I got these as a replacement for a pair of Koss TD-61 headphones that I had for almost 15 years before they finally gave up. The UR18 seems to use the same drivers as the TD-61 so the overall sound is very similar. The headphones have a moderate bass forward sound, which makes them ideal for electronic, lounge, pop, and hip hop music. They tend to sound a little flat with rock, metal, and post-hardcore music but sound is still perfectly acceptable. I use these as daily headphones at the office so they see about 6 hours of use per day, thus far I have found them to be quite lightweight and comfortable. The long chord allows for great mobility without unplugging. Build quality is reasonable for the price, and certainly adequate for desk use. As another review mentioned they do seem to have a relatively high impedance and require a bit of power to drive; my PC has no problem, but most phones / portable music players will need to be around 75% for reasonable volumes.
Overall, these are a great value, particularly if you like electronic music!
Review by Shift /
(Posted on 2/14/2017)
Exceptional value; Commuter friendly
Overall
Koss is still the best value on the market. I've had my UR-18's for about ten years of hard use. Replaced the cord 5 years ago and have since been sharing them with my toddlers. Sound is still clear, and OMG the RANGE! Strong bass tickles through the headband without being fuzzy in my ears. Reproduction is clear enough to hear guitar string scrapes and other subtle studio noise. They are hard to drive - my ipod volume usually has to stay in the 75-100% range. I used to wear these on my daily train commute. I don't know about the noise-cancelling claims, but these are not battery operated and have no internal noise cancelling circuitry. However! In practice, all external noise magically isolates you from the surrounding madness. The best feature is that you can turn them up to deafening and no noise leaks to the other passengers! The folding mechanism makes the best of a bad situation and is mostly holding out (the center hinge snapped wayback and is now perfectly fine with electrical tape). Be mindful and always pack them on top and these will astound you for many years.
Pros: Excellent range and isolation
Cons: Low impedance needs a decent amp to drive them.
Review by TubeAmpCrafter /
(Posted on 2/22/2015)
Awesome headphones
Overall
These headphones are awesome. The cord is really long. They aren't tight. Great product. I've been a Koss user for a few years now. I will never buy any other headphone brand!
Pros: Great sound, great fit, not too tight, super long cord
Cons: None!
Review by Crystal /
(Posted on 2/20/2013)
great headphones!
Overall
I've used them on our church’s sound board for a long time and let me tell you... you just can't beat them! Amazing sound long cord noise cancelling great fitting comfortable headphones!!!
Review by churchDJ#2 /
(Posted on 8/9/2012)