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Koss Pro 4AA Headphones Review
Koss is an icon in the headphone industry, and deservedly so! I’ve loved basically every Koss product I’ve ever used, from the classic Porta Pro to the stunningly neutral KPH30i to the surprisingly comfy and cheap UR20.
The company has a long history of making excellent and important audio gear. About 50 years ago, they launched the Pro 4AA, a large and rugged set of studio headphones that’s remained on the market for nearly that entire span of time. It started out with fluid-filled ear pads that have since been replaced with foam, and it’s had a few branding and cosmetic updates to bring it line with Koss’s current look…but otherwise the pairs you can buy now carry the same design legacy as the originals.
In theory, headphones should be able to stand the test of time, especially if they can reproduce the entire audible spectrum of sound. Many studio classics endure for decades, from more modern favorites like the M50X to older stalwarts like the MDR V6/7506 and the DT150.
As long as a headphone is still comfortable, durable, and relatively accurate, I don’t care if it was designed before or after my own birth in 1984.
The Koss Pro 4AA’s nail the durable build…and fail so hard at every other important aspect that they’re one of the absolute worst headphones I’ve tested in my years as a reviewer.
Note: I bought this pair of headphones with my own money and wasn’t sponsored or paid by Koss to write this. None of the links in this piece are affiliate links as I don’t believe in the practice.
OVERVIEW
The Koss Pro 4AA is a closed-back studio headphone with an 8 foot coiled cable that sells for around $80 online, depending on which way the Amazon winds are blowing. You can see its official site here.
Getting them out of the box is the first of many un-fun challenges awaiting you. The coiled cable is sleeved in a plastic bag that’s secured tightly at both ends with copious amounts of tremendously sticky tape, and once you finally get it free you’ll almost…
