Koss QZ-99 Noise Reduction Stereophone

These headphones are basically a pair of noise blocking earmuffs with speakers inside.

These are NOT light, NOT small and not the most comfortable.

BUT they are the absolute best noise blocking headphones I have ever used. They are Noise blockers first, headphones second.

I use mine to listen to music while I mow my lawn, I also wear them during target practice. I would not use them for travelling or in the office but thats ok.

Every one who mows their own lawn, works in a machine shop, or works around very loud areas should own a pair of these. Protect your hearing and listen to music at the same time.

The Koss QZ-99 is a very nice product, for certain things. I would never recommend this type of product, without knowing the context. I use it for listening to books on tape, on the street or in a gym, on an old portable tape player. Since I am just listening to narration, I care much more about outside sound being blocked out than I care about sound quality. If you use Bose headphones in this context, you are going to get much better sound, but that is a drawback: you will hear the crackles and rattles and pops on the your 8 year old Walkman and the 5 year old library book-on-tape. Noise reducing headphones can be too good. If I were listening to classical music on a CD player, in an airplane, a higher quality, and/or active noise reducing product would be better. But for my situation the Koss is very nice. I did not realize, until recently, that I could swivel the ear pads as well a lengthen and shorten the band between the pads. It works very well.

I used them daily for two weeks before one ear started shorting out, that ear completely went blank after four weeks. They sure did work great those first 10 days or so.

They look tough but I doubt they could handle a weekend at NASCAR, for which I bought them for. I was using them for music and radio when they shorted out on me.

However, the warranty on them says "Lifetime, No Questions Asked!" ...So I will check that out, send them in, and see what happens. If Koss can get them back to me in a quick turnaround, I'll knock my rating back up to a 3.

BW

I sent them in to the company and got an extremely quick turn-around, back and working good. Next test - NASCAR.

B.