Koss "Porta Pro" On Ear Headphones

Product Information

Disclaimer: The KOSS KPH30i sent to us is paid for and not a sample in exchange for our honest opinion. The KOSS KPH30i was recently promoted via Drop and you can find more details here. The acclaimed Koss Porta Pro® hascaptivated audiophiles and music enthusiasts for decades and continues to be one of the most popular headphones worldwide.

Brittain, Blake (25 July 2022). "Apple, Koss settle wireless-headphone patent fight before trial". Reuters. Perhaps the most striking thing is how much better the KSC75 sound than how they look. The KSC75 sound surprisingly refined and balanced for their modest price. Where to Buy The KPH30i is a headphone that you might think you can easily find if you would rummage through a computer parts bin, but it truly is a gem in the rough. Although it’s not exactly portable, with the solid and unfoldable frame, it’s light enough and durable enough to be thrown into a bag when you need to bring it on some trips.Low frequency response is very limited, likely due to the titanium-coated diaphragm’s stiffer nature and perhaps the unique driver housing and venting. Upper bass frequencies are reasonably tight and punchy, with a bit of an emphasis, but let me stress that these are not suitable headphones for bass-heads. The KSC75 are far more appropriate for non-heavy-bass music genres and are not the first choice for EDM. Midrange Having a dual entry connection also has it’s benefits, in that it makes it more convenient to rewire them, and turn them into a balanced headphone, to use them with a balanced DAP/DAC, in case that’s what you want to do down the road. Portability Of course, all isn’t perfect. The detail is pretty average, and they can sound a bit grainy depending on music choice and source. Additionally, I’d struggle to say that the KPH30i are resolving. Instead, they deliver a smooth and comfortable flavour to the music that is more enjoyable than many headphones priced far higher. There it is again! That pesky driver seems to show up all over the place. These are very light headphones, and you can just throw them into your bag, and you wouldn’t even notice the added weight that it has. Unfortunately, when they redesigned the adjustment mechanism, they also had to remove the folding mechanism of the headphone, so finding space to bring them along might be a bit of a challenge. Koss lists the first Key Feature of the KPH30i as “spacious sound & deep bass.” While “deep” may be debatable, this is a reasonably accurate depiction of what you can expect. The untreated Koss driver typically delivers a low-end focus, and the KPH30i are no exception. The very depths of the sub-bass aren’t really reproduced, but overall the bass region is articulate and conveys solidity and weight.

In the late 1970s, to accommodate rapid growth, Koss moved to its present location on the north side of Milwaukee. [ citation needed] Originally introduced in 1984, the Koss Porta Pro® has stood the test of time due to its impressive performance and portability. Equipped with dynamic elements that deliver a wide frequency response and deep bass, Porta Pro® offers remarkable sound reproduction producing a rich, detailed audio experience that enhances the enjoyment of music across various genres.

The Koss Porta Pros are a cheap pair of headphones – and lots of fun

In terms of sound, they are quite similar. They both have similar sound stage widths and heights. The sound signature is also quite similar, in that they are both very neutral, but I’d say that the HD58X would have an advantage in terms of bass and treble extension. Think of the HD58X as the big boy version of the KPH30i, something that the KPH30i would probably aspire to become when it grows up. Our Verdict And I’m not going to argue with them. This driver has been a budget audiophile favorite for almost 40 years. Did I mention that I broke 2 of the 3 pegs trying to get the KPH30i open? Only the bottom right side still has the original snap peg. Blue tape seems to be holding them together just fine. Compared to the Porta Pro, the KPH30i hold their own sonically. Where they fall behind is in build quality, with the Porta Pro proving to be the much more robust of the two. Many will find the KPH30i headband to be more comfortable, and the plastic and silicon band avoids pulling out hairs when adjusting. I can’t argue the value proposition presented by the KSC75. Their low price does much to offset any concerns with their limitations. While I prefer the Porta Pro, they are far more expensive than the KSC75.

The only issue that I can see with comfort is that they seem to be a bit loose on the ears, leaving me with a less than optimal seal around my ears, and the sound would probably leak quite a lot from these. Isolation The Porta Pro are warm-sounding headphones with far more prominent bass than the KSC75. Where the KSC75 have more upper energy and seem slightly more resolving, the Porta Pro have more presence, although with bass heavy music they can tend towards boominess and bloom. I find the Porta Pro to have superior sonic balance and are a better match for my tastes. I’ve seen complaints about the cable’s longevity, but I have Porta Pros that are decades old and have this same cord. It’s not fancy, but it’s entirely serviceable. The fixed cable does tend to get snagged easily, and if you are like me, you may find yourself accidentally pulling the KSC75 off your head fairly frequently. The distinctive 45 degree Koss 3.5mm plug. DesignI’ve seen HD600’s from the ’90s that are still around until today, so that’s truly a testament to the build quality. But the KPH30i is much lighter on the head, and would really be nice of longer listening sessions. Koss eventually branched out into creating home theaters, DVD players, portable media players, tabletop stereo systems, and boom boxes but has since closed the “Koss Electronics” line. Koss Corporation now focuses on what they do best, manufacturing both dynamic and electrostatic headphones and microphones. Technical Specifications The KSC75 can be driven sufficiently from any device with a decent headphone output, and pairing them with a source that is many magnitudes of cost more expensive doesn’t seem to improve the sound significantly. A close look at the KSC75. Bass

While similarly voiced, the Porta Pro are the deeper and more bass-heavy option, with the KHP30i sounding a bit more balanced and even. This comes somewhat at the expense of fun, and I find the Porta Pro more exciting to listen to. The limited treble extension and smooth reproduction is surprisingly fairly similar sounding between the two, regardless of the differences in measurements. Where to Buy

Please note:

Guttenberg, Steve. "The Koss ESP-950 headphone dazzles the Audiophiliac". CNET . Retrieved 2023-04-17. The rubber strap at the top of the headband is also a nice touch as it properly distributes the little weight that the headphone has on my head, which means that I can wear these headphones for hours, without feeling their weight on my head. Clamping