Koss P15 (blue)

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I'm usually a fan of Koss headphones, but I hardly expected the company's $14.99 P15 earbud headphones to rock my world. And, indeed, the fit was bad, and the sound they delivered was even worse. Plenty of better-sounding 'phones are available that won't break the bank.

An included carrying case is about the only noteworthy feature of the Koss P15s. Essentially, the case is a plastic hub with a long rubber strap. You stick the silver earpieces into wells on the hub, wrap the headphones' 4-foot black cord around the inside, then secure the bundle by wrapping the plastic strap around the outside of the hub. The strap buttons to itself and can be used to attach the case to a backpack, for instance. It's a unique design, but for earbuds, I prefer the tidiness of wind-up cases such as the one supplied with Sony's MDR-E827G.

Even though they're designed to cater to the sporty set, jogging with the P15s was virtually impossible. The P15s' in-ear drivers have rubberized edges, but they popped out of my ears at the slightest tug. If you want a more comfortable, firmer-fitting set of earbuds for running or working out at the gym, check out Sony's MDR-EX71SLs or Koss's own KSC22 ear-clip models.

The P15s were loud enough, even when connected to my underpowered MP3 player. But they sounded as bad as some earbuds that cost around $5. When I fired up Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice," there was very little bass response--much less than even Sony's mediocre MDR-E827G 'buds. Furthermore, midrange performance was thin and tinny, and treble response was overblown and brash.

Although Koss headphones often sound better than competing models (see the full-size Pro3AA Titaniums, for instance), the P15s are an exception. Chances are the scrappy earbuds that came with your portable MP3 player could hold their own against the P15s. Look elsewhere for a worthwhile workout pair.

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