Eagle_Driver
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
- Posts
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So finally, two days ago I received my Koss KSC-35's from Headroom. They cost $29.95 plus $6.00 shipping. I compared their comfort and sound to those of my Koss KSC-50's (purchased for $19.99 plus tax at Best Buy) and my Sony MDR-Q33LP/S w.ear's ($29.99 plus tax at BB).
When I first put on my Koss KSC-35's, I had some difficulty putting them on!
The clips aren't spring-loaded like my Koss KSC-50's and my Sony w.ear's. But once my KSC-35's were on, they stayed put; my w.ear's also stayed put, but my KSC-50's felt like they were going to fall off of my ears (that, fortunately, didn't happen during my listening tests). Also, once on, my KSC-35's were definitely the most comfortable of the three, followed by my w.ears and then my KSC-50's (What? My w.ears look smaller than either of my Koss KSC-##'s, but the w.ear's weigh as much as my KSC-50's!!
).
As for my listening tests, I tested all three of those portable clip-type headphones directly from the phones out of my Panasonic SL-CT470 portable CD player (since they're all designed for strictly portable use - I don't currently own a dedicated headphone amp; I didn't bother using the phone jack of my home receiver due to the jack's poor damping factor). Here is my analysis:
Koss KSC-35
When I first heard these d@mn things, I (literally) heard and felt a muffled *thunk* (the sound and feel of my jaw dropping to the floor)!!
There was so much clarity and richness I swore that I could have paid more than $98 for them (but they cost just $30)! There was a bit of a midbass emphasis (but not as boomy as my Koss Porta Pros, which use the same drivers), the mids and highs were nice, and there was even quite a bit of deep-bass extension (Mike Walker loves to call this low-bass region the "bass-ment"). Vocals sounded rich and warm; instruments never sounded tinny. Overall, outstanding for $30 headphones - and better than many headphones that cost up to four times as much. The cord is four feet long, covered in vinyl.
Koss KSC-50
I have had these headphones for several months before I ordered my KSC-35's. Compared to my KSC-35's, the KSC-50's were less efficient (despite the identical 101 dB/mW rating as the KSC-35's); the bass on the KSC-50's were quite a bit thinner than that of my KSC-35's (both the lower efficiency and the thinner bass were due to the looser fit of my KSC-50's). And (surprisingly) the mids on the KSC-50's were a bit recessed in comparison to my KSC-35's (some female vocals sounded somewhat like someone's got a sore throat). But overall, very good for $20 headphones, just not in the same league as their predecessors, the KSC-35's. The cord is a very short 3.3 feet long, covered in a rough fabric that may not hold up well to abuse.
Sony MDR-Q33LP w.ear
These were the first clip-type headphones that I've bought, and I liked them at first. But compared to the Kosses, they sounded like crap! They cost as much as the Koss KSC-35's, but didn't sound much better than the freebie headphones that came with portable CD and MD players!!
There was practically NO deep bass extension, so that music that had a lot of bass sounded thin and hollow! And there was a peak in the mid-treble, so that many instruments and vocals sounded tinny and metallic! How ********* mediocre can you get, Sony? The cord is nearly five feet long, covered in cloth - and a cord connects the left and right earpieces in a "neck chain" fashion.
So overall, my overall scoring is as follows:
Koss KSC-35 > Koss KSC-50 > Sony MDR-Q33LP/S (with a small but meaningful gap between the two Kosses, and a BIG gap between the KSC-50 and the Q33)
thanx 4 reeding mi revu. (in my "best" tracylynntalk) What? huh?
cya l8r! bi!
Randall
When I first put on my Koss KSC-35's, I had some difficulty putting them on!
As for my listening tests, I tested all three of those portable clip-type headphones directly from the phones out of my Panasonic SL-CT470 portable CD player (since they're all designed for strictly portable use - I don't currently own a dedicated headphone amp; I didn't bother using the phone jack of my home receiver due to the jack's poor damping factor). Here is my analysis:
Koss KSC-35
When I first heard these d@mn things, I (literally) heard and felt a muffled *thunk* (the sound and feel of my jaw dropping to the floor)!!
Koss KSC-50
I have had these headphones for several months before I ordered my KSC-35's. Compared to my KSC-35's, the KSC-50's were less efficient (despite the identical 101 dB/mW rating as the KSC-35's); the bass on the KSC-50's were quite a bit thinner than that of my KSC-35's (both the lower efficiency and the thinner bass were due to the looser fit of my KSC-50's). And (surprisingly) the mids on the KSC-50's were a bit recessed in comparison to my KSC-35's (some female vocals sounded somewhat like someone's got a sore throat). But overall, very good for $20 headphones, just not in the same league as their predecessors, the KSC-35's. The cord is a very short 3.3 feet long, covered in a rough fabric that may not hold up well to abuse.
Sony MDR-Q33LP w.ear
These were the first clip-type headphones that I've bought, and I liked them at first. But compared to the Kosses, they sounded like crap! They cost as much as the Koss KSC-35's, but didn't sound much better than the freebie headphones that came with portable CD and MD players!!
So overall, my overall scoring is as follows:
Koss KSC-35 > Koss KSC-50 > Sony MDR-Q33LP/S (with a small but meaningful gap between the two Kosses, and a BIG gap between the KSC-50 and the Q33)
thanx 4 reeding mi revu. (in my "best" tracylynntalk) What? huh?
cya l8r! bi!
Randall
