Uncomfortable, but rich sound
Written: Apr 26 '00 (Updated Apr 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great isolation; Great sound quality; Long cord; Comes with adapter
Cons: Uncomfortable; Occasional problems; No volume control.
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| dsmeyer's Full Review: Koss TD 65 Headphones |
I recently bought the Koss TD-65 headphones at Target for about $30. As an avid computer user and MP3 fanatic, I had been used to my UnWired 6000IR cordless headphones until recently when I acquired a notebook computer and needed more portable headphones that produced the same isolation and deep sound I was familiar with -- I can't tote my wireless headphones around with my laptop. The main feature about the TD-65 headphones is the closed "isolated" design -- that is, the foam cup-shaped earphones surround and isolate your ears from the outside world ambience, and vice versa.
After about 3 or 4 weeks of almost continuous usage, I can say these headphones are fairly "good" quality. The sound quality seems excellent and comparable to my wireless headphones, but I now prefer my UnWired headphones for they are much more comfortable, lighter (despite two AAA batteries and more sophisticated electronically), and of course they provide much better mobility.
If I wear the TD-65's for an extended amount of time, they start to become very heavy-feeling and uncomfortable. They squeeze at my ears and this causes major discomfort in my opinion. I also wear glasses, so perhaps that could be a contributing factor. Since the earphones themselves do not independently swivel and the plastic does not flex easily, this is probably the source of this pain. They are length adjustable by about 2" on each side, but this only helps if you have a tall or a short head. A large factor in headphone quality is their comfort -- for me, the TD-65's do not excel in this area. The large cushions, although soft, do not seem to help much.
About a week ago, my Koss TD-65 headphones fell on the floor because the cord got snagged by my foot, and I noticed the left earphone occasionally has an annoying static "rubbing" sound randomly, as if water had gotten into the speaker or there was a loose connection, however that was not the case. This kind of "cord syndrome" happens a lot when the darn wire gets loose, damaged, or shorted out somewhere. I don't know if something got loose inside or what, but this makes me very angry. The wires on this set of headphones seem vulnerable to damage.
As for sound quality, the Koss TD-65 produces crisp highs and deep lows. Distortion will occur if there is too much bass in your audio source (eg., computer, etc). If there is too much treble, you will know it, because the TD-65's seem to very accurately reproduce these higher frequencies.
The TD-65 comes with a mini-plug adapter so you can plug the headphones into professional equipment that requires the larger diameter plug. The cord made of resilient rubber-like material and is very long, almost 7 or 8 feet or so. One thing I do not like about the cord is that a wire enters each individual earphone. It would be nice if both channels entered one side of the headset and then ran the signal over to the other earphone, so there would essentially be less cords in the way. Also, there is no volume control on these headphones, and that's one handy feature I really miss from my wireless headphones.
As for isolation, the TD-65 seems to do it right. With its large 1" cushions, it's nearly impossible to hear a person talking to you or yelling from another room if you're listening to music with these headphones on. You can't even hear yourself talking if there is music playing or something. And likewise, others in your area probably won't be able to hear your music/noise unless you've got it turned all the way up.
Because of the discomfort that I encountered after about a half-hour's worth of use and the occasional problem with the "static" in the left earphone, I give these headphones a 3/5 rating. But I still prefer my wireless headphones because of their mobility, comfort, and similar sound quality. I am sure you can find isolation headphones that are more comfortable for $30. Before I would recommend these to a friend, I would check out the competition first.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dsmeyer
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Member: Doug Meyer
Location: Austin TX
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 13 members
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