sage

i still prefer the Koss KPH40 headphones overall, but the Koss KSC75 attached to the Koss Porta Pro headband sounds good too and has a bit more travel capability due to folding up smaller... though i still think it would break before the KPH40 due to more joints and more plastic in the construction

anyways love how good either of those headphones look, and how they sound, and the open nature (well, mostly. some neighbor is running a saw right now)

picked up the Koss KSC75s ($20) and some orange YAXI pads ($12) to make them more comfortable

they sound far better than a $20 headphone has any right to sound. they're flimsy and a bit ugly, but i like them so far. i appreciate there's no HEADBAND to mess up my hair. so far the ear clips haven't hurt my ears yet. fingers crossed on that front.

so these headphones are from 2005 and damn do they look it. very CYBER Y2K aesthetic lmao, and i think swapping the thin black pads for thick orange pads gives them an even more absurd look.

i also picked up the more expensive Koss Porta Pro ($40) but the bass is massively cranked up and it's missing so much clarity because of the bass overpowering everything. plus it's pretty small. i have to wear it at max size. even though it's quite light, i think it might be clamping more than it's supposed to because of my huge head lol.

my daily drivers have been the Audio Technica ATH-M50x ($150) with some BrainWavz velour ear pads ($12) and honestly i think these headphones compete for enjoyment for me. i think the ATH-M50x have more clarity but sometimes it can feel overwhelming and oppressive, borderline shrill on certain tracks. the BrainWavz velour pads add some breathability and crucially increase the depth so the drivers don't press against your ears. this has caused me discomfort especially in my old Sony MDR-7506s that i used to use.

funny that now i'm trying intentionally on ear headphones. hopefully the lack of clamping force helps.

btw i can't use IEMs because i have inner ear problems. i wish i could, because damn they can sound really good, and nothing competes if you need isolation! though frankly i often don't want isolation. voice chat suffers from it. though i hear these days airpods have a "transparency" mode for when you want that, which sounds neato.