Koss KSC75 September 12th, 2005 | by Brandon King

Sound Quality and Use

The deep, strong bass of the KSC-35s is one of the factors that attracted us.  The KSC-75s continue in this tradition with the same strong, vibrant bass that does not come off as boomy or distorted.  We find this best for workout headphones, since it helps the listener keep beat with the music.  Another factor to consider is that the 75s overcompensate for lower bass levels, which the iPod is weak at reproducing.  The match results in a much more balanced sound than when either is used with another product.

We burned in the KSC-75s for over 24 hours, and then tested them with the same music selection as the KSC-35s.  We also added a few select tunes and sources. 

Music selections were

·         Bjork's Vespertine (DVD-Audio and MP3)

·         Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, Mahler Symphony 10 (DVD-Audio)

·         The Cure's Disintegration (Audio CD and MP3)

·         Gary Numan's Exile (CD and MP3)

·         Delirium's Karma (CD and MP3)

·         Assemblage 23, Storm (Audio CD and MP3)

·         VNV Nation, Futureperfect (Audio CD and MP3)

·         Louis Armstrong, All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD and MP3)

Sources used were

·         SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Platinum (for DVD-Audio, CD, and MP3)

·         Apple iPod photo (MP3)

·         Creative Nano Plus (MP3)

·         Sony Playstation portable (MP3)

All MP3s were encoded with VBR 160kbps-300kbps/44kHz or better.

We found the KSC-75s to perform almost completely identically to the KSC-35s, with the exception of slightly stronger highs.  The soundstage was of an appropriate size, though more forward than encompassing.  One thing worth noting is that 3D specializing was better than with canalphones.  Atmospheric music, like Delirium and Gary Numan, sounded excellent, with an almost overpowering backdrop to the vocals.  Strong bass lines in VNV Nation and Bjork tracks were well represented, and vocals clear.  The treble in Assemblage 23 tracks was slightly distorted and a little fatiguing.  The bass was a little too unbalanced for jazz without messing with the equalizer.  Classical music sounded good, but not as rich as we would like.  Still, a fine music connoisseur is better off dropping the extra money for a good amp and pricier headphones.  Also, only a slight difference could be heard between DVD-Audio quality and MP3s, which leads us to believe that the headphones are not giving the truest representation of the original sound.  Not a surprise for $20.

We also tested the headphones with a couple of popular PC games: World of Warcraft, Half-Life 2, and Doom 3 on the PC, and Lumines for the PSP.  Directionality was decent but not spectacular.  Sounds directly to the side of the player were slightly quieter, giving the impression that everything was either directly in front of somewhere behind the player.  Explosions had a satisfying rumble, but gunshots and sword clanging sounded too shrill.  Lumines sounded absolutely awesome, and we enjoyed many eye bleeding hours of block stacking, musical goodness.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a great set of headphones for use with your laptop or MP3 player, you can't go wrong with the KSC-75s.  They are ideal for working out or walking down the street to class.  While the aesthetics could be slightly improved, the sound quality for the price is second to none.  Fine music listeners into jazz and classical will probably want to shell out the extra money to get a more rich music experience, but for everyday, bass-driven music and atmospheric selections, we highly recommend the KSC-75s.

Pros: 

-          Very affordable

-          Exceptional sound quality

-          Comfortable fit

Cons: 

-          Low quality appearance