Koss KTXPro1 Titanium On-Ear Portable Headphones, Retro Style, Volume Control, Ultra Lightweigt Design, Silver Black and Blue

The Koss KTXPro1 headphones have been an audiophile favorite for many years and I bought these based on many recommendations back in late 2016. It is now June 2020 and I figured it was high time I wrote a review of these – seeing as I’ve got plenty of time at home now, what with the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing.In a word: Fantastic.These headphones have been hard-working since I bought them, playing everything from music to watching movies (more on that in a minute) – and have delivered sonic performance I have not encountered in other similarly priced headphones which usually sound tinny and muddied. The KTXPro1’s are nowhere close to the reproduction performance of a several-hundred-dollar pair of cans that a small fraction of the populace would go to the lengths to enjoy, let’s just be clear about that – but they most certainly afford you a pleasurable listening experience that I honestly think is the best out there for cheaper open back headphones on the market.The Titanium drivers of the KTXPro1 offer smooth treble that is clean and free of sharp-sounding highs, a mid-range that is robust and capable of heavy crunchiness and vocals which sound full and natural, and a bass that has a good extension and can be really decent for a small set of headphones. I have enjoyed everything from classical, to pop and heavy metal on these, and honesty they have been able to produce music which is surprisingly better than other headphones I’ve had costing three or more times as much.The sound stage on these is pretty neutral – so unless you’re doing some type of analytical listening or really need a full surround-sound effect going on aurally, these are fine.Comfort and durability is something important to mention, especially after going over what others have said about this set of headphones since I myself bought them.In 2016 my mother began to lose her hearing. Not dramatically, but it was becoming harder for her to hear things like dialogue in movies or programs on TV, which was disappointing because she and I like to watch the occasional movie together – and it was sad to me that she was struggling the hear what was going on between characters in the middle of a scene with other sounds going on around them, as example, and I wanted to try and help get some of the enjoyment back to replace the frustration she was having.I bought a TV with a headphone-out on it (see note at end of this review), a long 3.5mm cable, Y-splitter, and finally I needed two headphones that would allow her and I to adjust the volume on each headphone independent of one-another…which lead me to the Koss KTXPro1’s.These use a simple up-down slider dongle on the attached cord so it is not only very easy to adjust quickly, it’s also capable of any range between 0 and 100 percent. Other headphones use click-up or click-down buttons which are hard for elderly hands to operate and they may only have 8 or so volume settings so you don’t actually get a nice “anywhere in-between” range like you can get on the KTXPro1’s.If I had any complaint about the volume control, it’d be that I wish the slider switch itself was a different color so you could quickly tell which side of the smooth-feeling oval dongle has the slider on it. (pro-tip: put a little modelers paint on it, say, white, and let it dry. Takes care of that issue).With the volume controls of these, I can listen to a movie at my comfort level and Mom can adjust it to something a bit louder she can hear and enjoy. Grand. Makes it very comfortable to enjoy everything.Physical comfort is nice too – the headband provides a fairly easy non-slip surface so the headphones sit comfortably on your head, though if you have a really small head you may find that they can slip off a bit easier and Mom found out they are difficult to wear with curlers on.The headphones sit squarely on your ears, and if you have these on for a long long time – say, 4 or so hours at a stretch if you and Mom are enjoying a “Lord of the Rings” movie-marathon, they can develop hot-spots on your ears and you may have to take them off for a bit and go make another plate of snacks and a rum & coke to give your ears a break.It’s possible if the speakers on these were able to rotate along the horizontal plane with a swivel built into the headband, that may increase comfort – but alas, Koss omitted this ability from the KTXPro1 headphones. While the speakers on these do display a range of play with the swivel on the ends of the headband, it’s completely in the near-vertical orientation and can still put pressure on the back and sides of your ear after a long time being worn.For a single two-hour or so session, I have had no complaints with discomfort – but everyone’s ears are designed a bit differently – your mileage may vary.I will mention that the ear cushions on the headphones I wear, one of them has torn and disintegrated mostly. After having had them for 3.5 years. Good thing I can replace them with a set of Koss replacement cushions for about $5 bucks on Amazon here. Cheap enough.For $20 dollar headphones you’ll find no brushed aluminum or carbon fiber here. The construction of these looks pretty plasticky – though I hesitate to use the word “cheap”. I’ve bought cheap headphones before that LOOK really cheap… the KTXPro1’s however manage to appear a little lower price with the matte silver & dark grey plastic headband and non-braided cord, without being embarrassingly cheap and crusty looking.Sure, they creak a bit when handled but they’re noiseless when worn.These KTXPro1’s have served Mom and myself very well thus far. They still perform great. Sound and dialogue in movies and listening to music is a pleasure with these. The volume sliders still work fine. No problems with the cables, plugs or anything else other than that as-to-be-expected torn ear cushion. (My head’s a little fatter than Moms, so that probably explains why mine went first). I’d rate the durability of these as excellent.I’ve plugged-in and unplugged these many times and she and I have used them to listen to things not just on the TV but also on her iPad, my laptop, we’ve taken them out with us on the road, and they continue to serve as her in-house / go-to headphones.I haven’t felt the need to buy anything else in almost 4 years after getting these, so I think that says a lot right there. Very happy with these.END Notes:1: Being open-backed headphones, some have asked “can other people hear music coming out of these when you have them on?” – the answer is yes…but if you’re listening with these on at a normal volume, they’re not annoying to be sitting next to. Unless you REALLY have the music cranked up, then I guess yes, some might find it annoying. If the surroundings you’re sitting in are very quiet, people around you will hear these more. What I find good about these being open backed, is that while we’re watching a movie with these on together, my Mom and I can make comments about scenes if we speak aloud to one another and chuckle over stuff without having to pause the film or take them off completely. That’s the trade off I guess.2: For those of you interested, I’ve had questions about the twin-headphone setup I did for Mom and myself.After getting these Koss headphones, it’s pretty easy to find a long enough 3.5mm cable and a Y-splitter to stretch the distance of the headphones to your TV. The trick is to be sure the TV you have or plan on getting has a genuine HEADPHONE OUT jack and not just a Line Out / Line Level Out / Audio Out/ Line Audio Out jack if you are planning to hook the two headphones and long cable DIRECTLY into your TV.A Headphone Out jack has a lower impedance and can drive one or two headphones directly and you can control the TV volume reaching the headphones with the remote in most cases. The other type of jack is really designed to take the TV audio signal and connect it to a receiver which then handles the volume and allows the attachment of things like headphones.So yeah… if your TV volume is going through a receiver, you probably already have a dedicated headphone out jack on the back of the receiver. If you’re planning on hooking the cable and headphones directly into the back of the TV with no receiver, best to be sure your TV has a Headphone Out jack that allows you to control the volume of the TV in the headphones.In conclusion, I’ve been extremely happy with these Koss KTXPro1 headphones, would recommend a pair to anyone looking for a pair of great sounding headphones costing about 20 bucks. These certainly surprised me with the good performance at such a decent price.

I’ll admit, I haven’t been into using headphones now for nearly 10 years, but with the advent of the iPod and other MP3 players, I decided that it’d probably be a good time to look for and invest in a good pair of headphones. I’ll also admit that I don’t yet have a portable MP3 player, but I’ probably get one sooner or later. However, with that said, I do listen to MP3s that I’ve transferred from my purchased CDs on my PC. I have boomy 5.1 surround speaker system for the PC that literally shakes the house, so for me to listen to my tunes at adequate volume without disturbing the other occupants, I figure a good set of headphones was in order.So what is it that I, or anyone should look for in a good set of phones? Well, clarity of sound for one. That includes several aspects. One being bass response. Most [cheap] headphones can’t replicate solid deep bass. Because lets face it, good bass (in loudspeakers) require huge magnets and a large cone and lots of power. A headphone has none of that, but apparently, technology in headphones have come a long way in the past 15 years. Another aspect of clear sound is a phone’s ability to replicate the high and mid-range frequencies. What good does a lot of bass do if it drowns out the rest of the frequencies? None. And of course the last thing a set of phones need to do is not crackle and distort at high volume. This is a MAJOR problem with a lot of cheap headphones. Well, even some higher priced ones I’d imagine.Well, going back to 10 years ago, I had a pair or two of KOSS headphones that could replicate good bass, but this was way before digital music media and from old style cassette walkman-type devices, so the full range of sound fidelity was limited due to the medium used. I remembered and liked the KOSS headphones, which lead me to check out these after they were pointed to by a reviewer for a similar set of Sony headphones.So how does the KOSS KTX-PRO1 Titaniums perform? EXCELLENT! I must admit though, I was at first confused at why I wasn’t getting good bass. Like I said, I use these on my PC, so I have several different software players with different enhancement “plug-ins”, one having a “headphone setting”, nonetheless, giving a slightly tinnier sound than I was expecting. Turns out that all it took to boost the bass, was to increase the main soundcard mixer’s bass level, rather than the plug-in’s “hyperbass” level. And what I got was the deep solid, supposedly 15Hz bass response that this product advertises. And it doesn’t drown out the other frequencies either. The grill mess on the outside of the ear piece, I suspect, may help with the bass response, but don’t quote me on that. And the most important thing with these phones is that they do not distort at all. Crystal clear sound at practically any volume.The set itself is very comfortable to wear. Some reviewers here may have mentioned that there’s only ome pivot point on the ear piece, but it’s at the correct angle that it should be adequate for most people’s ears.The bottom line is that if you want a good, sounding set of headpones, you’re gonna have to pay more than $5. Let’s face it, you get what you pay for. From what others have said here, this exact set sells for over $45 at places like Radioshack under a different model name. So getting this set at Amazon for under $20 is a hellava deal.Oh, one more thing…over the ear phones rather than these “new” air-bud things…. for one I can’t stand sticking anything into my ear. They usually don’t stay in cause my ear canals are strangely shaped and two they are just downright uncomfortable. I can’t even wear earplugs for the same reason. So this was a nice find to get a excellent pair of over-the-ear headphones at a great price.You can’t go wrong with the KTX-PRO1s. I listen to heavy metal mainly and they do a great job in replicating all the intricrate sounds in probably one of the most sophisticated forms of music outside philharmonic orchestrations.

I bought these almost a year ago after my previous pair of earphones–Koss KSC75’s, wore out. I’m very picky about sound quality and Koss is basically the only brand name in earphones I completely trust. I’ve been a loyal customer for twenty plus years and they’ve never let me down in the sound department. The sound quality of these blows anything in the same price range, (and in some brands WAY out of the price range) out of the water. They sound awesome, as always. Lots of bass, (but not too much), not tinny at all, just perfect. If you’re used to cheapo headphones, prepare to get your ears opened. You’ll hear things you’ve never heard before in your favorite songs. If you’re looking for headphones in the $20 and under range, don’t bother with anything else. And don’t bother looking anywhere else except Amazon. I’ve overpaid by as much as $10 online on other sites and in store, and was a little disheartened to see what I could have paid on Amazon. Amazon has the lowest price on Koss headphones every time I’ve looked.I’ve tried about every model of Koss headphones there is (except the ultra high end ones) and I’ve noticed the difference between them. For sound quality under $20, I think the KSC75’s sound better, but unfortunately, they clip very loosely around the ears, and in my case they were constantly falling off. The KTXPRO1’s on the other hand, have a head band and they stay on very well. They are also very comfortable. Like all Koss products, though, they aren’t made to be inconspicuous or ‘cool-looking’. These headphones, especially, stick out like a sore thumb. Prepare to look like what people in 1929 envisioned a switchboard operator would look like in 2009. That blue rubbery thing on the top (I have no idea what it does–prevents it from slipping, I guess?) makes it look especially stupid. But, if you’re like me and prefer sound quality over looking good, then you should have no trouble with these.The only downside to this product is like what others have said, they are not very durable. The headphones themselves seem to be made of cheapy plastic and seem delicate (though luckily I didn’t brake them). About a week after I purchased them, a short developed in the volume control, rendering it useless. After a few months, another short developed in the wire, make one side go dead every five seconds, especially when exercising. I gave them to my daughter, who only uses them on her Nintendo DS. I’ve also owned the Sportapro and the Portapro and I would say that if you’re very nice to your headphones (unlike me) and only use them sitting down, I would buy these over the more expensive ones. The Sportapro and Portapro sound good, but not that much better than this model. But if you abuse your headphones and/or use them for exercise, I’d spurge and go for the Portapros, since they are made very well made (though ugly still).If you have small ears (like I do), prefer non-ear buds with a headband, and like having another volume control, I’d highly recommend these. I think you’ll be very happy with your purchase.

They sound good, they’re comfortable, and they were inexpensive. Just what I was looking for!

These are a hidden gem. Light, comfortable, great sound and very inexpensive.I think these sound virtually identical to the PortaPro and SportaPro, which are both more expensive. I also like the headband better than those other two models because it is simpler, although not as tight and therefore probably not as good for use in highly active situations. These also do not fold up, so they don’t fit into quite the compact space that Sporta and Porta models do. All of these models look and feel pretty cheap. They are light and low on style, or high on “quirk,” however you want to look at it. Despite having a low quality look, I have not had any problems, and they have a lifetime warranty, so you can get a new (or repaired) pair for the cost of shipping if you ever do have a problem. Koss even sells replacement ear cushions for virtually all of their headphone models, including these, for $5. There is just something cool about that.The sound: low lows, high highs, nice frequency balance, not sharp or irritating to me, but not as clear in the high mids as headphones in the $150 and up range. I found E.L.O.s “Mr. Blue Sky,” with all of its many layers, got a little muddled in the high mids, so that individual instruments were hard to distinguish from each other. But that only happens in rare parts of some songs. For the most part, these sound really really good to me.And the bass . . . mama! These thump some serious, undistorted bass! I would say they might be slightly heavy on bass, but isn’t that what a lot of us want now?! The bass is really strong, but not so much that it is distracting to me, which I actually feel is a bit of a problem with some higher end models like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s. Yes, I actually think the bass is better on these, or at least I like it better in most songs, than the famous and beloved ATH-M50s! But it is not a fair comparison as the two headphones are very different.A distinct aspect of the KTXPRO1s is that it is a completely open design. So, unlike the Audio-Technica’s, they do not block outside sound. They let you hear what is going on in your acoustic vicinity, which is specifically what I bought them for.My favorite headphones are Senn. HD25-1 IIs which are sealed, DJ style, and somewhat expensive at over $200. I love them for their durability and sound quality, but they are heavy, hot and very good at blocking outside noise. So I wanted a pair of light, open headphones for quiet environments and use around the house or a casual stroll where I want to be able to hear what is around me. I also figured I’d “go cheap” in case they got lost or caught in a rain storm. Well I couldn’t be much happier. In fact, if I had purchased these first, I might have gone for a much less expensive pair of Koss closed headphones to fill the noise blocking role.Do these sound as good to me as $200 headphones to me? No. Do they sound as good as my $150 headphones? They almost do, and I think they sound even better in certain circumstances. For about $20, I can’t see a reason to buy any another pair of open headphones under $100.