Koss KSC 50 - Headphones ( over-the-ear ) - silver

by Koss

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• ASIN: B00005MNHL
• Item model number: KSC 50
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,929 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Koss KSC-50's unique SportClip design fits around the ear to eliminate the headband and provide maximum comfort and mobility. Its dynamic element design and neodymium iron boron magnet structures deliver deep bass performance, while its oxygen-free copper voice coils provide increased signal clarity. Also featured are a nylon-covered cord that eliminates tangling and an L plug for improved durability and reliability.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Giant Killers, November 16, 2001

By 

Jeff "jack of many trades" (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Koss KSC 50 - Headphones ( over-the-ear ) - silver (Electronics)

The Koss KSC-50s, along with the other Koss headphones that use the PortaPro drivers are truly giant killers. These include the KSC-50, KSC-55, KSC-35, Porta Pro, Sporta Pro, KTX Pro, and also some Radio Shack models.

Most cheap headphones sound terrible, but I find these quite enjoyable. I use them when I don't want to take my Sennheiser HD600s out, and while they don't compare to the Senns, they are very plesant to listen to.

First comes the bass. Bass is very good for an inexpensive headphone. While they won't play as deep as a good subwoofer, they play much deeper then most cheap headphones I have tried, and the upper bass is not very boomy (Most cheap headphones have exaggerated upper bass to make them sound like they play deeper, many more expensive headphones do too, such as the Sony MDR-V600).

The midrange is probably the KSC-50s biggest weakness, in particular the lower mids - they just don't have the presence my HD600s have. They also seem to sound slightly colored, which is bad, but it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, I am comparing them to my HD600s. This isn't a fair comparison at all, comparing some (dollar amount) headphones to some (dollar amount) headphones, it is like comparing a Hyundai to a Ferrari.

Highs aren't very airy, but treble is played up fairly high (Most cheap headphones barely play upper treble), and it isn't overpowering at all.

Comfort: These are relatively comfortable headphones, sometimes the earclips can be annoying, but they are extremely light and you usually barely feel them on you.

In short, everything sounds pretty good on these headphones. You really can't compare to them at anywhere this price range. They literally sound better then every Sony headphone from the MDR-Vxxx line which goes from the (dollar amount) V-150 through the V-900s, yes, they sound better then all of them, also they sound better then the Sennheiser HD490 and 500. If you are looking for something under (dollar amount), one of this series of headphones is your best bet. The next real step up from them would be the Grado SR-60 around (dollar amount) and the Sennheiser HD495 around (dollar amount), or the Sony MDR-V7506 around (dollar amount).

The one potential drawback is that these are an open design, which leaks sound out, and lets sound in. The problem is that most cheap closed headphones like the Sony MDR-Vxxx and CD-xxx series sound terrible in comparison. If you are willing to let some sound leak out, and have no isolation from outside noise, these are the headphones for you at this price. The only closed headphone of the above three I reccomend are the Sonys, both the Grados and Sennheisers are open. Most high end headphones other then monitors like the MDR-v7506, or Beyerdynamic DT831 are open. These include the Sennheiser HD600, the AKG K1000, Beyerdynamic DT931, Sony CD3000, and the rather expensive (At (dollar amount)) Sennheiser Orpheus.

As always, be careful with volume levels when listening on headphones, you can damage your hearing very easily. If you can't hear someone at all when they are talking to you, or screaming at you, I would highly reccomend you turn the volume down some, unless you want to wear a hearing aid later.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sound, great feel, easily breakable, January 6, 2003

By 

"c05knox" (Great Falls, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Koss KSC 50 - Headphones ( over-the-ear ) - silver (Electronics)

Pros:
* If you are one of those people who like to listen to music with a lot of bass, these headphones will do fine in giving you a sufficient amount.
* These headphones are very good for on-the-go listening and can be easily shared with friends without having to break a connector band.
* They look really cool!

Cons:
* The soft ear buds aren't totally connected to the rest of the head phone. This means that if you are an active user that won't dedicate significant time to make sure you treat them adequately, they will BREAK OFF. Mine did and I fixed this by taping them back on, but they look a little corny.
* The cord is like a peice of yarn that is easily tangled. When it does get tangled to an extreme, the part of the cord that is kinked will partially unwind leaving the inside metal wire to come out. If the inner wire comes out a lot, your sound quality may decline and it is hard to get the wire back in. The worst case scenario of this happening is where either the wire connects to the rubber plug or where the wire connects to the headphones, leaving it near impossible to get the inner wire back into the outer wire.

Overall:
YES * If you take good care of them and enjoy its better than average sound quality, BUY THEM NOW!
NO * If you won't take good care of them and don't care too much about having good bass, DON'T BUY THEM NOW!

To Koss:
* If you ever plan on making modifications to these head phones...
- Choose a different cord material (rubber or metal wire like sony)
- Make the ear buds more connected to the rest of the headphone rather than leaving a crack in which the average consumer can break them apart.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You will hate these phones..., March 12, 2002

By 

Karen (Tujunga, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Koss KSC 50 - Headphones ( over-the-ear ) - silver (Electronics)

if you don't take the time to burn them in first. I bought these headphones based on all the glowing reviews here. And I can now add mine too. You will be shocked at how good phones in this price category can sound.When I first took them out of the package and plugged them in, however, I couldn't believe how awful they sounded. Within the first half hour, I was ready to send them back, but I let them run for awhile and after about 3 hours there was a noticeable improvement in the sound. After about 6 hours I was delighted with the sound. I would have never expected to have to burn in inexpensive phones but the difference is amazing.After you let them burn in for at least 6 hours get ready for a listening experience you never thought possible at this price point. And no, of course, they won't compare to high end phones but they sure will give medium priced phones a run for their money. The sound stage is suprisingly full and well balanced, even at low listening levels. Vocals are a bit forward but not tiringly so. Cymbals are just a tad muddy (particularly high hats). But I really am picking nits for this price.These are not noise cancelling phones but they do a great job of blocking out external noises without having to turn them to deafening levels. But never fear, you can still hear things you need to remain safe or just work (traffic, telephone, etc.).The one problem I am having is getting the phone to fit comfortably on one ear. It fits perfectly on one side and is so comfortable, I barely feel it. But the other side digs slightly into the top of my ear. I am hoping, with time, I am able to figure out the placement. Which is the other caveat I offer, it does take some practice to get these on correctly and if you have long hair, pull it back before you try to put them on. But on the whole these are comfortable and secure phones, and you won't believe the sound.