Rating: 
Summary: Living with QZ-2000 Active Noise Reduction headphones
Review: My hearing isn't quite as good as it used to be so anything that helps me distinguish sounds is very useful.I own two pairs of QZ-2000 headphones and use them every day on the bus to listen to the radio or Cds. Sometimes I record spoken radio programs on a CD-RW to play back on the bus journey. Basically they reduce the low frequency sounds so that you can listen to spoken voice, very useful when studying languages. Classical music still doesn't work, but most Jazz does, again sitting as far away from the engine as possible helps as well. When flying I used to use ear buds and heavy ear defenders. The Koss headphones are much better and not nearly as tiring to wear. They aren't much use at the high screaming kids frequencies but even so they do take the edge off it. Although they are useful at reducing noise the normal technique of getting a seat in the center block as far forward as possible should still be used since these tend to be the quietest seats. They are considerably cheaper than upgrading to business class on longer trips. I notice that I am fresher when I wear them than when I do not. I have noticed they don't make so much difference on trains though. I think trains are just quieter. The reason I have two pairs, well they have a life time warranty and I find that the wires tend to break inside with use. Then I send them off to be repaired and use the other pair. Normally I find that the headphones do vary. One pair will work perfectly whilst another pair is prone to feedback. By switching the noise reduction units and headphones around I can usually get a reasonable result. Also when sending back ones that need to be repaired I must confess I hang on to the best noise reduction unit. Currently the pair I am using needs the headphone cable pushed in firmly each morning or one ear doesn't have sound. If I slip them off my head to talk to someone I find that placing the headphones against my neck cuts out the feedback howl. Also they seem very sensitive to having the cable flat and not twisted between the headphones and noise reduction unit. Could I image life without them? No. Could they be improved? I think so. They are a considerably higher priced unit than other noise reduction headphones which sort of balances out the life time warranty. At ...U.S. I think the factory really should match the headphones and noise reduction units better so that they do sell a mixture that is very sensitive to a feedback loop. Also I think they should do something about the cables between the headphones and noise reduction box. All in all an excellent first generation product.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly Sound Proof
Review: Overall I enjoy these headphones. I love the way the look and feel, the weight of them and the comfort factor. I have only a few complaints; One, they are not as sound proof as I was hoping they would be. Random noises still manage to creep in and disturb the your listening. Two, Although they don't hurt at all to wear for long periods of time, if by chance, someone knocks on the ear piece your in for a world of hurt my friend. Three, I bought a [less expensive] pair of headphones for [a few] dollars and noticed the bass and treble are slightly better than in the KOSS pair. At times I wondered if too much bass would blow them out or if they were really designed for music at all. I'm not saying KOSS isn't a great headphone maker, but if your looking for something soundproof avoid these headphones. If your looking to block out ambient noise and the majority of sounds then these are definitley yours all the way. Very comfortable and well made, KOSS is an amazing company I was looking for total soundproof protection though. In the end I kept them and still use them for my music. I very much enjoyed this product and highly recommend it to anyone out there.
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Rating: 
Summary: Not Satisfied
Review: The headphones came with only one side working.
The one side that works made a fairly loud
hissing sound when turned on.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for short flights
Review: The headphones do reduce the noise level on flights. When using the headphones quite an amount of engine noise can still be heard, but it is enough to reduce the "pressure" of the amount of sound. However, the headphones are not comfortable for longer periods of time, so I wouldn't recommend them for long flights. I tried using the headphones recently on a flight from LAX to Sydney (about 15 hours), and they were not comfortable enough for using all the time, especially when trying to snooze! On shorter flights they are perfect, reducing the volume of the engines, allowing clear listening to music.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for listening to narration
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Good job reducing background noises.
Review: These dramatically reduce loud background noises from 80-90+ percent. I am now able to hear my music on my morning commutes at much lower volume levels. Using them at work (with my mp3 player) reduces the clatters of the air conditioner. These are relatively light units that folds in for storage. Like other units, there is a small battery unit that can be a little annoying to carry around--but the unit is definately well worth the 10 second hassle. I have not had the chance to compare these with other units, but these are effective enough for me not to care too much. Although, people may be curious on the maxel units (they seem to be at half the cost). Although effective to reduce noise, I can still hear the remaining 5-15% "dampend" noise. Using these headsets and my mp3 player, on a low setting, I can completely keep my focus at my work than being distracted from surrounding noises. I have also been using these as a sound enhancer with my music to filter out noise--it is amazing how much background noise is out there, and how much clearer music can be.
Rating:
Summary: Essential tool for the traveler
Review: These headphones are wonderfully designed for the frequent traveler. They remove much of the low-frequency noise, which reduces the damage to the eardrum over time. They also allow an external sound source (airplane sound system, CD player, etc) to be heard with significantly less volume. All of those features apply to all noise-canceling headphones. The Koss headphones excel in their wear-ability. Unlike many designs, the Koss headphones do not rest solely on the ears. Instead, they have foam shims that share the load between the ears and the head right above the ear. The result is a more comfortable design over a long period of time. On a short plane trip, it won't make a difference, nor will it on a commute to work. For those long-haul fights, however, it becomes crucial to its continued comfortable use. The two AA batteries last for hours (the "low battery" indicator means only 30 hours remain) and are easy to replace. The two-prong adapter is ideal for most airline headsets, although through experience I've noticed some use a 1/4" phono jack, which I've now included in my kit.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: These headphones were a disappointment. First of all the headphone use "passive" noise reduction. I should have studied this more carefully but Koss is clearly trying to blur the line here between these headphones and true noise cancellation headphones. Second, what is with the inflexible metal band?! This may be good is you are driving a race car but unless you have loads of room in your carry-on (who does?) then it makes it quite akward to travel with these on airplane flight.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: These headphones were a disappointment. First of all the headphone use "passive" noise reduction. I should have studied this more carefully but Koss is clearly trying to blur the line here between these headphones and true noise cancellation headphones. Second, what is with the inflexible metal band?! This may be good is you are driving a race car but unless you have loads of room in your carry-on (who does?) then it makes it quite akward to travel with these on airplane flight.
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Rating:
Summary: I love these headphones!
Review: These totally isolate outside noise passively. Period. I'm not sure what the noise reduction rating is, but it's probably around 20 dB. So, they might be a bit heavy and big, but they are still fairly comfortable. The velcro strap is much more comfortable than a big headband too. You may look like an pilot with big headphones, but you won't hear anybody telling you that when the 'phones are on. There is a volume control right on the left cup. You'll enjoy the sound quality, it is very clear and you'll be able to hear every note. Bass response isn't perfect, but good enough for the casual listener. You can find a mono/stereo control switch, very handy. These headphones are not just for race scanners, they can be used with anything with a standard headphone jack thanks to the mono/stereo switch. Coiled cord is nice too and has decent length. You really won't want to listen through another pair of headphones once you have tried these. ...Just get them - you will love them!
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