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94% would recommend to a friend 
Massdrop x Koss KSC75X On-Ear Headphones
$20
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Massdrop x Koss KSC75X On-Ear Headphones
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Product Description
Working out, staying in, or getting out of town—the lightweight, sport-friendly KSC75X headphones will keep the music going every step of the way. A revision of the company’s KSC75 model, this collaboration has the same clip-on, on-ear style, now with a custom midnight blue colorway and a one-touch remote for controlling tracks and taking calls Read More
Customer Reviews
4.5
(747 reviews)
5star(483)
4star(200)
3star(41)
2star(16)
1star(7)
By Feature
Build Quality
3.8
(22)
Sound
4.7
(22)
Comfort
4.0
(22)
Music GenresPopular among reviewers
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keyboard_arrow_downKuroYariman
61
Mar 29, 2021
KakaworuDo you have the files for these mods posted anywhere? I’m especially interested in the little external mmcx housing! It’s genius!
jdeoxys
235
Dec 8, 2018
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Worth owning even if you own thousand+ dollar headphones. The sound quality destroys most <$100 headphones and even then I'd take the KSC75 over many headphones I've tried under $500. The comfort fills a unique niche - you can wear these while laying on your side in bed. There really are only two problems with the sound. The first is the drivers being so cheap do have mismatch throughout the whole frequency range, though it's not easy to notice if you're not paying attention. The second is that there are a couple of notches in the upper midrange which do kill a little bit of detail. By no means is it a problem at this price point but it prevents the KSC75X from being a "perfect" headphone. I'd be very happy if they made a $300 version with an all metal construction, maybe a slightly larger driver that fixes the midrange notches and a 1dB driver matching process.
(Edited)
Rayndalf
364
Dec 9, 2018
jdeoxysI know Audio Technica makes (or at least made) a line of premium clip ons. I have a pair of EM7Xs and I love the form factor, but I paid ~$60 for them but suspect that the KSC75s demolish them in terms of sound quality (larger driver derived from the already legendary porta pros vs smaller drivers being used in what amounts to a line of Asian fashion headphones).
That said the EM7Xs have a cable sturdy enough to hold their own weight (so you can look like that one guy from Persona?) and are basically indestructable (except that plug I guess) but the added weight can be slightly annoying.
jaohary
35
Jul 24, 2019
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Not Five Stars
Because they deserve a version with a detachable MMCX connector. Please Massdrop/Koss consider this. Actually, all your other best selling headphones deserves this. These headphones are really good. They sound amazing, and they fit well. No pressure and nit heavy on the ears. If they bother you? Pop the headphones out of the piece that hangs on your ears where there is a wire inside the plastic and start bending them until they get comfortable to you, then pop the headphones back on. Need better pads? Maybe get something like Yaxi pads. These are not good for their price, these are way better than their dollar value.
Recommends this product? Yes
AbsolutZeroGI
81
Jun 21, 2019
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Not bad for $17
I bought these with a very specific use case in mind. I wanted them for when I did yard work and house cleaning for things like music and podcasts. I have a pair of Sennheiser 558s and 58X Jubilees for my sit down and listen sessions.
I also bought these in particular because there is no headband and it seemed like they'll be quite a bit cooler than my over ears and it is summer after all. It turns out these did keep my ears cooler than my over ears when doing activity. I know earbuds are best for this but I don't like earbuds (or IEMs) because they always feel uncomfortable in my ears, so I went with these instead.
For its price, I think it'd be disingenuous to try and compare them to higher end headphones. They don't sound nearly as good, but they're honestly outstanding for the price.
Pros
1. Microphone on the cable is a nice touch.
2. Cooler and less intrusive than my over ear cans when doing things like washing dishes or cleaning dog poop out of my yard in 85F weather.
3. $17 makes these basically expendable.
4. The sound quality is quite good for how cheap they are.
5. Low power requirements make them great for smartphone (or other non amped platform) use.
6. The clips let the driver enclosure hinge move a little bit for better comfort.
7. The clips can be bent for better fit.
Cons
1. The cables in these are super thin and look cheap.
2. The driver enclosure is thin plastic. It's very clear where the corners were cut to get it to this price. Just glad it wasn't in the sound quality department.
3. Mic is just so-so.
4. The clips are adjustable with a bit of bending, but with how thin the cable and enclosure plastic is, I'm worried I'm gonna break these things if I adjust too much.
Neutral points
1. The headphones don't form a seal around your head and the fit will never be tight and exact. Thus, the sound is more treble heavy. Some may like it, some may not.
2. I, like many other commenters, would've paid extra for a pair with removable and replaceable cables.
3. These look goofy when you wear them lol. My gf thought I looked ridiculous. I don't mind, though.
4. Comfort is a bit of a mixed bag. The fabric ear cups cushion well and there is no short term discomfort. However, these things sit on your ears and it does start to annoy after a while. Oh well, don't expect to wear these for 12 hours a day lol.
Sound quality:
Highs
The highs are there and definitely more noticeable than other elements. However, I am sensitive to treble and these in no way bother me so to say they are treble heavy is a bit of a misnomer. I suspect because of the on-ear nature and the inexact fit, the lack of a seal lowers the midrange and bass while leaving the treble alone. High hats are clear, but never overbearing and I have no problems with them other than the ones that come with listening on a pair of headphones with no seal and an inexact fit.
Mids
The mids are perfunctory and not overly inspiring. Still, they are clean and clear in all the tracks I listened to. Voices in particular came through quite well, especially female vocalists. Guitar solos and violins also do well. The lower midrange is a bit shallow but, again, no seal and inexact fit will do that.
Bass
The bass is, well, the result of having no seal and an inexact fit lol. You can hear bass notes just fine but you'll never feel them like you would with a good set of over ear headphones. The more instruments there are in the mix, the more difficult it is to hear the bass as the sound muddied a bit. However, for rock music, electronica, metal, rap/hip-hop, etc, it sounds fine as long as you don't mind not FEELING the thump.
Soundstage
The Soundstage is also perfunctory. I noticed that if you press the drivers to your ears, it lowers the Soundstage but increases the bass and lower midrange substantially. I suspect that my on-ear setup isn't properly configured so that's something I gotta keep messing with. However, because of the very nature of these headphones, you're not going to get anything intimate and close nor are you going to get anything super airy. It sounds like you're wearing headphones that are merely resting in your ears rather than attaching themselves to your head like you get with traditional headphones.
Clarity
The clarity is surprisingly good with these headphones. Like most cheap headphones, they struggle with large musical productions like symphonies, big band music, etc. The sound starts to gobble together a bit the more complexity you add. However, for them being clip-on, on-ear headphones with a $17 price tag, I am impressed with how clear everything sounds. It's just not gonna win any awards for it.
Conclusion
These are not going to melt your brain, nor do they punch up with headphones that cost 10 times as much as they do. Of course, I did not expect this and thus, what I got did exceed my expectations. These are excellent for what they do and excellent for what they cost. I would recommend them to people with the caveat that they understand that these are $17, clip-on, on-ear headphones with no seal and an inexact fit.
Recommends this product? Yes
Sunmoon
70
Jan 13, 2019
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I have the original Koss KSC75. When I saw this drop, I thought why not getting it as a backup since I love the original one so much. Also, I was curious to see if there is any difference between the two. To my surprise, they are very different. When I was first listening to the KSC75X, I immediately noticed that the sound volume is not as loud as the original (about 15% quieter). It also has less bass, and there seems to be a bit boost on the higher-mids to lower-high frequencies. I am not sure if it's because of the thinner cable used in the Massdrop model, as the driver should be exactly the same. As a result, the overall sound is thinner than the original.
Regarding the build quality, even though the Massdrop version looks more contemporary, the rubber used on the ear hook feels slightly rougher, and the cable is much thinner than the original. Because of that, I think the original KSC75 would last longer than the Massdrop version.
Overall I think I like the original one better. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the Massdrop version, and it is amazingly good in terms of sound quality and offer exceptional value for the money; however, I just personally prefer the original's sound signature better. It has the uniqueness in it where I could not find in the KSC75X, even though it's lower-mids can be a bit booming. If you need a mic and can't stand the old design of the original, or simply prefer less bass, get the KSC75X; otherwise, I'd choose the original. You can get one at about the same price. I thought some of us might be interested to know the differences between the two, hope this helps.
(Edited)
Hertxz
67
Jul 18, 2019
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Best thing since the re-popularization of minecraft
Holy cow these things are the best thing in the world! I got them for $7 due to a coupon sent to me by massdrop, and these are totally worth the money. These things do miracles, just spend the money on them, you won't regret it, I swear you won't.
Recommends this product? Yes
kkamc72
138
Sep 7, 2019
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Weightless practically
Feels good on the ears. Works well for any activity. Sounds great for money, it's not 10/10 sound. But might as well be for $17 and I own 5+ $500 sets of cans. These are impressive
jelly-bowl
52
Sep 7, 2019
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There’s no excuse not to own a pair
If these would cost me over $40 I’d say 4 stars or less because for the build quality, but the sound would still be justified for the cost.
how do they sound? Good, bad, ugly or something else?
Let me first start by saying these are not “flat”, nor would I pretend that even the most well regarded cans are “flat” because there’s always coloration and though being flat is theoretically the goal for many people, in practice it’s distasteful.
Nothing that 99% of people reading this has heard was ever flat and especially not perfectly accurate at that unless it was a live performance. On the other hand, they have likely experienced tasteful and complementing sound signatures that they use for reference according to preference.
So where am I going with this?
These headphones don’t do *everything* well off of the bat. They are no doubt veiled in some places in the mid-range and they aren’t very linear (not incredible consistency in reproduction of frequencies across a wide range or region such as the mid-range, or in this case most ranges...)
WHOA SO THEY MUST STINK!11!1.. right??
Wrong! These are NOT great for everything, and for some people that are into specific genres, like let’s say death metal. Will they like these? Well maybe for a few things in that genre, but if it’s a very high-mid and treble centric type of music that is very rowdy, prepare to have your ears bleed a little bit.
On the other hand, I would say these are better for more than they are not good for. Some artists that they are exceptional for are: Tracy Chapman, John Denver, Scott Joplin and Frederic Chopin.
Hell, a lot of classical music especially piano and nylon guitar sounds great on these!
They sound fairly decent for some Led Zeppelin, but not your go-to unless you’re going for a walk and want to hear your surroundings while you listen to music. (These clips barely affect the external sound you hear, it’s nearly as if you have nothing on at all and there are magical floating speakers in the air that follow you everywhere you go.)
Although these are no doubt bright on the high mids and missing sub-bass, the quality of the high mids, low mids, high lows and most of the treble is quite astonishing for the cost. There is no doubt veil and great lack of linearity in different parts of the mid-range, my guess is in the central area going down to the low mids, but that V shape does take away from some sibilants present in those ranges that are usually quite forward on cans like my Sennheiser HD 660S’ or 600’s (which aren’t sibilant in nature, but the forward parts of their signature emphasize the bad qualities of the music in those areas, which is especially bad with certain female vocalists with certain engineers (I’m looking at you Adele))
Because of the practically inexistent sub-bass (a bit under 80Hz and you have a quick roll off, but it’s done in fairly good taste), I expected electronic music to suck, and a lot of it did, but there were some things that sounded better to me on these Koss than either of my Senns, my B&W C5 S2 IEM’s or a pair of Apple Beats Pros I have lying around praying for attention. The fact that these not only sound as good as they do, but have unique advantages that make them exclusively enjoyable to listen to for some things over my cans that cost over 20x as much is just enough reason to own these for the little they cost.
I recommend these to any audiophile (or person in general at this cost) regardless of what they listen to, at least for the value of experimentation and knowing better as to what kind of sound signature you are partial to (at least for different types of music you listen to) and better recognizing what kind of sound signature your current cans have in comparison. You may fall in love with them, especially if you like laid-back oldies and muddier recordings that you wish had more sparkle but without the sibilants you rue. Jesus, just try them!
I was originally going to get the Kph30i’s but the drop had just ended, and now that the 30’s are back on Drop I decided to get those for my collection now that I know that it’s not a waste for a gag, rather an eye opener in some ways. Yes I would (and have already) recommend these to a friend. Get them! (Or the Kph, but I’ll have to review those as well)
(edit) I cant believe I submitted this review without mentioning one of the major topics for these; soundstage is great for the price, better than what a lot of consumers are used to but not exactly the leader in it. The sub lows aren’t extended enough to compete with slightly V-shaped planars, and the treble rolls off at an audible but quite high frequency, which reduces actual soundstage, but the extra expression of the high mids and treble simulate greater stage and depth to make up for it.
(edit 2.0) Ok, maybe I should’ve mentioned that they are in fact comfortable. I did state that they’re like invisible speakers that float in the air, but for me they are barely noticeable. It may be different according to the person but I hear some people bend the hooks or just angle/turn them on their ear differently for maximum comfort. I CAN wear these for multiple hours without any big hassle, maybe re-adjust them occasionally but otherwise an easy 9/10 for comfort.
(edit 84.75) It’s been 84 years, and god himself came down to ask me how easy it is to drive these phones. The answer? Very. I can’t achieve an exceptionally incredible level of volume through my iPhone, but the quality of sound is impressively close to my Schiit Jotunheim and GungnirMB setup.
Same genuine lossless sources from Tidal and all.
And a last argument to top it off.
Are these equivalent to a hundred gorillion dollar headphones?.. No.
These do not compare in over-all fidelity to something like even the cheaper Sennheiser HD559’s.
“BUT I JUST GOT THESE KOSS AND HAVE SENNHEISERS AND THINGS ARE CLEARER WITH THE KOSS”.
Yes. The Koss are more expressed in those higher ranges that contribute to this perceptual clarity, imaging, soundstage and also have a recession in the mid-range which brings up your standard listening level for many things. This can be emulated and better reproduced with an equalizer and the know-how with a pair of Sennheiser HD 600’s for example, and when you try to match the sound signature or expression of highs that the Koss give, what will you get? Well I’ll have to try it for myself on my free time soon, but a good guess is improved soundstage, better imaging, less midrange sibilants, perceptual clarity and likely to a more refined degree. That’s without saying that the Sennheisers have better build quality and by default in comparison have a nearly inverse sound signature as opposed to the Koss.
So don’t listen to those people, they likely don’t know what they’re talking about and they’re more fad over fact, or just don’t have the experience or skill to make that kind of distinction.
yes there are lots of things that are more present if not only now present with the Koss compared to my Senns because of the sound signature, but not that is not 1. A surprise, nor 2. Heads over heels impressive. I mean for $17 yes, but in terms of comparing decent cans to decent cans, it’s to be expected and nothing more.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
Earthmoon
7
Apr 13, 2019
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I using 6 month sound great but wire loss connection and change new cable Teflon Silver OCC Wire 6N Cable and plug
And sound more clear
ELACaster
92
Aug 29, 2020
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amazing sound with a garbage attached cable.
seriously just release an MMCX verison koss.
Recommends this product? Yes
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