Back in November, I wrote about my love for the Koss KPH30i headphones. I also wrote about how they were my second pair since I snapped the first pair by putting them on my head with one hand.

So, guess what happened to my second pair over the Christmas holidays. That’s right. They snapped, again. But this time I was treating them like a baby bird, and they still snapped. Which was too bad because I really liked using the KPH30i as my daily driver living room headphones. They sounded great for their reasonable price, and they were light enough where it didn’t bother me wearing them most of the day.

I needed to replace them, but I wasn’t going to buy another pair of the KPH30is. Which, I felt bad about since Koss themselves gave me a like on Bluesky about my KPH30i review.

Well, I didn’t feel too bad because I went straight back to Koss. I mean, I am a fan of the Porta-Pros (affiliate link) already. I have a pair that I use when I’m trying to fall asleep to music. I even bought Lady Gray a pair of her own for Christmas. But, the Porta-Pros can become a little uncomfortable if I wear them for hours at a time.

So, instead, I went with the Koss KPH40. (affiliate link)

So what makes the KPH40 so different from the KPH30i? Well, while the headband might be thinner, it’s made of metal, which, hopefully, makes it less likely to snap. I also went with the KPH40s from the Utility Series. This gives you a replaceable cable, and you can buy other cables if you need to plug them into USB-C or (ugh) Lightning.

Once again, I recommend replacing the stock earpads and get yourself some Yaxi Pads. (affiliate link) As you can see, I went once again with the red and blue. They make the headphones even more comfortable and open up the sound stage, at least in my opinion. With the KPH40, the Yaxi Pads slide right on, so you shouldn’t need a tutorial video.

And also again, so I don’t have to be tethered to my laptop while I’m constantly letting the dog out, or getting the cats to stop scratching the furniture, I’ve paired the headphones with the inexpensive HiBy Bluetooth 5.2 receiver that doubles as a USB DAC. (affiliate link)

Again, If you’re interested in purchasing any of the products mentioned above, please consider using the provided Amazon affiliate links. Your support helps sustain both me and the website.

Happy listening!