KSC75 From Radio Shack, apparently needs alot of break-in

[vestaviascott]

On the high praise from this forum, I just snapped up 5 sets of the Koss KSC75's at Radio Shack for $5.47 a piece. I was expecting to be a bit more impressed with the bass response and overall sound quality. Right out of the box, their is not much bass and a lot of sibilance.

Hopefully these guys will come up to speed with some break-in. Any suggestions?

 

[1Time]

What are you plugging the KSC75 into, onboard sound, ipod, amp, or what?

 

[vestaviascott]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Time /img/forum/go_quote.gif What are you plugging the KSC75 into, onboard sound, ipod, amp, or what?

HP Laptop with Windows Media Player. With same setup, my cheap Skull Candy Ink'ds sound much better (particularly with bass).

 

[appophylite]

Have you modified them? One of the biggest reasons they get praised as much as they do is because for the price you pay for them, they sound a lot better than other options at the same price point, and for little additional money, they can be modified to sound even better (subjective, of course, to what one's opinion of 'better sound' actually is).

 

[1Time]

Burn-in may help. A better source than your laptop may help. An amp may help. However, you "may" prefer the Skull Candy headphones no matter what you do.

 

[vestaviascott]

No mods yet (I've only had them a few hours after all). Ive heard of the Kramer mod. Does it help increase base depth and reduce sibilance?

I much prefer my cheap Ink'ds at this point...

 

[robm321]

Wow, the bass was the more interesting parts for me and that was right out of the box and played through the cheap sound card of my laptop.

I think burn in will help, but remember they were $5+ and the excitement is based on that. If you are looking for any kind of refinement, you might be dissapointed. They are fun and exciting, relatively balanced, but from my experience, don't scale up so well.

Still there is nothing under $20 that I've heard that comes close.

 

[jageur272]

Yeah, more holes = less blocked bass, it cleans out the bass a bit. A quarter mod also helps a lot, just cut a hold in the center of the pads approx the size of a quarter. Of course, coming from SkullCandy, you're most likely accustomed to an enormous amount of bass and considerably less treble. It's just a matter of getting used to.

 

[solessthanthree]

I was always very impressed by my KSC75's bass. I feel that they're even a bit bloated. I've never felt them to be sibilant either. But mine have been Kramered with probably over 500 hours on them so maybe a quick mod and some burn-in might help you reach that sound. However, if you are comparing them to SK ink'd IEMS, then you might just be used to the SK's bass bloat and duller treble. The KSC75s might just be a (shockingly) different sound to you.

 

[ericj]

Wearing them properly will help.

If you don't hear the bass, they're on wrong.

 

[arteom]

The bass on them is pretty good for a clip-on, I don't know how you are hearing sibilance, unless like said above you are accustomed to headphones that roll off much too quick in the upper range. The kramer mod would enhance the highs, which from what you've said might not be something you would enjoy. The KSC-75 is not a sibilant phone.

 

[scompton]

The tighter the drivers are to your ear, the more bass you hear. You may need to adjust the clips as well as doing some of the mods mentioned. One mod that works pretty well is to put a headband on them. Rite Aids near me sell a portable radio that comes with a head phone that clips on to it's headband the same way the KSC 75's clips attach. It keeps the drivers tight to your ears and improves the bass. It also lessens the portability because you now have a non folding headband.

BTW, I've heard no evidence of burn in with the 2 pair I've had.

 

[vestaviascott]

I've done some initial burn-in and the phones are starting to open up a bit and find their measure. The sibilance is diminishing with time and bass appears to be coming on. I'm keeping one set and about to place the others on CL.

Thanks for the help and info!

 

[nylan8301]

You need to let your ears get accustomed to the sound. Try using them for a couple of days and then switch to the Skullcandy. If you're still not happy, then you're a bass-head, and no amount of burn-in or mods will really help to satisfy your crave of 'da thump'.

Nylan

 

[noahlapuz]

x2 to all, burn-in and/or break-in is more psychological rather factual IMO. I came from a hollow-sounding, muddy and murky headphone before i heard this clip-on's which sounded wonderfully like crazy. i even bought additional brand new set (has volume control)from radioshack @ US$6 including tax and gas, i can't seem to find any significant difference with the older one with about a 700 hours on them.