"Porta Pro" On Ear Headphones

Finally, I have found headphones that sound great and feel comfortable. I've bought many different headphones over the past two years, trying to find a pair that don't feel uncomfortable after 30 minutes of continuous listening. Below are two recently purchased headphones I own: Sennheiser PX200: They didn't give their full potential because they sit too light on my ear. They do sound great if you push them close to your ear though. Sony MDR-V300: Sound good with lots of bass, but sometimes I feel like I'm listening to music through a wall and they feel uncomfortable after a 30 mins. For the cheap price they're good. The Koss Porta Pro Stereophones are mind blowing. I really can't express enough in words how good these are and they sound even better now I've run them in. The sound is outstanding with superb clarity and bass. I personally don't think the bass is over done at all, it sounds well balanced. I mainly listen to Progressive, Uplifting, Melodic Trance, for example: Puma White - Copenhagen (Original mix) & Mike Foyle vs. Signalrunners - Love Theme Dusk. These headphones sound great with other genres too and really bring the music alive. The Porta Pro's sound magnificent when used with a computer installed with a decent sound card, but they also sound great with MP3 players. I use these with my Creative Zen Touch and they are far better than the supplied in-ear headphones. These headphones look very retro cool and in my opinion they are very cool indeed. They are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn (I've had them on for 3 hours and I'm feeling no ear discomfort at all) and I guess thats why the design has never changed since 1984. They look quite fragile at first but they are actually pretty sturdy. The Porta Pro's fold to fit in a small pouch embossed with KOSS which looks rather nice along with a 6.3mm Gold Plated Adapter which is a handy extra. Overall, If your looking for awesome quality and great value portable headphones that sound absolutely fantastic and feel great whether you're travelling, at work or chillin' at home then look no further than the Koss Porta Pro Stereophones. ★ UPDATE August 2013 ★ I've been meaning to update my review for the last few years and finally here it is. I must have about 5 pairs of these floating around now, along with my preciously preserved KOSS Porta Pro 25th Anniversary edition set stored safely in a secret underground bomb proof safe. I've accumulated quite a large collection of different headphones over the years and have reviewed a few here on Amazon. I no longer use the PortaPro everyday as my main home listening headphone, but they still accompany me on trips abroad, because they're great for the beach, as the unique comfort setting helps alleviate any ear pressure and discomfort caused by sand and seawater, and also allowing me to wear sunglasses comfortably. These are not great for commuting because of their open backed design. For home listening, I decided it was time to move up to some Sennheiser HD650's powered by a Graham Slee SOLO SRGII amp, which is quite a big jump, but they are the perfect headphone for home listening, offering superior quality sound matched with supreme comfort. Obviously, the Porta Pro can't compete with the HD650's, but they have a similar balanced and neutral sound signature which I always desire in headphones. My other recommended headphones, are the well reviewed and great sounding Audio Technica ATH-M50, which I mostly use for travelling. UPDATE Oct 2013: I'm now using the superb sounding Noontec Zoro as my portable headphone of choice, as the M50's are a little bulky for travelling. UPDATE August 2014: I'm now using the superb V-MODA XS. These are amazing! One important omission from my original review is the eventual occurrence of rattling emitting from the drivers (know as Grattle). This is caused by hair becoming trapped in the driver, which then produces annoying rattling sounds. To fix this, you'll need to take off the ear pad, then pop off the plastic driver cover (this is quite hard to do, but be persistent, as the PortaPro are very robust) and then use a rocket blower to remove the hair, you can also use a cloth or soft brush (like a Lenspen brush) if necessary, but be careful not to damage the driver. Even after seven years, the KOSS Porta Pro sit graciously on my headphone wall of fame and I can continue to highly recommend them for those looking for the best sounding, most comfortable and great value ultra-portable headphone money can buy.

These are brilliant headphones for the price. They are well built and definitely durable. I bought these off Amazon after being duped on 2 occasions by a seller named mp3bits on play . co . uk. The experience was really frustrating. There are plenty of lookalike fakes floating around in the market. I put my faith on Amazon, and they lived up to it. Here is the best forum discussion i found on line to identify the fakes from the genuine ones. [...] The build quality may look like flimsy, but is rather sturdy. its a treat to listen to. They do sound a bit bright on listening to for the first few times. But after 3 days of burning in, they sounded much more pleasant, cut down a little on the high frequencies, and the bass was mind blowing. There is little or no flutter even if you crank the volume up on your ipod or iphone. I dont feel like listening to any other headphones for now. These are light, fit on the head very nicely and without hurting the ears. one could even jog or dance wearing these I suppose. I dont care how they look(the retro look), but there are plenty of good looking headphones in the market.. skullcandy being one of them, but they are only supposed to look nice, they take a beating from the portapros, despite being a few times more expensive, when it comes to performing well. Since they are open ear designed, in silent public places, people will be distracted cos of the sound leaking through the portapros. get ready to raise a few eyebrows when in such places. On the bright side, while crossing the road etc, or when someone honks, you do notice. So you are aware of your surroundings when there is an emergency etc. its pure bliss to listen to them. i have started hearing new instruments and sounds on tracks that i have loved over the years. the same was true for the Grado SR 80's. If its someone like me who wants to add one to their collection, or if its someone who wants to get a good replacement for the ipod stock earphones, this is where you start looking, and this is where you'd stop! You wont be disappointed guys. Buy it from responsible and well known merchants, and you will not regret buying a Koss portapro.. Infact its so good, you would be constantly tempted to gift it to friends and family.. just cos you wouldn't want them to waste time listening to anything other than these amazing Headphones. They are in the same league as the sennheiser px 100's, but the senn never fit on my head properly, cos i have a small head :), I love them too. But these are just better in every way possible. This headphone set had been on my wish list for quite a while. I like collecting headphones..current line up includes the Grado SR80, Sennheiser PX 100, 200, CX 500 and the Bose triport, AKG's and some more.

The Good side: Simply Impressed!! Bass is Rich, Deep and Sexy!! The Mids and Highs are very well balanced and of excellent delivery but I admit they could be slightly better; but at this price, you deserve way less. These headphones have the tendency to get better and better the more you use it...its simply wow! Can go Super Loud!! It defines truly portable with its sleek folding feature and custom porta-case and its temple pressure adjusting feature and cushion pads really seals the deal in comfort. Purchasing a pair of these is really a no-brainer!! Oh and I forgot to add....NO QUESTIONS ASKED LIFETIME WARANTY WHOOP WHOOP!!!! and it gives a really cool look too especially if you love retro-fashion. The kinda bad side : It doesnt FEEL as durable as some other competitors but i havn't had reason to say it isn't. The cable is comparitively short compared to some of its other competitors but it doesnt affect portability in anyway. Also its performance gets better with the quality of the sound card and output power of the device you use. The higher the quality of your device, the better the sound so for really really cheap mp3 players, you may not experience that Potential Super-awesomeness. The only truly negative thing i can say about these is that at high volume (75%-100%) on Laptops and (80%-100%) on smart-phones, they 'bleed': music you are listening to can be heard by others around you loudly so it isnt exactly monogamous with your ears like in-ear earphones (duh!!) but even at 50% volume these headphones give you that WOW without having to turn it up so high and maintain C.I.A-like relationships with your ear canals!! You can't go wrong with these if you're looking for an affordable headphone for daily or casual listening to audio files. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!! Any questions? Simply contact me :)

These are really good, mind blowing actually. I am not a technical expert on sound but I am a simple lover - not huge enthusiast - of sound, whether be in music, games, TV, or radio. With Koss Porta Pro Stereo headphones, the sound is not only richer... much richer, but it is quite loud as well. So much so that I had to turn the volume of most of my devices considerably lower than what I was used to with some other earphones and headphones. The first obvious plus point for me is that all those movies played from DVD that have louder music and much lower voices now run with a smoother music/voice mix. I first tried them on some youtube videos. The sound quality and the way I could feel the different sounds and voices was brilliant. Then I played some games and it was even better. For example I tried it while playing Divinity: Original Sin and the voices and specially the ambience was unbelievable. Feeling the sound of the wind in the desert, the splashing sound of the waterfalls, the birds chirping gleefully in the jungle, etc. is all extra ordinary and really increases the gaming experience considerably more and makes it very atmospheric. I really just went back to many other areas I already had explored just to "see" how the sound works and it was amazing and worth doing - considering the long loads I had to suffer every time, but that's not the headphones fault, isn't it? :) Lastly I tried some of my most-heard and close to my heart mp3 songs from a decade ago that I always thought that I now know every tune, sound, vibration, etc. of. But I was proved so wrong. The way now I could hear different instruments, the way the voice was coming and mixing with the music, the way sounds from different instruments were coming not just from left-right but also from the all sides of the left-side or right-side up and down, was extraordinary, difficult to explain. It's even better than my 5.1 surround sound speaker system, and I am not exaggerating here. The way they fit-in so easily on my head and equally on my 5-years old one is also a huge plus. They fit in quite naturally, and there are no settings as such where they would click forever, they just go back to normal position once you take them off and then anyone else can take them on as they please. I also found that their size is quite deliberate and they could easily be used with any device like PC, laptop, or tablet without a problem. THey are already quite small yet they are still foldable, amazing. The only one slight "issue" is that the length of the wire/cable is not that long so if you want to plug them directly to the back of your desktop/tower PC in the headphone/speaker out on the sound card itself, you'll have to be hugging your desktop/tower (almost literally. Also they are not usable with a TV because then you'll have to sit only inches away from it. An extension cord could have been thrown-in as a measure. This is a minor nag however as you can purchase any extensions yourself according to your needs. Overall brilliant quality and excellent value for money. Two thumbs Up!

Well, before buying these you need to know a few things: They are open headphones, this means sound will leak so that others will be able to hear what you are listening too (so be sure to remember this before you put that embarrassing album on to play, you know the one I mean!) This works both ways so you will be able to hear the world around you, which can be safer when walking around outside but also means ambient noise may interfere with your listening. They have a very peculiar adjustable headband type thing that can, if you are not careful, snag hairs. This has happened only once to me (when I was adjusting it whilst actually wearing it) but other reviews mention it a lot so I guess it depends on the individual. The build quality does have a fragile feel to it however, assuming you are not in the habit of hurling your headphones at walls or running ear-first into nearby lampposts, I reckon they are durable enough. Now onto the review proper. The packaging my Koss porta pro arrived in was a sleek and classy black box that held the inevitable nasty creaky see-through plastic to which was tied the headphones. Additionally there was a little carry case that, despite all my efforts, I can not get the headphones to actually fit into. I personally put this down to my own incompetence. After taking them out and playing around with the adjustment options (a nice sliding headband and a rather useless set of switches that adjusts how tightly the ear pads squeeze your head) I tried them out using my phone as an audio source... Wow. Sound quality beyond anything I was expecting (despite so many glowing reviews on here) for a £22 set of headphones. Sound quality is of course subjective, but to me these were simply brilliant. Balanced and exquisitely detailed throughout the frequency range. I could wax lyrical here, but there are countless other reviews that do so far more eloquently than I could. Of course Sound quality is only part of how to judge a set of headphones, because if they are not comfortable to wear then they are useless to you. For me (with a fairly average sized head) they fit very well, were very comfortable both for long walks/commutes to work and were so light that, if it were not for the occasional jerk as the wire got caught by my coat, I might have forgotten I was wearing them. In summary: Pros - Outstanding sound quality - Comfortable for long periods - A price point that makes competitors weep (£22 when I purchased them) Cons - Styling might not be to everyone's taste - Sound does leak, both to and from you. - are not durable enough to substitute for a hard hat (yes, this one is a bit silly, but with so many reviews criticizing their durability I feel honor bound to mention it) If you like the styling, enjoy great sound and a comfortable fit from your audio equipment and accept the possible disadvantages then throw your money at the screen now! You will not be disappointed!

Not really sure why I bought these,except to say I'm glad I did...My reason for saying this is because I have several pairs of phones of one sort or another..My main ones being the over the ear AKG 702's...and my in ear ones the SoundMagic E10's....So now I had a reference to listen and compare..and let me tell you..these Koss are a dream to listen to.Never mind those that say they have no Bass..(all I can say is their source must be poor)..and those that say they have no detail (Rubbish)...These will let you hear notes you never heard before..The sound is crisp and clear..the bass, authoritive without being over powering and the soundstaging incredible...I was hoping they would be good and they didn't disappoint..I can see now why Audiophiles have fell in love with them over the years..I missed these back in the 80's and wish I'd knew about them back then...I will add one other point...Running them in for around 20/30 hours will open them up even more from new,so bear this in mind...I would also like to point out,that to get the best from these (as with most,if not all headphones)you need a good sound source,and use an Amp of some sorts...just plugging them into a phone or tablet Will play good...but even better with a portable amp such as Fiio or an amp in general of a home source....then they Will sing like you wouldn't believe...they really are astonishing. I would like to point out that there are fakes out there so be careful especially from Ebay where there seems to be a Flood of them...I could name at least a dozen ..These will be ok from this seller...plus.. these particular ones do not come as boxed as many might have seen...they come in the Black box and are called the Porta Pro Classic...the White box version is supplied with the different cable intended for the Ipad/phone in mind..They no longer come in the Plastic Bowl packaging...if they do I would suggest you look at them VERY carefully and they will be older stock if genuine.These newer versions do not come with the 3.5 to 6.5 plug adapter either,so take note..I think as time has gone on these have reduced in price also due to having a few cut backs such as the adapter,but this is a minor issue for me,but thought I would mention this for others. We buy phones for the sound primarily and the looks and build second...and I do have a few things to say about these topics...The build for sub £30 are very good and of course the looks are straight from the 80's...but you can clearly see this before you buy...so don't moan when you get them in your hands..Despite feeling a little flimsy in the hands there's something that tells you they will stand the test of time,that's why they haven't been changed all this time ..and should something happen anyway,you have that lifetime warranty for the sake of the cost of postage.The temple adjustment does take some getting used to and they reset everytime you put them on and off...firm being the default...this to me seems to be the best setting,but everyones ears are different...They fold away to a really tiny ball...Very tiny...and I treated myself to the hard case to protect them although the pouch (which comes supplied) is well made but offers no real protection if stowed in a suitcase or hold all., so for another £7.50 get one from MOTA,it's a perfect fit...As with all phones,treating them with respect should give you years of usage...and YES I know accidents happen and faults can too. Some have mentioned sound leakage...this is true...but it's no where near as some have said...all I can say is they must have them extremely loud...Normal listening levels will not upset your daily comuter's around you..they are after all//Open back so you will have some leakage,but certainly nothing to hurt. I've heard people keep saying..''These cheap headphones''...YES..they are cheap (although the retail is supposed to be £45 and I don't see that as cheap)..why on earth would they not expect a great sound from cheap headphones anyway..You Don't have to pay top dollar to get amazing sound, and these just prove that..to better these you will have to pay some serious money...cost doesn't make them better. SO...If your still pondering about getting these and have just introduced yourself to the world of Hi-Fi ( Yes I consider them to be worthy under the heading of Hi-Fi) and music these will not disappoint.

The Pros: These phones sound great! They might strike you as a bit "bass heavy" when you first try them, but that's because they actually reproduce the bass that's there - the phones you've used before simply don't have that kind of bass response! These phones are light. They look like they might be uncomfortable - they look a bit strange - but you soon forget you're wearing them. These phones are also quite acoustically transparent, so you can hear sounds around you - I know two drummers who use them for stage foldback! These phones sound significantly better, less coloured and less distorted than products at many times the price. If you're taken in by the "Beats" headphones hype, you'll cry when you hear these at less than one tenth of the price! These are clearer, less distorted, and have a FLAT frequency response - if you want massive bass boost, it shouldn't come from the headphones, just turn up the bass on your player, because these phones will handle it! The Cons: The plastic parts that connect the metal headband to the earpieces should have metal reinforcement. It would not add significantly to the price or weight of the phones, but would make them much less prone to damage. My wife broke two pairs of these in normal use (once by sitting on them, and once mysteriously in her handbag). They are acoustically transparent. If you're listening loudly enough to drown out the Public Transport sounds around you, your fellow passengers will be able to clearly hear what you're listening to! Some users have complained about the Stereo Jack on the end of these - it's of quite poor quality, and lets down the rest of the build of the phones. I have broken only one of them (one too many, of course!) but fitting a replacement was easy because the wire solders easily - it's good quality and doesn't have the grease that some manufacturers put into their cables in the mistaken belief that it magically "improves" sound. Conclusion: These are the phones that you want! They make many highly priced headphones sound terrible. They work well with all the sources I've tried. They have a flat frequency response and low distortion. They simply can't be beaten, even at several times their price!

i was nearly going to buy some £40-50 headphones, not sure why because im a student and cannot afford it! but then i saw these and all the reviews where great and CNET highly recommend them and they are REALLY REALLY CHEAP! so i listened to reason and bought them. they are really great from the point of view of someone who just likes listening to music but isnt an audiophile! at loud volumes the bass pumps into your ears but the treble is never sacrificed because of this, it is still crystal clear! my girlfriend bought some WESC's at the same time and although they look like the coolest thing in the world, the treble is slightly sacrificed for the great bass on them. so i'm happy with my little portapro's! with rock music each instrument is clear and powerful for electro/dance the bass is awesome! for classical you can hear each section of the orchestra clearly and even hear people coughing in the concert hall! This is why you have to buy these: -CHEAP -sound great -fold away -very comfortable -lifetime no questions asked warranty- will you ever need another pair of headphones ever again!? -look veerrrry cool. even if not WESC's this is the one con i have found: - the ipod quality cannot keep up with them! i first tried them on my ipod and at loud volumes the bass slightly looses quality and i thought it was the headphones. but i plugged them into my macbook and the quality stays perfect at loudest volume on it! in fact at this very moment i'm listening to justice through them on my macbook! amazing.