[Bosk]

I recently upgraded to KSC-75s with my 1GB shuffle.

The KSC-75s are amazing for the money, I'm really enjoying them. But now I've been bitten by the portable bug and would like to upgrade to something better.

I've never tried IEMs before so I have no idea what to expect in terms of comfort or sound.
I've been considering the Westone UM1 & UM2, Shure E4C and UE Super.fi 5 Pro.


My question is will I notice a significant jump in sound quality over the KSC-75s with these IEMs or will it only be marginal?
How about bass impact?
Would I need an amp to get the most out of them?

Appreciate any opinions you can offer.

 

[iamvijay]

I have had a KSC-75 for about a month now and love it to bits. The Westone UM1 is less than a week old. I have to say IEM's expose the quality of your music,paricularly UM1 as everyone mentions in this forums ' if it(music) got bass you'll hear it'. If your music is of good quality unlike my 128 kbps crap you will appriciate the IEMs as I found out listing to CDs in my audio player output.

For KSC totally spoils us with the huge price to performance ratio and I began to expect exponential increase in performance with price. I believe its too early to be judging UM1 but it atlest allows me to enjoy music even with a noisy roomie.

I am bitter for I've realised that I got to upgrade my software(music) to enjoy the hardware upgrade. I am going to be so broke.

 

[azncookiecutter]

I think this is another case of apples vs. oranges. KSC75s have a huge performance-price ratio, but by the fact that IEMs isolate noise, it's pretty hard to compare them to KSC75s. Yes, to me, KSC75s sounds as good (maybe even better) than my now-sold ER-6is, but by the fact that I can hear more details from ER-6is, and not turning it up as loud, I would almost certainly pick ER-6is 9 times (ok, maybe 8 times) out of 10 when using it on the go. It all depends on if isolation becomes a factor in your purchase decision.

 

[Bosk]

I guess I'm really only concerned with detail level, musicallity, PRAT and comfort. Isolation is nice, but I really just want the best possible portable phones possible, in terms of sound quality.

 

[wolfen68]

A tough call and worthy of discussion. The ksc-35's even hold their own vs. higher end custom IEM's such as the UE5c's....hard to believe but in my opinion true.

IEM's are "nifty" because of their portability and isolation. If you disregard those benefits, I actually like my ksc-35's better than any IEM I've heard in their OVERALL presentation. They sound full, have some thump and give enough detail to be fun. The 35's are also far more open and airy, and just kill IEM's in soundstage even though they don't have a lot themselves.

Some IEM's I've tried beat the 35's out on detail (such as E3's and UE5c's)...but don't have the same full presentation...and even seem a little dry compared to the 35's.

The UE5c's come close, but thinking of E2's, E3's, E5's, and E6i's....I'll pick the ksc-35's first everytime if I don't really need an IEM.

 

[xtr3me]

Well, I have both ksc35 and etys er6i.
I still prefer the etys, because of the isolation and detail they present (and, unlike some er6i owners, don't think they're bassless once you get the proper seal). I just love them.
However, in terms of "bang for the buck" the koss just slam the etys. They are so much cheaper and give such a warming sound.
I'm listening to mine right now, listening to helloween, and the sound is really envolving, the bass is there, but the detail is not as high as the etys, and I need to turn the volume up a little more (which is one of IEM advantages: great sound with low volume).

For me? Buy a pair of koss for when you're on the move but don't need isolation, and a pair of IEMs for when you want isolation (remember the koss leak a little, so that can be a problem when you're not alone). The best of both worlds

 

[Jam_Master_J]

I own both the KSC-75s and the Shure E4s(mid-level IEMs). I've been using the E4s alot the last 3 weeks, but decided to try the KSC75 again to see if they sounded as good as before.

The KSC-75s do very well for their price and are an awesome sonic value. In absolute terms, I like the E4s better. However, the price difference is huge and if I didn't need the isolation I'd probably be happy with the KSC-75s.

The KSC-75s have a groovier, more fun sound than the E4s. But sound noticeably unrefined in the mids and treble compared to the E4s. The KSC-75s have more bass slam but is less tight. KSC_75 has a respectable stage, the E4s do not. KSC-75s are less revealing and sound good with most material. As a result the E4 sounds worse with poorly recorded music but has the benefit of showing more benefit to being driven by better gear.

In regards to comfort, IEMs are probably more polarizing in this topic. I initially had a very bad impression of them but it got much better over the last two weeks. The KSC-75 are also very comfy but they need more frequent adjustment. With the E4s I can put them in and not touch them for a couple hours.


Hope this helps

 

[e_resolu]

For those still interested with this post you van have a look here :

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...25#post3067425

 

[robm321]

While the KSC-75 is a good value, I prefer most IEMs - including the Shure E3C, Ety ER4S.

 

[antonyfirst]

The KSC75 are only good value, not a great headphone. I've compared them to the Shure E500 and the properly equalized ER4P, and these iems trounced the Koss. There is absolutely no comparison.

 

[e_resolu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif The KSC75 are only good value, not a great headphone. I've compared them to the Shure E500 and the properly equalized ER4P, and these iems trounced the Koss. There is absolutely no comparison.

Except for the soundstage I guess...

 

[akabane@drjackel]

I own a modded KS75 so called KSC75 mach 3 beside that Im716 is also the one of the favourite. seem this iem is slight has a same tasted as ATHW5K. evenmore is etymotic research ivent for altec. I pair it with my diy Hybrid 3 Channel Cmoy both Cans are really. now i even remove/sell off my other rig then just stick my this two cans...really imo..