[appar111]

Well, I received my RSA Hornet this weekend in the mail (a non "M" version) and I'm very impressed with it. It made very set of headphones I have sound much better (K171S, ER6, ER4P), but the real surprise was the KSC-75.

That thing easily sounded better than any of the other headphones I tried it up against. It would figure, the cheapest of the bunch sounds the best.

Made me feel really bad about paying so much mony for the Etys, considering the sound of the Koss sounded so much better. More body, bass, easier to listen to, almost as detailed as the Etys-- just a great overall pairing of the KSC-75's with the Hornet.

I was so impressed w/ the two together, that I'm seriously thinking that I should sell the Ety's (at least the 4P's, which are quite microphonic for my liking) and get a pair of Portapros (in the KSC-75 family) and picket the extra $100 or put it towards some more music.

Darn you KSC-75!!!

 

[poonpower]

hmmmm, maybe now I should consider splurging on a hornet instead of a senn 580

 

[mtd]

LOL Yeah. My HD580s eat lunch alone in the bathroom because my KSC75s bully them.

 

[Jahn]

my winter cans are KSC75 with my hornet. no one dare laugh who listen to the combo.

 

[kramer5150]

Yeah they really are outstanding amped. I wouldn't sell your etys though, their isolation puts them a notch up on the koss for those times when you need it. Not to derail your thread too much, but are you using the ety shirt clip thingie? IMHO it helps attenuate microphonics as you walk and move.

 

[antonyfirst]

I really would like to know how the KSC75 would sound with a Kenwood internally amped player. If someone has done the trial, please share everything. In particular, I hear that the Koss are muddy with bass while using unamped players. Kenwood HD20GA7 player has gorgeous and detailed bass: while using my Sennheiser CX300 (original, not fakes), I can hear a GREAT difference . What kind of improvement could I expect if I bought the KSC75? Something on par with the Ety Er4p? With the Vmoda Vibes? Or simply something on par with the Sennheiser CX300?

In addition, I would like to know if the KSCs will just isolate like normal earbuds, or something better.
Thanks

 

[Slaughter]

KSC75 = Zero Isolation

 

[antonyfirst]

Ok, the last question is answered. What about the others?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I'm not very surprised you've found the KSC75 to sound better than Etys, after all, what doesn't?

 

[Jahn]

all the other Q's centered around your kenwood amp. unfortunately, unless someone else has that amp, we're all shooting in the dark to answer any synergy-related questions with it.

but yep, the clips offer very little isolation either direction.

 

[antonyfirst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn /img/forum/go_quote.gif all the other Q's centered around your kenwood amp. unfortunately, unless someone else has that amp, we're all shooting in the dark to answer any synergy-related questions with it. but yep, the clips offer very little isolation either direction.

Every little bit of information and shared experience with other amps can be very helpful, because I'll be able to make my own idea.
Thiough it is amped, the Kenwood is not very powerful (only 6mW per channel). But it provides a very nice and detailed sound. It's warm and musical, and offers detailed bass (not muddy) along with very rich mids and highs.

 

[Jahn]

well certain signatures will carry over with any amp. such as, the koss is always going to have woolier midbass and a more forgiving sound than the ER4P, which will have hyperreal detail and superquick bass. a better amp will tighten up the koss bass, but it's also going to improve the ety's bass most likely. in other words, after a certain point it's a matter of preference - but you have to hit that threshold first. for me, a decent cmoy is going to get a koss clip up and running, and if you enjoy that signature more than an Ety, you're done, and no matter how far up the chain you go, an Ety isn't going to give you that koss sound. the opposite also applies, however.

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not very surprised you've found the KSC75 to sound better than Etys, after all, what doesn't?

D'oh!

Actually, the ER6's sounded really great w/ Primus' "Brown Album" and "Tales from the Punchbowl".

 

[antonyfirst]

Jahn, thanks very much, really helpful. I continue to think about upgrading from my Sennheisers, and I'd like to get the Etys, but if I can spend about 20$ instead of 200$ with the KSC75s, without losing very much in SQ, it would be a bargain. What else could I try to couple with my Kenwood?

Also, another thing that I'd love to understand is in which way do the various headphones gain from amped players: for exemple, my Kenwood offers a lovely soundstage along with crystalline sound. It pairs very well with the CX300s. But now I'd like to gain more detail: are the ER-4Ps necessary, or could I get the same level of detail (or however a nice amount of it) also with some other IEMs? In other words, how much would the Etys gain from a self amped and detailed player like the Kenwood, instead of an unamped Ipod or Rio Karma?

 

[appar111]

thanks for derailing anthonyfirst

j/k

I, myself owning both the Etys and the Koss, really have a hard time justifying the ER4P's, despite their great sound, simply because for me, the Koss sound signature is just so enjoyable. Paired w/ a great amp, and they really do show quite a bit of detail, and in a more musical way than the Etys.

I do find that once you listen to a pair of headphones for an album or so, your ears acclimate to them. Bouncing back and forth between headphones is a sure way to over-exaggerate the differences between them. (i.e. my ER6's sound thin compared to the Koss, but if I listen to a whole album with the ER6's, I can see that they aren't thin per se, just thin when doing an immediate comparison to more bassy cans like the KSC-75's.

I think that unamped you'll be hard pressed to find cans that are more detailed than the Etys without possibly spending significantly more.

I say buy the KSC-75's and try them out for $20. If you're floored by how good they sound, tell yourself you paid $150 for them. It's much easier to associate their level of sound quality with $100-150 headphones than $20 ones