Shop RadioShack for Great GiftsKoss KEB24 Headphones (black)
Manufacturer: Koss Corp. Part number: KEB24 black
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- For 25 bucks, the Koss KEB24 earbuds offer reasonable style, comfort, and sound quality. But these aren't the best headphones for every genre of music.
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CNET editors' review
Koss KEB24 Headphones (black) price range: $13.19 - $16.24
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 12/06/2007
The good: The Koss KEB24 Stereo Earbuds are inexpensive, offer plenty of bass, and are accented in a variety of colors for style points.
The bad: The cable of the Koss KEB24 is tangle-prone, and the earbuds may be uncomfortable for some users during extended wear. Some music sounds distorted or muffled.
The bottom line: For 25 bucks, the Koss KEB24 earbuds offer reasonable style, comfort, and sound quality. But these aren't the best headphones for every genre of music.
In the realm of ultracheap earphones, Koss is a contender, offering an extensive selection of earbuds for 20 bucks or less. Falling just above that--but still in the affordable range--is the $24.99 KEB24 line. This Portable Isolation Earbud comes in a variety of color options, further adding to the stock of style-conscious 'phones. As seems to be to a theme of late, the KEB24 offers heavy low-end response and scores reasonably across the board for looks, sound quality, and comfort for the price.
Unlike some other colorful earbuds, the Koss KEB24 is mainly black, with the outer part of the earbud accented with one of four color options: green, blue, pink, or silver (for the "black" version). The 'buds are quite small, so if you're looking for a low-profile style, these will suit. Koss includes three sizes of silicone eartips to ensure a proper fit. The smallest seem to work fine for those with TES (tiny ear syndrome), and we were able to achieve an adequate seal, but the relatively large size of the earbud aperture put some pressure on the ear that became uncomfortable after about an hour of wear. The 'buds also tended to slip out gradually during activity. However, these issues may not be a problem for all users.
The KEB24 cable is also black and measures an ample 48 inches from the plug to the left earbud. The cord going from the Y-split to the right earbud is considerably longer--you get an extra 15 inches on that side. The plug is of the straight variety, but wouldn't fit properly into an iPhone jack. Overall, the cable is on the thin side and definitely tangle-prone, but concerns for durability are somewhat assuaged by the limited lifetime warranty (which covers parts).
The KEB24 earbuds are adequate performers. Noise isolation was pretty good in testing, provided that the 'buds stayed in. However, while we were walking along the streets of San Francisco, we had to push them in frequently, and we still had some sound leakage.
These earphones definitely have a tendency towards bass, and the low end was thumping nice and tight during hip-hop, new wave, and electronic tracks. However, many punk and hard-rock tracks came across muffled and distorted. In other words, if you listen to a lot of music with thrashing guitar riffs, these are not the earphones for you. In general, mids were decent, though not as buttery as we'd like--they came across better for the genres where the low end didn't overwhelm. About the same was true for high-end clarity.
User reviews
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For $20, great for everyday use
by johanavitch on October 22, 2007
Pros: 1. Inexpensive 2. Good amount of bass 3. Can isolate a lot of sound if placed correctly within ear. 4. Over-the-neck design is convienent.
Cons: 1. Treble and mids could be better. 2. If not placed in ear correctly, will get poor sound quality.
Summary: I got these for about $20 at Walmart. And I'm basically stacking them up against their $20 JVC marshmallow counterpart which I also own. They're both fairly similar ...
Summary: I got these for about $20 at Walmart. And I'm basically stacking them up against their $20 JVC marshmallow counterpart which I also own. They're both fairly similar to one another, and they're both definitely better than most stock headphones that come with mp3 players, especially the iPod. So that's basically my use for them, I wanted earbuds better than the ones that come with the iPod, and both the JVC and KOSS are 10x better.
Here's what I like about these KOSS:
1. They've got bass. Not an intense amount of bass, but a good amount. The JVC marshmallows don't really compare to them on this level.
2. If you put them correctly in your ear, with the right sized earbud, they don't fall off and they do a good job of isolating outside noise.
3. The cord design allows me to be able to take them out of my ears and just let them dangle around my neck instead of having to find a place to put them, or put them under and up of out of my shirt.
Here's what I don't like about them:
1. With some music, the mids and trebles aren't as clear as the JVC marshmallows. That would be my biggest complaint.
Figure out what you're going to be using them for and what kind of music you listen to most. If you're a bass junkie and like hip hop, go for this over the JVCs. If you like more acoustic stuff then go for the JVC's.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome for the price
by gorefestivus on January 13, 2009
Pros: Regardless what the editor wrote about these being bad for rock/metal, these are honestly the best buds I have ever owned. I also own a pair of Bose and Etymotic Research ER-6 buds. Bose is just a name but Etymotic are good for high quality buds.
Cons: Tangles and not enough high end. Although it isn't that bad to gripe about it.
Summary: If you are looking for a good sounding everyday paid of buds then get these. They are cheap and very light and sounds very good. Even blasting a bass-rich album ...
Summary: If you are looking for a good sounding everyday paid of buds then get these. They are cheap and very light and sounds very good. Even blasting a bass-rich album such as And Justice For All by Metallica, the bass did not distort much, if at all. As far as fitting goes, every ear is different and koss does give you 3 total sizes to try. Bottom-line? Recommended!
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Poor fitting affects sound, isolation and comfort
by kfushigi on October 28, 2008
Pros: I couldn't find anything strikingly positive about these buds-- maybe if they fit better they'd be good?
Cons: They didn't fit in any of the three sizes, making them uncomfortable and worthless at noise isolation with very bad sound quality.
Summary: I was originally going to get a JVC marshmallow, but I got the Koss instead because of its "limited lifetime warranty" in which you pay $6 plus shipping for repairs (...
Summary: I was originally going to get a JVC marshmallow, but I got the Koss instead because of its "limited lifetime warranty" in which you pay $6 plus shipping for repairs (I didn't know how much the charges were at the time).
I was very disappointed with these earphones. I wanted to enjoy them, but I simply could not. I know you're supposed to get them in the ear canal to get the base and to reduce the "tinny" noise, but none of the sizes would fit my ears.
I hear good things about these 'buds from those who can wear them fittingly (maybe mine were defective...?) As for me, I'm not taking another chance with Koss, as these buds don't fit me at all. No matter how much sound potential there may be with these, I can't experience it due to its shape. I'd recommend a larger, better brand with more experience in making 'buds. I'm going for the JVC next. -
Bang for the buck...
by mikaldon on December 22, 2007
Pros: Comfort, price.
Cons: Needed some minor modification.
Summary: Let me start by saying that I've been through just about every IEM out there. I've done Etys, I've done Shures. I've done it all. When ...
Summary: Let me start by saying that I've been through just about every IEM out there. I've done Etys, I've done Shures. I've done it all. When my Etys left side went out at work, I ran to K-Mart looking for a cheap replacement and came up with these.
Straight out of the box, the sound was muddied and the base almost too much. But, after a VERY SIMPLE modification, I'm left wondering why I ever paid over a hundred bucks for buds!
Take a small object, like the end of a paperclip or safety pin and gently widen the small hole in the paper filter beneath the silicone ear piece. Experiment a little, opening it up gradually, until you get the right sound for you. Once I did this, I found the mids and highs to be much more pronounced without being harsh and the bass still present.
Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an audiophile and if you want 'take my breath away sound' spend 300 bucks on a pair of buds and stay away from MP3s, but if listening to MP3s is your thing, you can't beat these little guys in bang for buck after the simple mod I mentioned above.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Koss Corp.
- Part number: KEB24 black
- Description: The KEB/24 is lightweight with an in-the-ear design for deep bass and listening to music on the go. The KEB/24 features a dynamic element that is positioned just outside the ear for extended frequency response of 15-20,000Hz. The KEB/24 includes small, medium and large silicone ear cushions for a customized fit to enhance isolation when you want to eliminate ambient sounds that interfere with the listening experience. A flexible strain relief has been added for comfort.
General
- Product Type Headphones
- Color Black
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor In-ear ear-bud
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Response Bandwidth 15 - 20000 Hz
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) 1.0 %
- Sensitivity 100 dB/mW
- Impedance 16 Ohm
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included Headphones cable - 4 ft
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Limited lifetime warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Lifetime
Product series
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Manufacturer: Koss Corp.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud, Green, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, Lifetime Limited warranty
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Manufacturer: Koss Corp.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud, Blue, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, Lifetime Limited warranty
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Manufacturer: Koss Corp.
Specs:
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Manufacturer: Koss Corp.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud, Black, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, Lifetime Limited warranty
Manufacturer info
- Koss Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Koss Corp. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.koss.com/
- Address:
4129 N. Port Washington Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53212 - Phone: 1-800-USA-KOSS
- Email: customersupport@koss.com
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