Koss In Ear Headphones- $8.88 no more, now $12.88 delivered from Amazon

[Landstandr]

For anyone who wants to use these as noise isolators you may wish to do a search for 'koss hybrid' on ebay. Basically they use the better tips from Etymotics with the Koss electronics for better overall noise reduction.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
The koss sparks are really bass heavy, to the point where it was annoying.

I've read that there's an easy "fix" for this - just somehow cover up those holes on the outside. Some people have used a tiny bit of clear tape over the holes. Supposedly this cuts the bass.

 

[Apostle]

Sweet! I'm in for one. I was looking at buying these a few weeks back because my out of the box Ipod buds went bad, but the shipping then killed it for me. This is a good deal. If I like them I think a few more pair might make good stocking stuffer gifts!

 

[finkle]

Are the Ear buds hard rubber or soft and form fitting... thinking about these for my Sons.. I have a pair of Sony 71s.. how would I compare the fit/feel in ear??

thanks, finkle

 

[Ol Gravy Leg]

Originally posted by: touchmyichi
The Koss ksc 75's have the entire audiophile community drooling and they are about the same price as these. They aren't in ear headphones though, but their sound quality is unmatched at the price.

ksc-35 sound a bit better, but use the same driver.

 

[coomarlin]

I just picked up a Sansa E250R MP3 player on BF and although I haven't tried the player out I've heard that it's biggest weakness is the headphones that are bundled with it. I'll probably need to replace them from what I've read. Would these Koss phones be a good choice with the sansa? Do they come in black to match my Sansa?

 

[Zap]

The older model, "The Plug" would probably match a bit better. Just go to the page for "The Spark Plug" and scroll down to see the "buy together" and click there.

 

[SubRosa]

Great post--just what I wanted. The latest consumer review on amazon is superb. I'm in for 3: one for me, two for stockings.

Thanks, OP!

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: touchmyichi
The Koss ksc 75's have the entire audiophile community drooling and they are about the same price as these. They aren't in ear headphones though, but their sound quality is unmatched at the price.

Agreed, the KSC75s would be a better way to spend cash than on the plugs. I absolutely love mine and can't believe they only cost $12 + shipping. The sound is up there with my Sennheiser HD555 and AKG K81DJ.

 

[legcramp]

I tried these sparkplugs and they are crap, the Koss KSC-75 runs circles around these.

 

[konakona]

I used them for quite some time, and actually thought they were decent for portable use after modding. Never really cared to listen to them before modding, so I cant comment on how they sound unmodded. For modding, there was an article on headwize, so try using headwize as the keyword for googling. The mods are known to attenuate the bass and make highs softer.

At least they are much better sounding (IMO and according to many others) than sony fontopias (or whatever that line up is called, ex-71).

CX300 seems to get really favorable feedback for great bang for buck, so I really wanna try them sometime. Currently I am using e2c with no complaints at all.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: VanillaH
I used them for quite some time, and actually thought they were decent for portable use after modding. Never really cared to listen to them before modding, so I cant comment on how they sound unmodded. For modding, there was an article on headwize, so try using headwize as the keyword for googling. The mods are known to attenuate the bass and make highs softer.

At least they are much better sounding (IMO and according to many others) than sony fontopias (or whatever that line up is called, ex-71).

CX300 seems to get really favorable feedback for great bang for buck, so I really wanna try them sometime. Currently I am using e2c with no complaints at all.

I used to have the E2C. If you really like using earphones, it's really worth the money to get a more expensive set. I didn't really think there was much of a difference before until I was going to buy an amp for my E2C, and I was suggested by members on head-fi to just spend the money on a better set of earphones. I bit, and got the Etymotic ER4P, and it was surprisingly, worlds better than the E2C. Don't be thinking I was delusional after spending all that money on the ER4 and didn't give the E2C a good comparison, as I even kept the E2C at first, in case if the ER4P sounded similar. But, in comparison, the E2C had harsh and tunnel-like sounding highs, midrange and bass was heavy. ER4P sounded so smooth and natural, it was worlds better. The ER4P was the first step into audiophilia. Things actually started to sound convincingly real for the first time. A third dimension was created with the introduction of the soundstage that's so vivid with the ER4.
Just wanted to share my experience with a fellow swan user and a chinatsu lover

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Purchased a pair on Thanksgiving and they shipped the next day. I think i'll do the modding to ease some of the bass. I basically just needed a pair of in ear headphones for the gym. The ones that came with my Archos have already started to go bad on me and they don't fit in my ear right.

 

[Zim]

If you care about sound quality stay away from Koss, even for 9 bucks. There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't know Jack Schitt saying some Koss stuff is audiophile quality. It's not. It's all cheap and nasty.

Sorry, but someone needs to tell it as it is.

BTW I suggest these or these.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Zim
If you care about sound quality stay away from Koss, even for 9 bucks. There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't know Jack Schitt saying some Koss stuff is audiophile quality. It's not. It's all cheap and nasty.

Sorry, but someone needs to tell it as it is.

BTW I suggest these or these.

i don't think anyone expects audiophile quality for nine bucks shipped

and your are nearly 3 times more expensive ... nor are they "audiophile" quality
:roll:

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: Zim
If you care about sound quality stay away from Koss, even for 9 bucks. There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't know Jack Schitt saying some Koss stuff is audiophile quality. It's not. It's all cheap and nasty.

Sorry, but someone needs to tell it as it is.

BTW I suggest these or these.

Meh.. really the only ~$100 IEMs worth getting are the Altec Lansing iM716. Even then, the Koss KSC75 is just as good (IMO) if you don't mind open clip-ons. It's the closest you can get to audiophile quality with Koss (though I hear the Portapros are good, but I haven't tried them). Seriously, order a pair of KSC75s, they're dirt cheap and the SQ is up there with ~$80 cans

 

[Zim]

Originally posted by: OREOSpeedwagon

Originally posted by: Zim
There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't know Jack Schitt saying some Koss stuff is audiophile quality. It's not. It's all cheap and nasty.

Seriously, order a pair of KSC75s, they're dirt cheap and the SQ is up there with ~$80 cans

Yup. This is the sort of BS I'm talking about.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

I got my headphones today. Definitely an upgrade from the stock Archos headset and yes, they are quite boomy. However, they fit well in my ears and I don't have to worry about them falling out like regular in ear style headphones. Worth the price plus the tax I paid. Packaging was less than desirable though.

 

[Bobalude]

They are great replacements for the price but the two gripes i have are as mentioned the Bass and the foam inserts.

anyone familiar with mods for these and/or links on how to do them? 1) the Etymonic / hybrid?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Bobalude
anyone familiar with mods for these and/or links on how to do them?

If what I read was correct, supposedly you just have to somehow cover up the ports - the holes on the outside. Some people just slap a piece of clear tape over them. Others get fancy and disassemble them and cover them up from the inside.

 

[tempuraki]

$12.88 now

 

[Mellman]

got mine today thanks

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: Zim

Originally posted by: OREOSpeedwagon

Originally posted by: Zim
There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't know Jack Schitt saying some Koss stuff is audiophile quality. It's not. It's all cheap and nasty.

Seriously, order a pair of KSC75s, they're dirt cheap and the SQ is up there with ~$80 cans

Yup. This is the sort of BS I'm talking about.

I've owned Grado SR225s ($200 cans), Sennheiser HD555s, AKG K81DJs, and as a general use headphone I prefer the KSC75 over them all. However, I listen to the AKG K81DJs for my trance/electronica and liked the SR225s for rock (simply amazing, the sound is so real). But the KSC75s are such an incredible bargain at $12 or so that there's no reason not to own them. 95% of the folks at head-fi (most with $2000+ headphone setups) will back up this claim

 

[DefDC]

Got mine today. Not the BEST sound, but a FRIGGIN' HOT DEAL at $9 or $13! They fit fine in my ears and do a very good job at sound isolation. Jump on it! Thx op!

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0

Originally posted by: VanillaH
I used them for quite some time, and actually thought they were decent for portable use after modding. Never really cared to listen to them before modding, so I cant comment on how they sound unmodded. For modding, there was an article on headwize, so try using headwize as the keyword for googling. The mods are known to attenuate the bass and make highs softer.

At least they are much better sounding (IMO and according to many others) than sony fontopias (or whatever that line up is called, ex-71).

CX300 seems to get really favorable feedback for great bang for buck, so I really wanna try them sometime. Currently I am using e2c with no complaints at all.

I used to have the E2C. If you really like using earphones, it's really worth the money to get a more expensive set. I didn't really think there was much of a difference before until I was going to buy an amp for my E2C, and I was suggested by members on head-fi to just spend the money on a better set of earphones. I bit, and got the Etymotic ER4P, and it was surprisingly, worlds better than the E2C. Don't be thinking I was delusional after spending all that money on the ER4 and didn't give the E2C a good comparison, as I even kept the E2C at first, in case if the ER4P sounded similar. But, in comparison, the E2C had harsh and tunnel-like sounding highs, midrange and bass was heavy. ER4P sounded so smooth and natural, it was worlds better. The ER4P was the first step into audiophilia. Things actually started to sound convincingly real for the first time. A third dimension was created with the introduction of the soundstage that's so vivid with the ER4.
Just wanted to share my experience with a fellow swan user and a chinatsu lover

swan as in m200s? dont have them, just been drooling over them thats all chinatsu is :heart: of course I believe you when you say its worth the money, but I am a middle-class headphone-phile myself; I keep bouncing between HD-650 and K701 on a ppx3 at home. Its just that I am quite content with the level of fidelity for mobile use that e2c provides at this point. Sure, if i get a job then I should probably worry about upgrading my IEMs too judging by what I have read so far, I am more likely to prefer shures over etymotics however.

To be specific,
midbass hump - my E2Cs are paired up with iriver n10, a great player in its own light but somewhat lacking in bass and sterile. E2C tends to match pretty well with it.
harsh highs - it could be smoother, but doesnt bother me enough to consider new phones
To my knowledge, no other IEM offers the tight seal and low microphonics in that price bracket. matters quite a bit if you often use your phones for jogging like I do.

EP630 is most probably much better than the plugs, not so sure about the sonys. My abysmal experience with them is echoed by many others. Being a long time owner of CD3000s, I would confidently state no sony headphone product is worth money for me except for the glorious MDR-10. This is just to show how we necessarily disagree over what should be the ideal sonic signature. To me, all sonys I have tried sounded quite crappy. Its not about brand loyalty, having seriously considered trying out SA5000s for a while (now I am glad I didnt) before settling with K701s.