KossKSC75 Portable On-Ear Clip Headphones, Retro Style, Ultra Lightweight, Silver and Black

The sound quality of these headphones actually competes with my $300 HD600 reference headphones. I am not exaggerating when I say these are the best-sounding headphones per dollar in existence. They blow the AKG K240 out of the water, and they cost 4 times as much. I've bought numerous pairs of these for people because of this.The best way I can describe the sound is CLEAN, CLEAR, BALANCED, BRIGHT. They do not have much low-bass to speak of, but clear and *balanced* treble is immensely more important. They don't sound dull, but they don't sound piercing either. That's really difficult to find. All sounds are represented well, there are no “holes” or “spikes” that ruin the audio or annoy you.The only problem with these, is the build quality. They're notoriously fragile, particularly where the wires connected to the headphones, so you want to be careful with them. The wire is cheap PVC coated wire instead of silicone, so it's kinda stiff. The ear clips are kinda weird, but they are immensely better than a poorly designed headband that digs into your skull.The good news is that people mod these! You can replace the clips with a headband and put aftermarket pads on them. If you're into DIY you can reinforce the wire connections or fix them if they break. Or you can rewire them with higher quality wire, or even modify the sound by drilling holes in strategic places (there are guides online). And if you mess something up, it's not like these are $300 phones.Overall, BUY THEM. You likely have no idea headphones could sound this good. You have nothing to lose. And remember too, these make excellent gifts.

I had reviewed two other sports headphones before I found the Koss set. My review of the Koss is below, and below that my original reviews of the others for comparison. I was skeptical that $20 headphones could compete with the much more expensive ones. Delighted to find I was totally wrong!!Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone HeadphonesThe good:a) The best sound overall for working out. Great bass, nice integration, very serviceable middle and treble ranges. Better on all counts than the Sennheisers. While not as elegant and smooth as the Sonys, they more than make up for this with their bass and overall drive and punch. And at this price point (less than half of the Sennheisers and less than 1/4 of the Sonys), they are an absolute steal!b) Ear clips look like they would be difficult to put on, but are surprisingly easy. It took me just two tries to get the hang of them.c) Cord length is appropriate.The less good:a) Clips come off a bit more easily than ideal--not a problem when they're on your head--more when you're pulling them out of your bag if they get a little stuck. However, they go back on very easily so not a deal breaker by any means.b) Would be nice to have a sliding clip that puts the earpieces together for storage to minimize tangling. On the other hand, these tangle less easily than in-ear buds, thanks to their larger size.c) When you lie on your back, as for crunches or bench pressing, the earpieces can feel like they are going to come off your ear--they don't actually, and I found it just takes a minor adjustment to correct this.Overall, these are by far the best pair of sports headphones I've tried and a fantastic buy!I compared these to the Sennheiser-Adidas CX680i and the Sony XBA-S65, running with each for a long time after I broke a sweat. Here are my impressions:1. Sennheiser CX-680i:The good:a) Ear fin design works reasonably well and is particularly fast to insert. I tried the various sizes, selecting the ones that fit my ear best. Nevertheless, after I broke a sweat, the left earbud slipped a bit every now and then, requiring me to push it back in. It never fell out entirely as many others do, but still this was a bit annoying.b) Volume control on the cord works well. The Sony doesn't come with one, which is a pain and just plain thoughtless for a "sports" modelc) Bass comes through with that satisfying "boom-boom" sensation you want when you're working out. This is the best feature, in my view.d) Sweat doesn't seem to bother the sound at all!e) Very little sound leaks in from the outside--a plus or a minus depending on whether you'd prefer to hear oncoming traffic(!)The bad:a) Overall sound quality doesn't compare to the Sony, other than the superior bass "boom." Mid and upper registers are too bright and muddy, all at the same time. As other have mentioned, I had to set the iPod equalizer to reduced treble to make it reasonable, but that then removes a lot of the subtlety and sound distinction you'd like to hear. Also, the balance between the right and left seems a bit off--hard to explain, as it's not a matter of timing, but rather integration of some kind that is beautifully done on the Sony but not here.b) As many others have written, the cable situation is bleak. I had expected that the complainers were just not trying hard enough to accommodate the design. Well, my apologies--I tried for 45 minutes during my run,and I couldn't figure it out either! The primary cable is indeed too short for anything other than an arm band. When I connected the longer cable with the volume control I found that the clip on the (somewhat bulky) volume control was cheap and close to useless. It's kind of like a cheap plastic version of the long clip on a pen, and as such seems designed to hook over the waistband of your shorts, or the outside edge of the pocket, rather than your shirt. But it doesn't hold at all because it's cheap and not tight, so it repeatedly slipped off my waistband, even though I had the upper part clipped to my shirt with the other provided clip. Clipping it to my pocket was better, but the upper cord is not quite long enough to accommodate that (i'm 6 feet tall, and I'm guessing this would be true for many at, say, 5'10" and above). Eventually, I found a configuration that seemed to hold for at least several minutes at a time, in which I jerrry-rigged the volume clip to my shirt also, but that was it. Very disappointing design. And don't even think about just letting the thing dangle--as everyone else has noted, the noise this creates, and the pulling, are not acceptable.c) No controls other than volume. If you want to fast forward, rewind, skip ahead, etc. you're on your own, fishing the MP3 out of your pocket or reaching over to your armband.2. Sony XBA-S65The good:a) Sound quality is superb overall. Crisp low mid and high range, beautifully integrated. You'll hear new things in your favorite songs. HOWEVER, as other have noted, the bass register is "flat" to the other registers. There's no possibility of boosting it (the equalizer doesn't help here) to get that extra "oomph" in the bass that I like when working out. It's kind of like the difference between a well-tended Camry and a Porsche in need of a tuneup. The ride of the former is smooth, elegant, well-integrated and, well, not terribly exciting; that of the Porsche is throaty and exciting, but rough and possibly annoying over time. I sense that my disappointment with the Sony bass may fade over time, because the truth is that these earphones are calibrated to deliver a well-integrated, "true" sound that is unlikely to cause listening fatigue. But boy I wish Sony had just provided an option somehow to open the bass up just a smidge more!b) The "loop" earpieces keep the earbuds in place very well and there's virtually no noise leakaage (see above). However, they are fussy and take some time to get used to putting on properly, whereas the Sennheisers go on with no muss or fuss at all.c) Cord is long enough and has a clip for your shirt that works fine.The bad:a) Not clear to me yet if these are as water resistant as the Sennheisers. I had one moment where the sound in one ear cut out due to sweat in my ear, but a quick flick was all it took to rectify this.b) The bass register, as above. It's not that it's not there. It's there perfectly accurately. But there are times when you want more than accurate in the bass when you're working out!c) No volume or any other controls. This is a thoughtless omission for an expensive "sports" model.When I first tried these, I was sure I was going to go with the Sennheiser, just to get the bass I crave. But the more I compare the two, the more I'm leaning toward the Sony. I'm already experiencing some fatigue with the Sennheiser due to the screechy, muddy mid- and upper registers, and the lack of integration of the two sides. And the more I listen to the Sonys, the more I love the music! Come on Sony! You're most of the way there. Let's open up that bass just a bit, get a less fussy anchoring system for the earbuds and add some volume and other music controls!

Good for their price, when wearing you can't really feel them on your ears. With these ear phones, you can hear around you clearly while still having the privacy that comes with wearing head phones. The sound is good, but for more bass heavy stuff you can definitely notice where it falls short. The clip on's aren't very secure, so if you move around a lot when listening to music I don't recommend buying this variation.