KSC75s are the second of the Koss’ most popular headphones. Well they have several and now there is Utility series, sure but KSC75s are still special.
Disclaimers
Without boring you too much, I don’t necessarily have a sound preference. I tend to enjoy different sound profiles as long as they do well what they intend to do. I’m not very sensitive to treble so can enjoy most notoriously bright headphones, however I’m somewhat sensitive to upper mids area. Please keep these in mind.
Pros
- Dirty Cheap
- Light and Portable
- Excellent Timbre
- Neutral Sound
- Decent Technicalities
- Open for Mods and Customization
Cons
- Ear Clips (Subjective)
- Might Come as Lean (Subjective)
- Might be Somewhat Harsh for Some (Subjective)
Built, Comfort, Trivia of KSC75
KSC75s are kind of a legend in the “audiophile” community. Although they use almost the same driver with the Porta Pros, probably titanium coating on the driver changes the sound, arguably for the better. They come with ear clips instead of a headband. They are also much cheaper; while MSRP of Porta Pros is 50$, KSC75s are sold for 20$, what a bargain! However ear clips are annoying, at least they are for me. They pull down your ear, hurt after a while and seal even less than Porta Pro. Fret not though, ear clips are easily removable and interchangable with Porta Pro headband and several other 3rd party headbands. Also you can use change the ear cushions to suit your taste in color, style and tuning, just like Porta Pros.
Sound of KSC75
If you are a FR graph guy, imagine tilting the Porta Pro’s FR graph counter clockwise and you get KSC75’s FR. But I’m here to explain what ears hear. KSC75s are as neutral as it gets.
For the bass, these don’t have much of a sub-bass extension either, maybe even less than Porta Pro. In the mid-bass there is a slight hint of a mid-bass hump which adds a little fun factor but nothing excess. It just makes the sound not very lean which is very welcome if you ask me.
Mids are quite good and neutral, not forward, not recessed either. In this sense presentation is very similar to Sennheiser HD600s. In my HD600 review I said they are epitome of neutrality, the dictionary definition of neutral for audiophiles, if you will. Anyway, KSC75s are not as intimate but they don’t become shouty either. Porta Pros have more of an intimate presentation in this sense.
If you are sensitive to treble, they may come as too bright or harsh sometimes but they don’t offend me unless I turn the volume too much or the song itself is excessively harsh in that region. They are definitely brighter than HD600s here. If your treble limit is HD600s’, then KSC75s might be too harsh for you. Still I enjoy the extra zing. They are pretty detailed and have wider soundstage than average. Again KSC75s are very balanced. Timbre is also very natural, doesn’t sound off in any way.
Conclusion
KSC75s are the most “audiophile” headphones in Koss’ on ear headphones line-up. They produce the most correct sound in the sense of fidelity to the original recording. However music enjoyment is not just about fidelity and if you go higher in price you will come across more technically capable headphones. But for 20$ what can go wrong? You can even play with them a little to satiate your curiosity without breaking the bank. Tonality-wise they can compete with 100$-150$ range. Just don’t expect miracles and you will be fine.
