Customer Reviews

Koss PP257 Water-Resistant Sports Armband Digital Radio (Yellow)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I almost didn't buy this radio after reading the reviews about poor reception. Saw it at a local store and decided to give it a try anyway since I liked the price and styling compared to all the others. I use the radio mostly inside (in my basement for treadmill workouts), and have found that the reception and sound quality are excellent. No problems with receiving stations or static during movement, and even AM comes in loud and clear--in fact, better than on any other radio in my home. I'm curious why people have had such poor luck with this unit. Thought I should put in my 2 cents worth and let you know that it works great here in Salt Lake. I love this thing! Buy it from Amazon and save yourself a few bucks....

At half the price of the Sony, this armband is well worth it. For the average runner, you really don't need anything more complicated. I get good reception and although the earphones take some getting used to, they're pretty secure.

I take this in my gym bag -- toss it on the bottom, throw it around and it still works great! I've had BAD luck with Sony -- I think their products have decreased in quality lately. I think the reception is fine (though I only use it to listen to the rebroadcast of the TV sound at the health club. It is an inexpensive radio -- if you don't need anything fancy -- this is your best bet.

I purchased this Koss radio because it was small, light-weight, and had a stop watch feature which would be perfect to use during my workouts at Green Lake in Seattle. I was so excited when it arrived, but my excitement quickly changed to disappointment the first time I tried to use it and didn't get any reception. I know there is great reception at Green Lake because I have a larger Walkman that works just fine. My advice to potential buyers would be... Don't waste your time, you will likely be as disappointed as I am!

I bought this radio to use on the walking portions of my daily commute from downtown Chicago to the suburbs (I take the train in between). Unfortunately the reception is terrible in both places: multiple stations fading in and out with bursts of static common. I had hoped that the digital tuning would give improved reception over my old analog Sony, but no! I may have to fish the old Sony out of the trash -- as bad as it can be, it's better than this one, alas. Very disappointing!

Constant static with nearly all radio stations, even stations with very powerful recievers. I returned mine after one use...

The Koss PP257 was obviously designed to compete with the more expensive Sony Sports Armbands that are popular. It has the same type of yellow plastic casing, and it comes complete with 10 preset buttons and a station autoseek function. This unit also includes a reflector plate to add to safety at dusk. I used to own a Sony Armband, and I experienced very similar performance to the Koss I just bought. The earphones have a unique design that wraps around the ear, giving them more stability when you are using them like you should (to do sports!), and giving them a sleek look. Reception is typical of very small radios, decent outside, hit or miss inside. Some stations sound good while I work out at the gym, while others don't come in at all. Also, the included earphones have difficulty putting out the bass that you can expect in more expensive units. There is a lot of distortion if you use the bass amplification option and turn the volume past halfway. Nevertheless, I like this unit because it was inexpensive, works adequetely, and breaks the stranglehold that Sony has on the portable music market. If you buy a Sony you will only gain a little performance, but you will triple or quadruple your expense. You will also perpetuate a virtual monopoly. You don't have to buy Sony to be cool.

When I purchased this product, it was mainly for two reasons: The price combined with the digital tuning feature. I liked that it had the search feature and the preset stations, as opposed to the other cheap armband radios which merely had manual tuning. Well, the digital tuning is great, although somewhat awkward; I frequently find myself hitting the wrong buttons as I jog/work out due to the tiny buttons. And whoever put the tiny "set station" button next to the other preset station buttons deserves to be smacked around, I find myself accidentally hitting the "set station" button, then screwing up my other presets. I live in Chicago, so there are dozens of radio stations, but I find the reception with the Koss PP257 is slightly below average. I pick up the mega-stations easily, but some of the less powerful (yet still local) stations fade in and out as I jog along. And if you're inside, forget about getting any stations unless your gym/club has good reception (It hasn't worked at several of the Bally Total Fitness gyms in Chicago). I recommend asking people who wear armbands in your gym what kind of reception they're getting first. My summary, I recommend for outdoor fitness if you're looking for an affordable armband radio. Do more research for indoor gyms or you're throwing your money away.

I bought this to replace a much more expensive SONY (the arm band on the SONY broke after a few months of use). I can't comment on the durability yet but so far, I'm pretty happy. The buttons are a little small but the reception is good. The headphones take a little getting used to but I'm starting to like them.

Being a person that goes for a jog quite often, I found that carrying a radio with me eventually gets annoying and sometimes I wish I never brought one at all. It wasn't this way when I tried out this item. Strapping this lightweight radio to your arm completely solved my aggravation. It's very light so you barely realize it's there and once you strap it on it doesn't move or slide which was a fear of mine from the beginning.

The reception proved to be strong as well. As compared to my Sony Walkman I used to use, this Koss radio picked up all the stations I previously received and picked some more up that were fuzzy with the Sony.

All in all I am glad I made this purchase and would recommend this to anyone.