Koss KSC24 Headphones

We get to review a lot of headphones on Tech2.0; from fancy noise cancellation jobs to not-so-fancy closed-back outfits. This time I’ve decided to check out another kind – the classic supra-aural, foam earpad style from the days of the Discman. Those days are not over yet for some of us, including me (my Discman rocks, period). That probably explains why the Koss KSC24 appealed to me.

Design and Features
These headphones fit behind the head, supra-aural style, with a black plastic curved headband. The ends are shiny and perfectly contoured to encompass the ear pinnae. Yes, these headphones are quite light and ergonomic. One negative is that the shiny handles for the drivers are susceptible to scratches, and this tends to expose an awful-looking interior of gray plastic.

The form is satisfactorily rigid, and the speakers fold in compactly when you want to tuck it away. But I must point out that the headband is not that strong (which can be a good thing or not, depending on your usage style). The black-foam ear cushions are nice, though they will eventually tear out or disintegrate in the future. But this is something that happens to ALL headphones of this sort.

The frequency response is rated quite wide, all the way from 18 to 22 KHz. The drivers can be described as out of the ordinary, with neodymium rare earth magnets to make the volume loud, and the driver physical elements made of Mylar for enhanced rigidity. The impedance is 60 ohms, so that’s not in the dangerously low regions.

__PAGEBREAK__

Performance
Let me say it right away: these headphones are bloody loud. I don’t mean to be wishy-washy, but I don’t know whether that’s good or bad. It definitely works outdoors, especially on morning walks and jogs. The caveat is that users should not play the source loud, especially if you have an iPod or another high-end PMP, as the output levels will be high to begin with. Once the level is set, it works very well.

The response is bumped up right at the mids and high mids, making it sound louder – for human ears are most sensitive in that frequency band. The good part of the sound is the bass, which is impressive. It’s not as deep as with close-back cans, but still very good.

Anyone into electronic music will like the ‘forward-and-banging’ sound. There is no dynamic range at all – or at least that’s what it sounded like to me: the instruments pretty much sound right on the surface. This gives an illusion of clarity, but as it works well for some styles of music, I will give Koss the benefit of the doubt. It’s just the wild mid-frequencies that can get too piercing.

Conclusion
At Rs 2400, the Koss KSC24 may seem a tad expensive, but I’m impressed by the large and encompassing sound these on-the-ear headphones provide. The build quality is also good; the chief downside is perhaps the skewed frequency response. I’d recommend it to those who are into gym workouts – or who work in noisy offices.