KOSS Stereo In Ear Ear Plugs - The Spark Plug - A Portable headphone is a headphone that is...

A Portable headphone is a headphone that is used on-the-go. When used in your iPod or other portable player, you want to match superb sound with absolute comfort. That's when the Koss Spark Plug stereo earphone makes sense.

The SparkPlug features a dynamic element that is positioned just outside the ear and connected to a tubular port structure that is inserted on a soft expandable cushion into the ear canal. The soft foam cushion expands for a custom fit to improve isolation and enhance deep bass and treble clarity. Now with improved slow memory ear cushion made of hydrophillic, formed urethane, you are guaranteed a custom fit every time. Ths SparkPlug also featues a white cord to compliment many mp3 players. The fit enhances isolation when you want to plug out ambient sounds that interfere with the listening experience. The SparkPlug has a frequency response performance of 10Hz-20,000Hz and full Sound of Koss. Combined with your favorite music and a portable sound system, it is the ultimate accessory on the go. Built to last, The SparkPlug is covered under Koss' No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Warranty - the only warranty of its kind in the stereophone industry. Reliable L plug for improved reliability and durability Straight, dual entry 4 foot cord

Customer Reviews:

Good Sound, Great Value
I bought these earbuds as replacements for the buds that came with my MP3 player. I wanted good earbuds that were comfortable, had good sound, and had low impedance so my MP3 player could drive them easily. I read through the reviews carefully, and even talked to a coworker that owns a pair of these earbuds before finally deciding on purchasing them.

They fit comfortably, the foam on the buds being much like the foam used for ear plugs. This provides great isolation. The bass is a bit boomy, making the sound a bit muddy. Since my MP3 player features a five-band graphic equalizer, I found I could get a cleaner sound by just lowering the lower half of the sound spectrum.

The low impedance (16 ohms) along with the great isolation means you won't need to turn up the volume very high on your device to get lots of sound. The frequency response range is excellent, and you get Koss's no-questions-asked limited lifetime warranty.
--2006-12-21

might be better off spending your $12 on something else
They fit nice and comfortable in the ear, but what's weird is your footsteps become more noticeable when you walk. you can hear them thump in your head when your feet hit the ground. I dunno, maybe that's just me.

With these headphones I can't use my bass boost function on my CD player because it's too powerful which really drowns out the music while listening with these earphones. Even with the bass boast off you get good bass from these, but the sound it still not as crisp and clear as I'd like. If you're an audiophile like myself and really care about how good your music sounds I'd take a pass on these earphones.
--2006-12-21

Look elsewhere for headphones that isolate noise
Bought these along with the Sennheiser CX300. I wanted headphones that isolate environmental noise. Apparently, the various reviewers wrote these were the best for the money. Well for $13 I guess you can't find anything better but that's like saying I paid $25 for the best bang-for-the-buck mp3 player. Of course whatever mp3 player for $25 is certainly going to be the best for the money considering most competent mp3 players cost $150.

Sound Isolation: You can simply test its sound isolation without connecting the headphones to an mp3 player. Simply put the Koss into your ear canal, turn on the TV, and see if you can still CLEARLY hear the TV. If you can then Koss has lied to the general public. There is absolutely no sound isolation. And this is just the TV in your living room. Imagine trying to block the noise from the traffic on the street and the subway. You can fuhggediboudit. I've tried the smaller foam and still no results. On the other hand, the CX300 does isolate external noise.

Sound: The Koss has muffled bass and unclear treble. I shouldn't have to modify the headphones with stupid scotch tape to get acceptable bass and treble. I'm going to return these and try the Creative Labs headphones since I need another set. The CX300 is definitely a keeper.
--2006-12-20

Rewarding...very, very, very rewarding
These are great buds for the price. Noise isolation works excellent. A bit bassy, but I put tape over the ports which solved that problem. The only complaint I have is that my right-side bud lost sound after about seven months. This is why I had to give them only four stars. I'll probably end up buying another pair though.
--2006-12-17

not as good as the shure, but a whole lot cheaper
I have a pair of the Shure EC-2 (I think that's the model number) which broke (the outer case isn't held together well). Anyway, I plan to see if Shure will repair / replace them on warranty, but in the meantime, I needed something to listen to, so I bought these since they are inexpensive and generally well liked.

IMO they are not as good as the Shure - the treble bass balance is way off - I followed the suggestions of another reviewer to put scotch tape over the ports, which helps, and I have my Ipod set on a "Jazz" EQ, which seems to be the best for these phones - it's still not quite where the Shure phones are, but again, consider the price difference.

My only gripe is that the cord is too short - 1 more foot would be perfect.
--2006-12-15

KOSS Stereo In Ear Ear Plugs - The Spark Plug

- Koss