Audio

The Koss Porta Pro Review – A Vintage Legend of Audible Sound

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Headphones these days come in all shapes and sizes and offer varying features.

A lot of them also come at a cost, with brands like BOSE and Sony capitalizing on the higher end of the premium headphone market.

Of course for this price, you get terrific products like the BOSE QuietComfort 35 (series I & II) headphones, which offer great functionality and are terrific in their own way.


RELATED TOPIC: BOSE QuietComfort 35 Review: The Boss of Silence


As such, a lot of people are also looking for headphones which are positioned at the more pocket-friendly segment of the market – enter the Koss Porta Pro series.

The Porta Pro boasts a vintage yet comfortable design, but is it really worth your hard-earned cash?

Read on to find out.

Design

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In the age of Beats and BOSE headphones, the Porta Pro stands out because of its compact size and weight, which is a great feature for a pair of on-ear headphones. Koss has carried over a tried-and-tested design which prioritizes function over form.

The metal headband is sturdy but flexible, which adds for a more comfortable experience.

What makes it stand out from a lot of the competition is the unique design, which includes an extra fitting of pads located above the main earpiece.

Koss calls these “Comfort Pads” and they can be adjusted to your fitting, to reduce the strain of wearing headphones for prolonged times on the ears. There are three settings, to give users more flexibility when using the headphones.

Sound Quality

Don’t let the somewhat low price tag fool you – for an affordable piece of kit, the Porta Pro sounds pretty impressive.

Bass tones are nice and heavy, while mids and highs mix in at just the right amount. Of course, you won’t get QC 35-level performance here, but the headphones get the basics right, making for a totally enjoyable listening experience.

The Bottom Line

Should you get the Koss Porta ProThis reviewer says yes. It comes with a comfortable design and performs rather well given the price.

So far the only downside we can see is that the Porta Pro doesn’t offer features such as noise-canceling or isolation, but at this price point, you really can’t go wrong.

The Koss Porta Pro’s tried-and-tested formula – dating back to the 1980s – has been an effective performer.

Its great performance certainly spells quality, and still holds up today.  There’s little doubt as to why the Porta Pro remains one of the most popular headphones around the world.

Most of all, Koss Porta Pro is pocket-friendly to boot, making it great for long trips.

What do you think? Feel free to sound off in the comments below!

About the author

Mike Viray

A writer with a fondness for consumer tech, Mike is also a music lover, and an avid gamer as well. He and his wife are big fans of Mario Kart.

15 Comments

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Leave a Reply to Twack Romero Cancel reply

  • Headphones come in shapes and sizes but a good buyer should put some things into consideration before putting his/her money into it or before purchasing it.

    QUALITY should be chosen ahead QUANTITY.  After that is done, make sure it is pocket-friendly. 

    This KOSS PORTA PRO looks durable, comfortable and prioritized the functionality over the shape.  

    I like it and am going to get it soon.

  • Wow! I love this Koss Porta Pro headphone.  The design is classic and unique. 

    It can be pocket to move around anywhere if you are not looking for something big. This headphone is stunning and looks plain and simple. The features are equally decent to its price. 

    I would love to have it.  I cannot wait anymore to try it and enjoy the sound quality.  

    Best regards 

  • I love the design and your review made me more interested in it. 

    The design is so sleek and sexy, easy to carry and very simple. I know it is something I will enjoy and happy to get. I really appreciate people like you that help others with how a product is. 

    Do you know where I can get it?

    • Thanks for your interest in the product. 

      Koss Porta Pro is available at Amazon.  Just simply click the image and you will be directed to U.S. Amazon.  

      If you leave outside of the United States, kindly check if it is available to ship in your country.  Additional shipping and import fees are evenly charged.  

  • I am at the computer a lot. Not only for work but also for pleasure, so once I have finished the work I can drop onto the pleasure. 

    As my desktop pc is situated in the same room as the television, I have to wear headphones. I have always bought cheap as they tend to get abused a bit as everyone else uses them. I could do with something lightweight but also durable.

    I have also noticed that some headphones create a kind of pressure pain in my ears after prolonged use. Is that normal or is it due to the larger pads that some headphones have? 

    I like the smaller look of these but am concerned about them no blocking out other sounds in the room. 

    Thanks. 

    • I appreciate your comment Twack.

      I could absolutely assure you that this Koss Porta Pro doesn’t heat up on ears even for prolonged use.  This is one of the best comfort design of headphone I’ve tested so far.  

      If you are experiencing compression in your ears in some of your headphones, the quality materials of the cushion foam of the earcups and the pressure of the headband in your head might be the cause of the problem.

        

  • I love earphones because they have the ability to isolate me from my surroundings.  The Koss Porta Pro is precisely a good device. 

    I preferably like the classic style and portability of its design. 

    In my experience, the Koss Porta Pro is a fantastic asset for all music lovers. 

    Absolute value for money!

  • Tons of value to be found on Vintage Legend of Audible Sound

    This is a great and simple to follow guide on selecting a good sound system. You laid it all out clearly and showed a series of examples that helped emphasized your various points. 

    This guide will be very useful for me and I appreciate you for putting this together for your blog readers. 

    This is the most comprehensive review I have ever read on Koss Porta Pro. 

    I am a great fan of this product and I have been using it for months and I can attest to the fact that it is not too expensive and highly durable. I have heard of the creators and they do have a good reputation according to many people that left comments in different places on social media.

  • I know what you mean by BOSE and Sony capitalizing on the high end of the headphone industry…I know their products are quality, but some of them are extremely expensive for what they are!

    I noticed that these Koss Porta Pros are only $37 on Amazon at the moment, which is much more like it. You say that the sound quality is excellent for the price, but I’m wondering what the frequency response is like, does it have a wide frequency spread?

    • Thanks, Chris for your query.

      Koss Porta Pro has a frequency response of 15 Hertz to 2500 Hertz.  

      It may sound technical for the average joe and I do not also claim any expertise in this field. 

      For the seek of our readers, anyone can check out the TurnTableLab for further info about headphone frequencies. 

  • Thanks for the review on Porta Pro 🙂

    I find that lately a lot of portable electronic products has become bigger. Look at the cell phones and the Beats headsets. 

    I love the design of this headset. I live that it is compact and light weight plus the good sound quality. Will consider getting it 🙂

  • One of the first things I noticed about the Koss Porta Pro headphones is its design. It’s something I’ve personally never seen from headphones.

    I can understand at the price point why these don’t have the noise-canceling feature because I’m assuming it adds more cost to make.

    I don’t necessarily need the “premium” features that Bose and higher-end headphones provide because I’m the one normally driving on a road trip haha. So these might be something useful to use in the bed if I’m watching something while my wife is sleeping.

    I look forward to trying out the headphones. 

    Thanks for the review.  

    • Thanks, Josh for dropping by.

      We will be glad to hear your experience in using Koss Porta Pro in the future.  I am sure you will not be disappointed with the product. 

  • Looking at this the koss porta Pro headphone all you can think of is,it is amazing, never have I see this type of design before on any head phone.as far as this head phone is concern with it reasonable price and some limited feature I think is  a pocket head phone to have, if you are not looking for something big in your ear when listening to music