Koss introduces Cobalt Bluetooth headphones

Although Koss may not be a frequent name here at Engadget, it has hung around and delivered a few quality offerings, the latest of which has been dubbed Cobalt. These wireless streetstyle (i.e. wrap around your dome) stereo headphones aren't particularly elaborate in any one sense, but they do manage to fold away nicely for portable storage and, of course, sport Bluetooth. While there are quite a few alternatives out there tailored for iPod use, Koss is apparently marketing these as the end-all solution to your wireless earphone needs -- by thoughtfully including a USB Bluetooth dongle, a 3.5mm Bluetooth transmitter, a 3.5mm extension cable, and a USB charging cable, you're able to utilize the 'phones on pretty much anything. Touted as being right at home on your PC, CD / DVD player, DAP, media player, and basically everywhere you can jam a USB device or 3.5mm jack in, the Cobalt isn't lacking in the utility department. You'll get 8 hours of easy listening from the rechargeable battery, and Koss even flaunts its ability to "simultaneously pair" with cellphones in order to both hear callers and listen to music without a hitch (but how much good is this really without a built-in microphone?). If you're searching for a Bluetooth headset that can play nice with basically any music player, and you trust these things will actually sound halfway decent, the Koss Cobalt can be picked up now for $179.99.

[Jeff @ Aug 12th 2006 6:20AM]

I don't know if Koss still has it, but my R-80 headphones have a lifetime warranty. The first pair lasted from about 2000-2003. The second pair, replaced for only shipping fees, is still hanging from the side of my desk.

Look into it. I believe they have a lifetime warranty on all of their products.

[Richard @ Aug 12th 2006 6:30AM]

I had a koss tape player in the mid 90's. It cost $15. It ate $45 worth of tapes. not to mention those mixtapes that took me hours of radio listening with a finger on the pause button. I'm still traumatized.

[Xarj @ Aug 12th 2006 7:00AM]

I have an old pair of KOSS TD/75 i use to record my music. But i'm desperate need for new headphones as my old material is falling apart. The Cobalt Bluetooth headphones are a little expensive! 180 $ ! I'm gonna look around for cheaper headphones. Any recommandations? Wireless is cool but not mandatory.
Meanwhile i continue creating music which i post on my blog http://www.xarj.net

[John @ Mar 2nd 2008 6:11PM]

I also have Koss TD/75 headphones with the padding shredding. In fact the headband broke just above one of the ear pieces. I sent them back to Koss and for $6 they replaced them. So if you still have them they should be covered under the warranty too.

[Ari @ Aug 12th 2006 7:20AM]

Koss makes some of the best headphones around. I still have a pair of PortaPro's from 1999 hanging around. Their lifetime warranty can't be beat and usually neither can the sound quality for the price. However, the stupidest thing Koss ever did was to liscence their name to some crappy electronics company to peddle cheap cd players and whatnot. Just remember the headphones are the real Koss and everything else is just a cheap knockoff with their name.

[z @ Aug 12th 2006 7:55AM]

Yep, Koss used to make really good headphones (usually very ugly, but there is always a downside..), hope these follow the tradition.

[Richard Lai @ Aug 12th 2006 9:02AM]

Jeff:
Quoted from Koss' website: "Built to last, the Cobalt™ is covered under Koss' No*Questions*Asked Lifetime Warranty - the only warranty of its kind in the stereophone industry."

And I believe the Cobalt will be very similar to the Jabra BT620s which has a built-in microphone; otherwise it would be really stupid.

[mo-mo @ Aug 12th 2006 9:19AM]

I still have my Porta Pros from 1981. They were my replacement headphones for 1st gen. Walkman (Love!) They're as great as they're fugly.

[Chip @ Aug 12th 2006 9:34AM]

I think a very important unknown is how good these headphones sound compared to the other BlueTooth headphones already on the market. Has anybody actually listened to these yet (and also listened to one or more other BlueTooth headphones for comparison)?

[mike @ Aug 12th 2006 9:49AM]

Just the other day I was planning to buy a pair of bluetooth headphone for my macbook, but I found out the MAC does not support A2DP high quality bluetooth connection.

[ Whattt!??!! yes, but in the new leopard there will be more innovative features like notes and to-do! ]

anyway I bought the sennheizer rs 140.

[Theitnguy @ Aug 12th 2006 11:04AM]

Sound halfway decent? Koss is known as one of the best headphone creators out there. I am sure it will far far far better than halfway decent.

[Slash @ Aug 12th 2006 11:29AM]

@Xarj
Ive been looking around for Bluetooth headphones for about 2 weeks now and i'll tell you theses new Koss ones are as good as it gets.
but here are some others you may wanna look at.

Creative Wireless Headphones SL3100
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=243&subcategory=248&product=14603
The Good: there's a Dual Mode where you can plug a cord in and use them as normal headphones without the bluetooth.
The Bad: Only comes with a 3.5mm jack. No usb dongle.
Price: around $110

Logitech Wireless Headphones for Pc
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B622D6/sr=1-75/qid=1155181410/ref=sr_1_75/103-3629159-4968603?ie=UTF8&m=A2JUPN4BTA3CZV&s=electronics
The Good: Only $49.99! It also has a usb dongle that allows you to control just about any music player
Windows Media Player 9, Musicmatch 9.0, iTunes 4, RealPlayer 10, WinAmp 5 and all the versons above those.
The Bad: They were discontinued by logitech do to them being VERY fraggle. If you read the reviews on amazon just about everyone has had them break. There is a way to fix them if you read some of the reviews, but it might be a little risky.

There are a few more but those were the ones i was really thinking about. Now i think i'll just get these Koss headphones XD

[sphrog @ Aug 12th 2006 11:30AM]

If you're looking for a good pair of Bluetooth stereo phones, I'd recommend the BlueAnt X5. I don't think engadget had an article on them, so here's the link: http://www.myblueant.com/x5_stereo_bluetooth_headset_headphones_a2dp.htm

They sound great, have pretty good battery life (~12-15 hours, enough to get me through the workday at least) and can pair up with other devices surprisingly easily. The included transmitter works like a charm, too, if your device isn't already bluetooth-enabled, although it's a little more bulk to have to carry around if you're looking for complete portability.

I think the phones themselves actually look pretty nice, and I don't feel like a dweeb wearing them around places. It's got an optional little microphone attachment for cellphone use, though I've yet to really explore that feature--the only real downside of the phone for me is that it apparently can't stream microphone input back to the computer without having to switch into a very scratchy, lossy "voice mode", so it's hardly ideal for chatting on Ventrillo (although I suppose it'd probably work pretty well for Skype).

The only other flaw I'd note is that the fold-up plastic band of the headphones is a little on the flimsy side, so you can't really stand them up perfectly when they're folded up. However, at around $130, and with voice capability built-in, I think they're a much better option than these Koss (tin) cans.

[Space @ Aug 12th 2006 12:27PM]

Look, I don't know about everyone else but I bought a pair of BT Phones from Brookstones once for use with my pda. At firs they were great but as I used them I realized that the sound would go out every minute or so for just a second and get exponentially more frequent from then on. Not to mention I couldn't even wave my hand in between the 2 devices or put my pda in my pocket without interrupting the signal. So I took them back! Some seriously tell me, did they ever fix that problem????? I'd love to know as I love the idea of bt headphones. TY.

[hydrogen_wv @ Aug 12th 2006 9:53PM]

I love Koss. I have a couple sets of headphones.. one cheap pair (still good quality) and a set of $50 "studio style" headphones about 10 years ago that still work great, even after many hours of use at full volume...

I also had a Koss portable cassette player, and although it didnt sound the best it was indestructible, surviving many 5ft+ falls. It never ate a tape either. YOu don't hear much about Koss, but they make quality electronics... $180 for headphones though? Although i'd rather spend my money on something rad like this than my college textbooks, I've got to settle for $10 earbuds.

[Richard Lai @ Aug 13th 2006 3:18AM]

Space:

Let me guess: you were trying to use your BT headphones with a Pocket PC, right? It seems to be a common problem, especially with the earlier Pocket PC phones - even with my HTC Universal! The AUK2 software update still doesn't work well with my Jabra BT620s - it only works when I reset the device, meaning it is probably to do with the processing memory.

[Galley @ Aug 13th 2006 4:54AM]

I'm assuming these are Bluetooth 2.0.

"Going wireless has never been so easy. The Koss Cobalt uses advanced Bluetooth frequency-hopping technology for interface-free audio."

[Sir Farts-a-Lot @ Aug 13th 2006 11:32PM]

Does anyone know if these bluetooth headphones can be used for a headphone party? As in, several headphones listening to the same transmitter?

[Kerry Mohrbacher @ Aug 14th 2006 8:40AM]

Koss...Koss...Oh yeah, the headphone guys. Seems to me that they come out with something new every 5 years or so. I think last time it was Titanium on their speakers. Problem is, everything looks like it was styled in the 70's, and they weigh a ton!

If you're going to use these indoors, great. Good luck taking them outside. They're about as comfortable as a wedgie.

No, they don't have a microphone, so you can listen to the conversation on your cell or via Skype, but you can't respond. That shortsightedness shows a company that hasn't been able to innovate since the porta-pro in the early 80's, and at $170 I can get the Jabra or Plantronics unit and have a total solution. They don't weigh a ton either!

[Gorilla800lbs @ Aug 14th 2006 9:40AM]

Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970: ear-plug style, discreet and doesn't make you look like a dweeb with these huge earcans everyone else is making. Phone-centric but works fine for music just as well. Quite afforable at $110.

[Nicole Wichert @ Aug 14th 2006 9:41AM]

The Koss Cobalt is equipped with a built-in microphone which allows use with Bluetooth enabled cell phones.

[Kerry Mohrbacher @ Aug 14th 2006 11:03AM]

Nicole, you are correct. Colbalt does have a microphone. I'm curious to know what kind of mic it is, as you get an ungodly amount of external noise when you use it. Perhaps making just headphones makes them incapable of using a noise-reducing directional microphone that even the most basic aucoustical engineer would.

The main problem is still their weight and bulk, but hey it's Koss what else would you expect.

[Sir Farts-a-Lot @ Aug 14th 2006 10:23PM]

Why has no one responded to by question? Is it because I fart a lot? Discrimination against the flatutelenty-challenged! I'll sue the lot of you...this is a human-rights case! Fartalists like gadgets too! boo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

Oh, the humanity! *faaarts*

[Carla @ Sep 1st 2006 8:08AM]

I just got these in the mail yesterday. I'm a little disappointed in them. The sound quality is great but the transmitter required batteries! Also, they don't transmit between cube walls very well. I have my ipod on top of my cabinet and still cannot walk to our printer (about 15 feet away without them breaking up). I finally got them to fit comfortably on my ears and my hair covers up the sight of them. They also seem to be made a little flimsy for as much as they cost.

I loved my Logitech wireless and if they didn't break so soon, I would still have them. The design was great and I could walk anywhere between cubes, walls, etc. without the sound going out. Too bad their design was flimsy.