Koss Porta Pro Black On-Ear Headphones, Retro Style, Collapsible Design, Case Included, Black

I was looking for a sonic step up from my JBL wireless on-ear phones. The JBL’s aren’t bad, I’m just looking for better. I don’t need noise cancellation, or even isolation. I thought I’d have to spend a lot to get any kind of noticeable improvement, and I wasn’t even considering this price range until a few folks recommended giving them a look. And so I did, taking in every review and comparison I could find. The only constant criticism I saw was that they’re very light and feel cheap, though despite that, they still hold up well through all kinds of abuse. Not a concern here, because they won’t be leaving my house - probably not even my couch. It’s the sound I’m looking for, and everything indicated that these would indeed be a step up from what I had. And they definitely live up to the hype. They get plenty loud just plugged into a USB C adapter into my iPhone, and have a much fuller sound than anything you’d expect after just looking at them. The sound is on the warm side without being muddy. There’s enough bass to keep me happy (gotta have enough bass!), while not losing any detail in the mids and highs. I’d have to call it just a very pleasant listening experience from phones that are so light, you might forget they’re on your head.Some reviews warned that noise leaks in and out because they’re open back, but I could not hear my tv playing over them, and nobody has complained yet about hearing what I’m listening to. That may be a concern if you’re in a noisy area or play them very loud around other people, which is something to be aware of before buying. The only criticism I have is the adjustable headband - it does not hold its position when you take them off. It’s easy enough to adjust, but I’d prefer to be able to set it and forget it. But that’s a very minor inconvenience that I can easily overlook at this price point; and once they’re on, they’re very comfortable. Bottom line, I got what I was looking for at a lot less than I expected to have to spend. I’m very happy with this purchase and would definitely recommend these Porta Pros for anyone looking for good sound for not a lot of money.

These are amazing! Value for money is ridiculous. I've had Senheisser, and V-Moda, along with a bunch of brands i would consider more on the Koss lines of lower brands like JBL and Anker.These Porta Pros are as good as my V-Moda over-ears, not quite to the level of my Sennheissers that were stolen. You can't go wrong for $40.Tweak the trebble a little, they are a little muddy naturally. Good bass and a decent sound but very little high end sparkle. Some have called it smooth.I listen to a lot of art rock/metal. Alcest, Mol, Manes, Caligula's Horse, Queenaryche, Gojira, Mastadon(RIP Brett). It is generally hard on speakers but these handle it pretty damn well. Maybe not the best separation and definition, but you're going have to spend a lot more to beat them.They're also pretty comfortable.Buy them, no way you'll regret it.

These PortaPro headphones sound incredible. Very satisfying in the lower midrange and upper bass. No piercing upper mids or highs or listening fatigue. The bass could be described as loose, but at least it is there, and does not leave you with the feeling of lacking like so many other on-ear headphones. The highs are plenty there, not muffled, however they are somewhat subdued.The PortaPro's are very comfortable to wear. The design does make them a bit finicky to put on because you have to adjust the headband open to your head size each time, but you soon learn the trick of quickly siding the headband open. But still this is an mildly annoying extra step that needs to be done compared with most other headphones. When not in use, I like to simply coil the cord around the tops of the ear-pieces. They stay put well this way, however can tend to get caught on the protruding metal part of the headband, which is a bit sharp and could eventually tear into the cord. For these reasons I considered getting the Koss KPH30i headphones, which have identical drivers but in a more modern design, however several reviews revealed the KPH30i to be uncomfortable, digging into the ears after a half-hour, I figure due to excessive clamping force. So although the PortaPro's are a bit weird by today's standards and have some potentially problematic sharp edges, they are very comfortable to wear. (Certainly nothing sharp contacting you head or ears.) The angle of the earpads can even be adjusted outward to 3 slightly different angles in order to lessen the clamping force. Yet they always snap back to the inward setting as soon as you remove them from your head. Fortunately I am usually perfectly fine with this default firmest setting, although sometimes I back it off by one click.The reason I purchased these headphones was to replace my beat up Audio-Technica ATH-P5 that are physically wearing out. Those also have a very pleasant lower midrange and upper bass. So if you like the Audio-Technical ATH-P5, you will probably like the PortaPro's as well.Previous to purchasing PortaPro's, I tried three other headphones, returning two. These included the Kensington Hi-Fi On-Ear Headphones with 9-Foot Cord (K33137), which was extremely lacking in the lower midrange and bass; and the Panasonic XBS RP-HT21, which was also quite lacking in the lower midrange and bass and was super hyped in the upper midrange leading to listening fatigue. The other pair of headphones I ordered (and kept) are the Yamaha RH1C. The Yamaha RH1C are by far the most neutral sounding of all headphones I have mentioned, with a nice flat and even frequency response. However, the bass and lower midrange, are still not as present as I prefer. Now don't get me wrong. I am not a bass-head. Yet the lower midrange is where a lot of the magic happens. Now that I have the Koss PortaPro's, I am not finding myself using the Yamaha RH1C. That said, the Koss PortaPro's cannot be described as neutral or flat. The lower frequencies of the PortaPro's can be a bit too much on some sources.The Koss PortaPro's are incredibly satisfying for monitoring my electric guitar sound through my Amp Modeler. They sound absolutely amazing on clean sounds with single-coil guitar pickups. And high distortion models with humbuckers sound very satisfying as well. That said, I suppose some people might prefer a bit less lower-mids and a bit more upper-mids for distorted amp sounds. But the PortaPro's do not cause listening fatigue, and my ears are not ringing afterward from any excessive upper midrange frequencies, which was quite a problem with the Panasonic XBS RP-HT21. The Koss PortaPro's just keep sounding good and make me happy playing for hours.I have also been using these plugged into my laptop to listen to YouTube videos, podcasts, and the like. For spoken word, I had been expecting to like the Yamaha RH1C. However I much prefer the Koss PortaPro's for that as well. They are just plain more pleasant to listen to due to the full lower-mids and relaxed upper-mids and somewhat subdued highs.