In 1958, John Koss teamed up with Martin Lange to develop the Model 390 Phonograph, to show at a hi-fi show in Milwaukee. Included with this phonograph was a pair of headphones, meant only to be used as an accessory; but their success was so resounding that Koss decided to launch these first headphones for personal use within the audio industry. A brand with a lifetime warranty.
The SP-3 model was the first high-fidelity headphone to deliver wide-range stereo sound. In the 1960s, Koss headphones were on the ears of the music world. Celebrities such as Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé and Les Brown were some of its users. In this era the Koss Corporation earned presidential recognition, as in 1969 the Pro-4 model was installed on Air Force One (the legendary plane of the US president) during the Nixon Administration; this success was repeated when the aircraft was upgraded during the Reagan Administration.
By 1970 Koss had broadened its market, expanding internationally, and had established itself as the headphone industry standard with notable new models. The PRO/4AA, introduced in 1970, set a new standard, as its design represented a great advance for the time, with a one-inch voice coil, which made them practically indestructible. After more than forty years this headphone model is still in production and in the same good health as on day one.
The company went on improving, perfecting and reinventing the world of headphones in the decades that followed. The PortaPro, introduced in 1984, set the standard for portable listening. This model combines a design with clear ’80s traits that is foldable, highly functional and has excellent 3D sound, making it the ideal headphone for sound fanatics. It remains a popular model today.
In 1986 it introduced the JCK/200, one of the industry’s first wireless infrared models.
In July 1989, Koss unveiled its new lifetime warranty policy, the only one of its kind in the headphone industry. Innovation continued in the 1990s, when sound was taken to a new level with the introduction of the ESP/950 electrostatic model, defined as "the pinnacle of audio reproduction systems. The standard against which all other electrostatic headphones can be measured." It is a professional distortion-free system that pushes the limits of the most sophisticated instruments that try to measure its performance. "The result is an experience no other stereo system can come close to, and it is used in the world’s most important acoustic analysis laboratories, such as Cambridge and other major universities," say representatives of Franval, its distributor in Spain.
Another Koss innovation was the KSC/35 SportClip of 1995, one of the first products to replace the headband.
In recent decades Koss has continued working and contributing innovations, such as the wireless Tugo model and hugely popular products like the Plug and Spark Plug, "perfect headphones for stage monitoring, as they offer accurate acoustic reproduction and incredible isolation, as well as a high sound pressure level."
