Koss"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.

For less than £20 these headphones are amazing value. Being a musician I am quite picky too so the praise I am giving these headphones means you really should take notice of this product when considering a cheap headset. I admit the styling is a bit marmite (you either love it or your hate it) but in my eyes they fit right in with anyone trying to rock the 80's reto look (yes I was old enough to remember it first time).Sound: I was amazed at how good the sound was considering these are not closed back headphones. The bass is punchy and vocals cut through well. Over all they produce a very warm sound that trumps other headphones costing two or three times more. They are even better than some closed back headphones I have used and miles better than any in-ear bud style phones I have sampled.Comfort: I hate in-ear bud style earphones. I can never get them to stay in and they irrate the hell out of my ears. I love the sound and feel of large closed back headphones but they are not the most portable. So as a compromise I went for these old school 'walkman' style headphones. They are light-weight and easily adjusted to fit your head and stay firmly fixed in place. I have fallen to sleep wearing them on more than one occasion which just goes to show how comfy they are.Durability: I was dubious when I first opened the package. They are quite light weight and the plastic and metal does not appear to be of premium quality at first. However they have been chucked in the bottom of my bag for weeks and have survived me falling to sleep with them on (and the gorillas often come and vist me to throw me around my bed at night). I would give them a big thumbs up for how they have stood up to the abuse I have given them.Summary: I can't praise these enough. Build quality, sound and wear-a-bility should all be qualities of headphones that cost much more money. For less than £20 you can't go wrong.

I like to consider myself pretty well informed on these headphones now, I'm on my third pair and I got my first pair in october 2009.I can't imagine I've just been unlucky with my headphones - they have broken on me twice now in similar ways and I just know it will happen again. Both times I've had trouble with the lead for a couple of weeks, then one side stops working then both. It can be really frustrating so I've got to stress if you want headphones that wont break ever then these arent for you. Saying that, I contacted them and they gave me an address to send them to and they get them back to you in around 6-10 days or so. I'm pretty sure they have lots of returns and are almost expecting them to break so they're very helpful with replacing them and theres no hassle. Also, I use headphones every day, I take them on and off many times a day, they are round my neck/on my head for around 10-12 hours a day constantly being moved about and I'm always using them, so perhaps the reason for the failures is just overuse.Headphones breaking on me is the sort of thing that would usually drive me mad, I spent years looking for a good pair of headphones but even the most expensive headphones seemed flawed, so when I came across these on Amazon I couldn't believe my luck. Everyone says it but I want to reiterate it - the sound quality is fantastic and I really don't think you are going to find anything drastically better on the market whatever you pay.I imagine theres a lot of people looking at this item who were in the same boat as me and I'd like to say - your search is over! These are the headphones for you! If you don't mind the possibility of failure after half a year-a year but you want good quality headphones with a nice history at a nice price then these are for you.And by the way - they don't really pull on your hair, I've had long hair since I got them and they rarely ever catch and it never hurts.