[takato14]

I recently re-cabled a Pro4AAA for the first time. I think there is a difference but it's hard to gauge because I have to adjust the placement of the original pads on my ears. There is a boost to the sound but that is all I can say at this point.

Old wires get corroded and oxidized over time, and in cases of low impedance headphones it's very possible to hear noticeable differences when they're replaced. The 4AAA used poor wires, but it had high impedance transducers so the only thing you should be noticing is more volume.

 

[hinspect]

Earpads on PRO4AAA are different from all the others, don't let anyone convince you otherwise! The side that goes toward the front is less rounded. Koss has the replacement cushions in stock. I got a set by emailing the company customer service. As of June 2014 the pair of them cost $5.00 and ended up here in a couple of days. I don't see how they can do that for five dollars! They are VERY high quality, and you just peel off the paper and stick them on. I believe the originals claimed to be liquid filled but replacements appear to be soft adaptable foam. At that price I was tempted to get spares but would probably lose them by the time I needed them again. Koss has excellent repair and customer service.

 

[dwayniac]

Earpads on PRO4AAA are different from all the others, don't let anyone convince you otherwise! The side that goes toward the front is less rounded. Koss has the replacement cushions in stock. I got a set by emailing the company customer service. As of June 2014 the pair of them cost $5.00 and ended up here in a couple of days. I don't see how they can do that for five dollars! They are VERY high quality, and you just peel off the paper and stick them on. I believe the originals claimed to be liquid filled but replacements appear to be soft adaptable foam. At that price I was tempted to get spares but would probably lose them by the time I needed them again. Koss has excellent repair and customer service.

I want to see a photo of these pads.

 

[DkossZoSo]

I want to see a photo of these pads.

Here they are.

 

[dwayniac]

I have ordered those pads before. They fit for the most part but they feel like suction cups on my ears.

 

[DaveK1977]

I have ordered those pads before. They fit for the most part but they feel like suction cups on my ears.

They are.  Those old Koss models rely on getting a tight seal to sound good, and they get a seal so tight that I have to lift the cushion every once in a while to let the pressure/vacuum normalize.  I'm a big fan of how my vintage Pro 4AA sounds sometimes, but comfort isn't its strong suit.  My next vintage Koss buy will certainly be one of the HV models to see if I can get a similar sound with an open and more comfortable headphone.

 

[Dman23]

Evening all. Have an original set of the Koss Pro 4AAA Plus with all the old age symptoms described in this thread. Particularly the deflated earpads, stretched cabling. Am not sure if my connector is original. I may have repaired it myself in the 80s...literally can't recall but I've had these since high school in early 80s.
Question: any resources still avalable in 2015 for a repair just for nostalgia reasons? I'd be happy to send off if parts were available.

I own 6-7 HPs including HD414s from that decade too (?) plus now HPs like Momentum, HD700, Beyer DT770s, Phillips X2, Grado new 80 series.

Anyone believe this is possible?

Thanks.

 

[Zombie_X]

Koss still have repair parts for these on hand. Last time I was there, they told me they still have the original molds for repairing the cups. I recently picked up new ear pads and a cable for mine online, though the cable was not from Koss. I do have an extra original cable on hand if you'd like it.

 

[Dman23]

Thanks much. I should have updated this thread but they emailed me last Monday to say I could "have them repaired / replaced for $9 S&H". Don't further info other than that.
Was going to do this since they are really unusable at the moment. I don't expect much but for $10 bucks.....

 

[schmalgausen]

  Koss still have repair parts for these on hand. Last time I was there, they told me they still have the original molds for repairing the cups. I recently picked up new ear pads and a cable for mine online, though the cable was not from Koss. I do have an extra original cable on hand if you'd like it.

Unfortunately new cushions which Koss send are not the same as original. They have usual foam inside. 

 

[1Jason4U]

A few months back, I went to use my Pro/4AAAs that I hadn't used in years (been in the family since when they first came out and still have th original box, papers, and extension cord), and they wouldn't work. I thought maybe it was my JVC VR-5660 receiver (hooked to my top of the line 70s speakers that cost a whopping $800 a piece at that time), but I tried them and they were dead.

So, I called up KOSS and told them of how much they meant to me, and they told me to send them in with $9 check and they'd take a look at them. Well, they came back completely restored, even a new cord attached and new gel earcups, just like they originally came with! I plugged her in to my JVC and they sounded like the day they were bought!

 

[takato14]

 I plugged her in to my JVC and they sounded like the day they were bought!

No they didn't. If you sent them to Koss they replaced the drivers with a redesigned, new production version.
 
What that means is the sound went from this:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/KossPro4AAA.pdf
 
To this:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/KossPro4AA2014.pdf
 
Not good. The original 4AAA is much much better than a "restored" (more like butchered IMO) one from Koss. If you enjoy them then great, more power to you, but I seriously lack respect for Koss when they started pulling **** like this. They have already remade a version of the 1970s driver for the 4AAAT, there is no reason they can't put a new driver with the original 4AAA design in the headphone. Literally none whatsoever. It'd be even cheaper than making the 4AAAT drivers since they don't have to plate the diaphragm in titanium. Ridiculous.

 

[davidst]

I think the fact that they took a pair of 40 year old headphones and did a total restoration for free, is commendable.
Granted not the original drivers but they could have done like every other company and said well that is only for the
"life of the product" and we don't sell them anymore.
Besides you are comparing the two different models.
Not the "repaired" with new drivers.
I had a old pair of Pro 4x/Plus that I sent in,
they no longer had the ear cushions for these
well they sent me a new pair of 4aa.
Who can complain, how can you possibly complain about that?
Well I can't.

 

[takato14]

 
I had a old pair of Pro 4x/Plus that I sent in,
they no longer had the ear cushions for these
well they sent me a new pair of 4aa.
Who can complain, how can you possibly complain about that?
Well I can't.

I can, the new 4AA is awful. The old one is far superior. Save the money you'd spend shipping them to Koss and get one off ebay for $20.

 

[Dman23]

A quick follow up... I suppose my original 1980s (I believe) 4aaa series HPs were in bad enough condition that they said, heck we can't help this guy, let's ship him something new. What I got were the green colored, TANK-like, Pro 4AA series which I admit are terrible. I own 7 HPs from HD700s to Grado SR 80 series. They were only $10 essentially but if you care about fidelity, aesthetics, comfort, and overall "fun", it's not found in these. I appreciate the effort but these are bad guys. I hate that I lost my original set from high school but they weren't working and had problems.

I'm not upset but I won't ever use these.