Koss Porta Pro Classic On-Ear Headphones, Retro Style, 3.5mm Wired Plug, Durable, Black/Silver

I have reviewed many audio devices over the years. I like to consider myself a “budget audiophile”. I love great sounding gear, but don’t want to break the bank to enjoy great sounding. music!I was beyond impressed with the Koss Porta Pro classics.First, as a member of Gen X, these take me back to the days of the Walkman and mix tapes. What goes around comes around, and the old school aesthetics of the Porta Pros look unique in the age of boring, ubiquitous earbuds. Throw some aftermarket Yaxi pads on these and they look even better.The sound on these, for the price point, is amazing. These are “open speakers” meaning that the speakers are not enclosed. These are also “on ear” headphones. Others WILL be able to hear what you are listening to.I tested these with a variety of devices and configurations. I listened to them straight through my laptop, on my laptop with a “DAC dongle”, and on my phone which has a high-end DAC chip built into it. They sounded great on all devices and configurations. Of course, the DACs made these sound even better!These sound great, especially in the mids and highs. These were designed around the time when Dolby noise reduction came out. Many artists used this Dolby technology to push the high-end range of recordings. These Porta Pros definitely were designed to reproduce those high-end sounds and do so amazingly!The open speaker design seems to really give these a deep sound stage. Instrumentation is deep and immersive. There is great separation of sound with these. Panning sounds move around you and have a great depth to them.Bass is strong and punchy, however these will not be cans that will impress the “bass heads”. Again, keep in mind these were designed in the 80s and were optimized for the music and tech at that time. I test these with a “bass sweep” frequency test. These really start to sound great in the low range around 30 hz. These will distort under the right circumstances, which I found to be tracks with deep base, and using my DAC with high volume but this not common or a concern.These are amazing for “rock” music (classic rock, pop, metal, etc.) but they also sound great with modern music (EDM, hip hop, etc).These are comfortable to wear for extended periods. The “comfort” slides on the sides are a bit more gimmick than functional. Do they work? Yes. Is it that big of difference between settings? Not really. To adjust the comfort sliders, you have to slightly fold the earpiece as if you were folding them up to put them in the case. These will “click” pack once you move the earpiece.The carrying case they come with is all but worthless. I have read other reviews where users have broken their headphones taking them out of the carrying case. It is barely big enough to get them in there once folded. I put mine in a hardshell case with another pair of headphones.Finally, a great thing about the Koss Porta Pros is their limited lifetime warranty. If these break, stop working, etc. send them back with your receipt and 9 dollars and you be sent another pair! These headphones can literally last you a lifetime! I know of people who have had multiple sets of Porta Pros over the last 20 years by taking advantage of this warranty.TL/DR; Awesome old school looks with amazing sound at a price point that feels like a steal! Bass may not knock your socks off but sounds great. Carrying poach is cheap, but the warranty is amazing!

Take what other reviewers have said about these headphones, believe them, and then multiply it by 100. I received a pair of Koss UR-20s as a gift years ago and loved them so naturally I looked to Koss again when replacing my portable/on-the-go headphones. After buying a pair of KSC-55s, which sounded great but were uncomfortable for me personally, I hopped on Amazon and found everyone raving about the PortaPros. I figured they were good, especially considering that the design seems unchanged since the 1980s (which has to mean something), but I also figured that this was one of those things that was just too good to be true. However, these are bar-none the most amazing headphones I have ever put on my head. Listening to some of my favorite songs for the first time was one of those ‘wow’ moments where you realize you have found something that changes your expectations completely. The bar will be raised the instant you hear the bass response and incredible acoustic qualities of these light, comfortable headphones.I don’t know what I’m impressed with the most: the amazing bass, the excellent stereo division, or how loud they can get! These things are just as amazing as most of the reviews show them to be and then a lot more… I was worried about the eighties styling, but in person they don’t look bad at all. I hate headphones that scream for attention, but these don’t look like that when you have them on and I have already been wearing them in public (something I didn’t think I would do after only seeing the picture of them online). And even if they’re a bit outdated in appearance, the design is so functional you won’t even give looks a second thought after you put them on.One thing is for sure: these things have plenty of bass! Not too much (not “boomy”), but they seem properly tuned for listening to things without “bass booster” turned on, which I like. Even with the bass settings adjusted high, the bass remains clear and crisp. I’m not sure how much power these can handle without damaging them, but I listen to them very loud and they do not sound distorted or stressed at all. After a few days my left speaker began making some weird noises and it ended up being a hair stuck inside the headphones that I cleared out with canned air. Something important to consider is that these are very open and airy headphones and the treble carries very well outside the headphones (so someone nearby could definitely hear what you’re listening to if you have the volume up loud).Others have mentioned that they felt the headphones were too tight feeling, but I have a very large head and they fit me without a problem. However, if I will be wearing them for an extended period of time I always set them to the “Light” setting on the comfortZone control (which divides the side pressure of the headphones with your temples rather than just on your ears).I already had headphones I was pleased with (Sony MDR-G52s and Koss UR-20s) but I wanted a set of small, portable headphones for use with my laptop and these are perfect. The folding design isn’t something I necessarily wanted, but it is nice. The carrying case they come with (a leatherette bag) is a slightly tight fit and I probably won’t end up using it much since it is not a hard case that would protect them from shock or crushing. Some others have mentioned that they feel delicate or are easily broken, but compared to other small headphones I have had they seem very well built and equally strong considering their light weight.While I wouldn’t say these are bad things about the PortaPros, it is worth mentioning that the headband is metal and will occasionally snag a hair as you adjust it on your head, and that they don’t fold down as small as you might think they would so don’t expect to put them in your pants pocket or something. Considering these are the worst things I can come up with to say about the PortaPros, they are nearly perfect in my book.I can’t say enough good things about these PortaPros! They’re simply amazing. These are the first headphones (or speakers) I’ve had that sound absolutely awesome without adjusting the equalizer or pumping up the bass. They sound good on everything from R&B to Country and everything in-between. I’ve been especially impressed that they pull the bass and highs out of a song without getting that shrill, tinny treble that plagues so many headphones. If there ever was a question about the quality of Koss stereophones in my mind, these PortaPros have put it to rest and made me into a lifetime customer! If you’re like me you’ll wish you had discovered these legendary headphones (haha! how often is that said?) years ago…

Edit: It is currently June 2019. I originally purchased these in 2011. I’ve been using these for nearly nine years now and still love them. I’ve had to use the lifetime warranty service twice (for the cord breaking) and both times the turn around time was astoundingly short. I’ve had the latest pair for several years now and they are still going strong. These headphones are still awesome for metal, pop, rap, gaming…honestly everything. I will continue using these for the rest of my life.Original review:TL;DR: Excellent headphones. Lots of bass. Highs are just ok. Fun/exciting to listen to. Will become comfortable after a few weeks of use. Drivers will last a long time but cable my bug out after a year. Warranty service is very easy and quick to use.SOUND: The deep and heavy bass makes this fun to listen to. These headphones are meant for loud music (I listen to Eluveitie) – I’ve never heard any others that feel as “powerful” and “in your face” as these. They can go very loud and can handle lots of deep and heavy bass without crackling like lower-quality headphones. When i replaced them after over 1 year of use the sound was still good – it didn’t deteriorate over the year like every other pair of headphones I’ve had.DURABILITY: Bought these late 2011. In early/mid 2012 the plastic separated from the wire on the cord around the 3.5mm jack. Put duct tape around it and it lasted until March 2013 before the left driver went out. The actual headphones have been kicked around and dropped and stuffed in small places but was still almost like new after over a year of use. Even though they feel flimsy the headphones themselves are very durable.COMFORT: When you first put them on they will feel tight and not very comfortable. The same thing happened to me. I got used to it after 2-3 weeks. They have a blue switch on the side that moves the pressure from the drivers to some foam pads that are placed above the drivers. But like i said, you will get used to it after a few weeks and won’t even need the switch. It will get to the point that you can have them on all day and not realize it. Also, don’t plan on running with these – they tend to slip forward on your head pretty quickly when running.WARRANTY SERVICE: These things have a lifetime warranty which is really interesting considering their price. It was very easy to use when my headphones died. I simply registered the product on their website, wrote them a check for $9.00 along with a letter about what was wrong and my return address and flung it all into a box with their address on it. Shipped it on a Monday and got my new pair on Friday, that was REALLY quick, alot faster then I expected. You can expect to have similar speed if you have to return yours. I highly recommend you take advantage of their warranty service if you have to.COMPARISON TO OTHER HEADPHONES:Audio Technica ATH AD-700. Yeah, they are in a different “quality” category, but I actually returned the AD-700s due to their non-existent bass. Their highs were amazing and alot better than the PortaPros, but overall were very unbalanced favoring mids and highs. The PortaPros sound muddy in comparison and tend to favor the mids and lows, but were alot more exciting to listen to. The PortaPros can still have ok highs even with its extreme bass, but the AD-700s were simply not capable of providing decent bass no matter what I did with the equalizer. Lesson learned – if you want decent bass then forget the AD-700s. Get the Porta Pros.Grado- sr80i. Once again, a set of phones in a different category. When my PortaPros died I figured I would just upgrade to another pair of on-ear headphones. The sr80i was the next logical step in quality. The reviews were great and it was a decent price, plus they are made in the USA. I was very disappointed going from the PortaPros to the Grados. Don’t get me wrong, the Grados have a good all around sound, but are lacking the excitement that the PortaPros pull off so well. The Grados are very balanced with decent highs, mids, and lows. Once I realized I didn’t like the flatness of them that is when I decided to take advantage of the warranty service from Koss and got a new pair of PortaPros. I’ll probably still use the Grados for classical and folk, but nothing else.CONCLUSION: Consider me a PortaPro fan. I will use these as long as they make them and will never get different headphones.

Los Koss Portapro son uno de los audífonos más famosos en los últimos años, con un diseño y fama que les ha valido para continuar siendo comercializados tras casi 4 décadas de salida.Esto los volvió una prioridad para mí cuando decidí comprar audífonos para mi uso diario, al no poder acostumbrarme a los audífonos in-ear por el pequeño tamaño de mis conductos auditivos. Buscaba un par de audífonos que fueran de buena calidad y ligeros para usar todos los días, y tras una ligera decepción y devolución con unos Audio-Technica Clip-on, decidí dar el paso y comprar estos, con los que llevo más de medio año.El diseño me gusta. Ya lo dice el dicho que “Cuando algo viejo se ve muy bien no es viejo, es retro”. No hay en el mercado ningunos iguales, con una ligereza y portabilidad que impresionan y una estética muy ochentera pero aún vigente. El cable es lo suficientemente largo para usarlo sentado o de pie y puede venir en muchos colores (Yo escogí el clásico negro con detalles plateados y azules). Si bien obviamente no ocupan tan poco espacio como unos In-ear inalámbricos, su capacidad de doblarse y peso ligero hacen que se puedan llevar en cualquier maleta, e incluso en bolsillos grandes; todo esto de una manera que no he visto en ningún otro audífono de diadema. El cable no es intercambiable, lo cual puede ser molesto para algunas personas que quieren usar otro cable aparte del stock.La comodidad tiene dos situaciones, una muy positiva y otra un poco negativa. Uso gafas a diario y Destaco y aplaudo muchísimo que debido a sus cojines ComfortGear los audífonos no hacen presión sobre ellos por lo que puedo pasar largos periodos de tiempo sin que las orejas comiencen a dolerme.Por otro lado, las almohadillas de las bocinas propiamente dichas son delgadas y la fuerza que ejerce sobre las orejas es bastante, por lo que la parte interna de los audifonos puede adherirse mucho a las orejas y molestar un poco. Para evitar esto sugiero bastante comprar los audífonos con unas almohadillas de repuesto más grandes, que pueden encontrar en cualquier sitio de ventas online o tiendas de sonido. Las YaxiPads son las más famosas; personalmente uso las Voermaks que son más económicas pero el efecto es el mismo y hacen que se resuelva el problema de comodidad en la oreja inmediatamente.Por último pero definitivamente lo más importante, el sonido. Los PortaPro son audífonos Open-back, por lo que no harán una buena cancelación de sonido si eso es lo que buscan. Por ejemplo en la calle podrán disminuir los sonidos del tráfico y las conversaciones lejanas, pero si alguien se para a tu lado con un parlante escucharás todo el ruido del parlante sobre tu música. El sonido no se filtra mucho, por lo que a menos que estés en silencio absoluto la gente no escuchará lo que tú oyes.Dicho esto, el sonido es EXCELSO y aún mas considerando lo delgados que son los audífonos. Los bajos resaltan, son definidos y responden bastante sin invadir la zona de los medios, que se oyen muy claramente y no son disminuidos por frecuencias más bajas. Los agudos no son sibilantes y se escuchan bien. Cualquier género se escucha bien; las canciones de Pop son vívidas y alegres, los audífonos respetan los altos agudos de las canciones de Rock y Metal sin volverlos estridentes, y en la música coral y orquestal se distinguen todas las voces e instrumentos de la canción. El volumen es muy bueno sin llegar a ser demasiado alto comparado con otros audífonos, lo cual considero positivo porque disminuye el daño auditivo a largo plazo.En general no puedo estar más contento con estos audífonos. Las leyendas son ciertas: Tanto las positivas como Su excelente sonido, su portabilidad y su sorprendente comodidad para personas que usan gafas, como las que no lo son tanto, como la delgadez de sus almohadillas (Algo que puede ser fácilmente superable).Si los IEMs no son para tí y quieres un audífono ligero pero con muy buen sonido para tu vida diaria, no puedo sino recomendarte estos, superiores en sonido a muchos que son más costosos. No hay ninguno en mi opinión que se le parezca. Piénsalo dos veces si necesitas algo que cancele el sonido, y recomiendo usar almohadillas más gruesas para usarlo, pero en general creo que he encontrado mis audífonos preferidos para mi uso diario. Recomendados.

Well, I guess after owning a pair of these Porta Pros for over two decades now, I thought I would come here and write a quick review. I live in Milwaukee (where the Koss Headquarters is located), and I believe I’m on my fourth (maybe fifth) pair of the Porta Pros, but I only ever paid for the first pair. All of the replacements were courtesy of Koss (I actually still have my original receipt from Soundstage). Some pairs just wore out and a couple were damaged out of carelessness, but Koss has always come through for me. And of course, I have gone through LOTS of ear pads. I’m listed as a verified purchaser on Amazon because I just ordered some of these for my son. I am an admitted audiophile and I own a very nice assortment of headphones and amps, so when I praise these Porta Pros I am doing so from a quality and value standpoint. Obviously these phones aren’t going to keep up with high end pairs costing up into the hundreds of dollars, but the sound quality is excellent for what these little babies do cost (my son’s pair was $30). What’s more, it wasn’t until I started to get into the nicer cans that I really started to appreciate what these Porta Pros were capable of.To understand these phones, you have to understand the pop music (and hardware) from the decade in which they were designed. Just like lots of bass is all the rage in much of the current pop music; in the 80’s it was treble. Dolby processing was starting to become common on portable cassette players, and CD’s were just starting to hit the market in mass. Both formats now allowed for the ability to play back higher highs with improved clarity but without distortion and artist were really taking advantage of this. Just go back and listen to 80’s music that hasn’t been re-mastered and you’ll see what I’m talking about. If you go to Headphone dot com’s “Build a Graph” page and look at the graph for these Porta Pros, you’ll see that they’re tuned to bring up the low end while reducing the highs, thus providing a much flatter response from the players and recordings of the time.If you have an equalizer available in your system (computer, phone, etc) it is very easy to “flatten” the sound curve of these little Porta Pros, and the results are amazing. Using the Koss Porta Pro graph on the “Headphone” Build a Graph page, viewed in the 15db dynamic range, I simply reduced and raised the available frequencies to flatten out the curve. These are excellent starting settings and you can tweak for personal preference from here. Just make small changes and sample a variety of your favorite tracks. The numbers below are the frequency adjustment points from Windows Media Player, and they are almost identical to iTunes. If you’re limited to maybe a 5 band EQ on your phone just adjust the frequencies available to you. This really kills the volume in Goolge Play Music on my Nexus 5 which isn’t all that loud in the first place, so I use an external amp and the sound is great.31Hz to +1 / 62Hz to -6 / 125Hz to -7 / 250Hz to -5 / 500Hz to -1 / 1KHz 0 / 2KHz to -1 / 4Khz to +5 / 8KHz to +3 / 16KHz to +9I now use the Porta Pros mainly at work in combination with my Nuforce uDAC-2 and it’s an excellent pairing that gives a really impressive sound. The soundstage the Porta Pros are capable of is pretty big as well. If you want to experience this for yourself, just start playing a song (live music works well for this test) and then cover the outside of the phones with your hands. You should hear the soundstage collapse significantly and then re-open when you take your hands away. Obviously, the Porta Pros can’t always keep up when recordings start getting louder and more complicated, but at the moderate to low levels I generally listen at any problems are much less apparent (and really almost unnoticeable). And, they can still play pretty clean and loud when I feel like it. Especially with the audio quality and power available from my little DAC/amp.What can I say about the styling? When I got my first pair they weren’t even cool anymore. I think they would look a lot better if they dumped the blue parts and went with all black and steel. The stainless steel band will catch your hair from time to time, but after you learn to put them on and off it isn’t much of a problem. The “Comfort Zone” adjustments really do work/help me, and like I said earlier, you should order some spare ear pads right away too. If you wear these out in public enough you will definitely get some stares, but you may also meet some fellow Porta Pro enthusiasts. I also noticed that the bag that came with my son’s pair is a bit smaller than the old bags. I get the feeling they’ve made it as small as possible to save money. What it does is make it really hard to put the headphones in and out easily.All in all, these phones still sound as good as ever; and for people who buy these, sound is what matters. If you can live with the styling and the loss of a few strands of hair, I don’t think you’ll find anything better at this price. Save your receipt and you can always get a new pair if anything bad happens. Koss hit a winner 30 years ago, and I’m amazed that these are still so popular today, but really, once you hear them it’ll all be clear.