Here's my letter:
Dear Koss,
I have been noticing some problems with my KSC-50 clip-on earphones that have caused me to send them back to you (they are under warranty). My left earphone is rattling when low or heavy bass lines are playing. A friend suggested taking off the earpiece’s pad and blowing out any dust that might be causing it. I did so and noticed no improvement, and the problem seems to be slowly getting worse. Also, I am EXTREMELY displeased with the durability of these earphones. The outside shells are easily dented; there are two medium size dents on the right earphone, and a bigger one on the left as well as a small one. Also, upon opening my left earphone, I noticed what was causing me to feel pinched when wearing them—the tabs that limit where the spring mechanism can rotate are completely gone.
While my earphones were working, I greatly enjoyed their sound quality, as they are easily the best headphones out there for 50 bucks or less, and easily surpass anything packaged with CD, minidisc, or MP3 player, no matter how good the player. I have heard very much about the predecessor to the KSC-50’s, the KSC-35’s. According to reviews too numerous to count, they are much better in terms of design, and the closer and more secure fit actually enhances the bass. I understand Koss’s need to market a stylish product, but I must point out that quality should never be sacrificed for style (personally, I like the styling of the KSC-35’s better, it makes them look more like a pair of earphones than a fancy piece of plastic). If at all possible, I would like a replacement pair of KSC-35’s, as they would probably serve me better while still retaining the quality of my KSC-50’s. The drivers are the same, but the 35’s design is clearly better, so if I can have a pair of those instead of KSC-50’s, I would greatly appreciate it. If that is not possible, I would like some kind of online store credit to use towards the KSC-35’s. If neither of these options are possible, I understand, just ship a replacement pair of KSC-50’s.
Thank you greatly for your cooperation, I always used to recommend your KSC-50’s as a replacement for standard portable headphones, which hardly satisfy the average and especially the advanced audiophile. I have more recently recommended the KSC-35’s, as I see they are now available again. If you can ship me KSC-35’s as a replacement or give me a credit, I would greatly appreciate it and would be sure to give you very positive feedback.
Thank you,
********* (MD1032)
Is it convincing enough? I'm only 15.
