[nibiyabi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif And if you really don't like them now, burring in wont help a whole lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif EDIT: and make sure to give them some more time (like a month). When I first got my ms-1 I wasn't really impressed at all, but now whenever I listen to them, I get the WOW factor.

 

[oicdn]

You have to remember, stock for most people is cheap buds and/or generic buds. In that regard, the highs are so much better. The bass might not be anything better, maybe more abundant, but not any cleaner. But the mids and highs are most definitly better after Kramer/blue tack moded.

The KSC 75's definitly does sparkle more than most anything "stock" out there. And considering the jump in SQ for the dollar, it's probably the best deal in audio in THAT regard.

 

[kramer5150]

Complicated subject, because it involves elements of hearing perception, as well as the technical capabilities of the KSC75.

My thoughts...

They do get a lot of hype, and for $15 they are a great bargain. I find them much better and more enjoyable than the stock apple buds I demo'd at Headfest. Personally I don't find burn-in to make much difference with the KSC75, but then again, they are not my critical-listening phones (so take that with a grain of salt). Amplification and source does make a difference. However a vintage $20 PCDP and well-designed, $40 cmoy will trounce any unamped MP3 player I have heard. So hi-fi does not have to be hi-$$$. make sure you have a good snug fit. If they are loose and just kind of "cling" to your ears, you will loose much of the bass impact.

A lot of it depends on your hearing perception and personal preferences. If you prefer boosted midbass, rolled off highs and sub bass that doesn't extend very deep the apple buds will certainly deliver that kind of sound, and they'll do it better than just about any other stock buds I have heard. The vast majority of apple users prefer the sound if the iBuds, so Apple certainly did their homework, when researching what the typical (non head-fi) consumer wants to hear.

I found the ibuds a bit congested. So, IMHO the KSC75 is capable of revealing a little more detail, but in a noisy portable environment that difference can be harder to detect.

Its not uncommon for new members (with un-trained ears) to be underwhelmed by what they hear. It takes some prior experience to know "what" to listen for in each track. I let my non-audiophile niece demo my Grado setup, and compared to my KSC75... she couldn't detect a difference

. It wasn't till I TOLD her what to listen for in each tune/track that she went... "Aaaah... NOW I hear it".

How loud do you listen to your music? I find that my hearing perception drops dramatically the louder I listen to the music. At loud volumes, everything kind of compresses together and the finite differences in sound become lost.

I say, give it some time, let your ears acclimate to the sound. Listen to them in both noisy and quiet environments, at loud and quiet volumes too.

Its also possible that the individual tracks of music you listen too are not capable of revealing the differences.

My advice to you is to just kick back and enjoy the tunes... Forget about what you aren't missing, and groove to the music. In the end, thats what this hobby is all about.

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nibiyabi /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I guess he means that he got to get used to them "brain, ear burn in"

 

[gigabyte]

Wow, thanks kramer, may be i'm too hasty.
I will try listen to it more.
And i feel that it's quite hard to wear this headphone, this is the first time i use a clip on so if i don't wear it in the right way, will it sound bad?

 

[oicdn]

^^ No. The only way the clip affects anything is how comfortable it is. you can actually bnd and contort the clips to how it fits on you. Unless of course, it's just hanging completely off your ear and you have a completely funny way of wearing them, sound quality doesn't change.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigabyte /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, thanks kramer, may be i'm too hasty. I will try listen to it more. And i feel that it's quite hard to wear this headphone, this is the first time i use a clip on so if i don't wear it in the right way, will it sound bad?

IMHO the way they fit can change the way they sound, whether it sounds good or bad, is subjectively up to the individual to determine. A loose-fit will open up the soundstage, add a sense of air to individual notes and decrease bass. A tight fit will increase bass "bloat" and close in the soundstage, a "thicker" sound overall.

 

[threepointone]

The KSC-75s are definitely great for their price, but they're not always as great as everyone else thinks they are.

My biggest misgiving about them is actually nothing about their SQ--they're very open 'phones, and I find, at least for me, a heavy IEM user who doesn't like cranking up the volume, that they really don't work well for commute / portable use. However, I find that they perhaps do live up to their hype in a very quiet home listening environment--if you've been listening to them as portable 'phones, try them out at home for a while.

If you still don't like them, and you're starting to regret going through the trouble of getting them, just listen to them for a week or so, as someone else recommended--it's a phoenomenon I call "mental burn-in"

 

[sidewinder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you're disappointed by the KSC-75 (and have given them some time to burn in), you probably won't be impressed by any higher end headphones either. You'll almost certainly find higher end headphones to be a waste of money. The KSC-75 gets you most of the way (at least 85%) towards some very expensive headphones... that's reality, not spin. You might be satisfied by particularly colored headphones, like Grados, but I doubt it. This isn't a bad thing. You can get out of the hobby without spending any more money People spend enormous amounts of money chasing that last 15%. I've heard most of the very expensive headphones and owned some of them, and now my KSC-35s are my main listening cans when I'm not using speakers. That's how good these inexpensive Koss units are (though, contrary to popular opinion, the KSC-35s do not use the same drivers, but they're close enough).

Exactly. Though I haven't heard a lot of "high-end" headphones mentioned here, I do find it very hard to believe that something can sound better compared my homesetup (listed in signature). It's already so transparant, energetic and so real to my ears. Everything, from deep bass to the top-end of treble, seems just right in my honest opinion. I do have auditioned a HD555, HD600 and HD650 but none sounded like the Koss. Maybe that's just the way people prefer their sound, but to me other cans, including AKG, Bose, Ultrasone, Sennheiser, etc. sound 'coloured' or unreal compared to the real thing. The KSC35 isn't all that different from the KSC75, but the latter one has a lot of sparkle in the high-end and a bit less "oumph" in the bass, therefore I do prefer the 35.

The thing is, I keep wondering myself how it would be to own some high-end headphones + amps + sources, and if I'd be happy with them. If the KSC35 would cost $1000, would I be more happy to how I feel now, just because it would cost a lot of $$$? I've spent a lot of money on IEMs, and I've came up with one conclusion: it's not worth it. At least not untill I bought a secondhand Shure E1 for $30. That's what I call a priceworthy product! Same with the KSC35.

 

[smeggy]

My views on the KSC is that I think they are a great little phone for ME. How things sound to everyone is very subjective and sometimes people simply won't like how they sound, that is entirely expected. For those who like the sound, they are really good, especially at the price. Those who don't like them will not care how cheap they are if they dislike the sound. If you don't like them it doesn't mean you are missing something, it's just taste. I don't think they need either and amp or burn-in, to me they sound fine as they come.

I prefer mine to upper end Senns and middling Grados but that doesn't mean they are better, only that I prefer the KSC sound. Again, it's a personal thing and that's my personal taste. Your tastes will be different. Nothing more, nothing less. No biggie.

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO the way they fit can change the way they sound, whether it sounds good or bad, is subjectively up to the individual to determine. A loose-fit will open up the soundstage, add a sense of air to individual notes and decrease bass. A tight fit will increase bass "bloat" and close in the soundstage, a "thicker" sound overall.

x2

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly. Though I haven't heard a lot of "high-end" headphones mentioned here, I do find it very hard to believe that something can sound better compared my homesetup (listed in signature). It's already so transparant, energetic and so real to my ears. Everything, from deep bass to the top-end of treble, seems just right in my honest opinion. I do have auditioned a HD555, HD600 and HD650 but none sounded like the Koss. Maybe that's just the way people prefer their sound, but to me other cans, including AKG, Bose, Ultrasone, Sennheiser, etc. sound 'coloured' or unreal compared to the real thing. The KSC35 isn't all that different from the KSC75, but the latter one has a lot of sparkle in the high-end and a bit less "oumph" in the bass, therefore I do prefer the 35. The thing is, I keep wondering myself how it would be to own some high-end headphones + amps + sources, and if I'd be happy with them. If the KSC35 would cost $1000, would I be more happy to how I feel now, just because it would cost a lot of $$$? I've spent a lot of money on IEMs, and I've came up with one conclusion: it's not worth it. At least not untill I bought a secondhand Shure E1 for $30. That's what I call a priceworthy product! Same with the KSC35.

The most happy time for me as a head-fier was when I had my iriver and 595, this was the time when I explored how good headphones could sound. I agree with you, it is not worth going higher. DO NOT LISTEN TO MORE HIGH END GEAR, IF YOU DO, ONE DAY YOU ARE GONA BUY IT!!! And it's very hard to go back, if not impossible.

 

[XENOPHOS]

yea, I was a bit unimpressed by them at first, but then you realize how much better they were than stock after awhile. you can't go wrong with $15 anyways. my attachment point for the earclip is almost gone so its pretty loose on my ears =( is there a SQ difference between the ksc75 with the volume change on the cable, and the one without?

 

[P.J]

Use them over 100 hours ! (maybe your problem is burn in)
I'm not sure about your source

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurra1980 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess he means that he got to get used to them "brain, ear burn in"

Not exactly. I believe Kramer hit it almost dead on and seems to fit my case. (I obviously could hear the difference between the ms1 and ksc75 though lol)

"ts not uncommon for new members (with un-trained ears) to be underwhelmed by what they hear. It takes some prior experience to know "what" to listen for in each track. I let my non-audiophile niece demo my Grado setup, and compared to my KSC75... she couldn't detect a difference

. It wasn't till I TOLD her what to listen for in each tune/track that she went... "Aaaah... NOW I hear it"."

Before my ms-1 I had the shure e2c and cx300. I never really gave much effort to tell the difference between the two but after I got my ms1 everything changed (maybe for the worse in my wallets case... lower end stuff doesn't cut it for me now).