Drop + Koss KPH40X Utility Headphones

With Koss headphones, all it takes is one look—and one listen—and you know exactly what you’re getting. In the case of the Drop + Koss KPH40X Utility Headphones, you’re getting exceptional audio quality, uncompromising connectivity, and surplus style. A revamped version of the brand’s popular KPH40 headphones, the KPH40X gets an updated aesthetic with a blacked-out body and colorful, interchangeable red and blue earpads. It’s a look that’s both retro and modern, playful and professional. Style aside, the KPH40X has the same exact sound and feel as the original KPH40, sporting a comfortable, ultra-breathable open-back design with deep bass, expressive mids, and crisp highs. It’s also equipped with its predecessor’s “Utility” feature: a Utility Series cord that allows you to seamlessly switch between 3.5-millimeter, USB-C, and Lightning connections with special Koss cables. With all that functionality, fidelity, and affordability in a brand-new look, the KPH40X is less of an investment and more of a statement, no matter your budget.

Run a cost-benefit analysis on every pair of headphones out there, and you’ll find most of the Koss product line leading the pack. The Drop + Koss KPH40X Utility Headphones are no exception. Not only do they deliver vivid audio; they also stay true to their name by offering versatile connectivity through Koss’s Utility Series. Sporting a special port at the vertex of the KPH40X’s Y-split cable, the Utility Series cord is compatible with special 3.5-millimeter, USB-C, and Lightning cables made by Koss. (We’ve included the 3.5-millimeter cable, and the other two are readily available on the Koss site.) Complementing this modular design is vintage Koss audio quality. Just like the KPH40, the KPH40X delivers ultra-expressive sonic performance with an expansive, open-back soundstage that lets your music (and your ears) breathe. It’s the definition of “Utility”—and yet, it’s got style to spare. That’s thanks in part to our new design, which pairs a sleek black finish with standout red and blue earpads. Equip your favorite color, or go with one of each for a can’t-miss combination to complement any playlist.

If we were to write a history of audio companies in the US, Koss would land on the first page. Not only did this Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company make the world’s first stereo headphone, the SP/3, in 1958, it’s also responsible for the first self-energizing electrostatic headphone, the first dynamic headphone to deliver all 10 audible octaves, a standard-setting infrared wireless headphone, and a series of memorable, zeitgeisty ads to go along with them. Over the years, Koss headphones have made it onto Air Force One, into the Smithsonian, and onto the heads of such music icons as Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, and Pete Fountain. Founder John C. Koss was inducted into the Audio Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2000. The latest in a long line of community-favorite Koss collaborations, the KPH40X marks the continuation of this historic Audiophile brand here on Drop.