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Lex-DRL
15
Nov 12, 2022
checkVerified Buyer
Sadly, planned obsolescence
Paradoxically, this headset is THE BEST while also being being THE WORST I've ever had: On the one hand, it provides the best sound quality at the price. Period. Especially if you like bass, but like it to be deep and natural (hello, club/pop/alt-rock music, gaming and blockbuster movies) and not just sounding like a silly meme hardbass from a barrel. It's even better than just good. IMO, this model (and it's non-DROP predecessor) gives the best sound I ever tried: clear speech and yet really rich music. Not a perfectly flat frequency response, strictly speaking (which audio professionals like), but FLAT ENOUGH while giving that sound an extra "wow". HOWEVER! On the other hand, these headphones are intentionally DESIGNED to break approximatly after 3 to 6 months of use. I've bought 2 pairs previously and I've bought two more from here (drop.com). ALL of them broke. And not just broke, but broke in exactly the same way:
  1. The headband breaks exactly at the middle and does it after approximately the same time of use: 3 months. It not just cracks, but snaps in two halves altogether. With no obvious foreshadowing of it. But be ready that it WILL break after 3 months. And the plastic is such, that it's INCREDIBLY hard to find a glue able to keep these halves together.
  2. After it, the cable connecting two drivers slowly starts getting damaged, because the headband is designed in such a way that even if you manage to glue the parts back, you won't be able to align them perfectly. And when you don't, the glued halves act as plastic scissors slowly cutting the thin cable.
  3. Then, some oily liquid starts dripping from the slit between plastic and soft parts of earcup. First time it happened to me, I thought it was my fault, and I'm the one who messed them with some grease without even noticing it. But then it happened with the second pair of the headphones, and the third, and the fourth. But it's actually something about how they're built. After about 4 months, you'll start noticing they leave thin oily stains on a table where you put them.
  4. Finally, the main cable connecting headphones to the device will start getting damaged, too. Again, no matter how careful you are. It will. And, adding an insult to injury, while these cables are completely detachable and use standard headphone jack, there's no way to buy these specific cables separately (at least, the versions of them which come with DROP edition).
The saddest part is, the drivers themself stay perfectly fine all the time. But after about 3 to 6 months, be ready to throw the headphones away regardless. To me, they sound too good to be replaced with anything else (I tried quite an expensive Audio-Technica ATH-M50x and eventually gave them away, returning to this cheap KOSS model). So, I'll stick to them anyway. But you need to realize that these headphones aren't a one-time purchase. They're more like a consumable. You WILL change them one to two times a year, there's no workaround for it. They're designed that way. The best you can do is buy them in bundles of two. This way, you'll have at least 4 cables (2 of each type: for PC/phone) which will extend the headphones lifetime somewhat. And you'll have a spare pair for the moment the first one breaks. To KOSS or DROP representatives who might have their contact: why don't you make a slightly more expensive model which won't be designed to break? We are willing to pay more. We want that rich sound, but in a better casing. To everyone else: 5/5 for the best sound with 0/5 for the worst (even malicious) design. 2.5/5 as a result. Still recommend them, but with an ENORMOUS asterisk.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
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