Koss PortaPro Headphones with Case
by Koss
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List Price: Our Price: $39.99 You Save: $10.00 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $39.17 (click here) Category: Speakers See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Koss PortaPro Headphones with Case
Customer Review: PortaPro: Ugly, but GREAT in the sack.
Summary: 5 Stars
Where do I begin? There is simply so much to say about these little puppies..!
First, let me start by saying that I went to Circuit City and paid $80 for a white pair of Sennheiser PX100. I did this for two reasons: I wanted to buy something nice for a great friend and...I wanted to know what $80 headphones sounded like.
Fast-forward to when my friend isn't around and there I am trying on the PX100. What can I say? It's lightweight, very portable and the treble comes in crystal clear. I listened to them on my friend's Gmini xs200 DAP with some 320kbs DJDoboy remixes. Jealousy!
I couldn't afford another pair for myself and was still using some cheapie earbuds. Oh, the humanity. Then, someone who studies in the sound department of my old college recommended the Koss PortaPro DJ. Man, I hate Koss. Anything Koss-related that I owned, sucked nasty-style.
But I trust this friend's advice and shelled out the $30 to get a pair off of Amazon. As soon as I opened the package, I was a little queasy. These things are not pret--
(I'll speak in a lower voice since they're right over *There*)
They are ugly. UGLY. Hideous. I once beat up a bag of tomatoes and they still looked prettier than this thing. But...
...when I put this thing on, I heard the angels themselves. The bass on the PortaPro is DIVINE. It's warm and lush and makes love to the treble, which isn't as overpronounced as the PX100. In fact, the PX100 brought out ARTIFACTS from the higher bitrate MP3s, producing a weird tinny cold aftertaste. The PortaPro is perfection. Yes, I tested the headphones on the same MP3 player with the same music and the difference is like NIGHT and DAY. And the comfort level? Wonderful. I BARELY feel when I have the PortaPro on.
And strangely enough, the more you use the PortaPro, the BETTER it sounds. I'm not kidding. After test-driving the PX100 for over four hours, the stark "coldness" of the set started becoming REAL noticable. The sound is just TOO clear for MP3.
My only real qualms are that they feel flimsier than they LOOK in the Amazon pics, AND they are UGLY. However, they don't feel like they're gonna break when I fold and unfold them--I guess the pics made the headphones look BIG (they definitely AREN'T).
Anyways, try them out. They will become a FAVORITE of yours.
Customer Review: sick headphones
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never really cared about headphone quality before buying these. I usually buy the cheapest pair available at whatever store happens to be closest when my previous ones break. However, for one reason or another, I decided to google "headphones" one day and came across some pretty insane comments including one claiming that this pair of headphones prevented the reviewer from committing suicide.(seriously). So, I decided that I didn't have much to lose and coughed up the 40 bucks. Although I won't speak for their psychological effects and would probably recommend therapy for suicidal thoughts, I must say my initial reaction to them after the very first song was, "these are some sick headphones." After about a month of use, I can honestly say I will not go back to using any other headphones, unless they come out with a noise reducing version of these. Here is why they are "sick."
1. Even if you are not an audiophile, the sound is amazing compared to cheap or as cheap headphones (and although I can not vouch for this, they are alleged to be good as some pricey ones)
2. They are really convenient to fold up and throw into a bag, maybe not as portable as buds or like those ones that clip onto your ears but I still believe they are worth the extra second to fold.
3. They are more durable than they look, they have taken a few major hits and survived even when I thought they were goners. I accidentally body slammed them when jumping into bed and one of the earphones snapped off but i just snapped it right back into place.
4. If they do break the warrantee is unbeatable and will probably save you money in the long run instead of continually buying cheap ones
5. I think they look really cool despite other's comments about their dorkiness
6. Some people claim the headband rips their hairs out and although this happens occasionally, it is barely even a problem, I lost about 3 hairs with my month of use and I use them every day and have long hair.
The only problem is that they don't have noise reduction and I need to turn them up pretty loudly on the subway. I imagine this will be true on planes as well or anywhere with ambient noise. Because they leak sound, I am probably that annoying person that is listening to their music too loudly on the train but I don't really care. This might be an issue for someone though, so there it is.
Customer Review: Fantastic sound, minor comfort issue
Summary: 5 Stars
These headphones are hard to beat on several fronts, but most importantly, sound quality. I found the sound quality to be quite crisp while packing a powerful low-end bass. It really does vary from player to player as on my Zune HD, it sounds good, but sounds amazing on my old iRiver Clix 2. Customizable EQ settings are the way to go, not just presets. Nearly maxing out the bass response and volume, the portapros didn't show even a hint of distortion. (I probably just further degraded my hearing, but I dont care when you can experience headphones that could actually rattle your head!)
The build, in my opinion, is sturdy and WILL stand up to abuse. It feels cheap in the hand at first, but I've crushed this under piles of textbooks, dropped off several stories high (fell out of my bag), tugged and yanked the wire (I'm bad at keeping headphone wires from snagging something), yet it functions perfectly still after ... a looong time. (I don't remember if it was 1-2 years ago I got this?) Gold plated plug and skinny anorexic plug means no crackling from moving the connector and the ability to fit into most devices' headphone jacks and the openings in cases for such devices. Cable length seems to be ideal for me; I've never had a problem with it being too long or too short.
The downside that I see is the positioning of the head supports right above the earpieces. The tip of my ears always seem to touch these and the metal hooks that are used to secure the portapros in the folded position. Result: discomfort and soreness after extended use. Maybe my ears are atypically sized, but I certainly don't think so. Foldability is awkward and it springs open on occasion, so I always use the bag. Fold it, shrink it, stuff it in the provided bag (the "case") to hold the shape. Problem solved.
Summary? A solid recommended buy! Price + lifetime warranty make it tempting, true-to-hype sound quality as long as you have an EQ to fiddle with. Even then, like on my Zune HD, these are extremely solid performers and I still use these way more often than my other IEMs (Klipsch S4. Don't get me wrong, they sound great, but I don't think any IEM can match the boom, thump, punch that the portapros provide.) Minor comfort issue, but I will just attribute it to me not having it adjusted properly!
Customer Review: Beautiful Headphones. Please just do yourself a favor and get a pair now.
Summary: 5 Stars
Probably the BEST HEADPHONES YOU CAN BUY IN THIS PRICE RANGE AND TYPE. I am so fed up with so many people buying those terrible, cheapo Skullcandy headphones, please, if you are considering those awful things, buy these instead: you will NEVER REGRET IT. I've had these headphones for about a year and they're pretty much the only pair of headphones I use anymore, aside from studio work. Here are a few the of reasons you should invest in some of these still fairly uncommon headphones:
1. The balance of its bass, treble, and mids is perfect; take a walk outside with these things, they completely immerse you in sound, they are just one of those headphones that sound so fantastic that they FEEL good. For headphones of this size the clarity is admirable while maintaining an enjoyable and rich balance between the different levels.
2. The build of these headphones is surprisingly good, they have been everywhere with me and have even survived being thrown onto the ground in my bag (No i didn't purposely throw them to test if they would survive.); they are also surprisingly light weight. The connector is GOLD PLATED and is very small and portable, it is also surprisingly sturdy, works great. Additionally, I think these headphones look cool, they are very unique and have a somewhat odd appeal to them.
3. They are comfy and fit my head very well, they also have pads that rest around your temples, allowing them to stay on a little better.
4. Koss offers A LIFETIME WARRANTY ON ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS. So if anything ever happens to these headphones, you just pay six bucks to send them back to be either fixed or replaced. It's a "no questions asked" warranty however these are damaged they are still under warranty: stick em in the microwave for 10 minutes and you can still send them back to be replaced.
5. They're more than affordable, really; 30-40 bucks for headphones of this quality is more than a good deal, AND they come with a case and a hi-fi 1/4 converter jack (also gold plated), you really should have no reason not to go and buy a pair of these from amazon.
So do your self a favor, you will enjoy these, I think the fact that I bothered to even write a review raving about these headphones is enough to merit their outstanding quality.
Customer Review: Did I get a bad pair?? Apparently so...
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to like these headphones. I bought a pair of SportaPros and wanted a second pair, tried the PortaPros as they seemed to get slightly better reviews. Now I am wondering - what are people listening to? The SportaPros sound so much better than the PortaPros that I have to believe something is wrong. No depth or layering or punchiness to the PortaPros. Portas are mostly defined by over-response in the treble range. I'm getting sound out of both earpieces so there is not a missing channel.
I've heard all about the "burn-in" for headphones, but the Sporta's haven't needed that and I'm not sure how much time to waste on these Porta's. I also own a pair of Sennheiser HD238 which beat the heck out of the PortaPros but are somewhat on a par with the SportaPros. Now the Senns seem to be sounding better with more use as I did not like them as well out of the box, but do now. Or my ears are getting "burnt-in" to their sound as I think happens also.
Is there something wrong with my PortaPros? I have no idea why there would be such dramatically poor quality in a product which most people seem to rate higher or on a par with the other phones I have.
** Update 1/28/11 - another thing with these phones - the channels are reversed! Listening to "All I've Gotta Do" by the Beatles (old stereo, music one side vocals the other) I have 3 sets of headphones where the vocals are right channel and the music is from the left channel. On these, it is reversed (and yes I do know how to put them on, triple checked etc). WTH is the deal with these?
** Another update - A1 Accessories is sending me a replacement pair today even though I've already lost all my original packaging and stuff. So many thanks to them for so far great customer service. I'll post on the new ones when they arrive.
** Update 1/31/11. Quick service from A1 Accessories to replace my headphones and now the sound is much better. Now I can compare these to my other phones and the sound is definitely comparable (and channels are no longer switched). I am finding that the Firm - Light settings are very touchy. They don't want to stay on the "Light" setting easily but that is a minor problem. I am now much happier and have changed my stars review to reflect this.