Customer Reviews

Koss P9 In-Ear Headphones with Volume Control

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These earphones are well put together and at the price they could be outstanding. The volume control alone make them a steal. The problem is that being behind the neck there is no adjustment for size. You can't wear them while relaxing in a chair because when you lay your head back, the earphones try to rip through the front of your ears. Add to this that there is no foam cushioning to the phones themselves and they are hard plastic circles than insert into your ears and it makes for PAIN.

Unless your ears are large enough to accomodate 1/2 inch discs inserted into them SIDEWAYS (like inserting dimes into your ears edgewise), you will not like the feeling.

Add to this the fact that the speakers face forward instead of into the ears, and you have the problem of having to raise the volume higher than necessary.

So instead of a well designed product you have one that is badly designed from every aspect. These could be great earphones if Koss would make them adjustable, reduce the size of the speakers and turn them 90 degrees so they direct the sound down the ear canal and finally add some foam padding to cushion the speakers.

The quality is excellent and the volume control is substantial and well made, not flimsy like most that I have seen. A company like Koss should know better.

I do agree with some of the thoughts from the first review written. However, the benefits far outway the flaws for my use of them. I wear these headphones at the gym. The design is perfect for jogging on the treadmill and weight lifting. Other headphones that have the foam covers over the ears would feel to hot, not to mention they absorb all of your sweat from your head! Ewe, Gross! Then you have the other type of headphones that fit directly in your ear. Only problem is, the slightest movement pops them right out. So, not ideal for treadmill use. I hope this helps with your decision to purchase, especially if you are a jogger like me. Best wishes!

Sincerely,

Rachelle Klinkner

They don't collapse, so they aren't the most easily portable as you sure aren't putting them in your pocket. You also aren't listening to music in bed with them, as mentioned in other reviews, the back is not adjustable and will push the vertical facing speakers out of your ears.

I tend to collect lower end headphones, and why not. So, I do have a unique perspective on them (or so I say, mostly to flatter myself).

These, compared to other vertical designs, are good. The sound is better than most. Not quite as good as the Sony h.EAR line, but those would never stay in my ears and when dangling they are literally tangle hooks. These p9's are simple, one piece, and very smartly the cord only comes up to one ear.

The volume adjustment makes them nice for Tv and computer use. Also, if you ever listen while using a splitter, make sure the other person is wearing the cans (or whatever more power consumptiony headphones) so you can cut your volume. My wife wears cans when watching TV, so when I just MUST watch some witty Sonic commercial, I just plug myself in.

They aren't perfect. I'd like to also try the Sennheiser vertical over the head cheapos as well as the Sony folding ones. They did come in very handy when my scroll wheel on my Rio Carbon was broken (only volume control on the thing).

For reference, my everyday buds are Sony ED21LPs, which I highly reccomend for all purpose use as they wont fall out, and can be stored in a very small area. Heck, I even use the stupid pouch that comes with them.

But, yeah, knowing the weaknesses of the p9, if you think you'd like it, then you'll love it.

I wore these yesterday for the first and last time. I bought these headphones in hopes that they would stay in or at least near my ears when running. They didn't last one minute.

They are very light, but at the same time very flimsy. The over-ear design does nothing in the way of supporting the buds in you ears like I had hoped.

The buds are set at an awkward angle and found myself having a hard time, even when stationary, keeping them in or on my ears.

As far as sound, holding them on my ears they sounded terrific albeit very uncomfortable. Holding them in place also pretty much defeats the purpose of having headphones. Another thing to be noted, the volume control on the cord is a terrible idea. The volume pod itself probably weighs as much as the headphones. Unless the volume control is secured somehow it is very problematic doing any sort of activity.

These are probably what to expect out of a $10 set of headphones.

Comfort: 1/10

Sound: 6/10

Design: 2/10

Cost-benefit: 3/10

I picked up these headphones to use with an iPod. They do exactly what I want them to do: allow me to listen to music without having to worry about keeping track of an expensive pair of earbuds or headphones.

I think the sound quality is decent, with the caveat that I don't like hearing a lot of bottom end and I use AAC-encoded files on my iPod. Consequently, I don't need audiophile quality headphones for mobile listening. When I want to hear great sound, I listen to my home stereo (yes, that's incredibly old school, I know).

Bottom line: a good value, as long as you're willing to live with the limitations of a pair of cheap headphones. If you want noise canceling, mega bass response, or something flashy to impress your friends, the Koss P9 isn't for you.

I bought these headphones for running while listening to my ipod, since my song volumes tend to vary. The sound is good (for running headphones), and the speakers stay on my ears pretty well. But, the volume control doesn't really work for running. As I should have expected if I'd thought about it, it swings around when I run and is just generally annoying. I could tuck it in but that makes the volume control harder to access, which kind of defeats the purpose.

Also, aesthetically, the earpieces are that fake metal material that just looks cheap and tacky.

These are pretty nice headphones for the price. But after less than six months of regular use, the sound is now very distorted and I can't use them.

I bought these headphones about 6 months ago, and I use them 3 to 5 times per week when jogging and lifting weights. This is just a great product all the way around, the price is fantastic. The sound quality is good, and I like the volume adjuster. When I'm exercising, I run the wire down the inside of my t-shirt and into my pocket where the mp3 player is located. I can still use the volume adjuster through my t-shirt, it is so easy to use! The headphones are reasonably comfortable. They won't give you a massage, but I wear them for up to 90 minutes at a time, with no issues. When jogging, the headphones stay firmly in place, delivering very consistent sounds quality. The product is reasonably durable. I don't throw them around, or place them under heavy objects, or drop them off of tall buildings, so no problems there. I was not familiar with the brand "Koss" prior to this purchase, but it is a brand that I will definitely pay attention to going forward. Overall, I love these headphones, and I'm going to buy a second pair for working on my laptop.

Koss is known for offering their products at very low prices and therefore I did not expect these headphones to be of high quality, especially given price point. They fit ok in the ear and the wrap around is a standard structure so if you don't like that don't buy this. My complaint is that I thought the volume control would be a nice additional but it is relatively heavy and bounces when I run which is very annoying. I will only use these when generally working out and just leave them in the gym as a backup pair of headphones. I would not suggest these to be your primary headphones, more suited as backup pair for activites that do not require a lot of movement.

Ok, first off these are under $10 headphones so I wasn't expecting very much for them. I wanted a pair of headphones that would stay in my ears when I run and were cheap enough so if they got broken it would be no big loss. I wasn't expecting much else from them. But I wound up being rather impressed.

Pros
+ Cheap, their less then $10 USD.
+ Stay in my ears when I run, this for me at least is a huge plus!
+ Sound quality is decent for price, you won't be blown away by the sound but I've heard $30 headphones that sound worse.
+ Inline volume control

Cons
- They may rub against your ears if your not careful when you put them in
- The back of them is not adjustable, not a huge deal but does make them awkward to wear when I wear my hood up in the rain.