Customer Reviews

Koss UR29 Collapsible Portable Headphones

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

 

 

The short: Don't buy a pair of these expecting to use them for the next five years, they simply aren't engineered that well (details follow). Buy them if you want a cheap pair of headphones that are easy to carry around, comfortable, block outside noise, and sound great.

The long: I've owned two pairs of these headphones over the past few years. My use consists of primarily listening to music. I'm not throwing them in a book bag every day, they usually stay at home by the computer, except for the occasional road trip.

The second pair recently broke (to the point where it was not worth repairing), so I decided to take it apart to see if I should purchase a third pair.

That said, here's how they fail:

1. ) The volume control in the cord breaks, and as a result, one or both of the speakers cuts out intermittently. Eventually, there is no sound at all. This happens consistently.

With the first pair, I tried soldering the wires back on--this lasted a few hours, until it broke again. The problem is that the weight of the cord pulls directly on the fragile solder joints--they will inevitably break off, no matter how gentle your daily headphone use is. The only solution is to cut the volume control out of the cord and tape the wires back together (I've done this once for each pair).

Unlike the volume control, the cord is properly connected, and requires a great deal of force to remove it (accidentally or intentionally).

2. ) The wiring in the headset breaks, and the right speaker works intermittently, then fails. This has not yet happened to my first pair, which I am still using (albeit, in a taped-together state) until I purchase a new set of headphones. I have stopped folding/collapsing it to try and prevent it from failing before I buy a new pair (NOT the same ones, I've decided).

In the headband, a curved piece of springy metal is stuck between two pieces of a foam-like material. This metal piece has four holes drilled in it (very poorly), and the wire to the right speaker is woven through these holes. The result is that whenever you fold/collapse the headphones, the wire rubs against the sharp metal edges, and the insulation wears away. Eventually it cuts through the wire (which is actually *taught* at the headphone's extended-most position), and it is not possible to remove and replace the wire without cutting and re-sewing the headband. The wire I removed from the broken pair was worn down to the bare metal in all four locations where it was woven.

Despite these engineering oversights (failures?), the headphones last for about a year before modifications/repairs will be required, and the sound is above average (bass is actually pretty decent). They are easy to carry and don't require very much power to get loud.

Just don't expect miracles for <$30.

These headphones are very comfortable and the sound quality is very high. The volume control on the cord is handy. Durable material, and a really good buy all around.

I've had these headphone for about two months now and they're a really good pair of headphones. I really like that they're foldable because they're easy to store in my bookbag. These headphones are loud and reduce noise quite nicely. Good Buy!!

I purchased these headphones for roughly thirty dollars and I'll admit I used them quite frequently. After about six months one of the earcups broke off and on the seventh month the other earcup broke off as well. Shoddy design and the novel 'easy fold' mechanism probably contributed to the product's disintegration. I always went to painstaking lengths to be as gentle as possible with the headphones and they *still* broke apart as if they were made out of styrofoam. The KOSS Ur/29 model is pretty inexpensive, but not *that* cheap. Yes they are comfy and the sound quality was decent for the price, but if you plan on using a set of headphones for more than a year just invest in a proper set and ignore these altogether especially if your livelihood depends on a good pair.

I was so disappointed with this headphone. I was cautious when purchasing it but then I saw a lifetime warranty..that should have been the tipoff. The headphone broke due to the design of the collapsible component. I send it back and paid for shipping I got a new one I thought okay they fixed it then the right speaker went and I was using it for a while cause I didn't want to be without one then the left one went I had to once again return it. I just kept returning them didn't even have it for a few months. It was comfortable on my ear the sound quality was good when it worked. Just think it is the company cause I bought another replacement from the same company different model and since it was cheaper it was worse. Tried Sony instead and it is a much better fit for me since I use my headphone like 24/7.

I had a very low budget for headphones, and was looking for the best I could do under $50. Got a set of Sound Pollution for $40 at Walmart. They were junk, and the input plug went bad within a month. I traded them in for this set of Koss, which were $10 cheaper.

Look- you're not buying Sennheisers or a set of Beats. But these are pretty nice speakers for the money. I do a lot of gaming and listen to a lot of classical music, and they work nicely enough.

A good, reasonably priced solution for headphones.

I have been using these headphones for about 5 years and have had NO problems, whatsoever. I won't bother with a long paragraph about them, so I'll cut to the chase...

Pros:
-Great build quality. Still fitting snug, adjuster isn't loose, and no broken parts after 5 years of use.
-Very decent sound quality. I would expect this sound quality for $100 headphones, not $30.
-Lows (bass) are AMAZING for such headphones. Deep and even make my jaw vibrate.
-Soundscape (surround sound) pretty decent as well.
-Volume adjuster is pretty handy.
-They fold up very nicely and are compact.
-Cable is very durable and thick.

Neutral:
-Cable is very long. Good for lots of movement, not good for portability.

Cons:
-Slightly uncomfortable for long periods of time.
-Padding feels a bit cheap, but it has absolutely held up for the past years I've had them.

I got a pair of these as a replacement for discontinued Koss GT5s I sent in for lifetime warranty service. As nearly everyone has pointed out, they're very cheaply built, and the fragile plastic hinges on mine broke within a few months, rendering them useless. And the sound was pretty poor to begin with -- muffled highs, harsh mids, thin bass -- to the point that they don't even justify the $9 shipping and handling it would cost me to get them replaced by Koss's warranty.

If you're looking for cheap collapsible headphones and are loyal to the Koss line, the Koss UR40s are a couple dollars more, are incredibly lightweight and comfortable, and sound drastically better than these UR29s. They're also slightly more durable, and backed by the same impressive warranty. Check out my review of them if you like, and stop considering these UR29s. They're terrible.

To be fair, this is the first pair of headphones of this style I have used. They came free with some brain software. However, most headphones in the past have been uncomfortable, and I've always found these to be nice. I had them for a couple years (used them on and off). The reason they broke is that my friend accidentally vacuumed up the cord. I tried to cut it and rewire it, but that didn't work out, so I bought myself another pair. So while I don't have much in the way of comparison, I really like the headphones and haven't had any problems with them. (Oh, I don't take them anywhere either; they sit at home on a desk.)

Those headphone sound amazing! I only listen to music for fun but I really like the sound of it. I compare my headphones to two pair of beats by Dr. Dre, the studio and the solo model and I can barely see the difference. The only drawback of those headphone is that they are ugly. But it's not a problem for me.