Koss introduced the KSC75 in 2005 as a less expensive alternative to the KSC35, and since then, it has gained a reputation as a legendary headphone among audiophiles. In today’s review, I will also show how you can modify the KSC75 and turn it into one of the best headphones under $50, with an outstanding price-to-performance ratio. You can find the list and links to all necessary modding parts at the end of this article. But now as usual we will start with unboxing.
Design & build
The headphones come in a small box. Besides the headphones, you also get a user manual and a warranty card.
The unit in my review is a KSC75x, which is a Drop (or Massdrop) edition. The key differences between it and the standard KSC75 are the headphone color, a different wire (the Drop version is using a thinner and more flexible wire) and the in-line microphone that comes with Drop version. I prefer the wire on the Drop version because of its flexibility and I also think the black color suits this pair better.
There is no difference in sound if we compare the current revision of KSC75 and KSC75X. But an older revision of KSC75 sounds slightly different.
The impedance of the headphones is 60 Ohm, and the sensitivity is 101 dB. There is no headband here. Koss doesn’t specify which category of headphones KSC75 belongs to, but in my books it falls into on-ear semi-open back headphones.
Each ear cup has a metal clip with a plastic enclosure that helps you to mount the ear cup on your ear. The ear cups are plastic. Inside each ear cup, there is a 45 mm driver, and the headphones come with foam ear pads.
The headphones also come with a nondetachable cable with a built in-microphone. The length of the cable is 1.2 meters. Overall, the build is very simple, but taking into consideration the price I don’t have any questions.
Fit & comfort
To put KSC75 on your head, you need to clip on each ear cup separately to your ears. This is actually not an ideal solution, especially when you need to remove your headphones frequently, for example, at the office. But if mounted correctly, the headphones can be quite comfortable.
Again, it boils down to the sensitivity of one’s ears, as over time, you may or may not feel some pressure and discomfort in your ears. In my case, I don’t have questions regarding the fit. I have large ears and I found KSC75 very comfortable for extended listening sessions.
Koss KSC75 sound impressions
Before we talk about the sound, please note that all sound impressions in my reviews are completely subjective. You should take them with a grain of salt.
I would call KSC75 a midrange focused headphones with smooth treble and rolled off bass response, which makes it a great candidate for vocal recordings and that’s where these headphones shine.
The bass is fast and surprisingly punchy and textured, but it rolls off rather quickly, so KSC75 is not suited for bass heavy genres. Bass heads should definitely look for other options, but if you value bass quality over quantity, these headphones might surprise you.
The midrange here is what I would call natural and organic and both vocals and instruments sound correct. It’s not too upfront and is neither harsh. Think about midrange on HD 600, with a pinch of extra energy, but less resolution.
Treble is not very sparkly and energetic, but it’s detailed enough for most of the recordings. In addition, it balances the tonality without pushing the headphones into the neutral bright territory, which in my opinion is great.
The detail retrieval is average, so is the instrument separation. But the sound stage is surprisingly wide, though it’s still not very tall or deep. The overall tonality is natural and the headphones sound quite forgiving with the poor recordings, which is an advantage too.
Now let me show how I have modded this pair.
For this modification, you will need two things – a pair of Yaxi Porta Pro ear pads that cost $12 and a new headband. To source this headband, I bought a pair of $9 Parts Express Mini Stereo headphones. This is a very basic pair that sounds awful if you ask me, so I only kept the headband. In any case, I will leave the links down in description if you want to take a look.
The modification process is very straightforward. First remove the ear hooks. Then remove the stock ear pads. Be careful as the outer part of the ear cup has some pins that help to hold the foam in place, so if pulled the wrong way, it can damage the foam.
The Yaxi pads, in comparison with the stock ear pads, are larger in diameter, deeper and are made out of more dense foam. The foam is also a better quality too.
Next step is to put the Yaxi ear pads on the ear cups. Just make sure you perfectly align them and ensure the cable can move freely. Finally, clip the ear cups to the new headband. When doing so, try not to apply the pressure to the center of the ear cup where the driver is. Also, make sure you don’t mix up the left and right channels. Now you can enjoy your renewed pair of KSC75 as we have finished the modification.
The modified KSC75 has better fit, comfort, is easier to use on a daily basis and Yaxi ear pads slightly modify the sound in a good way, too. The treble becomes slightly veiled; the bass becomes more tangible, and the overall tonality shifts to a more silky and relaxed one.
I think KSC75 is worth every penny, no matter if you plan to modify it or not, and I can easily recommend it. It’s still one of the best sounding headphones under $50, especially if you love vocal music. And that concludes my review for today. If you want to see more content like this, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for joining me, and until next time, goodbye!
🛒Koss KSC75x at Drop.com (use this link to get $10 off)
🛒Koss KSC75 at Amazon
🛒Parts Express Mini Stereo Headphones at Amazon
🛒YAXI EARPADS for Koss PORTAPRO at Amazon
