[jlo mein]

ya so after MACdef's total cheapie koss pumping on these boards i decided to go pick some up. I got the ksc50's today and i'm quite unempressed.

First off, ppl said that this phone doesnt clip well to your ears, and it feels like it's going to fall off.....HELLO!!! IT DOES FALL OFF!!! It doesnt just feel like its falling off, it actually does when i just tilt my head sideways. The drivers also sit quite far from my ears because of this.

The fabric cord....what can i say....this thing is already fraying at the "Y" connection......its also much lighter than rubber cords so it krinkles up and looks ugly....i mean....i paid $34CAN plus 14% tax making them $40CAN so i THOUGHT they would be worth something....and....

THE SOUND IS AMAZING!!!! Seriously these do sound great. I know i bashed them this whole time, but thats cuz they deserved to be bashed for everything but the sound. I mean, even though the drivers sit quite far from my ears i still get clear sound with great low bass and accurate highs.

So basically i like these things SOMEWHAT....i still want to get the ksc35's since they should fit better......wish those things were available in canada.....

anyway....just a question: should i exchange my ksc50's for portapros???

 

[sapphiremodena]

jlomein - i feel the exact same way as you do in all aspects. my ksc-50's broke within a month. the drivers were busted - i dropped them, that was my fault - but also the cord pops out of the fabric easily and the clips both snapped off which is due to bad design/lack of durability.
.....so now i want the ksc-35's....

 

[Tim D]

And people including MacDEF favor the KSC-35 for what reasons?

Oh yah, for the reasons that you just found out from buying the less favored pair.

 

[MacDEF]

LOL, Tim... I was just about to say the same thing

The KSC-50 sound very good. But, in my review, I said all these things. They are loose and fall off. They are heavier. They stick out more. The cord frays. Etc.

I would still buy them without hesitation if the KSC-35 didn't exist, because they would still be one of the best sub-$100 cans on the market. But the KSC-35 are better in every way IMO.

 

[Xevion]

Get a pair of croakies for the KSC-50s. My KSC-50s will not fall off, period. They might not fit as perfectly as the KSC-35s, but I would bet it is damn close.

I could ride a roller coaster, or do anything a normal person would do and they will not fall off with the croakies on em.

 

[sapphiremodena]

The reason Jlomein and I got ksc50's instead of 35's is because we both live in Canada, and the 35's arent sold up here. Too bad though, because I'm really itching to try them out.

 

[citroeniste]

Definitely true.

However, the extra strain caused by the weight of the croakie thing is I think what caused the clip to break on one of mine, causing me to schlepp my HD-580's around (at least when it wasn't raining or snowing) whilst waiting for Koss's Austrian distributor to get the part in. This story has a good ending, though: whilst wearing the 580s on my head and looking like a dork, I saw a pair of KSC-35's neatly packaged in a bubble-pack. Needless to say, I snapped up what are possibly the perfect headphones for jogging, working out, or riding mass transit.

Quote:

Originally posted by Xevion Get a pair of croakies for the KSC-50s. My KSC-50s will not fall off, period. They might not fit as perfectly as the KSC-35s, but I would bet it is damn close. I could ride a roller coaster, or do anything a normal person would do and they will not fall off with the croakies on em.

 

[melancholypunk]

The 50's are very uncomfortable for me and I found the same thing, they didnt feel like they were falling off, THEY WERE.


Someone mailed me a pair of the 35 a week ago, so hopefully they should arrive sometime this week and I'll get to the bottom of all this 35 praising

ps - I dont know about the porta's, I have the sporta's and they are fine for short listening periods, but after extended listening they start to get tight and hurt my ear and tempo. I was thinking of maybe cutting the batting for the tempo in half, because its a really thick piece and since it goes tight on your head that big foam gets condensed into this really small thing (which feels like a rock) if there were less padding I think they wouldnt bunch up as much and would feel more comfortable, any inputs?

 

[Redwoood]

Come on, guys... they aren't that bad.
Actually, I use my ksc-50 every day at work.. for at least 5 -6 hours and they are very comfortable and NEVER fall off.

i just had to mod them a bit. First I took off the sharp edge of the plastic clips (I have large ears and the damn thing cut right into them after 2 hours) with a file and sandpaper.
comfort...done.

Then I did this

http://www3.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ighlight=ksc50
to improve fit and sound.

So they sound amazing, fit perfectly and it takes about 1/2 sec to put them on or take them off.
I've never had the 35s, but since I am so happy with my 50s how much better can they be?

Bye

Redwoood

 

[jlo mein]

hey redwood...i just tried that wire mod (except i just held the cords together an inch under my chin with my fingers).....and it works pretty well....

I cant spin my head quickly but at least i can slowly lower my head side to side....which is an improvement....

I might think about trying the croakie mod....who knos....

and MACdef dont make fun of me and sapphiremodena cuz like he said we cant get the 35's. i was thinking of emailing Logitech again (koss' canadian distributor), and asking if i can directly order the 35's from them.

I mean, i kno these things sound great, and i can definitely tell that if it was a tighter fit it would sound even better.

 

[Tim D]

This isn't the issue that the KSC-50's are bad, because they really aren't. However the fact that people feel the need to do mods shows some inadequacies with the default design.

 

[jlo mein]

i totally agree....they arent terrible headphones...but its very aparent that style was the #1 priority in the design process....

btw: i have now finished redwood's mod by using a black twist tie...it makes them fit slightly tighter....

i think i might try that croakie mod...since redwood's design is only a half assed fix (sorry redwood, but i have to say its the best cheap mod

)

 

[DesBen]

jlo mein,

price set aside, how would you compare their sound to that of the Grado SR60? I'm quite curious.

 

[Xevion]

I like the Grado 60s mroe myself, I find they have a much nicer midrange and bass, although I would take the KSC-50s slightly less silibant treble in preference if I had a combination headphone. The KSC-50 actually has a similar impact to the Grados to me, although the midbass is quite boomy on the 50s whereas the Grados are much more in line, and dare I say the forbidden word, musical

.

 

[jlo mein]

I think the sr60's and ksc50's sound slightly similar. The 50's do have more punchy bass and are not quite as bright. Since i like the high end of my grados, i find the koss's just a little bit dark.

However, if i'm not doing a side by side test, i definitely am not dissappointed in the sound of the 50's. They sound absolutely great. Also, i know you said price aside, but you just have to take it into consideration. For $35CAN compared to my $130CAN grados, the 50's just cant be beat for sound. I was expecting maybe above average sound when i was buying them, but they really just blew me out of the water.

I would recommend them if not for the crappy fit, cord, and weight.