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Koss SB49 Communication Stereophone
See it at Amazon.com for $26.77Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent headset!!
(5 out of 5) by Mathew Chacko on Dec 16, 2008 (Staten Island, NY)This is the first headset I've bought in a long time (3-4 years), so I wasn't sure how it would feel after such a hiatus. KOSS's SB49 showed me how much I had missed.
Looks/Construction:
Very nicely made, plastic shell/headband and volume controls, looks fairly durable...only time will tell. The volume control is very conveniently placed, has good range, and is very useful for on-the-fly adjustments.
Comfort/Sound:
I used two sources of audio to test Comfort and sound quality: Music and games.
MUSIC: One thing I noticed immediately was the strong bass presence. This is an excellent headset for ANY kind of music. I tried it with orchestra, rock, jazz, lounge and dance. Bass is very strong, nice highs+mids, I was able to hear flute and clarinet without having to strain. It's easy to wear these for hours without even noticing you had them on!
GAMES: I tried the headset with three games: Red Orchestra, Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2. I was simply blown away at the quality of sound. Especially in Red Orchestra, I was amazed by the clear cracks of gunfire. The positional audio is okay, but there's no real dramatic positional effects. The rumbling of tanks and explosions was made very clear and enjoyable with the strong bass. Voice quality (from both characters and voice chat) is also very excellent.
COMFORT: I usually play games for 2+ hours at a time, so wearing 'phones that deliver great sound quality without hurting my ears are a must. This headset does a pretty good job at this. It's a little heavy on the ears, and makes them sweat a LITTLE, and I usually have to take a small break every hour to rub my ears, but it's not bad at all, considering the excellent sound quality. The leather cushions around the ears make it a very satisfactory listening experience, and even have a slight noise-cancelling effect.
THE MIC: This isn't something I've used often before, but now I use it all the time in my games! I recorded a few phrases in Audacity to test its quality/volume, and it delivers! Very good quality, no static at all. The ONLY thing I would have liked better is if the wire were more flexible so I could adjust it to my liking. But this is only a minor grievance.
In conclusion, this is a great headset for a great price, quality sound+comfort, it will last you quite a while!!
Looks/Construction:
Very nicely made, plastic shell/headband and volume controls, looks fairly durable...only time will tell. The volume control is very conveniently placed, has good range, and is very useful for on-the-fly adjustments.
Comfort/Sound:
I used two sources of audio to test Comfort and sound quality: Music and games.
MUSIC: One thing I noticed immediately was the strong bass presence. This is an excellent headset for ANY kind of music. I tried it with orchestra, rock, jazz, lounge and dance. Bass is very strong, nice highs+mids, I was able to hear flute and clarinet without having to strain. It's easy to wear these for hours without even noticing you had them on!
GAMES: I tried the headset with three games: Red Orchestra, Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2. I was simply blown away at the quality of sound. Especially in Red Orchestra, I was amazed by the clear cracks of gunfire. The positional audio is okay, but there's no real dramatic positional effects. The rumbling of tanks and explosions was made very clear and enjoyable with the strong bass. Voice quality (from both characters and voice chat) is also very excellent.
COMFORT: I usually play games for 2+ hours at a time, so wearing 'phones that deliver great sound quality without hurting my ears are a must. This headset does a pretty good job at this. It's a little heavy on the ears, and makes them sweat a LITTLE, and I usually have to take a small break every hour to rub my ears, but it's not bad at all, considering the excellent sound quality. The leather cushions around the ears make it a very satisfactory listening experience, and even have a slight noise-cancelling effect.
THE MIC: This isn't something I've used often before, but now I use it all the time in my games! I recorded a few phrases in Audacity to test its quality/volume, and it delivers! Very good quality, no static at all. The ONLY thing I would have liked better is if the wire were more flexible so I could adjust it to my liking. But this is only a minor grievance.
In conclusion, this is a great headset for a great price, quality sound+comfort, it will last you quite a while!!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Great headset for a cheaper price
(4 out of 5) by N. Fitzgerald on Mar 1, 2008 (Iowa, USA)Koss SB49 Communication Stereophone
The only major flaw to this, really, is the size. Some people dont like those bigger headsets, i dont mind personally. Even though its big, its comfortable, nice big oval shape ensures that it doesnt rest on your ears. The long mic is precurved to stick out infront, right to the side of your mouth. And the volume control is nice (its just a cheapy slider, not a round dial like most), but lacks a mic mute switch/button.
The product is great for a cheaper headset, highly recommended. Puts bass sound out very well, too.
The only major flaw to this, really, is the size. Some people dont like those bigger headsets, i dont mind personally. Even though its big, its comfortable, nice big oval shape ensures that it doesnt rest on your ears. The long mic is precurved to stick out infront, right to the side of your mouth. And the volume control is nice (its just a cheapy slider, not a round dial like most), but lacks a mic mute switch/button.
The product is great for a cheaper headset, highly recommended. Puts bass sound out very well, too.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Koss SB49 Headset
(5 out of 5) by Michael S. Perry on Oct 24, 2008 (Webb City, MO.)Excellent product!! Great sound quality, and microphone performance is absolutely flawless. I use this headset for internet radio broadcasting, and mic performance is very critical.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Amazing.. Crystal Clear Voice..
(5 out of 5) by Aragorn on Mar 26, 2009 (Saint Louis, USA)These are my first headphone since coming to the US. and trust me they are really good. for the 35$ including shipping i have paid, i feel its worth every penny and more.
The sound clarity is amazing, in fifa 2009 for the first time i could actually hear the rain drops during the football match, which usually drown with the crowd chants. i was amazed at that.
During VOip calls with skype, again crystal clear coverage and the people on the other end also found the sound from my side very clear.
I would recommend this product to anyone who asks me, lifetime warranty for the win!!
The sound clarity is amazing, in fifa 2009 for the first time i could actually hear the rain drops during the football match, which usually drown with the crowd chants. i was amazed at that.
During VOip calls with skype, again crystal clear coverage and the people on the other end also found the sound from my side very clear.
I would recommend this product to anyone who asks me, lifetime warranty for the win!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Great Headset..great price...
(4 out of 5) by M. DelaPena on Aug 28, 2009 (Tampa, florida United States)Lots of reviewers have given their feed back on how well this headset works. And it truly does work very well. The bass is really what sets it aside from other headsets. The comfort level is unsurpassed unless you have a very large head. Their is no pressure on the ears what-so-ever. The only thing is the heat that your body will generate wearing them. Of course you will get a custom to this after a wearing them for a while. But make no mistake your ears well get warm.
Extremely well built in my opinion. So you might ask then why 4 stars??? Well the mic is not adjustable at all. The boom swings up completely and thats perfect but not in or out. Now... in its defense the mic performs very well. Crisp and deep sounds are flawless. I will be using them for normal functions on my PC but will also use them for virtual classrooms. There was one reviewer that mentioned not being able to hear your voice when speaking into the mic. Like cupping your hears or having water in them. This can be easily fixed by clicking on the speaker icon in your taskbar and checking the "MIC" box. Voila sound!!! Just like the effect when using a normal home phone. All in all I am very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it to all who want a quality headset.
Extremely well built in my opinion. So you might ask then why 4 stars??? Well the mic is not adjustable at all. The boom swings up completely and thats perfect but not in or out. Now... in its defense the mic performs very well. Crisp and deep sounds are flawless. I will be using them for normal functions on my PC but will also use them for virtual classrooms. There was one reviewer that mentioned not being able to hear your voice when speaking into the mic. Like cupping your hears or having water in them. This can be easily fixed by clicking on the speaker icon in your taskbar and checking the "MIC" box. Voila sound!!! Just like the effect when using a normal home phone. All in all I am very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it to all who want a quality headset.