Наушники — Koss Plug Colors

The Plug Colors is a wired in-ear headphone from Koss sold in six colours - Deep Red, Black, Deep Blue, Light Green, Deep Orange and White. It is a coloured version of the Koss Plug, which the company describes as a first of its kind when it arrived - a stereo, noise-isolating in-ear headphone intended to give the kind of isolation normally associated with high-end closed headphones. The current list price is USD 17.99, and like all wired Koss models the Koss Limited Lifetime Warranty is included.

Key specs that matter

Koss rates the Plug Colors at 50 ohms with a sensitivity of 103 dB SPL for 1 mW, a frequency response of 10 Hz to 20,000 Hz and distortion below 0.3 percent. A dual-entry straight cord 1.2 m long is attached, terminating in a standard 3.5 mm jack. As a passive wired design it has no battery, so there is no playback time to quote, and no microphone or remote is listed.

Engineering and use context

The layout differs from a typical earbud. The dynamic element sits just outside the ear and feeds a tubular port that inserts into a soft, expandable foam cushion. Once the cushion is placed in the ear canal it expands to form a custom fit, and Koss states that this seal improves isolation by blocking ambient sound. Because the element stays outside the canal, the part that enters the ear is only the tube and the foam. The foam cushions are the parts that wear, and Koss sells replacement cushions for its in-ear range. The dual-entry cord runs to each earpiece separately and is fixed rather than detachable. The six colour options are the only difference Koss lists between the models in the Plug Colors range, all sharing the same price and specification.

Pairing

The Plug Colors needs no amplifier and plugs into smartphones, tablets, notebooks and music players. Devices lacking an analogue socket need a dongle for USB-C or Lightning, and a 6.3 mm adapter allows use with a full-size jack on a home amplifier or receiver. Being passive, it also works with handheld game consoles and in-flight entertainment sockets that accept a mini-jack plug, with a two-prong airline adapter where required. The noise-isolating seal makes the model a fit for commuting and travel where outside noise would otherwise compete with the source.

Alternatives

The Koss Sparkplug is another wired in-ear model using slow-memory hydrophilic urethane foam cushions, at USD 19.99.