Average Rating: 
Rating: - a bit disappointing
For the past few years, I've had a struggle to try and find the best kind of headphones. I've had in ear ones, with headbands, and with out, and I've had many basic over ear ones with headbands, but these would be my first over-ear without a headband. The second they arrived, and I took them out of their packaging, the left ear piece came out of it's casing, speaker, foam and all. Now it pops out every so often, and I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed. As for the feel, they are very comfortable, except for when you're laying down, because they tend to slip off your ears. I guess that's why they say that they're for active use. The sound is fine, but I usually like to have music straight to my ears, so it can block out what ever else is going on. These block everything out, but since they're hanging loosely on your ears, the sound isn't as full as I would have liked. All in all I give them 3.5 stars.
Rating:  - One of the best steals in audio!
I am an admitted "audiophile" -- my main headphone system is over $3,000. However, these are one of my favorite headphones ever (and I've heard a lot of them, from $10 to $1000!). (...) These are one of the best-sounding headphones under a hundred bucks, and they are also one of the most versatile. They have three things going for them: 1) SOUND. The KSC-35 have balanced sound, including impressive bass, good midrange and good detail. That's a rare combination in headphones under a hundred bucks. They sound good enough that good sources really do sound good, but they are also enjoyable on lower-quality sources such as MP3 players and computers (another rare trait -- many headphones do one or the other, but not both). 2) COMFORT. The unique "earclip" design of the KSC-35 provides a very lightweight headphone that is also quite secure. These are without question the BEST exercise headphone on the planet, and they are also all-day comfortable. I should add that a few people don't like the clip design because of their ear shape, but most people will often forget they're wearing them. 3) EFFICIENCY. Unlike many high-quality headphones that need a juicy headphone amp to sound good, the KSC-35 sound great on anything, from the wimpiest portable CD player to the best dedicated headphone amp. I can't recommend this headphone enough. It's WAY better than anything else for the price, and competitive with headphones costing many times as much. If you're looking at (...) headphones under a hundred bucks, get these first and give them a try. You can return them if you don't like them, but my guess is you'll keep them ;)
Rating: - Giant Killers
The Koss KSC-50s, along with the other Koss headphones that use the PortaPro drivers are truly giant killers. These include the KSC-50, KSC-55, KSC-35, Porta Pro, Sporta Pro, KTX Pro, and also some Radio Shack models.Most cheap headphones sound terrible, but I find these quite enjoyable. I use them when I don't want to take my Sennheiser HD600s out, and while they don't compare to the Senns, they are very plesant to listen to. First comes the bass. Bass is very good for an inexpensive headphone. While they won't play as deep as a good subwoofer, they play much deeper then most cheap headphones I have tried, and the upper bass is not very boomy (Most cheap headphones have exaggerated upper bass to make them sound like they play deeper, many more expensive headphones do too, such as the Sony MDR-V600). The midrange is probably the KSC-50s biggest weakness, in particular the lower mids - they just don't have the presence my HD600s have. They also seem to sound slightly colored, which is bad, but it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, I am comparing them to my HD600s. This isn't a fair comparison at all, comparing some (dollar amount) headphones to some (dollar amount) headphones, it is like comparing a Hyundai to a Ferrari. Highs aren't very airy, but treble is played up fairly high (Most cheap headphones barely play upper treble), and it isn't overpowering at all. Comfort: These are relatively comfortable headphones, sometimes the earclips can be annoying, but they are extremely light and you usually barely feel them on you. In short, everything sounds pretty good on these headphones. You really can't compare to them at anywhere this price range. They literally sound better then every Sony headphone from the MDR-Vxxx line which goes from the (dollar amount) V-150 through the V-900s, yes, they sound better then all of them, also they sound better then the Sennheiser HD490 and 500. If you are looking for something under (dollar amount), one of this series of headphones is your best bet. The next real step up from them would be the Grado SR-60 around (dollar amount) and the Sennheiser HD495 around (dollar amount), or the Sony MDR-V7506 around (dollar amount). The one potential drawback is that these are an open design, which leaks sound out, and lets sound in. The problem is that most cheap closed headphones like the Sony MDR-Vxxx and CD-xxx series sound terrible in comparison. If you are willing to let some sound leak out, and have no isolation from outside noise, these are the headphones for you at this price. The only closed headphone of the above three I reccomend are the Sonys, both the Grados and Sennheisers are open. Most high end headphones other then monitors like the MDR-v7506, or Beyerdynamic DT831 are open. These include the Sennheiser HD600, the AKG K1000, Beyerdynamic DT931, Sony CD3000, and the rather expensive (At (dollar amount)) Sennheiser Orpheus. As always, be careful with volume levels when listening on headphones, you can damage your hearing very easily. If you can't hear someone at all when they are talking to you, or screaming at you, I would highly reccomend you turn the volume down some, unless you want to wear a hearing aid later.
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