Best value for the money.
Koss Portapro definitely wins compared w/ Sony MDR700DJ, Skull Candy "toy" Headphones, Sennheiser PX100 in my experience in comfort & its sound quality..

Strengths:
Can play loud for long periods of time with little distortion..Bass , Midrange are great! light and easy to wear over long listening sessions.

Weaknesses:
Not free..T_T

Everything I could say has already been said. One piece of information is noticeably absent however, the fact that Koss has a lifetime warranty on these bad boys. If for any reason they break or fail during normal listening (i.e. anything that isn't you stepping on them) Koss will replace them for the cost of shipping (6 bucks) for as long as you own them.

I see now why these phones have such a cult following.

They are thoughtfully designed and sound fantastic. Plus that retro 80s look is just so cool. They offer excellent clarity and a rich - though not totally THUMPING - bass response.

People get real excited and out of control about these because they're a damn good product. But let me give it to you straight. Best value in it's segment. I mean you wouldn't buy these to replace a $300 pair of Sennheiser cans. But as far as I can tell you simply won't find a better pair of phones for less than $50.

Highs: Clear and not to sharp though ever so slightly hissy at low sample rates.
Mids: Present and strong. Strong like English breakfast tea, not like Starbucks bold.
Bass: The bass is very respectable for the size. They won't send shockwaves through your heart like a nice set of JL subs, but they stand up to the spectrum and with the highs and lows create a rich listening experience.

Only major con I've found is the same everyone else has: hair getting caught in the adjustment bar. But it's not a big deal. Also, I listen to a wide variety of music but I've found electronic styles sound best on these. They fold up real neat into that little pouch too. I'm an avid laptopper, so they go right in the Timbuk2.

For under $50, simply put, PortaPros are the balls.

One of the best head-phones I have used. They are very comfortable-you can wear them for hours and hours!! They are cheap-I got them for $37. The best part-they sound great. G R E A T. The vocals sound good, the bass is controlled-it does not get distorted at the end, other instruments sound clear and do not cram each other. It is a real joy to listen to them or, technically, via them. The sound is not distorted at higher levels so you can crank up the volume but wouldn't find any distortions. Overall you get this 'punch', this richness. I would seriously recommend them to both the enthusiasts and the casual users. Audiophiles? They are above my grade and I'm not sure whether they would like it or not but frankly I can't think of anything that they can dislike. They are one of the best products that I've ever purchased!!

The band which fits on Head

SOUND IS BAD :(

Crapy Sound

Great sound (but we all know that)

Good soldering panel at the headphone end

Bad wires that break often because they're too thin

I am gonna talk about my experiences with soldering the wires. The beautiful sound and punching bass (I believe much more punchier than Grado SR60) has been covered.

I had heaps of cable issues. The issue is that the wires are very thin (like most other portable headphones). The means they rip easily. Then when you open it up to solder, you have the wires painted for insulation, as well as an extra plastic layer over the two coloured wires.

To solder these is a pain because if you chip off the paint, there's little wire left, and if you burn off the paint, solder doesn't stick at all. The only way that works somewhat is soaking the wires in methylated spirits . You don't have to worry about a short circuit since there's a plastic layer over one of the wires in each pair. Anyway so then the solder sort of sticks.

So yeah after heaps of attempts at soldering, I just cut some old stereo cable from an extension, and soldered the whole wire and jack to the headphone end of the wire. To this I've got to give it to the Portapros. They've got a very large panel for soldering at the headphone end. You can easily get a different cable with hopefully thicker wires and stick it on.

Also the sound quality seems to have remained alright after replacing the cable.
Also no chance you'll solder the wrong channel, because both speakers are identical and can simply be switched around whenever you want.

Customer Service

They don't cover eBay purchased products. Its a lifetime warranty only for the original owner.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR60
iCrap headphones.

Not sure?!

Midrange frequencies are lacking definition... and intensity! I think I have a real pair of PortaPro but considering all the reviews I've read, I'm wondering if what I have is not some cheap black market imitation of the real PortaPro?! No way for me to know.

I've got a Cowon D2 a few weeks ago and decided to get better headphones than my Sony MDR-G52... (which are pretty good... I've tried a few other models in the last ten years or so and never found one that match this one!)

So I did my research... ended up having to chose between the Koss PortaPro and the Grado SR-60... Since for some unknown reasons, Grado wouldn't allow US vendors to ship to Canada (where I live), I had to go for the Koss PortaPro.

Unfortunately, I'm really not impress with the sound. Not at all. Actually, except for the bass, my old MDR-G52 sounds better than the Portapro. (So I've ordered two more MDR-G52 from ebay yesterday... as my second pair lost the ear cushions... they are very fragile and dont last very long...)

If I compare the same song being played in the MDR-G52 and the PortaPro, the midrange frequencies on the PortaPro are really lacking definition. Trying to fine tune the equalizer on my Cowon D2 helps the midrange frequencies level but it doesn't add definition.

I'm already back to my good old MDR-G52 (the model that is held by the top of your ears) with the band that goes behind the neck. A bit shy on the bass but doesnt lack any definition... and my Cowon D2 has a few goodies that improves bass without adding too much audible distorsion...

Customer Service

Haven't had to talk with them...

Similar Products Used:

MDR-G52... pretty old model but does the job better than most other models launched after this one!

EXCELLENT Sound
Good for long listening sessions -- you don't get sick of the sound
User-friendly repair of wire at the heaphone end.
Comfortable

Wires do brake once in a while -- but unless you want a much thicker wire than thats just the way it goes. At least it can be repaired.

I've had these headphones for 3 years, and they are an absolutely addicting sound. You know its not necessarily that they give you a kicking bass -- which they do, or a particular rich sound, rather that you can wear them for hours and your ears don't get tired nor sick of the sound. The best way to describe the sound of these headphones is warm. Very very warm. In fact like real warmth, they tend to be best enjoyed after being outside in cold weather. I come home and stick these on in my warm house and it gives me a really good feeling.

The other reviews have covered this as well, but there is something special about the bass. I once had this song which had a really punching bass for the first 20 seconds, and it literally felt like your ears were being plucked. Unfortunately I forgot that song, nor was the rest of the song particularly good.

ONE LAST THING, I have to mention that mine have sprung wire problems twice. Each time I used a soldering iron to cut down the wire a bit and resolder. First time was on the headphone end -- I gotta give the headphones credit for having a nice big user-friendly panel under which there is enough room for even a big solder iron to do its job effectively. Most headphones can't be opened and resoldered at the headphone end. Then the wire tore at the end of the socket. Anyway suffice to say, the cord is not bombproof and you might have to solder it, or take it to an electrician sometime or another.

Customer Service

Well I tried using the lifetime warranty but the australian repairer said cause I bought it on ebay it didn't count. You have to make sure to tell the repairer you bought it from a shop and didn't let anyone ever use it -- since they're picky about the "applicable to the original purchaser" part of the warranty.

Similar Products Used:

IPOD Headphones - HORRRIBBBLEEE. In reality, while small heaphones can be made to sound good, the size of their cones guarantees that the listening will hardly ever be as enjoyable as bigger headphones.

-Pleasant, natural sound
-Warm sound that can breathe life into digital players
-Engaging bass
-Durable
-Foldable
-Comfortable

-Open design leaks sound and does not isolate
-May have a too dominant upper bass, depending on the recording and other equipment. For instance, the Sony HD5 have a slight upper bass boost, which may sound a bit boomy combined with the Porta Pros. With the Ipod Touch, the sound is fantastic.

I own three Koss Porta Pros with different ages. For portable use, I have yet to find any headphones that can match them, at any price. They are foldable, comfortable to wear, quite durable and have a somewhat warm, musical sound that have sounded good on all MP3 players I have tried them on. (Sony HD5, Ipod Touch 16 gb, Creative Slim, Sony P1i phone).

I own several other phones, such as Stax electrostats, Sennheiser PX100, Sennheiser HD595, Sony SL71, lots of cheap Sonys. I find that the Porta Pros still are my favorite set. They sound good with all music: heavy metal, classical, acoustic jazz, you name it. The sound is natural, but a bit on the warm side, never shrill, with a deep bass, but perhaps the upper bass is a bit to prominent. This depends a lot on the recording. Other phones have specific strengths, but the Porta Pros are so comfortable to wear and sound overall so pleasant that I prefer them. Many people say the Sennheiser PX100s sound better in this category. I disagree completely. The PX100s have a more shrill and tiresome high-end, although they are more neutral in the upper bass. I clearly prefer the Porta Pros.

Customer Service

Not tested

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser PX100
Sony SL71
Different Sony sets
Stax Signature Electrostats
Sennheiser HD595

Great sound in a small package. Amazing!

None so far

I can't believe someone got rid of these. I bought them at a local thrift store for $2.99. There were not ear pads so I bought a pair of cheap headphones from teh dollar store so my total is $3.99.

These sound better than my igrado headphones. mainly because the grados seem to muffle the mids and highs. I find teh Portapros have more colour. Bass is very good for such a small set of headphones.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR80
Sony MDR-7506
Sony MDR-V600
Fostex T-7