. This makes them even better for wearing to work out, because I'm always afraid that other people will get annoyed with my music.

Overall these are a great buy and I recommend them HIGHLY!

I like these well enough to buy another pair. But they aren't perfect.

First, about their staying in place: In all the reviews stating they don't stay in, none of the writers have assured us they were putting the buds on the correct ears. It's really easy to intuit that the ear-rings should go behind the ears, but they shouldn't. The buds are marked L and R, and that's the way they need to go on. Put the L on the left and the R on the right and they stay in place, even though it feels strange to be putting the rings mostly in front of the ear. I run, lift weights, and do Pilates with mine, and they stay in except when I go nearly upside-down.

Sound quality is very good, as good as I've found in any ear bud.

My problems are these:

1: The ear rings make the whole assembly very easy to tangle and very hard to untangle.
2: The ear rings too easily slip out and get lost (such as, for example, those times you're struggling to untangle the mess). I've too often had to hunt around for one, and now it looks like I've permanently lost one. Having decided I like to use them (they're optional, that's why they were made removable), when I buy my replacement pair, I'm going to glue the ear rings permanently to the buds.

The bottom line: good enough to buy again even when I'm in a bad mood because an ear ring has gotten lost.

Tried several types of earphones for running, but was not ever able to keep them in my ears or they were uncomfortable.....until now!! These Coosh are the best. They stay put even in my small female ears and are very comfortable. They are safe for running outdoors as they do not cancel all noise (a very big factor for me) and sweat does not seem to bother them. The cord is not too long and comes with a cloths clip and does not pick up a lot of rubbing static. The angled plug is great as I wear my ipod on my hip and some plugs get hit by my hip movement. The sound is very good, clear and crisp, not too much bass or too tinny.....better than any other sports earphones I have tried and they are soft and easy to wear. The earrings can be removed if you want, but I have not tried as I wanted them for running and the purpose of the earring is to hold it in place. And you can even chose colors....white, black, or pink (great for your local Koman Race!!) I highly recommend these for anyone that has had a problem with ear buds or earphones staying in your ears while running or working out......especially females or those with smaller ears. At around $18, they are a bargain, compared to the money I have already wasted on other earphones that would not stay put while running!!