Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black)

by Koss

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000N81BSO
• Item model number: KEB79
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbuds combine excellent sound reproduction with maximum isolation to provide an outstanding listening experience. These highly portable earbuds use three sizes of cushions ensure a comfortable in-ear fit, sealing the ear to deliver deep bass. The dynamic stereophone element has a frequency response of 10-20,000Hz. Other features include an in-line mute switch that allows you to stay connected to you environment and a unique dual-entry cord that wraps behind your head during use.

Product Description

Portable Isolation Earbud Stereophone

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbuds are great!, March 25, 2008

By 

T. Holbrook "disc man" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black) (Electronics)

These noise isolation earbud stereophones work very well with exceptionally high quality sound. They work great to listen to whatever on the noisy bus or plane or train. They block out too much surrounding noise to be used while jogging around traffic, making it so you may not hear the big truck behind you, etc. The only drawback I have experienced is the built-in mute button sometimes pulls the left earbud out (hence, the four stars, not five). I have found some clever ways to avoid the problem by creatively routing the cord under my shirt or jacket so the mute button hangs from the collar of my shirt or jacket and not by the cord going to the left earbud. Several engineers in our office have tried various noise isolation earbud stereophones and it is a unanimous vote that the Koss noise isolation earbuds have all of the competition beat hands down. You just have to get creative with the mute button and the way you route the cord on this particular model.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sounding Earbuds, March 15, 2009

By 

D. Smith (Edinburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black) (Electronics)

I initially researched various earbud reviews online like CNET's Editor's Choice. CNET recommended the V-moda Vibes which I bought. They sounded terrible, which made me wonder who does the testing over there at CNET.com. Went to WalMArt and bought some Koss KE29 earbuds which sounded way better, had an inline volume control switch and lots of tight bass. So I decided to move up to the KEB79's. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable and snug they were. I wore them for hours and didn't have to constantly fidget with them to keep them in. The audio is absolutely incredible. I found myself listening to tracks that I usually skip. Even my more boring tracks sounded incredible through the KEB79's. And I don't know how anyone could complain about a lack of bass. The bass is awesome without being boomy or overwhelming. These are simply the best things I have ever put in my ears.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay sound if you can actually get them to stay in your ears, February 10, 2011

By 

Elias - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Koss KEB79 Portable Isolation Earbud (Black) (Electronics)

So I bought these headphones in February of this year and have had a very hit or miss experience with them, here's why:
1. They appear to be built by a retarded person
The left and right ear cables aren't the same length. It's extremely heavy as far as canalphones go, making it extremely ill suited for runners (I would know because I am a runner). It's made up of two different length cords for some inane reason, the cord is just slightly too long to comfortably run in unless you keep the cord underneath your shirt, and slightly too short to use comfortably with a desktop PC. Also, it has an inline HOLD MUTE button for both sides, why? Why in God's name would you ever possibly need a hold to mute button? JUST TAKE THE HEADPHONES OFF. You realize what I mean when I say hold to mute right? I MEAN YOU LITERALLY HAVE TO KEEP YOUR HAND ON THE BUTTON TO KEEP IT MUTED. Even worse? It doesn't even work, it just thoroughly muffles the sound, that's it, you can still hear the lyrics to a song even while holding this stupid excuse for a button down. The earbuds themselves look like deformed JBuds with fake metal on the back of them.
2. The sound is really bad if you cannot fit them in your ears properly
I'd like to say first of all that I bought these only for when I'm out doing things. I already have a decent Logitech speaker system and a pair of Shure SRH-440s for when I'm just sitting at my computer listening to music, playing games, etc. These seem like the right ones for me, don't they? They say "Optimized for Athletic Use" (or something very similar to that, I actually threw that little extra casing away first thing because it was all bent up and had ripped off sticker remains on it) right on the front of them right? NOT REALLY. Like I said I above, these are really, really heavy for canalphones, and regardless of whether I'm on a bus, doing yard work, or jogging, I have to adjust these things in my ear at least once every 90 seconds. It's really, really annoying and embarrassing to be in the middle of jogging and then have your earbuds fall right out of your ear, requiring you to yank them back up before they smash against the pavement, untangle them, and fit them around your neck and back into your ear again every five minutes. You may be yelling at me through your computer screen right now saying "you stupid four letter word, you obviously aren't using the right sized tips for your ears, go kill yourself." etc etc but calm down man, I've experimented with all of the different tips countless times, none of them will stay in my ear for longer than 90 seconds. They sure do sound mildly above average when they're actually in your ear, though! Any other time? They sound like those cheap Skullcandy rip-offs you find at Ross!

In case you couldn't already tell, I'm not very impressed with these. If you want dedicated jogging headphones, get the Sennheiser PMX680s or some Sony clip-on earbuds. If you want something to casually listen to music with, first of all don't buy canalphones because they will drive you crazy, second of all, I would recommend (depending on your price rage) the Koss PortaPro, the AIAIAI Tracks, or the Sennheiser HD238's. The only real reason I'm giving these a 3 star rating instead of a two or one and a half stars is because I got them on sale for about $30. I'll tell you what, if you find them for $20 then go ahead and get them, buying this is better than just throwing your dollars in the trash can and buying some Skullcandy INK'd buds for the same price, but that's really the nicest thing I can say about the Koss KEB79s.