Koss KSC75's. Dont Forget This Giant Killer in all the ''Hidden Gem'' Hype.

[waynes world]

The real question is whether or not we should listen to lossless flac or 320 cbr mp3 files with our KSC75's!  Just kidding... although I don't know why that thread got locked - I was enjoying it!
 
Anyway, you have managed to get the Sony MDR V6 on my radar. Who knows.. maybe I will..... waste my time and money and my entire life over non-existent, pseudo-incremental gains in sound quality and get them. I might just succumb YET AGAIN to the sad delusion of shopping addiction: nothing I buy is ever enough: once the "high" of a new purchase wears off, I HAVE to buy something else, something typically more expensive in a never ending spiral of debt.
 
Yeah, sounds good to me! Where can I get those V6's!!!

 

[julian67]

Pointing out that a highly regarded industry standard headphone of proven durability is available for $55 is hardly encouraging people to get on some upgrade treadmill.

If you spend the grand sum of $55 on the Sony you won't need to succumb to your apparently feverish upgrade urges because the headphones will last you decades. You might even calm down enough to give up bold type.

I've never spent more than $120 on a set of headphones. My most expensive pair were Sennheiser HD 500 which lasted me over a decade. The next most expensive were Shure SE215 which I bought 14 or 15 months ago. In between those two purchases I've spent far more on cheap stuff which breaks. Off the top of my head I can think of 4 IEMs from big name brands and one headphone which cost $90 which didn't last the year. $55 for a good quality product known to last 20 years in normal use is not some kind of scam.

Anyway use what you like and if you think the $15 you spent on the Koss also bought you some kind of mental or moral superiority that is entirely your own problem.

 

[waynes world]

You completely misunderstood me. My bolded text was simply my way of having fun with what jaycee said a few posts back. I was being sarcastic, and in actuality, I am interested in the v6's now.

P.s. I thought you had been following the thread and therefore would get my joke.

 

[julian67]

You completely misunderstood me. My bolded text was simply my way of having fun with what jaycee said a few posts back. I was being sarcastic, and in actuality, I am interested in the v6's now.

I apologise. It isn't easy to tell who you were referring to or responding to. The sarcasm was obvious and as you referred to stuff I talked about it seemed directed at me and some of the things I said.

If I had some spare cash I would get the V6. Their price has really tumbled which usually means the manufacturer is dumping them as end of line. I wanted some last year but the Sony MDR ZX700 had just come out here in UK and the MDR V6 suddenly got in very short supply (actually unobtainable at a sensible price) so I bought the MDR ZX700. These definitely do not have the type of construction that gets you 20 years of use and mine failed due to poor design and inadequate components.

 

[theruns]

Quote:

 
its like coby cv421
 
it doesnt snap in though.  had to do some modification to it.  and it stays in but pulls out easier than with the clips.  

Right! I found another post where you had pictures of it. Cool mod!

 

[julian67]

I'll add some more praise for the KSC75s, something I hadn't expected to be doing:

Today I unpacked from long term storage my very old (1990s) Yamaha RX-V496RDS receiver, connected it with TOSLINK to use SPDIF pass through from my PC's ALC888 integrated audio, connected the Koss KSC75 to the Yamaha's headphone jack and have been playing lossless audio (flac ripped from CD). The amp is receiving untouched stream and running with DSP effects off and tone and balance controls at neutral.

I am very impressed and surprised at how nice this sounds. The Koss KSC75 work really well with this kind of amplification (the kind not found in typical personal players). My budget USB audio card makes the Koss sound a bit thin and harsh while with the Yamaha voices and instruments are warm, natural and very well defined. It is a real pleasure to listen to. The lack of weight in the bass didn't disappear but is not nearly so obvious because the overall sound is much more attractive, and very different than when driven without enough power. I also unpacked an old CD player, Sony CDP-XE570, and that was pretty good using it's headphone jack (when at 0 dB). I had forgotten how good this old kit can sound and how underpowered personal players and USB devices usually are.

Used in the same way my lower impedance Shure SE215 and Sennheiser CX 95 IEMs (20 ohm and 16 ohm respectively) don't compare well at all, though of course they were not designed to be connected to powerful home cinema amp and their bass boost, partly intended to mask environmental noise, is overly apparent and definitely unwanted. They are of course better suited than the Koss when using my Sansa Clip+ or iRiver H140/340 players. I also much prefer the Shures with the cheapo USB audio.

All this has led to me now having a huge power hungry Yamaha receiver under my PC desk, doing duty as a supersized headphone amp. I'm going to enjoy it until I get the next electricity bill. The Shures and Sennheisers can go back to portable duty, giving my ears a break from stuff being jammed into them. My headphone for use at home is now the Koss KSC75. You can call me a Kosser


p.s. I posted much the same in my review http://www.head-fi.org/products/koss-ksc75-portable-stereophone-headphones/reviews/9021 and amended the rating accordingly.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

All this has led to me now having a huge power hungry Yamaha receiver under my PC desk, doing duty as a supersized headphone amp. I'm going to enjoy it until I get the next electricity bill. The Shures and Sennheisers can go back to portable duty, giving my ears a break from stuff being jammed into them. My headphone for use at home is now the Koss KSC75. You can call me a Kosser

 
Cool! They found new life for me when I tried them with my Fiio E12 amp (ele dac = source). Really added a nice weight to the sound, and boosted the bass very nicely.

 

[julian67]

It's quite an improvement isn't it?

I had hoped my Shures would similarly improve with more power but they sounded worse - too much bass drowning the mids and there isn't enough top end. They sound great on my Clip+ and iRivers so it's clear Shure did an excellent job of tuning their sound to the most likely use. I think Koss prove that being small and portable isn't the same as being suited to personal players/devices. Most likely they were equally expert at tuning the sound but did it 25 years ago....the perfect fit for these things is probably the old skool CD/Radio domestic portable player or mini system, the kind of thing that everyone has in the kitchen, bedroom or study, or did until they bought an iPod and a crappy dock.

Another thing I notice is that I'm not tempted to use a crossfeed when these are properly driven. There is an illusion of space and depth that I didn't get before and they don't feel so claustrophobic. It's not the greatest stereo imaging but it is there.

 

[jaycee1]

Awesome!!!!! Shopping for a 7.1 surround sound receiver for my 75's RIGHT NOW. Anyone have recommendations on a wheelbarrow and/or 5,000 foot extension cord? I saw a yamaha receiver at costco that would ROCK as a portable amp, bro. 

 

[jaycee1]

Sorry buddy, not willing to drop $70 bucks on sony's that are about as comfortable as a medieval torture chamber.
Quote:

The real question is whether or not we should listen to lossless flac or 320 cbr mp3 files with our KSC75's!  Just kidding... although I don't know why that thread got locked - I was enjoying it!
 
Anyway, you have managed to get the Sony MDR V6 on my radar. Who knows.. maybe I will..... waste my time and money and my entire life over non-existent, pseudo-incremental gains in sound quality and get them. I might just succumb YET AGAIN to the sad delusion of shopping addiction: nothing I buy is ever enough: once the "high" of a new purchase wears off, I HAVE to buy something else, something typically more expensive in a never ending spiral of debt.
 
Yeah, sounds good to me! Where can I get those V6's!!!

 

[julian67]

Awesome!!!!! Shopping for a 7.1 surround sound receiver for my 75's RIGHT NOW. Anyone have recommendations on a wheelbarrow and/or 5,000 foot extension cord? I saw a yamaha receiver at costco that would ROCK as a portable amp, bro. 

That's pretty funny

A small wheelbarrow will suffice but may be unnecessary. If you do some swimming or play sports or go to the gym your back should be OK as an old Yamaha receiver weighs about 25 lb. As a precaution you might like to carry some ibuprofen or tylenol in case you lift it with a bent back.

5000 foot cord? I had some of those and the bass response suffered. These days I use a 5 metre Sennheiser cord with volume controls. From my computer station I can get to both the fridge and the can. I am in Koss heaven.

 

[waynes world]

^ Finally! I'm watching a CNN documentary, and up pops your avatar (without the explosion). Glad that wasn't a pic of you lol .

 

[TekeRugburn]

Debating if I should just pick up some Porta pros for the headband.

Also debating if I should dye the hd414 pads black, red or blue

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

Debating if I should just pick up some Porta pros for the headband.

 
The portapro headband clamps fairly tightly. You could save $ and get a less clamping (and debateably nicer looking) headband by getting the sportapro's. Then again, I think that the ksc75 drivers work best without being enclosed. Hmm. You should just get the proven headband - Parts Express headband for $2. It's dirt cheap, and it works very well with the ksc75's.

 

[TekeRugburn]

Quote:

 
The portapro headband clamps fairly tightly. You could save $ and get a less clamping (and debateably nicer looking) headband by getting the sportapro's. Then again, I think that the ksc75 drivers work best without being enclosed. Hmm. You should just get the proven headband - Parts Express headband for $2. It's dirt cheap, and it works very well with the ksc75's.

 
oh i have a donor headband from a coby set.  They work great with a little moddification but the portapro's are just a classic look.