Possible to wear 'Non-En-Ear' 'phones outside?

Trifid

Trifid

Trifid

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18 Feb 2006
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Looking at the Koss KSC75 price tag and recommendations it is hard to ignore them. £11.99 and recommended above some £30+ in-ear sets. Great I thought. I will get them over the CX300 which are £16.50 at the same popular etailer - which after some reading make good stethoscope's. :p

Now the question is; will I look like a **** wearing these outside? :o

(I didn't want to make this thread into another spec me, as there are loads out there, but if there are any other sets crying out to you at £20 give or take please say. :) )
 
I wear my Koss Porta Pros outside, it's good for the retro look.

That said, some people prefer to be more discreet when listening to music - perhaps if they are worried about being mugged, for instance. :o
 
daz said:
Blocking all outside noise is probably bad when you're walking around...
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That was also a big plus on them. The big(est) disadvantage was it is not fair to use them in the study areas because they don't keep the noise in either. I don't travel on public transport much, but do travel by foot and bike a fair bit. If all outside noise is blocked I would probably just have one earphone in and set the bias to that one.

As retro as the Porta Pros are, I don't think I will make a very good fashion statement with them. :o

I am not a audiophile, but I do like my Sony MDR-P180 (Haven't a clue if they are any good, but sound good to my ears.) If I could match these than I would over the moon tbh.
 
The ksc75's are loved by everyone over at head-fi, and those guys spent silly amounts on multiple pairs of headphones. For the price they are awesome, and this summer il be getting a pair and recabling them :D
 
Use my KSC-75s all the time for out walking and wear them to town/supermarket etc. You need to bend them a little to get decent bass though. The Porta Pros are the same drivers but because they're pressed to your ears firmer you get more bass, but they look a lot geekier.

Haven't used my CX300 for ages. I really detest canal phones though, too claustrophobic for me, plus you can hear your footsteps and breathing and sometimes even your heart beat. And any time the wire touches anything you hear that amplified too.

I prefer the sound of the Koss too, the CX300 are overrated IMO. The bass can be boomy and overblown, the top end a little too sharp and they sound quite mechanical. Be careful ordering CX300 since there's tons of fakes about.
 
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fish99 said:
I prefer the sound of the Koss too, the CX300 are overrated IMO. The bass can be boomy and overblown, the top end a little too sharp and they sound quite mechanical. Be careful ordering CX300 since there's tons of fakes about.
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I ordered it new from a well known online retailer that sell everything, they are a competitor. It is currently displaying as expected delivery for the 16th. I am fine sticking my little fingers in both my ears far enough to create a seal and don't find it too "intimate".

The main factor for not going for the KSC75's was they don't keep the noise in. I can't study in a public area with them on any volume. There is also a slight style issue. :p

Do you think I should cancel them? I can tell you now I will not do any serious listening to music sessions when walking. I don't go far enough to justify the turning on and off of it. Riding, my upper body is quite static.
 
Have to say I preferred the KSC-50s over both the 75s and CX300. The koss KSC-75 earphones sound better to me than the CX300s. Only reason I got the 75s were because my 50s were breaking on the softer plastic ear bits. Found them more lacking in bass than the 50s (same drivers I know, but they just lacked a little).

The CX300s I find are a bit muddier with bass than both. Really good sound quality and I find them more comfortable for extended periods. Big plus point for me was the discrete look of them in comparison.

Either way, you'll be happy with both. :)
 
daz said:
I prefer the warmer bass of the Porta Pros (compared to the KSC75s) :)
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agreed, once you get used to the warmth of the Porta Pro's it's hard to enjoy the sound on the KSC-75s, the bass is'nt as nice and the mid-range is a little forward for me, I love my Porta Pro's and have been using them for over 10 years now and in all that time I've never listend to another headphone I've enjoyed the sound of as much, I've heard a lot better quality headphones but they just don't have that Porta Pro warmth and bass, you listen to a fat dance track on the Porta Pro's and it really feels like yout in a night club :D.
 
I have been using CX300's as my outside headphones for over a year, I got the Koss KSC75's earlier and they are so much better than the CX300's.

It's not even a competition, the CX300's sound like cheap **** compared to the Koss, it's a walkover.

Any future buyers; utterly fools if you pick the 300's over the Koss.

You know, I thought it was my laptop having a poor sound card (can't wait to get back to my Xonar at home, but anyway)... I thought it was the laptops sound card giving my CX300's as rather quiet sound in comparison, I plugged my Koss headphones in and they were so loud and clear, it was such an amazing transition.

Now I have my HD595's for home and these lovely Koss for portable use, I can finally use some portable inexpensive phones without detesting the sound because of how used to my 595's I got.
 
Holy thread revival!

The CX300's have served me well but now have on ear headphones (Audio Technica ESW9) for in and outdoor use.
 
I've been using CX300's for around 2-3 years and I've never really found anything bad about them. Then again I haven't had anything else to compare them to.
 
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