KOSS Porta Pro Review (On-ear Headphone)

[patoulol]

Hello I'm looking for a software to equalize my headphones

 

[staticV3]

Hello I'm looking for a software to equalize my headphones

See here:

EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.

Any suggestions are welcome. Post suggestions here. I will gather the details and add them. Thanks. :D This will be organized as results come in. @sweetchaos made a guide for PEQ filter data input and operation. For crossover software go here. Windows: AutoEQ four easy steps to make your...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[tantris8989]

I was auditioning headphones to replace a set of grado sr80 and was having trouble finding something that I could comfortably wear all day (not that the grado checked that box either) and totally fell in love with Koss's 60 ohm driver headphones thanks to their light weight and fun sound signature. I then fell down the rabbit hole of modding them to further improve their sound and comfort, there is a whole community of people designing and making mods for every variation of koss 60 ohm driver. Here are a few of my own DIY projects to improve usability, comfort and to a lesser extent sound.

 

[Count Arthur]

I was auditioning headphones to replace a set of grado sr80 and was having trouble finding something that I could comfortably wear all day (not that the grado checked that box either) and totally fell in love with Koss's 60 ohm driver headphones thanks to their light weight and fun sound signature. I then fell down the rabbit hole of modding them to further improve their sound and comfort, there is a whole community of people designing and making mods for every variation of koss 60 ohm driver. Here are a few of my own DIY projects to improve usability, comfort and to a lesser extent sound.

View attachment 385354View attachment 385355View attachment 385356

Have you tried the Koss KPH40?: https://koss.com/products/kph40-utility?variant=46100555268327

To my ears they sound very similar to the PortaPro, but the headband is simpler and I found them more comfortable: https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ro-review-on-ear-headphone.29137/post-1683557

 

[tantris8989]

Yes, I have tried the kph40 and I very much like the steel headband it comes with. The first image above is a kph40 band with kph30i drivers attached with 3d printed adapters and yaxi pads. The sliders have also been replaced (the OEM sliders broke) and a 3D printed "suspension band" added to avoid the metal band coming into direct contact with the head. The result is pinnacle comfort for me

 

[paudio]

Yeah it's really impossible to beat the KPH40 for comfort it seems. I also have AIAIAI tracks but the movement range on the earcup isn't enough to sit flat on my ears. I have the pictured Sennheiser PX100-II as well as the PX200 which are nice but still get uncomfortable due to the clamp. I have some vintage Sony that are like the KPH40 but the drivers are definitely vintage sounding. I also have the KPH30i but the original headband clamps like crazy.

 

[Romario]

I was looking for a simple headphone for in the office that doesn't cancel all the surrounding noise like my IEM does. And I wanted a good sound
The Koss looked the right choise and with some EQ this is an amazing bargain. The Amount of bass of the porta pro is stunning for such a little piece of gear and the comfort is great.
Is Koss the manufacturer with the most sold headphones, I wonder. ( and why I didn't get them sooner)

 

[dr0ss]

Is Koss the manufacturer with the most sold headphones, I wonder. ( and why I didn't get them sooner)

Now get yourself a pair of the Yaxi earpads. The hype about them is all true, they are a big step up in comfort.

 

[Somafunk]

I’m attempting to justify buying the new Koss Porta Pro Bluetooth, don’t really have a use for them but as a nostalgic trip back to the mid/late 80’s and my teenage years it’d be be nice to have

Porta Pro® Wireless

Porta Pro® Porta Pro® Wireless delivers breathtaking high-fidelity audio from 15-25,000 Hz with deep bass, crisp highs and a superior midrange that features wireless Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C charging, Analog Audio Pass Through for wired listening, on-board microphone and controls for taking...

koss.com

 

[Romario]

Now get yourself a pair of the Yaxi earpads. The hype about them is all true, they are a big step up in comfort.

I ordered some pads from China and see how they'll fare. The Yaxi are on the list now as well, thanks.

 

[Haze]

Has anyone adapted Amirs EQ for use with the Yaxi pads? I was gifted a pair and the pads for Christmas!

 

[BoysRBackinTown]

One thing I’m very curious about is the Yuin G1A/G2A. I have seen them recommended here by @solderdude and a whole lot on Head-Fi around 2009 or so. They seem to be directly compatible with the Koss, so I’m wondering if they’re either the same driver modified, a better one, or if the housing is just better tuned.

Theres a handful of sellers on Ali that allegedly still sell them. People seem to really like them. One person on Reddit swapped the portapro drivers for the Yuins. I am curious if the driver is the same, or if it would be possible to find a better-performing, compatible driver in the same form factor (35mm/60 ohm). I’ve not seen measurements. I’m aware that defeats the purpose of the Koss headphones, but I love a fun project and I’ve been surprised what you can find if you go directly to a factory on Alibaba. Plus, being able to make use of a compatible ecosystem of mods and parts would also be nice.

 

[zany.ninja]

Tip to make your Koss Porta Pro / KPH30i / KPH40 sound 10x better.

Ok, I exaggerate, but only slightly. You'll get a 9x improvement.

The tip is - pair your Koss with a good portable CD player / Discman made 20-25 years ago.

So just on whim, I used my Koss Porta Pro and KPH30i (I don't like the sound signature of my KPH40 as much) with my old Panasonic SL-SX270 portable CD player, which I bought around 25 years ago and has been gathering dust on a shelf for quite a few years. And well...compared to my 5th Gen iPad's headphone out, as well as my Creative SXFI Amp - which are both top-notch DAC/Amps by all accounts - the improvement of the sound of these Koss headphones with the CD player was astonishing.

To be clear, I compared like for like music - I ripped the AIFF files from my CDs to ensure I was listening to the exact same song files.

With the Panasonic CD player (which has Panasonic's 1-bit MASH tech) music sounds proper CD quality - clear, detailed, pristine and precise. I switched off all EQ modes on the CD player, and still the bass slams harder, and is cleaner. The soundstage, separation, imaging, it's all so much more precise and layered, you can effortlessly pinpoint instruments, it's a much improved stereo surround experience.

In comparison, when I listen to the Koss with my iPad alone, or iPad+SXFI amp, it almost sounds like I'm listening to a tape recording of those same songs. Flat, muddy, not as precise or pristine. Separation suffers hugely. (Ok, the SXFI Amp is a fair bit better than the iPad alone, but still.) Before I dusted off my CD player, I thought this combination sounded great!

True, the CD player sounds a little bright with neutral headphones. But that's what probably counters the dark sound signature most Koss headphones are known for, and creates the magical end result.

It kinda makes sense - the Porta Pro was designed back in the day with these older tech products in mind. But whatever, the CD player's unique characteristics - headphone out impedance, power/voltage, DAC, etc - combines with Koss headphones to create what I can only assume is some forbidden voodoo magic combination of tech. It's too good.

I'm assuming the result will be similar with any good CD player made by Sony/Panasonic/Technics from that era. So if you have Koss headphones, do yourself a huge favor and get an old CD player, together with a few CDs made in the 80s (that's important too btw - badly mastered/loud CDs released more recently generally sound terrible).

Lastly, before you try it out, keep a cushion by your feet on the ground for when your jaw drops. You have been warned.

 

[staticV3]

Tip to make your Koss Porta Pro / KPH30i / KPH40 sound 10x better.

Ok, I exaggerate, but only slightly. You'll get a 9x improvement.

The tip is - pair your Koss with a good portable CD player / Discman made 20-25 years ago.

So just on whim, I used my Koss Porta Pro and KPH30i (I don't like the sound signature of my KPH40 as much) with my old Panasonic SL-SX270 portable CD player, which I bought around 25 years ago and has been gathering dust on a shelf for quite a few years. And well...compared to my 5th Gen iPad's headphone out, as well as my Creative SXFI Amp - which are both top-notch DAC/Amps by all accounts - the improvement of the sound of these Koss headphones with the CD player was astonishing.

To be clear, I compared like for like music - I ripped the AIFF files from my CDs to ensure I was listening to the exact same song files.

With the Panasonic CD player (which has Panasonic's 1-bit MASH tech) music sounds proper CD quality - clear, detailed, pristine and precise. I switched off all EQ modes on the CD player, and still the bass slams harder, and is cleaner. The soundstage, separation, imaging, it's all so much more precise and layered, you can effortlessly pinpoint instruments, it's a much improved stereo surround experience.

In comparison, when I listen to the Koss with my iPad alone, or iPad+SXFI amp, it almost sounds like I'm listening to a tape recording of those same songs. Flat, muddy, not as precise or pristine. Separation suffers hugely. (Ok, the SXFI Amp is a fair bit better than the iPad alone, but still.) Before I dusted off my CD player, I thought this combination sounded great!

True, the CD player sounds a little bright with neutral headphones. But that's what probably counters the dark sound signature most Koss headphones are known for, and creates the magical end result.

It kinda makes sense - the Porta Pro was designed back in the day with these older tech products in mind. But whatever, the CD player's unique characteristics - headphone out impedance, power/voltage, DAC, etc - combines with Koss headphones to create what I can only assume is some forbidden voodoo magic combination of tech. It's too good.

I'm assuming the result will be similar with any good CD player made by Sony/Panasonic/Technics from that era. So if you have Koss headphones, do yourself a huge favor and get an old CD player, together with a few CDs made in the 80s (that's important too btw - badly mastered/loud CDs released more recently generally sound terrible).

Lastly, before you try it out, keep a cushion by your feet on the ground for when your jaw drops. You have been warned.

Headphone outputs on retro electronics have high output impedance=poor damping factor, which results in a bass boost at the driver's resonance frequency:


Source

This is old news.
There's nothing magic going on regarding pairing, layering etc.

 

[julian_hughes]

Those old portable CD players (and cassette walkmans) output way more power than any ipod or iphone. That's the difference.

 

[zany.ninja]

Headphone outputs on retro electronics have high output impedance=poor damping factor, which results in a bass boost at the driver's resonance frequency:

View attachment 428322
Source

This is old news.
There's nothing magic going on regarding pairing, layering etc.

Absolutely, the output impedance is a factor, 100%, I did say so. There's nothing magic going on, I agree...but it does sound magical

Those old portable CD players (and cassette walkmans) output way more power than any ipod or iphone. That's the difference.

They output more power, sure, and sound brighter too - FR is likely pretty uneven, their measurements are probably all over the place, and it's very poor by today's standards, most definitely. I know it's limited, I can't bear listening to it using my Moondrop Chu for instance.

BUT. They make the Porta Pro and KPH30i come alive. In a way that I haven't managed with EQ. It's really worth trying, that's all I'm saying.

 

[julian_hughes]

Absolutely, the output impedance is a factor, 100%, I did say so. There's nothing magic going on, I agree...but it does sound magical

They output more power, sure, and sound brighter too - FR is likely pretty uneven, their measurements are probably all over the place, and it's very poor by today's standards, most definitely. I know it's limited, I can't bear listening to it using my Moondrop Chu for instance.

BUT. They make the Porta Pro and KPH30i come alive. In a way that I haven't managed with EQ. It's really worth trying, that's all I'm saying.

Yes, it is. And some of us remember it from the first time around ;-)

 

[Brianzurf]

I would tell all of you how to wear the Porta Pro the proper way to get the best sound. But that would just cause more demand and higher cost. Just kidding . I wear the driver just in front of my ear hole or on the Tragus. Then I adjust the comfort zone to the softest. Then I adjust the headband so that the foam pads support the drivers until they just so softly touching my ears. Now the Porta Pro becomes an ear speaker with way less mid bass and sound amazing.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I’m attempting to justify buying the new Koss Porta Pro Bluetooth, don’t really have a use for them but as a nostalgic trip back to the mid/late 80’s and my teenage years it’d be be nice to have

Porta Pro® Wireless

Porta Pro® Porta Pro® Wireless delivers breathtaking high-fidelity audio from 15-25,000 Hz with deep bass, crisp highs and a superior midrange that features wireless Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C charging, Analog Audio Pass Through for wired listening, on-board microphone and controls for taking...

koss.com

I did it just today
And it's lovely