Koss KSC75 Portable On-Ear Clip Headphones, Retro Style, Ultra Lightweight, Silver and Black

I bought these earphones for working out only, so most of this review is based on my experience with them working out. Naturally i understand there are some really great earphones on the market that can make you think that your in the same room at the musician. Those earphones are not going to be the ones that your going to work out with. There are some people out there that pay a hundred dollars for earphones just to work out in! But why when you can spend less then 15$ on these nice little Koss earphones. For most people who dont have money to burn i recommend these little guys. Like i said they are less than 15$ and they have very impressive sound quality for such a good less expensive earphone. They are also comfortable as well with a nice semi soft rubber sleeve on the plastic loop that goes around the top of you ear. The earphones do a really good job of staying right were you put them no matter what you do as well. So comfort, sound quality, and price are the main focal point of these earphones. But there are some draw backs that are not deal breakers in any way but must be mentioned. First the earpads are your typical foam cushions. Those do get sweaty especially if you sweat alot. Ive seen some out in the market that are a type of really soft rubber that helps with the sweat but i dont know how weird that would feel having wet rubber on your ears. At the same time i know how wet foam feels on the ears and it feels a little wierd too. I guess i would rather have the foam though because it adds the comfort that is important to me and koss makes 3 packs of foam ear replacements for only about 3$ so its no big deal. I just worry that one day the sweat may ruin one of the earphones, but thats why 15$ is a better investment in earphones when you work out. Next, this is me kind of nit picking but sony has a 40$ pair of new earphones for working out that has what they call an extension for the earphones. In other words if you have you mp3 player in an armband and you put these earphones on…you can disconnect the extension which is in the middle of the cord connected to the earphones and you’ll have another 3.5mm plug there that can go into your armband. While at the same time the cord is very short and perfect for working out with an armband. If these Koss had that i would never buy another pair for working out. But they do not and i have to wrap the cord about the mp3 player. If your really big on looks then i dont know how you will like these koss. They are not really stream line so when you put them on your ears they do come out a little. Looks like the top of a hamburger bun on the side of your ear just not as big. Dont get me wrong they are light so you wont feel them and really who is going to care what they look like when they are covered in sweat. One last thing…Koss offers a lifetime warranty on these little babies but i think that is standard on all there equipment. Just a little perk i wanted to add. So overall i really like these earphones after using now for about three weeks. So dont be worried about getting these, they will be great for everyday casual use and working out if that is what your looking for. But if you feel that you need the Best looking, sounding, smallest, and most expensive earphones on the market to work out in…then your not hitting the gym hard enough cupcake. Go back to your starbucks and enjoy!

I had reviewed two other sports headphones before I found the Koss set. My review of the Koss is below, and below that my original reviews of the others for comparison. I was skeptical that $20 headphones could compete with the much more expensive ones. Delighted to find I was totally wrong!!Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone HeadphonesThe good:a) The best sound overall for working out. Great bass, nice integration, very serviceable middle and treble ranges. Better on all counts than the Sennheisers. While not as elegant and smooth as the Sonys, they more than make up for this with their bass and overall drive and punch. And at this price point (less than half of the Sennheisers and less than 1/4 of the Sonys), they are an absolute steal!b) Ear clips look like they would be difficult to put on, but are surprisingly easy. It took me just two tries to get the hang of them.c) Cord length is appropriate.The less good:a) Clips come off a bit more easily than ideal–not a problem when they’re on your head–more when you’re pulling them out of your bag if they get a little stuck. However, they go back on very easily so not a deal breaker by any means.b) Would be nice to have a sliding clip that puts the earpieces together for storage to minimize tangling. On the other hand, these tangle less easily than in-ear buds, thanks to their larger size.c) When you lie on your back, as for crunches or bench pressing, the earpieces can feel like they are going to come off your ear–they don’t actually, and I found it just takes a minor adjustment to correct this.Overall, these are by far the best pair of sports headphones I’ve tried and a fantastic buy!I compared these to the Sennheiser-Adidas CX680i and the Sony XBA-S65, running with each for a long time after I broke a sweat. Here are my impressions:1. Sennheiser CX-680i:The good:a) Ear fin design works reasonably well and is particularly fast to insert. I tried the various sizes, selecting the ones that fit my ear best. Nevertheless, after I broke a sweat, the left earbud slipped a bit every now and then, requiring me to push it back in. It never fell out entirely as many others do, but still this was a bit annoying.b) Volume control on the cord works well. The Sony doesn’t come with one, which is a pain and just plain thoughtless for a “sports” modelc) Bass comes through with that satisfying “boom-boom” sensation you want when you’re working out. This is the best feature, in my view.d) Sweat doesn’t seem to bother the sound at all!e) Very little sound leaks in from the outside–a plus or a minus depending on whether you’d prefer to hear oncoming traffic(!)The bad:a) Overall sound quality doesn’t compare to the Sony, other than the superior bass “boom.” Mid and upper registers are too bright and muddy, all at the same time. As other have mentioned, I had to set the iPod equalizer to reduced treble to make it reasonable, but that then removes a lot of the subtlety and sound distinction you’d like to hear. Also, the balance between the right and left seems a bit off–hard to explain, as it’s not a matter of timing, but rather integration of some kind that is beautifully done on the Sony but not here.b) As many others have written, the cable situation is bleak. I had expected that the complainers were just not trying hard enough to accommodate the design. Well, my apologies–I tried for 45 minutes during my run,and I couldn’t figure it out either! The primary cable is indeed too short for anything other than an arm band. When I connected the longer cable with the volume control I found that the clip on the (somewhat bulky) volume control was cheap and close to useless. It’s kind of like a cheap plastic version of the long clip on a pen, and as such seems designed to hook over the waistband of your shorts, or the outside edge of the pocket, rather than your shirt. But it doesn’t hold at all because it’s cheap and not tight, so it repeatedly slipped off my waistband, even though I had the upper part clipped to my shirt with the other provided clip. Clipping it to my pocket was better, but the upper cord is not quite long enough to accommodate that (i’m 6 feet tall, and I’m guessing this would be true for many at, say, 5’10” and above). Eventually, I found a configuration that seemed to hold for at least several minutes at a time, in which I jerrry-rigged the volume clip to my shirt also, but that was it. Very disappointing design. And don’t even think about just letting the thing dangle–as everyone else has noted, the noise this creates, and the pulling, are not acceptable.c) No controls other than volume. If you want to fast forward, rewind, skip ahead, etc. you’re on your own, fishing the MP3 out of your pocket or reaching over to your armband.2. Sony XBA-S65The good:a) Sound quality is superb overall. Crisp low mid and high range, beautifully integrated. You’ll hear new things in your favorite songs. HOWEVER, as other have noted, the bass register is “flat” to the other registers. There’s no possibility of boosting it (the equalizer doesn’t help here) to get that extra “oomph” in the bass that I like when working out. It’s kind of like the difference between a well-tended Camry and a Porsche in need of a tuneup. The ride of the former is smooth, elegant, well-integrated and, well, not terribly exciting; that of the Porsche is throaty and exciting, but rough and possibly annoying over time. I sense that my disappointment with the Sony bass may fade over time, because the truth is that these earphones are calibrated to deliver a well-integrated, “true” sound that is unlikely to cause listening fatigue. But boy I wish Sony had just provided an option somehow to open the bass up just a smidge more!b) The “loop” earpieces keep the earbuds in place very well and there’s virtually no noise leakaage (see above). However, they are fussy and take some time to get used to putting on properly, whereas the Sennheisers go on with no muss or fuss at all.c) Cord is long enough and has a clip for your shirt that works fine.The bad:a) Not clear to me yet if these are as water resistant as the Sennheisers. I had one moment where the sound in one ear cut out due to sweat in my ear, but a quick flick was all it took to rectify this.b) The bass register, as above. It’s not that it’s not there. It’s there perfectly accurately. But there are times when you want more than accurate in the bass when you’re working out!c) No volume or any other controls. This is a thoughtless omission for an expensive “sports” model.When I first tried these, I was sure I was going to go with the Sennheiser, just to get the bass I crave. But the more I compare the two, the more I’m leaning toward the Sony. I’m already experiencing some fatigue with the Sennheiser due to the screechy, muddy mid- and upper registers, and the lack of integration of the two sides. And the more I listen to the Sonys, the more I love the music! Come on Sony! You’re most of the way there. Let’s open up that bass just a bit, get a less fussy anchoring system for the earbuds and add some volume and other music controls!

I love these! I just got them today but I was so desperate to get rid of the lousy JVC HARX300s that I put them on right out of the box. for 12 dollars and change these are right next to my Big headphones. this pair of tiny headphones has it all.They look kind of cheapy but they sound expensive.The clip is comfortable on my ear, and they feel secure. The cord is short but you don’t want a long cord dangling around to trip over if you’re moving around a lot. If the length of the cord is a problem get a cord extender.The bass is present but not overly so, the mids can be heard, and the highs are chrystal. In fact everything is clean and clear. It’s not quite as good at separation as my big phones but it is absolutely fantastic for these especially at this price.I spent a whole week researching clipons before I ordered these. For those who want even better sound there are some easy peasy mods you can try on these. Do a search on YouTube or Google.Love, love, love these. I’m busily burning them in. I’ve been listening to music on my Amazon Prime music, and watching videos:) I am so happy, happy, happy. I want to do a little victory jig. LOL, you just don’t understand how horrible those other headphones were. As soon as I saw the Amazon box at my front door, I brought it in and unhooked those JVC phones and did a slam dunked them into the trash can. :PThese bad boys are light as a feather, the clip is comfortable with no pinching, and you can literally forget you’re wearing them. They are NOT very good at isolation however, but if you wear them out jogging or some other activity you don’t want that anyway, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings for safety reasons. I can’t say if you can hear very much noise going out, but my daughter was in the room with meand we were able to carry on a conversation As Long As The Music Was Turned Down.Oh and before I forget, the cord is fairly thin, not impossibly so, but you don’t want to jerk or or pull on it really hard. It should stand up to normal use, but it won’t take a lot of abuse..Oh earpads! The earpads are nice and comfy, some kind of foam, very soft on the ears. I’ve had these phones on now for ohhhh 4 hrs or so. My ears are not sore,Where they rest on my ear, they’re not hot and sweaty. The clips haven’t rubbed a sore spot anywhere, over the top of my ear or behind the ear.I think I’ve covered everything.All around these are the little phones that could, and they do They are money well spent. I may just buy another couple of pairs just in case the company gets the crazy idea to stop making them:)I can’t really ding these for anything not even the thin cord, because they are built for people on the go, everything light and compact. Great sound but inexpensive enough that you won’t cry if you lose them. Heck everyone probably spent more on sunglasses than these. They fit securely without pain. So yeah, five stars from me.I was not given a discount for a review, I wan’t paid for this review. I have nothing to do with the manufacturer or the seller other than the normal buying transaction. The review I have made is my honest opinion.That’s my two cents for whatever it’s worth to ya:)

I’ve tried MANY different headphones and earbuds and there’s always something that dissappoints in each one.THIS is what I’ve needed for music and for breathwork/meditation. Best of both worlds as far as comfort and sound – which is really ALL I wanted.Love that it doesn’t insert into the ears nor does it give a bad hair day. Feels like they float on the ears.

I’ve spent so much money trying to find the headphones that were perfect and these are it for me. Sometimes cheaper is better and in this case it is. They have great sound with good bass. This is my second time buying them because my previous pare broke after 5 years of me pulling on the cord too hard which is my own fault. They fit well too.