Re: [Elecraft] Koss Headsets for the K3 (Was: Re: Yamaha CM500 Headset)www
Radio Shack used to sell these with a RS box, but labeled Koss on the phones. I have been using them for years, wore one out. And they sell replacement pads on their web store (Koss). Jim K0XU Sent from my Xoom tablet On Mar 15, 2012 10:51 PM, Gary K9GS garyk...@wi.rr.com wrote: An update: I stopped by the Koss Factory Store today. I looked at the SB49 first. (The SB45 is identical to the SB49 but without the volume control in the cord). I didn't really like the way the SB49 fit. It's a very subjective thing but comfort was what I was looking for. The other thing I didn't like was the flexible boom for the microphone was very whippy. It was almost like a wet noodle. Not good. Next I looked at the SB40. The fit was great and very comfortable for the 5 minutes I wore it. The mic boom was stiffer too. The SB40 has a dynamic mic element. I ended up buying the SB40. The price was $39.00 plus sales tax. I was all set to buy a Yamaha CM500 but I really wanted to see how they fit first. I looked at a couple places and couldn't find a local store that had the CM500. For this reason I look at Koss. The other thing Koss has going for it is the limited lifetime warranty. Being that I live near the factory this is a big advantage. Second is that I've owned other Koss products and have always been very happy with them. As I said I've never used the Yamaha CM500 but the Koss SB40 looks very similar. I'm also kind of a headphone junkie. With the K3 I figure that most modern headsets have much more performance (frequency response, etc) than one needs for communication. So they are all pretty much up to the task. Same for the microphone. With the TX and RX Eq features of the K3 I decided to concentrate on fit and comfort. I think that juist about any headset and microphone can be made to sound good. I haven't used the SB40's yet but will report back once I've played with them a bit. Here's the link to the Koss website: http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/communication_headsets On 2/18/2012 1:27 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: I live near Milwaukee where the Koss factory is located. They have an outlet store. I'll try to stop in there this week and see if I can try on a pair Stay tuned... BTW...one of the best kept secrets about Koss is that they will do lifetime repairs if their products fail. I have a Koss headset that I use for CW that I have taken to the outlet store for repair several times. They'll usually repair while you wait. They also will sell you wear items like earpads for very low cost. It's a great deal if you live close by..otherwise I think you have to pay shipping. On 2/18/2012 5:05 AM, Peter Torry wrote: Many thanks everyone for your responses to my request. I am now investigating the Koss SB40 that appears to be similar to the Yamaha headset. Regards Peter G3SMT __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- 73, Gary K9GS Greater Milwaukee DX Association: http://www.gmdxa.org Society of Midwest Contesters: http://www.w9smc.com CW Ops #1032 http://www.cwops.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Koss Headsets for the K3 (Was: Re: Yamaha CM500 Headset)www
Many years ago, someone on another reflector posted a cheap way to make the equivalent of a Heil Proset. Radio Shack had the Optimus PRO-50MX boom headset, which was made by Koss, on sale. The mic and its round clamshell could be replaced by a Heil HC-4 and the Heil mic holder. The received audio was said to be crisper/better than the Heil headphones. This was before the days of radios with TX EQ, so the only way to get communications quality audio was with a different mic. Now Heil doesn't sell the mic elements, though I still have spares. I did that, and it worked fine. I still have them but prefer a tighter headphone fit and usually use my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones (no mic). I just found the original posting: http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/1998-05/msg00080.html 73, Jim N7US -Original Message- Radio Shack used to sell these with a RS box, but labeled Koss on the phones. I have been using them for years, wore one out. And they sell replacement pads on their web store (Koss). Jim K0XU On Mar 15, 2012 10:51 PM, Gary K9GS garyk...@wi.rr.com wrote: An update: I stopped by the Koss Factory Store today. I looked at the SB49 first. (The SB45 is identical to the SB49 but without the volume control in the cord). I didn't really like the way the SB49 fit. It's a very subjective thing but comfort was what I was looking for. The other thing I didn't like was the flexible boom for the microphone was very whippy. It was almost like a wet noodle. Not good. Next I looked at the SB40. The fit was great and very comfortable for the 5 minutes I wore it. The mic boom was stiffer too. The SB40 has a dynamic mic element. I ended up buying the SB40. The price was $39.00 plus sales tax. I was all set to buy a Yamaha CM500 but I really wanted to see how they fit first. I looked at a couple places and couldn't find a local store that had the CM500. For this reason I look at Koss. The other thing Koss has going for it is the limited lifetime warranty. Being that I live near the factory this is a big advantage. Second is that I've owned other Koss products and have always been very happy with them. As I said I've never used the Yamaha CM500 but the Koss SB40 looks very similar. I'm also kind of a headphone junkie. With the K3 I figure that most modern headsets have much more performance (frequency response, etc) than one needs for communication. So they are all pretty much up to the task. Same for the microphone. With the TX and RX Eq features of the K3 I decided to concentrate on fit and comfort. I think that juist about any headset and microphone can be made to sound good. I haven't used the SB40's yet but will report back once I've played with them a bit. Here's the link to the Koss website: http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/communication_headsets __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Koss Headsets for the K3 (Was: Re: Yamaha CM500 Headset)www
On 3/15/2012 8:33 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: I haven't used the SB40's yet but will report back once I've played with them a bit. One of the guys on the Ten Tec list who does a bit of contesting at a multi-op has said good things about a Koss headset, and I suspect it was the SB40. I would expect it to work just fine and sound good with the K3. Suggested settings for the CM500 would be a good starting point for the SB40. 73, Jim K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Koss Headsets for the K3 (Was: Re: Yamaha CM500 Headset)www
Wellgot a brief chance to play with the Koss SB40 headset tonight. I followed K9YC's advice and set up similar to what others have done for the Yamaha CM550. The two bands at -16, third band at -10 and the two highest at +8. I worked a few people and they all said the audio sounded very good. Frankly, in the monitor I thought it sounded terrible. But most people don't like the way they sound. If I get a chance this weekend I plan on getting on a quiet band with a local that knows my voice before I start making too many adjustments. But I will say the SB40's are VERY comfortable. The headphones sound good as well but I haven't tweaked the RX EQ from my old settings, flat on SSB and a sharp peak at 400 Hz for CW. The bands were pretty noisy tonight so more evaluation is in order. On 3/16/2012 11:52 AM, Jim Brown wrote: On 3/15/2012 8:33 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: I haven't used the SB40's yet but will report back once I've played with them a bit. One of the guys on the Ten Tec list who does a bit of contesting at a multi-op has said good things about a Koss headset, and I suspect it was the SB40. I would expect it to work just fine and sound good with the K3. Suggested settings for the CM500 would be a good starting point for the SB40. 73, Jim K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- 73, Gary K9GS Greater Milwaukee DX Association: http://www.gmdxa.org Society of Midwest Contesters: http://www.w9smc.com CW Ops #1032 http://www.cwops.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Koss Headsets for the K3 (Was: Re: Yamaha CM500 Headset)www
An update: I stopped by the Koss Factory Store today. I looked at the SB49 first. (The SB45 is identical to the SB49 but without the volume control in the cord). I didn't really like the way the SB49 fit. It's a very subjective thing but comfort was what I was looking for. The other thing I didn't like was the flexible boom for the microphone was very whippy. It was almost like a wet noodle. Not good. Next I looked at the SB40. The fit was great and very comfortable for the 5 minutes I wore it. The mic boom was stiffer too. The SB40 has a dynamic mic element. I ended up buying the SB40. The price was $39.00 plus sales tax. I was all set to buy a Yamaha CM500 but I really wanted to see how they fit first. I looked at a couple places and couldn't find a local store that had the CM500. For this reason I look at Koss. The other thing Koss has going for it is the limited lifetime warranty. Being that I live near the factory this is a big advantage. Second is that I've owned other Koss products and have always been very happy with them. As I said I've never used the Yamaha CM500 but the Koss SB40 looks very similar. I'm also kind of a headphone junkie. With the K3 I figure that most modern headsets have much more performance (frequency response, etc) than one needs for communication. So they are all pretty much up to the task. Same for the microphone. With the TX and RX Eq features of the K3 I decided to concentrate on fit and comfort. I think that juist about any headset and microphone can be made to sound good. I haven't used the SB40's yet but will report back once I've played with them a bit. Here's the link to the Koss website: http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/communication_headsets On 2/18/2012 1:27 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: I live near Milwaukee where the Koss factory is located. They have an outlet store. I'll try to stop in there this week and see if I can try on a pair Stay tuned... BTW...one of the best kept secrets about Koss is that they will do lifetime repairs if their products fail. I have a Koss headset that I use for CW that I have taken to the outlet store for repair several times. They'll usually repair while you wait. They also will sell you wear items like earpads for very low cost. It's a great deal if you live close by..otherwise I think you have to pay shipping. On 2/18/2012 5:05 AM, Peter Torry wrote: Many thanks everyone for your responses to my request. I am now investigating the Koss SB40 that appears to be similar to the Yamaha headset. Regards Peter G3SMT __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html -- 73, Gary K9GS Greater Milwaukee DX Association: http://www.gmdxa.org Society of Midwest Contesters: http://www.w9smc.com CW Ops #1032 http://www.cwops.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
