"Great Isolation Cans Great For Shortwave Communications!" Read more...
Customer Reviews 2 item(s)
Wonderful at their price point!
Overall
Another bona-fide winner from Koss, very much as expected! Very lightweight -- with the suspension design of the headband, the set feels almost weightless on my head. And the cushioned D-shaped earcups fit my slightly-oversized ears very comfortably. Perfect for hours of gaming, either solo or with my guildmates. I almost forgot I was wearing them altogether!
The sound while gaming is first-rate, clear and clean with faithful reproduction of the positional audio common in online games. I tested with two of Wargaming.net's titles: World of Warships and their flagship title, World of Tanks. With WoT especially, even with my sound set to 7.1 speakers every directional clue was perfectly placed: if I heard an engine or an incoming round that sounded like it was left-rear of the tank, when I looked that way that's where the source of the sound was. Flawless.
Voice-chat performance is similarly exceptional, true to life and static- and distortion-free. Even fellow gamers I've met in person sound exactly as they should. Reports from gamers I've talked to daily for years indicate that the microphone sound is at least as good as any competitor's set I've used, and superior to most. I did add a windscreen, though, one of the little foam ones over the mic itself. I always do, if the set does not include one.
The only possible con is that for outright music listening, the bass response is just a bit light and the set could use a little more punch. Still, for the size and weight of the drivers it does an amazing job. One additional caveat, they take power exceptionally well, especially for such lightweight phones. I tested the set using iTunes, run from the computer's sound card into an older Pioneer SX-201 stereo receiver, and out through the receiver's front headphone jack. That receiver is great for putting a headset through its paces, well able to break a cheap set in short order. The GMR-540-ISO came through like a champ, though I was careful to keep the EQ balanced to avoid distortion at high volumes. I ran the set up to 80% output volume and my ears had enough before the set did, so I'll have to give Koss a big thumbs-up for avoiding the traditional bugaboo of lightweight headphones with this one. This little set can hang with the big dogs.
End result, if you want a better set than this one you're gonna have to come out of pocket a fair bit more, cause you're not going to beat it for under $100. The GMR-540-ISO is a worthy bearer of the Koss name, and well worth every penny.
Review by Preacher Tim /
(Posted on 1/6/2020)
Great Isolation Cans Great For Shortwave Communications!
Overall
I've been a fairly dedicated KOSS fan since 1972 with the first purchase of my KOSS Pro/4AA's, and I've been hooked ever since! Then after having bought a couple of pairs, I discovered the KOSS PortaPros. Damn, hooked agin', and loving it!
What brings me here today is my purchase of my first pair of KOSS GMR-540-ISO over-ear circumaural 'isolated' headphones. I bought them last summer, and after about a 40-hour brake-in period that I put ALL my cans through, they sounded great. Better than expected, though well within KOSS's mission statement tag-line "Hearing is Believing!" Though not up to the same audio quality and performance of the admittedly 'Professional' standard of the Pro/4AA cans, the are still surprisingly proficient and nicely dynamic. Isolation is quite good, and with the included boom mic, I'll easily be able to fabricate a PTT (Push-To-Talk switch) for my HAM radio transmissions as well as RTL-SDR radio reception as well. And the price is RIGHT! ONLY from KOSS, THE Original innovators in Hi-Fi stereophones.
They're light, fit right and most of all, sound right! I should have known, of course, that KOSS got it right and hasn't let me down yet. And with a 16 Ohm resistance and a sensitivity of 105 db means that absolutely ANYTHING will drive them, and drive them quite convincingly. Considering how light and confortable they are, extended wearing is a walk in the park, only better.
Pros: Light weight, great style, great isolation and best of all GREAT sound!
Cons: What cons???
My next purchase after I buy a second pair of Pro/4AAs', I'll be buying a 2 pairs of ESP-9s'! (Ever since owning Stax Electrostats, I'm hooked on Stats. Naturally, KOSS electrostats will be my choice when the time comes.
TTFN . . .
(Another 'long-winded' review by AstroPhyzMike)
Review by AstroPhyzMike /
(Posted on 1/5/2018)
15-22,000 Hz 
35 Ohms 
103 dB SPL 
8 foot | 4 foot 
Limited Lifetime Warranty 
John C. Koss, Founder