[Music Alchemist]

I have considerable experience with Koss headphones and found them to be sometimes enjoyable but mostly cheaply made, plasticky, and just...lacking for my tastes.

Alright. I was just trying to get a feel for how much experience you had with them.

(I still don't really know. "Considerable" for you could be insufficient in my book.)

I understand you want to somehow declare your opinion 'more valid' than mine

Not exactly. Some of the things I said were merely examples.

You love your KTX pros we get it. It's not necessarily the answer to all questions.

It is the answer to this question, though:

The Koss KTXPRO1 is by far the best-sounding headphone I have heard that costs under $50, even when paired with cheap components.

or to put it another way, I haven't listened to the KTX pro on a bunch of different expensive setups, over the course of many many years...but I bet dollars to donuts that the OP can find something better in the under $50 category than the thin wired, dorky looking cheaply made Koss....in my opinion.

...Such as?

 

[djray]

My pick in that price range would be the semi-open on-ear Koss KTXPRO1.

However, it's not the easiest headphone to drive. I'd suggest eventually getting an amp or DAC/amp if you don't already have one.

I don't know about price and availability in India, but in the US it only costs ~$15, leaving room in the budget for electronics.

I've tried tons of headphones (from ultra-budget to ultra-high-end) and thought it was quite ironic that such a cheap and silly-looking headphone is what I preferred over so many other budget headphones. (As well as all the closed-backs I owned under $400!) Koss is the budget king in my eyes. I had other affordable Koss headphones (KSC75, Porta Pro, UR40, UR55) but the KTXPRO1 is easily my favorite.

If you can find a used Philips SHP9500, that's another contender, with a more spacious soundstage...but the KTXPRO1's strong dynamics (and so many other aspects of its sound that I find magical) are favorable for me.

My current rotation includes the Philips SHP9500, Koss KSC75 and Koss KTXPro1. The KTXPro1 was mostly due to your recommendation Just picked up the SHP9500 today for cheap, so I can help with some comparisons.

If I had to get one headphone for cost-effectiveness and sound quality ratio, it would be the KSC75 with the PartsXpress headband mod. The KTXPro1 is slightly warmer and bassier with less-sparkly treble than the KSC75. The headband mod also makes the headphone comfortable to wear.

The SHP9500 is pretty darn good though and all the positive reviews by everyone is warranted, however it's the priciest out of the three. The treble glows and isn't too sharp unlike say, the Superluxes. But, the headphone is really open and leaks sound a lot. So if you plan on using this in the library, people sitting next to you will be able to hear what you are listening to.

Both the KSC75 and the SHP9500 gave me that "oh my god" feeling that I haven't had with other headphones.

The KTXPro1 is good and I would recommend it over the Porta Pro. If you cannot get the headphone mod for the KSC75, it's decent, but I don't think it's as good as Music Alchemist says they are. Also, the inline volume control can be bothersome.

 

[Music Alchemist]

My current rotation includes the Philips SHP9500, Koss KSC75 and Koss KTXPro1. The KTXPro1 was mostly due to your recommendation Just picked up the SHP9500 today for cheap, so I can help with some comparisons.

If I had to get one headphone for cost-effectiveness and sound quality ratio, it would be the KSC75 with the PartsXpress headband mod. The KTXPro1 is slightly warmer and bassier with less-sparkly treble than the KSC75. The headband mod also makes the headphone comfortable to wear.

The SHP9500 is pretty darn good though and all the positive reviews by everyone is warranted, however it's the priciest out of the three. The treble glows and isn't too sharp unlike say, the Superluxes. Both the KSC75 and the SHP9500 gave me that "oh my god" feeling that I haven't had with other headphones.

The KTXPro1 is good and I would recommend it over the Porta Pro. If you cannot get the headphone mod for the KSC75, it's decent, but I don't think it's as good as Music Alchemist says they are. Also, the inline volume control can be bothersome.

The KSC75 certainly has more sparkly treble and a more open soundstage, but aside from that, the KTXPRO1 sounds vastly better to me, especially in terms of dynamics and resolution across the spectrum. Pushing the KSC75 pads closer to my ears did not improve the sound. The KSC75 is pretty good for high frequencies, but sounds lo-fi to me in the lower frequencies.

 

[buke9]

I have considerable experience with Koss headphones and found them to be sometimes enjoyable but mostly cheaply made, plasticky, and just...lacking for my tastes. I understand you want to somehow declare your opinion 'more valid' than mine.....but come on, ultimately it's as valid as claiming your butthole is better than mine. We both have one buddy.
You love your KTX pros we get it. It's not necessarily the answer to all questions.

Just had to say something about “Plasticky”. Have a pair of Koss ESP-950’s almost all plastic but sound fantastic and rivals many $1000+ headphones.Yes much higher price than what is being discussed on this post but don’t think that plastic is bad as almost every headphone I have has plastic as a part of it large and small. Just my little rant ; ). Also KZ ZS6 are really good have the ZST and ATE and these so much better.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I am going to use them in my quiet room on my computer. I don't care about isolation, sound leakage, headphone type or tonal balance. All I want is the best sound Quality I can afford. I mostly listen to rock and classical music if that helps.

Takstar, Superlux and Samson are brands that seem to offer good bang for the buck.

 

[kkl10]

If absolute sound quality is a priority at just $50, it'd be more rewarding to consider IEMs first.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Just had to say something about “Plasticky”. Have a pair of Koss ESP-950’s almost all plastic but sound fantastic and rivals many $1000+ headphones.Yes much higher price than what is being discussed on this post but don’t think that plastic is bad as almost every headphone I have has plastic as a part of it large and small. Just my little rant ; ). Also KZ ZS6 are really good have the ZST and ATE and these so much better.

I suppose I have to draw a finer distinction? Yes, all headphones at this price range are going to be made up of mostly plastic, however some are more 'plasticky' than others. For example, the Phillips 9500s, when I inspect it closely is nearly all plastic, but when you hold it in your hand, shake it a little, tap on it, it doesn't have a flimsy...plasticky feel. I'm not against plastic, I mean, I love my Sony MDR7506, they are durable as heck and I like the way they sound, and yeah, they are mostly plastic...but I wouldn't put them in the same category as the lower tier Koss stuff.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

If absolute sound quality is a priority at just $50, it'd be more rewarding to consider IEMs first.

I personally prefer over ears, but from a strictly best possible sound for the least amount of money...yeah, IEMs probably could give even more bang for the buck.