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Koss KSC-15 Behind the Head Portable Stereophone

Koss KSC-15 Behind the Head Portable Stereophone

List Price: $14.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great sound, great feel, easily breakable
Review: Pros:
* If you are one of those people who like to listen to music with a lot of bass, these headphones will do fine in giving you a sufficient amount.
* These headphones are very good for on-the-go listening and can be easily shared with friends without having to break a connector band.
* They look really cool!

Cons:
* The soft ear buds aren't totally connected to the rest of the head phone. This means that if you are an active user that won't dedicate significant time to make sure you treat them adequately, they will BREAK OFF. Mine did and I fixed this by taping them back on, but they look a little corny.
* The cord is like a peice of yarn that is easily tangled. When it does get tangled to an extreme, the part of the cord that is kinked will partially unwind leaving the inside metal wire to come out. If the inner wire comes out a lot, your sound quality may decline and it is hard to get the wire back in. The worst case scenario of this happening is where either the wire connects to the rubber plug or where the wire connects to the headphones, leaving it near impossible to get the inner wire back into the outer wire.

Overall:
YES * If you take good care of them and enjoy its better than average sound quality, BUY THEM NOW!
NO * If you won't take good care of them and don't care too much about having good bass, DON'T BUY THEM NOW!

To Koss:
* If you ever plan on making modifications to these head phones...
- Choose a different cord material (rubber or metal wire like sony)
- Make the ear buds more connected to the rest of the headphone rather than leaving a crack in which the average consumer can break them apart.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: For pounding lows. Againts so-so mids, hiss on highs
Review: After hearing about numerous recommendations for this contraption from friends, I finally got the KSC 35 last week. Already have a pair of Grado SR80. Never mind the unsurpassed sound quality, Grados are simply too impractical to carry around, too bulky and noise leaks in due to open air design. For the size, it's kind of puzzling that the KSC 35 has a thumping bass that would clobber even the most bloated headphones out there, including the Grado. It does overwhelm the meds, but depending on your tastes, this could be good or bad. Unfortunately, the good news ends here. The lows are indeed powerful, but they lack the depth and dimension you probably would expect from a renowned brand like Koss. Same goes with the meds. Although more profound than the lows, it's still dry, grainy, totally lacking of warmth. The highs are sharp hisses galore, a typical compromise for a good base. The meds fare better than your avg Sony headphones, the bass is amazing but at the cost of the treble and the overall character of these phones. For [the price tag], I guess that the KSC 35 is worthy, but nothing ground braking as the hypes suggest. Take it from me: if you buy these with that kind of expectations, they would simply leave you wanting more. Buy them for what they are.

Oh and they are also kind of annoying to put on.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: don't waste your money
Review: These headphones served their purpose, but I'd recommend getting better ones. Here are some reasons I didn't like this product:

-Left ear broke as soon as I took it out of the package; still worked, but the part that hooks onto your ear kept twisting/falling off.
-Uncomfortable, bulky
-Kept falling off
-Unable to take music at high volumes for very long (maybe that was my fault...)

Besides all that, here are the reasons I bought the product in the first place:

-Allowed me to share the music with a friend, or listen to the music with one ear, and hold a conversation with the other.

Well, that's about it. I wanted headphones that would have separate ears, and these were the best for their price. If it's really what you want, go ahead and get them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best steals in audio!
Review: I am an admitted "audiophile" -- my main headphone system is over $3,000. However, these are one of my favorite headphones ever (and I've heard a lot of them, from $10 to $1000!). (...) These are one of the best-sounding headphones under a hundred bucks, and they are also one of the most versatile. They have three things going for them: 1) SOUND. The KSC-35 have balanced sound, including impressive bass, good midrange and good detail. That's a rare combination in headphones under a hundred bucks. They sound good enough that good sources really do sound good, but they are also enjoyable on lower-quality sources such as MP3 players and computers (another rare trait -- many headphones do one or the other, but not both). 2) COMFORT. The unique "earclip" design of the KSC-35 provides a very lightweight headphone that is also quite secure. These are without question the BEST exercise headphone on the planet, and they are also all-day comfortable. I should add that a few people don't like the clip design because of their ear shape, but most people will often forget they're wearing them. 3) EFFICIENCY. Unlike many high-quality headphones that need a juicy headphone amp to sound good, the KSC-35 sound great on anything, from the wimpiest portable CD player to the best dedicated headphone amp. I can't recommend this headphone enough. It's WAY better than anything else for the price, and competitive with headphones costing many times as much. If you're looking at (...) headphones under a hundred bucks, get these first and give them a try. You can return them if you don't like them, but my guess is you'll keep them ;)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Awesome sound, uncomfortable design
Review: For the price (especially on Amazon!!) these are amazing headphones! The sound quality is better than I had expected and they are very well built. That said, they are very uncomfortable for me and I had to return them (after hearing the sound quality, I will definitely be going with Koss again though). I do not have huge ears my any means but the "SportClip" design caused pressure on the tops of my ears and I had to wear them very loosely to keep it from pinching my ears. I imagine this would be the case for many people who have long ears or thick ears (ever had to think about your ears before?! lol).

Like I said the quality of sound and build is excellent but I could not handle the pressure of my ears for more than a few minutes. The bass is not "boomy" but rather very tight and crisp sounding and these headphones brought out nuances, especially in precussion and acoustic guitar, that I had never heard with my Sony headphones.

It suprised me that I do not like these because I bought them to replace well-used Sony MDR-G52s which are the "StreetStyle" behind the ear headphones which have been very comfortable for me, even after long periods of time.

If you don't have sensitive ears, give these a try. However, if you are worried that these may not be comfortable for you just try the PROX1 which is the same exact speakers/drivers in a normal "over the head" design. That's what is in the mail to me as we speak.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost Amazing
Review: At first, when I bought these headphones, I really did not like the looseness of them. However, I've gotten used to them as extremely lightweight headphones that I use in my room if I don't want my ears to be squished. As a result, I do not recommend these headphones for exercising, but for occassional use. Especially for the price, these headphones are amazing. --This text refers to an alternate option.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Don't be fooled by the price!
Review: I've owned a pair of these for about one year until they fell apart just recently. Granted, though, this was after they were put through some serious abuse from exercising and travelling. But that's the beauty of the price of these headphones, you can easily throw out the old ones and buy new ones without spending too much.
They have an amazing sound for such a small size and price. Although, like most reviewers have mentioned about this product, they are not good if you want your music to be completely unheard by the public. Also, on the flipside, lots of outside gets in because of the open-ness of the earpieces. I kind of like being able to hear outside noise when I use these for running on open roads, just so I'm aware of my surroundings. --This text refers to an alternate option.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Sounding and Durable
Review: I've had these headphones since the fall of 2001, and I must say that for $25 I spent on these, I have not been disappointed. The "SportClip" design is a stroke of genius (Koss had this design before anyone else) and is what sold me: My ears are not compatible with earbuds, but I hate normal headphones with headbands. In college I could listen to the KSC50s for 12+ hour stints in the computer lab, and my ears were never tired. The sound from these is excellent; I never realised how poor the quality of the earbuds that shipped with my MP3 player was until I bought these. I'm no audiophile, but I could definately tell a big difference.
I never treated these headphones with care in the 2+ years I owned them; when I wasn't listening to my MP3 player on these, they spent their time at the bottom of my backpack - with the cord carelessly coiled wrapped around the earpieces. I run regularly with these, and I've never had an issue with the earpieces bouncing off my ears. Even after all the abuse, the KSC50s show very few signs of wear and tear. The only signs of the hard life these headphones have led is the left earclip where some of the silver paint has flaked off and on the nylon braided cable, where the sheathed wires inside are showing (probably cut by something in the bottom of my bookbag). Having said that, the sound has never shorted out. I realise that I'm an abusive customer (probably worst case for this type of product) and I don't fault the product for the cut nylon sheathing. Now that I'm buying a new MP3 player, I'm buying a new set of KSC50s for home and office use. My old ones will soldier on when I run at the gym.
All I can say is this: for the $13 these cost now, it will be very difficult to find a better-sounding pair of headphones for the price! --This text refers to an alternate option.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing sound, especially for the price
Review: These are a terrific set of headphones. The sound quality is terrific, though the physical design isn't perfect.

I had a pair of Grado SR60s (not super-high-end, but still 5x what I paid for the KSC50s), and I'd say the KSC50s are neck and neck with them. The midrange might be slightly better in the Grados, but the transparency is about the same, and the KSC50s definitely have better low-frequency response. If you want to hear real low bass sounds and hate the cheesy "Super Bass" effects, these are the phones for you. And best of all, the KSC50s are really easy to drive, so you won't have to drain your portable player's battery by cranking up the volume to hear it.

As far as the form factor goes, it's good and bad. I have a pair of Sony earclips (that list for the same as the KSC50s) that are smaller and lighter, and they have a wire-style clip for the ear that's a lot less bulky than the clip on the KSC50s. The Sonys are more convenient and more comfortable -- the only problem is that the the sound is horrible by comparison. So if you're comparing these with earbuds or other earclips for use during snowboarding or something, the form factor may or may not get the job done. On the other hand, compared to full-size Grados or Sennheisers, these are extremely portable and convenient. I've used these for walking and other activities, and I haven't had any trouble with them. As far as comfort goes, I hated them for the first couple of days, then I got used to them and now they don't bother me -- though I wouldn't go so far as to call them really comfortable. They could definitely be improved on this score.

Another note: these aren't sealed headphones. If you fly a lot and want to drown out the noise of an airplane, go get some Etymotics instead. On the other hand, I prefer being able to hear a certain amount of ambient noise in case something comes up that I need to hear, whether walking around or in the office.

Bottom line: these aren't perfect, but they're the best all-around headphones I've ever owned, and the price is so low it's ridiculous. --This text refers to an alternate option.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GREAT sound quality, but...
Review: These KSC50s have great sound quality, just like their predecessors, the KSC35 and Portapros (made from same driver), but there is one thing wrong with these: the comfort level. They SOUND great, but they'll hurt your ears after about an hour or so, especially if you have small ones like me. I would recommend the "outdated" KSC35 instead, because the spring there is located at the side of the earphone, while this one's is at the top, where it hurts your ear. The only difference between the two is price (KSC35 ~ $30; KSC50 ~ $13 at the time of this writing), comfort level (subjective), and style. --This text refers to an alternate option.


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