Seriously, if there are other headphones out there as good as these for the same ridiculous $13.00 price, I am unaware of it.
Great sound. Killer price.
Discussion about
Best bang for the buck!
These may be the best headphones available at the sub $20 price point. However in a true "bang for the buck" dollar-to-quality-ratio test I doubt any headphones can beat the Grado SR60.
The SR60's might be nearly six times the cost of the KSC75 but they are arguably six times better too.
Headphones better than the Grado SR60 start getting into an area in which you are paying 50% more for 20% better sound quality (or more commonly an even worse ratio). Even taking that into account I think the Grado SR125's hit the sweet spot of cost vs sound quality for the average consumer who truly cares about sound but doesn't have a big budget, however they can't be argued to be "best bang for the buck" as they cost more than double what the SR60's do and they aren't twice as good (perhaps only 30% better, but even that is stretching it).
The SR60's might be nearly six times the cost of the KSC75 but they are arguably six times better too.
Headphones better than the Grado SR60 start getting into an area in which you are paying 50% more for 20% better sound quality (or more commonly an even worse ratio). Even taking that into account I think the Grado SR125's hit the sweet spot of cost vs sound quality for the average consumer who truly cares about sound but doesn't have a big budget, however they can't be argued to be "best bang for the buck" as they cost more than double what the SR60's do and they aren't twice as good (perhaps only 30% better, but even that is stretching it).
While that may be true about the Grados you have to keep in mind we're talking about literally $13.00 headphones. $13.00! In a world where 9 out of 10 people you see in public are rocking the shitty stock white Apple earbuds, they would benefit immensely from dropping a measly $13 bucks on these.
I don't believe the SR60 is six times better than the KSC75. I own the limited edition Grado HF-2, and I don't even believe that pair is six times better than the KSC75.
Plus your $13 gets you a pair of headphones with a lifetime warranty (minus a $6 deductible).
Which is funny because I'm too lazy to send my pair in for repair, considering their wires snapped on a run a long time ago. Maybe if it was a one- or two-year warranty instead, I'd be more motivated to take advantage of it.
Plus your $13 gets you a pair of headphones with a lifetime warranty (minus a $6 deductible).
Which is funny because I'm too lazy to send my pair in for repair, considering their wires snapped on a run a long time ago. Maybe if it was a one- or two-year warranty instead, I'd be more motivated to take advantage of it.
nac, are you making an assumption about the SR60's based on the HF-2's or have you actually listened to the SR60's and compared to them directly the KSC75's?
Comparing headphones is, much like speakers, often a dangerous and difficult subject as so much of the quality difference is subjective and we end up getting into discussions that involve descriptions like "warm", "analytical", "spacial", "wide", etc.. People end up arguing vehemently about characteristics the average consumer would laugh at the description of. It reminds me of wine discussions actually.
Having said that though, with quality source material and a good amp the SR60's blow away the KSC75's on the same setup IMO (as should the HF-2's but I haven't actually compared those directly so I'm not going to state that as fact). The SR60's reveal significantly further detail than the KSC75's. Listening to Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" on the SR60's you can hear details not present on the KSC75 such as Thelonious' wheezing breath. I'm not saying the SR60's are particularly analytical headphones, my Etymotics blow them away in that category, but when I compared them directly to the KSC75 I'd use words like "analytical" to describe the SR60.
It should be mentioned that quality of the KSC75 hasn't been exactly rock solid steady (which should be expected for $13 dollar headphones). Even Headroom admits this on their site, so perhaps the pair I have was from a batch that was low on their quality scale while the pair nac has is on the higher end:
www.headphone.com/guide/by-budget/under-40/koss-ks...
Comparing headphones is, much like speakers, often a dangerous and difficult subject as so much of the quality difference is subjective and we end up getting into discussions that involve descriptions like "warm", "analytical", "spacial", "wide", etc.. People end up arguing vehemently about characteristics the average consumer would laugh at the description of. It reminds me of wine discussions actually.
Having said that though, with quality source material and a good amp the SR60's blow away the KSC75's on the same setup IMO (as should the HF-2's but I haven't actually compared those directly so I'm not going to state that as fact). The SR60's reveal significantly further detail than the KSC75's. Listening to Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" on the SR60's you can hear details not present on the KSC75 such as Thelonious' wheezing breath. I'm not saying the SR60's are particularly analytical headphones, my Etymotics blow them away in that category, but when I compared them directly to the KSC75 I'd use words like "analytical" to describe the SR60.
It should be mentioned that quality of the KSC75 hasn't been exactly rock solid steady (which should be expected for $13 dollar headphones). Even Headroom admits this on their site, so perhaps the pair I have was from a batch that was low on their quality scale while the pair nac has is on the higher end:
www.headphone.com/guide/by-budget/under-40/koss-ks...
I flirted with the SR60i in AC Gears on 8th street for about ten minutes. They're pretty good, but I do believe the KSC75 is the highest a non-audiophile would ever need to go. It's well-abstracted from the music and never gets in the way, and provides a change that is immediately noticeable from the typical fare of earbuds. The change from the KSC75 to the SR60i is much less dramatic.
I use a Meier Corda XXS with all my equipment through the line-out of my iPhone 3GS (via a TurboDock), and despite how good the HF-2 is the KSC75 never fails to provide a wonderful listen.
Let me put it this way.. if I only had something less than the KSC75 to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd be very depressed. Despite my reasonable progression down the road of mid-fi, I would be content with selling it all away and being left with the KSC75. Going from the SR60 to the KSC75 is hardly depressing.
I use a Meier Corda XXS with all my equipment through the line-out of my iPhone 3GS (via a TurboDock), and despite how good the HF-2 is the KSC75 never fails to provide a wonderful listen.
Let me put it this way.. if I only had something less than the KSC75 to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd be very depressed. Despite my reasonable progression down the road of mid-fi, I would be content with selling it all away and being left with the KSC75. Going from the SR60 to the KSC75 is hardly depressing.
I had no idea there was a warranty!!! I love these headphones and quite frankly never use anything else. I am not in many situations where I could wear a full headset and for simple usage like working out, these things have been a blessing. I own an iPod so I dont get much in the way of full sound as it is, but I had forgotten that music had bass until I invested a measly $10 on these. (Amazon sale!)
Oh definitely!
I doubt these can be beat for $13 (or even up to $40). Anybody out there using any stock earbuds would be well served to immediately run out and buy these KSC75's.
I'm merely saying that in the "bang for the buck" category the headphones who embody that sweet spot at which you are getting the best value for your money, where any higher priced headphones will return diminishing improvement for the cost, Grado SR60's are probably title owners.
For 99% of the consumers out there the KSC75's are probably the best recomendation for a number of reasons:
1) For under $20's you get a giant (perhaps 10 fold) increase in sound quality over most OE headphones that come with ipods (or any other audio player).
2) They are very compact as they fold up.
3) They are more comfortable than the average "over the ear" headphones on the market under $50
I doubt these can be beat for $13 (or even up to $40). Anybody out there using any stock earbuds would be well served to immediately run out and buy these KSC75's.
I'm merely saying that in the "bang for the buck" category the headphones who embody that sweet spot at which you are getting the best value for your money, where any higher priced headphones will return diminishing improvement for the cost, Grado SR60's are probably title owners.
For 99% of the consumers out there the KSC75's are probably the best recomendation for a number of reasons:
1) For under $20's you get a giant (perhaps 10 fold) increase in sound quality over most OE headphones that come with ipods (or any other audio player).
2) They are very compact as they fold up.
3) They are more comfortable than the average "over the ear" headphones on the market under $50
