[thelostMIDrange]

These are nothing new, but I can't wrap my mind around why these are so pleasing.
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/koss-ksc-75.php#tabs
 
the graph shows big low end hump, but I don't hear it. All I hear is balanced, natural sound. Great little phone that gets basic sound reproduction right.
 
 
 

 

[thelostMIDrange]

$15 shipped to your door !
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Koss-KSC-75-KSC75-Sport-Clip-on-Stereo-Headphones-NEW-/120672867391?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item1c18a9d43f

 

[poikkeus]

How can you go wrong with these headphones? Inexpensive, decent sound, ultraportable, comfortable...  
 
However, I'd avoid the KSC-75 shown in the attached ebay ad (also called the Koss Sporta-Pro). They're an ear clip model, and can be uncomfortable and tends to break easily. Instead, get a Koss Porta-Pro, which is a collapsable headphone that's closer to $40 plus; during sales, they go for considerably cheaper. They use the same driver.

 

[thelostMIDrange]

thanks for the tip. That's a magical little driver. Didn't know they were the same.
 
I haven't been annoyed yet by the clip on sets though. I find them comfortable so far. Although I agree, they don't look like they will take much abuse and neglect.

 

[tdockweiler]

This is also the perfect stupid cheap headphone to recable. Seriously, $3 worth of material for a possible sound improvement.
If someone is actually going to lecture me over $3 I'm going to slap them.
 
Why would you do it? It's the perfect headphone to learn how to recable a headphone with. If you screw up you're only out of what..$15?
 
When you look at the KSC75, it's as if it has two little doors you can pop off. You solder the cables right to the headphone and clip back the "door".
You don't even need to add any new solder.
 
You can also use the PortaPro headphone or the Parts Express Mini Headphone headband. I believe the HD-414 pads fit. Not sure how they sound!
 
KSC75 + Mogami recable would sound amazing.
 
This combination with an E5 would beat many other headphones under $100.
 
 

 

[thelostMIDrange]

I just bought a couple more and will surely recable one with some mogami and compare.  

 

[thelostMIDrange]

rockwieler..... any fine points on safely getting at this driver? It's hard to tell what 'doors' you are referring to? I think you mean the little door flap right above where the wire enters? Just pry at that bottom edge?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

rockwieler..... any fine points on safely getting at this driver? It's hard to tell what 'doors' you are referring to? I think you mean the little door flap right above where the wire enters? Just pry at that bottom edge?

Yep, slowly pop off that clip and pull on the grey "door". It just pops off. You then can clearly see the positive/ground soldering areas.
 
On my first recable experience I spent like $60 for a bunch of silver wire to fix my DJ100 (silver wire on the DJ100..how dumb is that?), but it had a blown driver.
 
So what did I do? Used the silver wire on the KSC75! No joke! Not a good match. Based on memory it made everything sound very distant. Not sure what happened there, but tons of detail.
Before that I believed every wire sounded the same. Maybe the KSC75 is holding the KSC75 back a bit? Who knows.
Silver would be a very bad idea and totally overkill.
 
This wire gets the Ernest P Worrell seal of approval:
 
http://best-tronics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BMI&Product_Code=CA-0363&Category_Code=MICROPHONE
 
It's Starquad and 36 cents per foot. Just have to solder on the 3.55mm plug and make the Y-split and heat shrink it.
 
With the black plastic covering, below the Y-split you don't even need to sleeve the wire.
 
NOTE: This voids your warranty. Oh darn.

 

[Pianist]

KSC75 is stunning for the price and very enjoyable. I love to listen to my pair sometimes even though I have the $700 HE-500, $300 DT880, etc. KSC75 just gets the sound right. While not perfect, it is surprisingly true to the music. If I was only left with KSC75 I would still be able to enjoy my music a lot.

 

[maverickronin]

I probably say this a lot but the KSC-75 is the point of diminishing returns.  I don't think any other headphone give you as much SQ for the money...

 

[vid]

The KSC75 sound very neat for the price. Though I personally found its placement of instruments too forward, which made everything sound a bit incoherent and unrefined, along with kinda dull dynamics. Still, smooth sound for a decent price.

 

[thelostMIDrange]

the forwardness is 'grado-y' probably due to the driver being right on the ear like grados, and it's not for everyone. It's certainly a more front and center sound than a sennheiser for example which is more distant.........but at the same time, like you mention, the dynamics are not over the top, which is a + imo since alot of phones are too punchy for my tastes and fatiguing. The koss is a fairly mellow experience and not a 'wower'. I feel these kind of phones are for people who are into the experience of listening to the MUSIC and not the 'sound' or experience of 'listening of headphones'. The koss is a means to an end and not an end in itself.  I'm glad there are still people making basic sounding phones like these, who knows how much longer there will be this choice with so many people listening to electronic based sound and demanding headphones that are super-stimulating and extra-ordinary

 

[vid]

The KSC75 seem to change quite a bit depending on where from they're driven. Out of my Auzen Bravura, which should give them plenty of juice, the KSC75 nonetheless sound too aggressive and bright. But out of a low-powered 80s integrated, the balance shifts quite a bit towards the lower frequencies and the brightness is dealt with. A bit boomy then, but easier to listen to.

 

[thelostMIDrange]

 
sat down  with the senn 650, grado hf2 and recabled koss75, all into an mstage..............Pink floyd dark side, Bad CO s/t, connells fun and games, cannonball adderley/miles davis somethin' else, zz top rio grande mud original lp pressings was the source material on a rega p3/dynavector..............regardless of the price, the little koss hold their own. The senn is more of a 'headphone experience' in that it has more extension, soundstage and affect, but the koss is the more natural dynamic and true of the three in terms of the basics, which to me is the accuracy of basic instrument reproduction such as guitar, cymbals, bass kick snare drums, piano etc.  I just plain want to listen to the koss more than the other two and it has a very nice airy and balanced sound that the other 2 don't quite give............. The senns really have the nicest vocal which is quite enjoyable, upfront and natural, but that is only because they chop out alot of sound, mainly in the upper mids and how they do that while still giving such nice vocals is a mystery, but it's a fact to my ears that the senns achieve their unique and enjoyable quality at the expense of upper mid detail and upper end accuracy. By chopping out the upper mids, the mids that are left, come through with the senn magic somehow which is a little artifically compressed but in a nice way. This is the most characterisic aspect of sennheiser sound signature imo........They had the least accurate and realistic treble/cymbals to my ears and the most closed, flat sound of the three. This is a little flat, unalive and undynamic headphone imo . The grado's have the truest cymbal presentation by far, decent mids but somewhat murky and overbearing lows (which should get better after burn in - these are brand new). But still the koss are no slouch and for my tastes and record collection, sound enjoyable, true and alive.  And while I wish i could tweek a couple things on them, they still sound quite nice with a recable and amped up.
 

 

[stratocaster]

Funny that you are playing around with these lostMID. Now, look at what I have been doing over the last 2 weeks, I have created my closed StratoKOSSter
 

 
Man, I can only say this is BIG