Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones
by Koss
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List Price: Our Price: $10.48 You Save: $9.51 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones
Customer Review: Beer Budget Audiophile Cans
Summary: 5 Stars
We have 3 pairs of these in my house. My son loves them for his Nano, I use them in place of my $400 Westones when I am looking for an open air headphone to take with me.
And here are a few comments about using the Koss KSC 75s.
1. They are not as efficient as lots of other buds or in ear phones so you will have to turn the volume up to get them to be pretty loud. This can be an issue with many players since some distort way before the "10 level" on the volume control. An amp will help them out immensely if you don't mind carrying a good $100 add on around with your portable setup.
2. They are fairly flat but lack the extreme highs and lows and are mildly recessed in the mids. They will not have hyper exaggerated treble that burns your ears off, so if you like that sort of unnatural analytic quality then stay away. They are just nicely balanced. Do NOT be tempted to EQ your way to a $400 sound signature. Most portable players EQ circuits suck. They add distortion and if you want to punch up the bass you will run out of amp power to cleanly do it way before you might like. It adds loads of distortion from your struggling amp chip.
3. The fit is a bit loose and on the ears. They do not clamp like sealed headphones. To get a proper fit you may need to put these on like sunglasses and swivel the ear clips from a 12 o'clock postion to about 6 o'clock when looking at the side of your head. That keeps them in place and lets them go on a bit easier. You may need to unclip the earclips from the phone itself and bend them slightly outward if you have fatter ears (sorry, all of us don't have the same ears)
4. These are not sealed headphones and will leak music and allow noise to come in. So I would not be using these on an airplane. Not only will you still hear the engine noise, you'll tick off your neighbor. They are good for those folks who run or use where they want to hear what might be going on around you. While running you do not get the footsteps coming through your ear like you do with in the ear deigns. And you can sweat up a storm and take the foam off and wash them.
5. Value- forget about it. You will not find a more well balanced headphone under a $100 in many cases. I have had about 30 headphones and I still like these the best for under $100. More than Sennheisers, Bose, Apple, etc. No wonder they are the most recommended on the ear budget headphones on headfi, the mecca for headphone freaks.
Customer Review: A no brainer for the price. Get them.
Summary: 5 Stars
Getting an iPod is what finally made me look into spending money on decent earphones. I first tried the Sony EX71 because friends said good things, and well, they were white. And they definitely sounded better than the stock Apple earbuds. More (but not necessarily better bass), better midrange, and the nice bonus of some sound insulation. I was satisfied.
As a consequence, I ended up doing more headphone listening at home too (apartment+subwoofer+late night=eviction), so I did some research looking for entry level performance headphones for home use. I ended up getting Alessandro Music Series One headphones (basically a Grado SR125 with mellower highs - also great headphones). The Alessandros were a revelation, as my first serious headphones. The Sony EX71 suddenly became a joke.
Well, after much research, one name kept coming up when it came to nice, cheap portable headphones: Koss. Many models were recommended: KSC35, KSC50, KSC75, PortaPro. I settled on the KSC75 as they're small clip-ons, and they were supposed to have a nice adjustable fit, in addition to fitting securely. I was skeptical though, as they were less than one third what I paid for my Sonys.
The KSC75 looks cheap. I wasn't impressed. But I have an open mind, so I gave them a listen. These suckers can rock! They deliver a really full sound, surprising for the size and price. They absolutely trounce the Apple earbuds and my old Sonys. And not by a narrow margin. The bass is impressive, and commendably tight. The midrange has real body to it. And the highs sound pleasing too. They also improve with a headphone amp, so they even have a little room to grow. I can't imagine anything under $50 sounding better. They don't really have any serious sonic faults in the $50 and under range. Considering the ludicrously low price Amazon is selling them for, nobody in their right mind should have any issue with the way the KSC75 performs. They are a noble backup to my Alessandros.
The KSC75 passed my running test. They fit well, they're easily adjusted, and they're secure. They're also quite comfortable. I also can hear enough around me that I'm aware of traffic.
Negatives: These headphones do not offer any isolation, so if you need that, consider Shure or Etymotic. If you're concerned about style, these also may not suit you. It's like you have little, silver UFOs clipped to your ears. Personally, I'm glad they're not available in "mug me white."
Customer Review: The best headphones ever made.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased these headphones because I had heard about the "Kramer mod" and how it improves the sound quality of them. (Just search for kramer mod ksc75 on google). I have had a pair of Sennheiser HD590 which I paid $150 for about 10 years ago, and my modified KSC75's sound every bit as good as the Sennheisers. Fantastic sound quality and value for the money.
My modification is actually a bit different than the Kramer mod... It involves just taking the plastic protector off completely, and then "sewing" a fishing line over the drivers using the little pegs around the rim which hold the foam pad on. It opens them up and gives them more air and you get a crystal clear sound. Plus you don't have to bother with drilling them. The mod only takes about 15 minutes and is well worth it.
Even if you are too timid to modify them, they sound great out of the box. (But not excellent until you mod them).
They are very comfortable... Just make sure you understand that you can bend the clips to fit your ears better if they are too tight. (The cartilege on my right ear is smaller than my left so it is necessary for me to bend mine to different sizes to make them fit better)
My only complaint about the headphones: They are prone to breakage. I've had two pairs now that either one of the drivers broke, or the connections on the jack broke. The first pair broke from pulling the jack out by the cord. Second pair broke when I slammed them down hard when I was angry... so that was more my fault than that of the headphones.
Piece of advice: Do not pull the jack from the cord, but pull it from the actual plug part, so you put less stress on the cord.
Once your cord/plug/driver is broken, it's almost impossible to solder a new cord on because the wires inside are so thin. (tiny twisted strands and there's only maybe 10 of them)
However, each pair I've had has lasted about 1 year. I'll shortly be buying my third, because even if you factor in needing replacements, they are so inexpensive that it is well worth it. I'll still need to break/replace another 7 pairs before I spend as much on KSC75's as I did on my Sennheisers. :)
I'll try to take better care of the next pair too.
They are wonderful headphones. Highly recommended for anyone... Those on a low budget, entry level listeners, and audio enthusiasts alike.
Try them and be surprised.
Customer Review: Great headphones that meet my needs.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always had a problem finding headphones that I like. I have tried ear-buds, old-fashioned large headphones, the behind the head version of headphones, ear-buds with over the ear holds, etc... but I never really completely liked any of them. Of course some had good sound, but they were uncomfortable or would not stay on my ears - even when I was just sitting still. Then there were some that fit a little better but the sound wasn't as good. I know I could spend more money to buy some nicer headphones, but on my low budget I needed to find something affordable that met my needs. Well, I found that in these KOSS headphones!
Comfort - I think these are some of the most comfortable headphones I have used. I was leery at first, thinking the over-the-ear thing wouldn't work well and either pinch my ear or fall off too easily like so many that I have tried before did. But the simple design of these KOSS headphones work amazingly well, don't pinch my ears, and stay on. They feel like they would fall off, but that is just because they don't put that much pressure on my ears. Of course, your ears may very, but my experience has been great so far.
Sound - I might not have a "professional" ear that can tell a difference between a $300+ pair of headphones and a lower quality - or in this case, just a less expensive pair. But to me, the sound on these phones seem great. I feel like I get a lot of the range that I sometimes felt was missing in other headphones I have used. I get more of the high's and low's that are important to music.
Portability - This was another requirement of mine, I usually take headphones when I am traveling somewhere, I don't usually use them just sitting at home. So I needed a pair that could travel well. Fortunately, these are just the right size. Not too small like some ear buds, where I felt like I would lose them. And not as big as some of the other styles that just don't go into a bag nicely without getting some damage of some sort. Of course, I try to take good care of my things, so I don't typically have problems with worrying about breaking off one of the over-ear pieces, etc.
Overall, I recommend these headphones, they are very inexpensive, comfortable, have great sound especially for the money, and live up to their name of being very portable. You can't really go wrong with these great headphones!
Customer Review: Excellent low-cost headphones
Summary: 5 Stars
I found these headphones about six months ago while looking for a pair of cheap over-the-ear 'phones to replace my old, beloved KSC50s. I'd actually owned two sets of KSC50s beforehand, the first of which lasted for about two years before the cord started to come apart with heavy use and the second of which was starting to have some distortion problems when I turned it up with low bass. I'd loved the sound quality of the 50s, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a similar updated pair that was not only lighter but cheaper by about five bucks.
As other reviewers have said, the design is pretty different from the old versions, and this caught me off guard at first. When I first got them out of the package the 75s felt thin and flimsy compared to the heft of the 50s, and the non-movable ear clip annoyed me a little. Once I put them on, however, I was pretty much blown away. Not only did they fit very comfortably, if a tad loosely, but they sounded great - very similar to the KSC50s, with a great response range, crisp sounds, and an excellent balance as well. These headphones may sell for less than $15 but they don't sound like it. Moreover they are very light and can be worn for hours without any discomfort, unlike the 50s which (for me, at least) started to pinch slightly at the front of my ear where the ear-clip rotated. Even the cord is noticeably lighter than the KSC50s, and while my first pair of those began to wear near the y-clip a few months in these have yet to show any wear or tear despite six months of frequent use. Even the wire that supports the ear-clip is surprisingly sturdy, although the entire clip does come off and has an annoying tendency to if it's pulled the wrong way (it does, however, snap right back on).
Of course these aren't professional-quality headphones, nor are they designed for running or the gym - they fit rather loosely and aren't meant to stay glued to your head. They're also an open, over-ear design so they hardly block out any sound at all and aren't the best commuter headphones. I find these work best at the computer or when walking (rather than jogging) from place to place. The sound quality really is amazing for a pair of headphones this cheap, so what these really are is the perfect pair of college student headphones. When compared with anything else under about $40, they really can't be beat.