Just received these today...most definitely not 10 lbs, so if Massdrop is actually reporting a higher shipping weight for the sake of boosting profits through shipping costs, then that is definitely not cool.
As far as unboxing went, I was rather shocked to see the inner clamshell box was just cardboard. I've seen $20-50 headphones come more stylishly accessorized then this, I was expecting at least a pleather clamshell box for $250. I also got the impression these were just rotting away in some warehouse, as the edges of the pleather carrying case was already peeling from mine. Also as some mentioned, I'm quite shocked at the reality of how poor the quality of the cord is. The $5 Monk earphones I recently backed have a cord that's 10x better than what's on these KDE250s. Many of Koss' own cheaper headphones, like the Porta Pro, have better cords than this $250 model.
As far as the fit goes, on my first initial insert, I immediately thought there was no way these were going to work...they felt huge in my ears and totally hurt. I've used front firing driver headphones before though, so after I tried backing them way out, and just inserting the tip only into my ear loosely, the fit felt much better. I wear glasses, and used the longest hooks. I discovered that one thing that helps to lock them to the ears better, is to give the buds a counterclockwise twist after insertion. This also helps to increase the midrange and bass.
As for the most important part, the sound...no question about it, the drivers on these things are no slouches. They have incredible transparency in the upper treble to upper mids, and are capable of easily revealing nuances in recordings you might not have noticed before. This is not a warm, midrange-centric earphone...most of the energy is concentrated in the upper midrange/lower treble area, which can lead some to think it's bright. These don't sound as bright and fatiguing as Grados to me for instance, and I have not heard any sibilance so far through them. The bass is quick and punchy, probably some of the best and strongest I've heard in an open air bud form, but definitely isn't as strong as what IEMs and headphones can output. The forward upper mids, lean midrange, and punchy bass makes the KDE250s sound analytical and lean overall, definitely not warm and fuzzy. As you would expect, being so open, these throw a decently wide soundstage, but very little front to back ambiance. The front firing drivers also give the soundstage a strange hollowness that I had to adjust to initially.
Overall, I like these...at $99 I figured I could easily flip these if I didn't like them, but I will likely be keeping these. I'm an earbud fanatic as I use these at work in a cubicle environment, where I have to be able to hear others, and one of my annoyances with earbuds is how they all feel loose in my ears. The KDE250 solves that problem nicely. These are most definitely not worth $250, neither in build or sound quality, and I would say even $99 is too high. These sound closer to being worth $75 IMO.
As far as unboxing went, I was rather shocked to see the inner clamshell box was just cardboard. I've seen $20-50 headphones come more stylishly accessorized then this, I was expecting at least a pleather clamshell box for $250. I also got the impression these were just rotting away in some warehouse, as the edges of the pleather carrying case was already peeling from mine. Also as some mentioned, I'm quite shocked at the reality of how poor the quality of the cord is. The $5 Monk earphones I recently backed have a cord that's 10x better than what's on these KDE250s. Many of Koss' own cheaper headphones, like the Porta Pro, have better cords than this $250 model.
As far as the fit goes, on my first initial insert, I immediately thought there was no way these were going to work...they felt huge in my ears and totally hurt. I've used front firing driver headphones before though, so after I tried backing them way out, and just inserting the tip only into my ear loosely, the fit felt much better. I wear glasses, and used the longest hooks. I discovered that one thing that helps to lock them to the ears better, is to give the buds a counterclockwise twist after insertion. This also helps to increase the midrange and bass.
As for the most important part, the sound...no question about it, the drivers on these things are no slouches. They have incredible transparency in the upper treble to upper mids, and are capable of easily revealing nuances in recordings you might not have noticed before. This is not a warm, midrange-centric earphone...most of the energy is concentrated in the upper midrange/lower treble area, which can lead some to think it's bright. These don't sound as bright and fatiguing as Grados to me for instance, and I have not heard any sibilance so far through them. The bass is quick and punchy, probably some of the best and strongest I've heard in an open air bud form, but definitely isn't as strong as what IEMs and headphones can output. The forward upper mids, lean midrange, and punchy bass makes the KDE250s sound analytical and lean overall, definitely not warm and fuzzy. As you would expect, being so open, these throw a decently wide soundstage, but very little front to back ambiance. The front firing drivers also give the soundstage a strange hollowness that I had to adjust to initially.
Overall, I like these...at $99 I figured I could easily flip these if I didn't like them, but I will likely be keeping these. I'm an earbud fanatic as I use these at work in a cubicle environment, where I have to be able to hear others, and one of my annoyances with earbuds is how they all feel loose in my ears. The KDE250 solves that problem nicely. These are most definitely not worth $250, neither in build or sound quality, and I would say even $99 is too high. These sound closer to being worth $75 IMO.