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Koss KSC-55 Behind the Head Portable Sterophone

Koss KSC-55 Behind the Head Portable Sterophone

List Price: $19.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good choice from a great line
Review: First things first, Koss makes some of the best sounding low end headphones around, period! Koss's great sounding headphones include the Porta Pros, KSC 35 and 50, the KTXPro, and some of the UR models. Any of these can be purchased for less than $50, and most are under $30. The KSC-55 is a "Street Style" variant of the KSC-50. I could never get comfortable with the earclip style of the 35 and 50's so this was a natural for me. I find the fit very comfortable, and you can wear a hat or cap at the same time. The sound is outstanding for the price, maybe a little "boomy" on the bottom end, but very well suited for listening to current pop music. You could spend a LOT more on inferior sounding phones. You will be amazed how good your portable device (CD player, MP3 player, Minidisc, etc.) will sound when you replace the included headphones. If you have to have the street style neckphones,your only choice is the KSC-55. If not, don't be afraid to try any of the other Koss's I've mentioned. There is really no excuse for buying any other brand (except for Sennheisers MX series), especially with Koss's lifetime guarantee. Don't waste your time and money on Sonys. I have had my Porta Pros replaced at least 3 times over the last 20 years! You just can't go wrong with a Koss!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: a vice clamp for your head
Review: how do these headphones stay on? the plastic ridge clamps your head immediately behind your ears. mine were extremely uncomfortable to wear. i kept hoping that they would stretch out eventually.

tonight i was probably a little frustrated at the discomfort i experienced from these headphones. i took them off and pulled the phones apart slowly, hoping to weaken the clamping effect. it was like doing a pec exercise on a Soloflex machine. anyway, my headphones broke in half because i must have inadvertently applied too much force.

the sound quality is great - very clear and clean. however i had these phones for only *5 days* before my skull pains drove me to break them accidentally.

my advice: only buy these head phones if you have a small cranium.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: I have owned my headphones for 2 weeks. I have found the sound quality excellent and the bass adequate (which, for me, is perfectly fine). When I saw the pictures for the phones, I thought the phones were held on one's head by the loop things resting on the ears. This is not the case. Instead, the wearer's head is gripped by the plastic. This can become uncomfortable after a while, especially for someone with a large head. However, this isn't a huge concern of mine. As long as the phones are removed periodically during listening periods, the discomfort is very minor. On the other hand, for anyone with glasses I would not recommend these. I wear contacts but tried them with my glasses a few times, and had to remove them in minutes.
Overall, I was quite satisfied with my pair, until the right earphone began making a muffled buzzing noise with every sound produced. ... It comes with a lifetime warrenty, but if they break every 2 weeks, what good is that? I don't listen to overly loud music, so that couldn't have been the cause of the problem. I sincerely hope that this problem was one time occurence.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Grade A low-end headphones
Review: I love these headphones. Considering how fast I usually go through headphones, with constant wear and near constant movement, these lasted a good long time. I managed to keep them in perfect working condition for a solid year.

Unfortunately the paint isnt made to last, and by the time the cord got caught on a drawer they were entirely plastic-grey and the foam of the ear pieces was entirely a bleaced-out yello.

Excellent headphones for the person who likes good sound, but breaks headphones often.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than my $150 Bose set?
Review: I read about these headphones at HeadRoom ( http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=14 ), and because my old Panasonic set had a faint but insanely irritating rattling sound, I decided that I'd give them a try. I figured that for $16, you really can't go wrong.

Like HeadRoom said, these things have amazing sound quality for the price. When I first got the headphones in the mail, I compared five of my best-produced albums (Shpongle - Are You Shpongled, Dream Theater - Train of Thought, Ott - Blumenkraft, Tool - Lateralus, and the remastered version of Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon) between these KSC-55's, and my $150 set of Bose TriPort headphones. They were compared first on my vintage (and very well-maintained) Sansui G-6000 stereo receiver system running line-out CD audio from my Panasonic SL-CT800 portable MP3/CD unit, and then with the headphones directly in the headphone jack of the SL-CT800. All equalizer settings were kept flat unless otherwise noted.

For use around the house with my stereo working as a headphone amplifier, the differences between the two were virtually transparent as far as audio quality goes. The KSC-55's, unlike my set of TriPorts, are extremely lightweight, very comfortable, and well ventilated as well, which make them almost preferable to their much more expensive alternative. The only benefits that I noticed about the Bose set were things that only a larger size can produce: Greater acoustic isolation and smoother bass at extremely high (read: uncomfortable) volume levels.

While being powered by the amplifier in the portable unit, the sound produced by both sets of headphones were obviously inferior to that produced through the amplifier. The Bose Triports, being higher-end consumer headphones, want more power to produce the excellent quality sound that they're capable of, and unfortunately very few portable units are able to provide enough power to really take advantage of them. The KSC-55's, however were able to produce great sound quality, and as such, were far preferable to the TriPorts with a portable unit. The Koss headphones performed even better when equalization settings were enabled on the SL-CT800, whereas the TriPorts sound like trash whenever any sound manipulation settings are applied; their acoustic equalization is overpowering when anything is done before the sound reaches the drivers. When factoring in the great portability of these headphones, they are now a must-have to my collection of audio-equiptment.

The ONLY thing that I personally dislike about these is the cord; it feels a bit flimsy compared to that of my aforementioned Panasonic set. Regardless, the set is stunning.

If you are considering buying cheap headphones anytime in the near future, don't even consider buying a pair other than these. If you don't mind the horrible looks, poor portability, ultimate clunkiness, and increased price of the Grado SR60s, then they are the clear choice for amazing sound at $70, but if you want something that is streamlined, portable, attractive, or even just cheaper, then go for these. You won't regret it, and at this price, you can spring for 2-day shipping.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't believe the hype ... these things suck
Review: Just got them in the mail...opened them, put them on and they were a little tight around my head...pulled on them to stretch the plastic a little (like most wrap-arounds do), and the things broke in half! Can't comment on sound quality, since I never had the chance to hear them...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Porta Pro family...
Review: Porta Pro
Porta Pro Jr
KTX Pro
KTX Pro 1
KSC 35
KSC 55
SportaPro
they are Porta Pro family, if you hear the sound of these headphones, you'll surely agree how good the sound of these headphones
I am not disappointed for this pair, that's all
and if you'd like to buy KOSS lightweight headphones, DO NOT BUY the models not listed above (except the PLUG), PortaPro series is the only way to go

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: great sound, but uncomfortable
Review: Pros: great sound, clear bass, stay in place even while running.
Cons: on my head (big) and my girlfriend's (small), the hard plastic of the head band presses uncomfortably against the skull right behind the ear. While I have recommended the Koss SportaPro to many people, I would not recommend these.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Unfortunately, a terrible product
Review: Referencing my previous review, I stated that these headphones were a good product that just happened to break. Now, after my second pair has gone bad in a similar fashion (except it was the left phone that went), I have to arrive at the conclusion that this is simply a poor product produced by a company that cares more about profit than customer satisfaction. I have difficulty believing that I just happen to be very unlucky when it comes to headphones. This was the first and will be the last product I ever purchase from Koss. The fact that they have a lifetime warrenty is moot when it costs about .. to ship back the phones and... for shipping and handling to pay for new ones. This is half of what it cost in the first place to buy the phones. Now I wasn't expecting the highest in sound quality or the best phones, but I do expect them to last longer than 4 weeks. In contrast, I use use the earbuds that came with my CD player about 30 times more often than the Koss phones and they still work perfectly after 2 months of use. Steer clear of these ones unless the store where you purchase them has a solid return policy for the life of the product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: These headphones rival $50 models
Review: These are the best pair of headphones I have ever owned! I paid only about $... and the clarity, bass, and definition of sound is absolutely amazing for the price. They look decent, although the silver paint job is flaky, and the headphone cord only comes on one side. The wrap-around back is quite comfortable, even with my glasses (small rims). Replace the headphones that came with your Discman and you'll wonder how you ever survived without these!

I am purchasing another pair because I tugged too hard on the cord, which has started to come out, but after 7 months of daily heavy abuse, it's definitely worth the money. Much better than the $... Sony models I've used in the past.


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