[TMC]

My old trustworthy Senn MX500 is starting to die on me after almost 2 years of faithful service and at first I thought I'd just get another pair. But instead I've been considering to try something else out since I've come to realise the MX500 don't give me enough punch and depth when it comes to bass. So now having looked high and low for a good replacement I've found out the much talked about KSC35 and 50 can be bought in a shop in town for a not so cheap price of $50. Some of you might wonder why I don't just buy it cheaper off the web, but the problem is I don't have a credit card and without it it'd cost me about $50 to get them from say the US with everything included anyway. So what I wonder is if you guys think the KSC35/50 can be worth paying $50 for? If you think they are, do you prefer the 35 or the 50 and why? In comparison the MX500 cost about $25 so you see Koss is really expensive over here. I hope there's a chance I can try them out before I buy them, but somehow I doubt it since it's a rather small shop and not a big one with 30 day refunds. Any experiences with the KSC35/50 are welcome, especially if you know how the MX500 sound since I enjoy the way they sound except in the lower frequencies.

 

[Snufkin]

$50US?

 

[TMC]

Yep you got it, $50 US. So you might understand why I'm having second thoughts since I can get 2 pairs and have enough over for a movie had I lived in the US

 

[Snufkin]

Hm.. I don't know if they're worth $50.
Out of the KSC-50 and the KSC-35 I prefer the KSC-35, if you can find it, it has a better earclip design which means it sits flusher to your ear leading to slightly improved overall sound

 

[TMC]

Yep the same shop has both the 35 and the 50 in stock. Now when I think about it I can get a pair of Senn PX100 for the same price, I wonder if that might be a better choice?

 

[andrzejpw]

Personally, I would take the ksc-35s, even though they cost $50. Those phones may quite possibly be the best phones under $100, and may be the best value in headphones. If you are looking for visceral and impactful bass, the 35s will deliver.

 

[TMC]

andrzejpw: How do you think the KSC35 compare to MX500 when it comes to soundstage and mid->high freq. ? And also do the bass on KSC35 sound significantly tighter than on portapros? Because I've tried those and was rather disappointed by how they sounded: Too loose bass and too weak highs.

 

[TMC]

Another thing I wonder is how easy/hard are the KSC35 to drive compared to the MX500? I'll be using them with my portable mp3-player so I hope they won't require that much more juice than the MX500.

 

[clintf]

KSC-50's are definitely not worth $50. BestBuy carries them for around $19.95. I bought my KSC-35s for $40 and I'm happy with the purchase. They are great portable headphones. My SlimX and Nomad II power them perfectly fine. I haven't actually tried the 35s with an amp yet, but they don't really need one anyway. Unfortunately I don't have MX500s to compare the two.

 

[RVD]

The KSC-50's are good headphone's for $20, but not for $50. The 35's might be worth the money, but I have not listened to them. The PX100's are probably a better choice.

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

Hey where do you live?? my bro is going back to college in switzerland and he could bring a pair of KSC-50s and ship them to you if you arent too far away, you could just send him the money... i can get the 50s for like $15.. and he could take them overon the plane..

 

[Peddler]

To answer the question regarding how easy the KSC-35's to drive - through my SlimX and Sony D-915 (typical 5mw output on the Sony), they go reasonably loud but I don't think you would get hearing damage from them.

From my wonderful Nomad Jukebox 3 they do go that little bit louder and sound wonderful for it. Drive these babies from a portable amp and they sound superb - they really do benefit from additional power.

They are definitely not as efficient as earbuds but to give you a working idea of difference - the measurements are the volume settings from the Nomad:

Etymotic ER4P (Very efficient phones). - 17, 18, 19

Senn MX-400 (not as efficient). - 19. 20

Koss KSC35 - 19, 20, 21.

I hope this helps.

 

[TMC]

Thanks for all the replies, now I'm curious how the KSC35 measure up to the PX100 since they cost about the same. Has anyone written a comparison between these two?

a1leyez0nm3: Thanks for the offer man, I haven't made my mind up yet what to buy but I'll keep that in mind. BTW do you play UT or UT2003? I think I recognize that nick.

Peddler: Thanks for the info, so I guess the MX400 are just a bit more efficient than the KSC35 which should work out just fine on my mpio dmb+ player. Will it make a big difference with an amp for KSC35? I reckon my player has 5 mW output (5+5 for each channel).

 

[TMC]

A comparison between KSC35 and PX100 straight out of a portable would be really cool right about now. No one who has the gear with too much time to spare?

Otherwise just pray for me that I can try out the KSC35 tomorrow before having to buy them, because $50 is just too steep to risk it when I've heard the portapros and found them to be so-so.

 

[Steve999]

I have both. The Koss KSC 35s smoke the Sennheiser PX100s for sound, out of a portable or out of anything else, IMHO. It's not close. The KSC 35s are more balanced, better highs, clearer midrange, punchier bass, on and on. For me, though, the PX100s are significantly more comfortable and more convenient. I use the PX100s for long-term FM radio listening at work a lot. But if you are looking for good sound first and foremost, CD or near-CD quality sound, the KSC 35s are much, much better, IMHO.

Hope this helps.