Customer Reviews

Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones

5 star:		(327)
4 star:		(145)
3 star:		(71)
2 star:		(48)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

The KSC-75 is the latest edition of the popular and good-performing Koss KSC series. All of these models, the 35, 50, 55 and now 75 are based on the same 60-ohm drivers (also used in the Porta-Pro and KTX-Pro phones). The original model, the 35, is regarded as the standard by which all cheap, portable headphones are compared. The original 35 was a black, clip-on model, built to be very shallow and to fit closely on the ears. It was a fairly nasty-looking, uncomfortable piece, and frequently had problems with its thin foam padding tearing. It was updated to the 50 and 55 models, more "modern" looking silver clip-ons and behind-the-head models. The problem with these was they were significantly heavier, and didn't fit so snugly to the ears. Thus, even though the drivers were the same, the sound suffered a bit because of the loose fit.

The 75 moves a bit closer to the original 35. It is a shallower phone, although still not quite as much so as the 35. It does tend to fit snugly to the ear, which helps make the sound a bit fuller. They are nice and light and are very comfortable. The clip is a different design, it doesn't snap into place like the orignal 35 or hinge like the 50. It simply bends around the ear, leading to two problems with this design. The durability of the thin guage wire could be a problem. Secondly, the headphone cup tends to snap off of the clip when fitting the headphone to the ear. It simply snaps back into place again, but its a nuisance. Once properly placed, which takes a little practice, the sound is typical Koss KSC. The sound is pleasant and full, reasonably detailed and transparent. There is roll-off at both frequency extremes, although this can easily be corrected if your player has an equalizer. Even without equalization, though, the sound is quite good. Despite the 60-ohm rating, the 75's are reasonably easy for low power portables to drive. On an absolute scale or compared to the better $50 phones, such as the Sennheiser HD-497, the Koss KSC-75's don't stand out, but for a price of less than $15, these are outstanding. They easily trump any of the included phones or buds with portable players and are easy to transport, due to their light weight and small size. Another excellent, cheap Koss phone.

Update: With more use, I've become more favorably impressed with this phone. Its sound seems to have opened up with more break in. It now is very transparent with a rich, deailed sound - unbelievable for this price range. After a few uses, one gets the earclips adjusted properly to where they go on almost instantly and stay put and are very comforatble. This should minimize the amount of adjustment needed and prolong the life of the clip. Still, the headphone cups occasionally snap off of the clips even during normal handling. But in all, these are an incredible bargain. I would now rate these a five star phone.

Others have hailed these headphones' "bang for buck" value, and they are not wrong. Inexplicably, 90% of the headphones on amazon.com seem to have 4-star ratings (which can make it difficult to choose, and is hard to understand as the lions' share of consumer-grade headphones are *terrible*), but these are actually the real deal. These literally famous headphones are unquestionably the best sounding thing you can buy for this money. In truth, they are not *quite* as good as the KSC-35s they replaced (which had a bit more bass and were slightly more expensive), but KSC-75s really sound *incredibly* good for the money. Seriously.

You can pick the looks apart or the clip mechanism if this type of headphone isn't your cup of tea--but if you're evaluating raw sound it's *amazing* how good these sound for the price. So for what these cost, stop shopping and just buy these right now.

KSC-75 is the budget headphone king.

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."

The Koss KSC75 are a comfortable and versatile set of portable supra-aural (on the ear) headphones (or "cans" as audiophiles call them). They use the same transceivers, have the same Ohm impedence level and some of the other features that the Koss PortaPro offers but they are lighter weight and seem to be designed for the "on the go" lifestyle. (I have reviewed the PortaPro cans; you might want to check out my review of them as I gave them five stars. They are still going strong.) At first listen, the KSC75 sound as good as their five star cousins, the PortaPros BUT BEWARE. I have two sets now that I have to send back to Koss for replacement. Thankfully Koss does offer a lifetime warranty on these headphones but you must submit payment for shipping the replacements back to you from Koss as well as writing them a letter detailing problems, all to be included with the defective product, which you ship at your own expense.

It should be noted that I do not listen to bass heavy music but rather my primary musical choices are what I call the "three C's and one B," which is Christian, Classical, Country and audioBooks. I do not use loud volumes or sub-par products with whatever set of cans I use. But with both sets of the Koss KSC75, at least one transceiver (Left on both sets and Right on one set) began to produce distortions such as warbling, reverb and echo within a week! It would seem that using the superior quality transceivers of the PortaPro model in a set of clip-ons with a lot of plastic is not a well-thought out design.

I've noticed that these headphones have decreased in price since I purchased them. I believe people are starting to catch on to their draw backs. If you have found yourself in the sad position of getting a defective set as I did and can return it for a full refund, I encourage you strongly to do so. If you liked the sound quality (and I do), I would suggest purchasing the Koss PortaPro model. They are compact, fit in a small pouch (included) and you can literally fall asleep in them. They don't slip off during workouts either. Both sets are "Open" which simply means that if the volume is up to high, there will be sound leakage. But the PortaPro actually leaks significantly less than some other portable cans I use but are sturdy, reliable and comfortable. If you have a pair of the Koss KSC75 headphones and there hasn't been a defect, I honestly can say that you are a lucky one! I like the feel, the sound and that I can even wear these with my glasses though the ear pieces are fixed but they keep breaking down. I was lucky that they broke down while Amazon guaranteed them so I could get replacements but those have broken down as well.

In conclusion, I recommend them to you with a warning that you may find yourself having to replace them (perhaps more than once as I have done) through Amazon or wherever you purchase them during their free replacement/refund time frame or you might just have to pay more money to Koss to send you another pair that might have the same problems. The KSC75 is a "fair" buy for the cost but if you want to stick with Koss and like the sound, the PortaPro is better and you are very unlikely to have any difficulties with them. If you really need a pair of clip-on portable headphones, I highly recommend the Sony MDR-Q22LP headphones. (Please feel free to check out my review of these portable headphones as well.) Thanks and good listening!

These clip ons, which they aren't, don't sound anything like the Porta Pros or Sporta Pros to these ears. Those fart cannons have way too much bass emphasis for me. These little wonders slip on over the ear with the "clips" acting like the ear pieces on a pair of eye glasses. They have a "bright" crisp sound and do well with rock and guitar oriented music. They sound closer to the Sennheiser PX100's but the KSC75's are much brighter and crisper sounding. The PX100's are more neutral and balanced sounding but cost $40-$50 and have recently undergone a face lift with possible subsequent changes to the sound. The KSC75's are a no brainer for $15 to $20. You cannot do better!

I researched headphones a lot before buying these. The line of Koss phones with the portapro driver's (including the KSC35/50/75) consistantly get excellent reviews. So I was glad to find them here for an great price. I've heard that these phones sounds as good or better than anything under fifty-bucks. I don't have enough experience with a range of phones to say this for sure, but from my limited experience I believe it.

SOUND: excellent, straight out of the box. Best sounding pair of phones I own and only fifteen-bucks!? Nice range, clear tones, and great (but not overly bloated) bass.

My one complaint about sound is that it leaks a lot! Because these are open design they will let outside noise in, and they will share your music with your neighbors. So maybe not as appropriate for noisy buses, subway, airplane, or in close crowds who don't share your music taste.

COMFORT: surprisingly nice! They were easy to put on the very first time and I can hardly tell I'm wearing anything. One nice improvement over previous Koss clip-on models is that the clip is adjustable. It's a metal wire covered in comfy rubber. You can easily bend the wire to adjust the clip to fit perfectly on your ear. You can make them hang loosely, or tighten them up for punchier bass, and so they stay snug when exercising.

LOOKS: not the best, but better than previous Koss clip-on designs. They look like an updated KSC35--silver and more curvy.

OVERALL: Excellent set of headphones that are UNDERPRICED for their value!

I purchased these headphone based on reviews I read on several headphone related forums (head-fi, etc). I was looking for some decent sounding, non- in-ear design headphones that wouldn't fall off when I go running. These KSC75's delivered! I've tried them out several times now and they will not come off no matter how fast I run or how long. They also sound great! Very good bass for this price range. Also, they have a nice long cord, which is helpful when you're 6'4" and your ipod headphones are too short to reach your waist. One last thing - sweat resistant. I've gone on hour runs in 90 degree heat and these have stayed remarkable dry.

Highly recommended.

I bought these to replace my Koss KSC-35. The first thing I noticed about the KSC-75 is that the earclips are much more durable than the KSC-35. The KSC-35 earclips were made of plastic which would eeventually break off. The KSC-75's earclips are made with both metal and plastic which is more sturdy. The sound on the KSC-75 may not be as good as the KSC-35, but they are better than the cheap earbuds that uses comes with a digital audio player. The earclips feel comfortable even after several hours of use. The cord is long so you don't have to worry about it not reaching your mp3 player in your pocket.

Edit (May 30, 2005):

I've been recently going to the gym and these headphones really stay on your earphones regardless of whether I'm on the treadmill or doing free weights.

The sound is awesome! But, they are total pain in the butt to put on. They do not clip on or slide on with ease. It takes two hands to get them on and comfortable.

Do not putchase these to wear while working out. Once you start sweating, the foam pad gets wet and the phones slip off your ear easily, I am constanty re-adjusting them.

I picked these up based on recommendations from various web sites. They are used with my iPod Nano and 5th generation iPod. Currently they are not being run through a headphone amp of any type. They are used at home, at my desk at work and walking the dog. In addition to these headphones I also use a pair of Sennheiser 212 Pros and Sennheiser 580s. While this isn't a comparison of the KSC75s, I mention my other `phones to give you a sense of what I'm used to.

These headphones are, as the title suggests, an excellent value for the money. For under $20 delivered they are light years ahead of the buds that ship with iPods. Among my other problems (mostly mental most would say) the canal in my right ear is deformed slightly. This makes in ear monitors like the buds that ship with iPods and other DAPs extremely uncomfortable. These `phones clip on to the ear and rest nicely on the outside. When compared to the in ear phones it would seem that these would not want to stay in place but that isn't the case at all. They stay planted where you put them for the most part and aren't fatiguing either on the ears or when listening to them.

The cord is, well, a cord. The length is right and it has a nice right-angle connector. This may sound like a small thing but it helps a lot.

The sound is wonderful. Nice and crisp mids, slightly subdued highs and respectable bass for such a small driver. I found the presentation to be very accurate but since they are of an open design outsides sounds will make it to your ear (a good thing when I'm walking my dog). If you are used to full size, expensive cans you will not be overly impressed by the sound. If you are using ANY phones that shipped with your DAP you will be astounded. I had a chance to A/B compare these with a pair of Sennheiser PX100s and PX200s. Even if they were the same price the KSC75s would still be my choice and I'm a hardcore Senn fan.

If you're using stocks buds, do yourself and your music a favor and spend $20 on a set of these. You will not be sorry!