KSC9 - New Koss Sportclip Stereophones

[ferritin99]

Hi,

I just got an email from Koss who are offering the new KSC9 sportclip stereophones.


Has anyone already tried them? Are they any good? How do they compare to e.g. Senns MX 400/500?


ferritin99

 

[meat01]

They must be too new, because no one has responded, so here is a bump for you. Welcome

 

[st5150]

I got the same email. They are very new.

Quote:

The new KSC9 Sportclip Stereophone delivers incredible bass in a lightweight design. Order yours before they hit the retail shelves. Free shipping if you order before 5/15/05. Offer expires May 15, 2005. To take advantage of this great offer: 1. Click the link below 2. Add the KSC9 to your cart 3. Enter coupon code 0415 at check out ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/SpO?readform&Portable+Stereophones|KSC9

Enjoy.

 

[fewtch]

It's disappointing that nearly all of Koss's marketing pitches begin with "delivers incredible bass..." Mostly because it says a lot about the general headphone listening public and what they're after in a pair of cans.

BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM... BOOM BOOM...

 

[M-317]

As a member of The General Headphone Listening Public, I can shamelessly say that first priority with my headphones is bass, and the rest can all be considered "average" to headphone fanatics.

That's in part due to the fact that much of the music I listen to is focused on the bass and in part due to the fact that I do most to all of my listening outside of the house, either in the car or at school.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M-317 As a member of The General Headphone Listening Public, I can shamelessly say that first priority with my headphones is bass, and the rest can all be considered "average" to headphone fanatics. That's in part due to the fact that much of the music I listen to is focused on the bass and in part due to the fact that I do most to all of my listening outside of the house, either in the car or at school.

What does bass have to do with listening outside the house? Bass doesn't cut through ambient noise as well as midrange and treble.

 

[Asr]

Someone be the guinea pig and try them out for us!

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I wouldn't expect much from any of Koss's in-ear open designs. None of those that I tried sound as good as even Sony's low-end earbuds, let alone Sennheiser's MX### series.

 

[GreenEggs313]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch What does bass have to do with listening outside the house? Bass doesn't cut through ambient noise as well as midrange and treble.

it's the first thing that goes away when listening in noisy environments......because as you explained, bass doesn't cut through ambient noise as well as midrange and treble. So he likes his headphone to have extra bass.

 

[Eurastus]

I received an e-mail from KOSS for 25% off my next order; I'd been thinking I need a pair of KSC-75 for exercising duty anyway. I saw the new KSC-9 phones so, for $10 I though I'd give 'em a try too. $26.24 for the 75's and 9's together. That seems like a bargain.

I'll let y'all know how the 9's sound when they arrive.

By the way, I've got a very old pair of burgundy-colored KOSS buds with blue cables...must be about 20 years old now...that are the nicest sounding buds I've ever tried. Better than the MX-300, 400, or 500 I bought and any Sony's that I've listened to. I've no idea what model they are--lost the documentation long ago and there's no model markings on them. Because of their performance, I'm always willing to give KOSS a try--especially with 25% off and no tax or shipping.

 

[Beach123456]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs313 it's the first thing that goes away when listening in noisy environments......because as you explained, bass doesn't cut through ambient noise as well as midrange and treble. So he likes his headphone to have extra bass.

Really? I had no idea, I thought my ears were just screwed up when i couldnt hear any bass while I was in the car.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs313 it's the first thing that goes away when listening in noisy environments......because as you explained, bass doesn't cut through ambient noise as well as midrange and treble. So he likes his headphone to have extra bass.

That makes sense, thanks.

 

[Eurastus]

All,

I received a pair of KOSS KSC9 and KSC75 phones in the mail this afternoon.

Well, the 9's sure are lightweight, I'll give 'em that. The cable itself is the very lightest I've ever seen on a headphone...even thinner and apparently more fragile than any ear-buds I've ever worn. The phones themselves are also light, though not as featherweight as buds. The black portions of the phones, meant to go behind and under the ear (to act as a counterbalance, I suppose), are properly flexible; it's easy enough to bend them just perfectly to position the drivers deep in the pocket of the ear canal, thus increasing the bass response as much as possible. These are actually pretty comfortable phones, unless you want to wear them with a cycling helmet, that is. Once I strapped on the chin-strap, I discovered that the straps that fit around and especially under my ears ride exactly on top of the phones, pushing them painfully into my ears. To make that problem worse, I can find no way to slip any foam bud-pads on and have them stay in place. Without a helmet, however, they're not bad. They seem to stay in place pretty well. Perhaps if you're a jogger and not a cyclist...

However, the bass is woefully absent. To make matters worse, I think these are the brightest phones I've heard in a long, long time. Way too much treble...way to much...cymbals give me a headache in less than the time to hear a single song. Perhaps if I were listening to an older cassette player with the Dolby turned on (which tends to lower treble), it'd balance out. From digital sources it's just too bright.

They cost me $10 and that was about $9 too much. I think I'll give them to a friend of mine. Perhaps he'll like them, though I doubt it.

On the other hand, the set of KSC75 phones that came in the same shipping box are wonderful. Nowhere near as light as the KSC9 phones, but everything else is superb. They stay on the ear well (better than my KSC35's), sound way better then a $15 pair of cans ought to (or a $50 pair for that matter). I have no trouble with my helmet straps either; no part of the phone extends under the ear to get caught. These are truly sweet phones, as most of you already know. I cannot recommend the KSC75 phones highly enough when you want something light and portable, especially for exercising.