[Mr.Roboto]

Uggh, I've started yet another thread...

Well, seeing as the HARX700's have been out of stock for weeks, I jumped on the Radioshack clearance of the Koss KSC75 and got a pair for $10. Now, I've heard of these being an inexpensive taste of "grado sound," of some actually preferring them to the SR60, and of them being the same/better than the famed PortaPros. So essentially, they have been recommended everywhere and liked by everyone, a very safe choice.

Now the problem is, my don't seem to meet these expectations. The sounds aren't as crisp, detailed, or sparkly as the grados, which is fine as they cost $59 less, but the difference is definitely more than 20 or 30%.

Moreover, the biggest problem I have with these is that it seems to muffle voices. I don't know how to describe it, but the instruments in songs seem to cover up the vocals, or the vocals appear to be behind a piece of cloth or something. In fact, I often have to turn up the volume much higher than I usually listen to in order to properly hear and enjoy what is being said.

Now I was wondering if this is normal for these, if I have a faulty pair, or perhaps I need to burn them in. I've used them for a few hours now, and am currently running them on a white noise/pink noise/sine wave mix with high hopes.

Thanks.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Kramer mod - search the forum.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Dude recable them and add a 75 Ohm resistor. I had mine recabled by APS and they sound nice, very nice.

 

[Punnisher]

Well the sr60 and ksc75 are two of the best bang for buck phones out there, but I am firm about the 60 being in a different league altogether.

I think that even stock the 75's sound very crisp and balanced. A touch on the dark side but they don't hide much.

 

[dcpoor]

burn them in first, and bend the clips to ensure they fit well.

 

[scytheavatar]

The ones who claim that the KSC75 is better than $100 phones are overrating them like crazy. At the end of the day they are a great value for money phone, but is not in the same league as the SR60. And other than the fact that both of them have a poor soundstage there's little that the KSC75 has in common with the SR60, the KSC75's presentation is more airy and doesn't have the speed of the SR60.

 

[pdupiano]

If you have a meter, pop open the "volume control" and measure the resistance until you get 75 see if that works for you. I've been playing around with different resistance values and my amp for the past hour, different combinations lead to different sounds, its a nice little effect. The only real problem I have with these is the rumbling/grattle sound (I forgot the term). But if you play around with the resistor you could get rid of it, oh and if you're running a bithead like me try turning the crossfeed off.

 

[Sardonyx]

There is two RadioShack stores nearby- one was out, the other had two pairs down to $5.65, so I pulled the trigger just out of curiosity. I didn't spend much time bending the earpieces, but I did try holding them to my ears in different positions. Pressing tighter or looser, sliding them around, etc. Out of the box, no burn-in, no mods, I think they suck.

How bad was the suckage?

An entirely new branch of physics will need to be developed to explain how it is possible for any piece of audio gear to make Bonnie McKee's "Somebody" sound unpleasant. This song is so damn gorgeous I almost had a eargasm the first time I heard it--as an internet stream--96kbps--through bad 2.0 computer speakers.

 

[tomb]

I've purchased a dozen or so KSC75's over the last couple of years. Out of the box, they can sound very harsh - even raspy. The burn-in doesn't take too long, though - maybe a few days to a week. A warning, however: there's a reason that the KSC75 is so cheap and that's because the quality control leaves something to be desired. It's quite easy for Koss to get too little or too much of the titanium coating on the driver. Consequently, sometimes you just get a bad pair.

If they don't improve on burn-in after awhile, I'd return them to Koss, claim they're defective and sound horrible, and then see what they send you back.

P.S. I'm not in the camp that necessarily believes in the Kramer mod (great guy, though), re-cabling, or the 75-ohm resistor. If you get a good pair that are broken in, I doubt that you will find any of those mods necessary. You may even start saying they're as good as an SR60, too.

 

[Henmyr]

Also, try adjusting them (bending the metal) so that the either sit forward and down over your ears, or further back. The positioning changes the sound a bit. I have my rather forward to enhance the mids. If you want more treble and less mids, move them back a bit.

 

[apatN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Kramer mod - search the forum.

X2. They become a lot more fun when modded.

 

[dclancy]

at least quarter mod them. It's free.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Hm, I'd say that based on the "muffled vocals" part, they're too close to your ears. Let them breathe a little!

 

[carlineng]

I personally think the KSC-75 sounds fantastic, but I agree that a lot of people way over-exaggerate the sound quality.

One thing about them that REALLY annoys me is in both pairs that I've owned, the right earclip starts to fall off really easily.

 

[dclancy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlineng /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing about them that REALLY annoys me is in both pairs that I've owned, the right earclip starts to fall off really easily.

Used to happen to me all the time. Take a lighter, heat the pincer part (for lack of better words) of the plastic on the clip, just enough to soften it, and give them a slight squeeze. Should hold tight. My haven't popped off but a couple times since, and they take a beating during an average work day.
I've gone through 3 pairs now, and have bent the clips to my ears perfectly, and transferred them to each consecutive pair.
I may not go as far as to add a resistor or recable, unless it's for fun. Otherwise beats the $6 headphone aspect. But I did my own cheap quick take of the Kramer mod.

Just used a razor blade and start lopping off plastic. But be careful and only attempt if you have a steady hand.
P.S. In case you haven't read the Kramer thread, remove the plastic first. I know this sounds obvious, but people do dumb things on the interweb.