Freak369's Full Review: Koss QZ-5 Consumer Headphones
I go through a lot of headphones; I went them to the gym, when I’m on the computer and for audio books. I am not one to go easy on them so I prefer not to spend a ton of money on them when I have to purchase replacements. That might be part of the problem right there, in most cases, you get what you pay for. The Koss P-4 headphones still work but I know that within a week or so they are going to fry out. Unlike the P4, this is an over the head set so they don’t get nearly the amount of stress on them as the ones that are over the ear or ear buds. The biggest downfall to the P4 was that they were forever falling out of my ears unless I looped them over my ear. That would work for a while but if I did any amount of moving around, they would pop out of my ear. This wasn’t a big deal when I was reading or on the computer but running on the treadmill or doing any type of cardio was almost out of the question.
Koss P5 Headphones
These are called vertical or “over the head” headphones; they are the updated version of the old school ones that came with the foam covers on them and covered your entire ear. These have ear bud type pods that rest inside your ear canal but do not enter it. This cuts down on the chance of damage to the ear drum and allows you to hear outside noise like cars, people or sirens. I usually add this at the end of the review but I’m going to get this out of the way right now. Headphones of any type should never be worn when driving. As much as I hate to say it, if someone gets in an accident and they are wearing headphones, they deserve every ounce of grief that comes from it - regardless of whether they were at fault. In most states wearing headphones while driving is a ticketable offense, if I had it my way, those who wear headphones when driving should not only pay a hefty fine but be forced to wear a large sign that reads, “Music means more to me than human life”. Sound like I am ranting? Consider this, over 40 vehicular deaths occurred last year alone because people were wearing headphones while driving. That’s 40 people, 40 human lives. I love music ... but not to the point that I am willing to die for it.
While it is true that these will allow you to hear outside noise, that doesn’t mean that you are going to be able to hear every single sound that someone says. Even more so if you push the small pods into your ear canal. The headband is adjustable for optimum comfort and the length of the cord is just shy of four feet, that means you can tuck your CD player in your backpack and still have plenty of room to move around. The pods are connected securely to the headband and they look like they will stand up to a good bit of use before they break or crack, these are not the collapsible type so if you are looking for something that you can fold up to save space, try another version of the P4 or P5. They fit my head nicely and a few of the brood tried these out to check out the sound and they were able to adjust it to their head as well.
Sound is, of course, one of the biggest factors in a pair of headphones. I will tolerate less than comfortable ones if they have good sound to them but if they sound crappy but feel great, there’s no sense in using them. I listen to a wide variety of music; everything from metal to alternative, opera to spoken word so I need headphones that will be able to keep up with the wide spectrum of beats, bass and verbage. These are middle of the road; not perfect for any one type of music but at the same time, not bottoming out or failing in any of them either. About the only time I had trouble with them was when I kicked the extended bass on and had the volume up too high; then again, unless I fork out over fifty dollars, I doubt any pair of headphones are going to be able to handle Cradle of Filth’s Medusa & Hemlock.
The price on these varies from $4.99 to $8.99 depending on where you are shopping; the lower end prices were ones that I saw online after I picked these up at Best Buy for $7.99. I was a little hesitant about buying these without reading about them first but I had that sneaking suspicion that the P4’s were going to die any day and didn’t want to get stuck without having any headphones. So far they are nice to wear, don’t hurt my ears when I wear them for a few hours at a time and don’t slip out of place no matter what I am doing. These come with a limited lifetime warranty against defects but you have to fork out sic dollars to have them looked at by a Koss inspector to see if they are covered under the warranty. If they are defective right out of the package, take them back to the store for an exchange and if they hassle you or try to hit you with a restocking fee, ask them this, “Why are you charging me a restocking fee on something that is defective? Are you planning on putting them back on the sales floor?” That is usually all it takes to get results and a new pair of headphones.
The Bottom Line
If you aren’t all that concerned with sound or are just looking for a replacement pair of headphones, these are a relatively good pick and in my opinion a wiser choice than the P4 earbuds. I’ve only had them about three weeks but so far they haven’t given me any trouble. If you are going to order these online or see them online for a great price, be wary of shipping fees or incorrect product listings. I can’t say that many bad things about them but after the way the P4’s went downhill I am a little skeptical about the Koss headphones. They are a good value but you have to have something that is going to last more than a few months in order to have any type of faith in the company that makes them. I’ll use these while I’m at the gym, running on the treadmill and at the park to give them the true test and I hope they work out better than the ear buds. If not, chances are this will be the last set of Koss headphones I purchase.
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