Review: Koss KSC75 Headphones – Budget King
Posted by Jon Lee in Reviews, tags: headphones, mod, music, radio, review
Since my pair of earbuds that came with my cassette player stopped working in one ear, I decided to do a little bit of research and came across this bad boy. The Koss KSC75 headphone is widely regarded as the best bang-for-your-buck headphone you can get. If you frequent audiophile sites like head-fi.org, you will see many people recommend these to beginner audio enthusiasts.
It is often claimed that the KSC75, priced at under $15, can beat out any headphone under $100 in most categories. So I picked up a pair for myself to see if the hype is justified. First off, I’m not claiming any sort of expertise in this area; in fact I could very well be tone deaf so the following review is completely subjective.
Design
The first thing to note is that the KSC75 is a clip-on headphone. It is not an earbud, a “can”, or the increasingly popular (but hazardous to hearing) in-canal headphones. It consists of two separate ear pieces which fit around your ear independently — no headphone strap to ruin your hair! It sports a silver and black design which doesn’t look too bad but is nothing too fancy.
Comfort
Putting them on takes a bit of practice and I found that it doesn’t go over my left ear as well as my right ear — lopsided ears perhaps. But once they’re on, these headphones are really light and after a while I don’t even notice I’m wearing them (even with glasses on as well). For different shaped ears, the clips are adjustable to an extent.
Sound
The most important aspect, what it sounds like. Although I can’t give any exact measurement of the sound quality, I can tell that it is a hundred times better than my old no name earbuds. The bass is rich and the sound is clean and clear with no audible scratchiness. Reading other reviews, other people claim that it offers a wider range and more balanced sounds than other more expensive headphones but frankly, I have no idea. I just know they sound great when I listen to my productivity increasing music.
Disadvantages
Although it offers great sound quality for a very low price, there are a few things which can be seen as disadvantages
- Design may not fit all ear shapes and some might find it uncomfortable
- It is an “open” headphone, meaning people nearby may hear your music if it’s loud enough.
- The cord isn’t very long. It’s about 4 feet long which is just enough for most cases.
Mods
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the Kramer Mod which will apparently give you a more dynamic sound. I might try it out when I get my hands on a drill.
Overall, I’m fairly happy with my purchase and it’s nice to see other people on the street with KSC75′s and nod at each other knowing we both care about our audio quality (true story).
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