Shure SE210 vs. Koss Porta Pro - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Michiyo-Fir · #1 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 04:43 AM

I currently only own the Shure SE210 and Koss Porta Pros but my Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 will be here within a week.

I really like the SE210 because they sound detailed and very clear to me. No muddiness, no excessive bass. Although the soundstage isn't huge, it's decent. The midrange sounds smooth and I love the great sound isolation! Although it's not as good as the SE530s that I've tried, I think it's worth it for the price.

Although I've seen many people say great things about the Koss Porta Pros, I can't stand them! I find that the bass is so overwhelming that it blocks out a lot of the music's detail and the songs just sound muddy. To me, the soundstage is weird, small, and somehow messy. I can stand this pair of headphones only for R&B, rap, and techno. Anything with a more complicated structure like many layers of instruments seems to be lost with this pair of headphones. I'm wondering if my ears are wonky or is there anyone else out there that can't stand these?

I also use these to play my digital piano and the overwhelming bass really shows up here. When I use the built in speakers on the dp and the SE210s, the grand piano sound sounds bright but not too overly tinny which is the sound that the piano is supposed to produce (it's a Yamaha). When I use the Koss with the exact same dp, the grand piano becomes a mellow piano. It turns to a very muffled mellow sound which is very dark and more similar to the mellow piano setting on my piano compared to the regular grand piano setting.

I guess I'm just not a bass-head but does anyone have experience between these 2 headphones? Or any other Shure vs. Koss headphones for that matter?

Scott_Tarlow · #2 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 05:13 AM

Chances are you will not like your 210's after you hear the 600 and 650's. Once I upgraded to audiophile quality headphones, I had to buy higher end IEM's to satisfy my portable needs. Hope you still like them.. but I wouldn't be surprised if you didnt get upgraditis after listening to ur 600 or 650's.

Zalithian · #3 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 07:06 AM

Well, the 650's will sound tons better IF he has proper power. Those things are not easy to drive.

Michiyo-Fir · #4 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow

Chances are you will not like your 210's after you hear the 600 and 650's. Once I upgraded to audiophile quality headphones, I had to buy higher end IEM's to satisfy my portable needs. Hope you still like them.. but I wouldn't be surprised if you didnt get upgraditis after listening to ur 600 or 650's.

I probably will. Actually I've been looking for a pair to get once I have enough cash. This hobby really hurts the wallet!

I might invest in either a pair of SE530 or UE 4 pro. If I somehow have extra money, I might try a UE 10 pro.

by the way, I've never used Ultimate Ears products, is the sound isolation in the UE series as good as the Shure in-ears?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zalithian

Well, the 650's will sound tons better IF he has proper power. Those things are not easy to drive.

HAhaha I'm a she

I don't have an awesome amplifier, I bought a Mini^3 to use with the Senn 600s and 650s because I didn't have money for 2 amps and I needed something portable.

trueno84 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 06:53 PM

^^ dun try UE 4. The cable is a major disaster. Mine broke in 3mth. Sounds gd but crappy built. The silicon earbud dun even fix onto the IEM itself. Stays on my dear everytime i take it off.

if u got the budget go for TripleFi. Else go for UE 5 Pro!! Weee~

jamato8 · #6 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 07:00 PM

Well I have the HD650's and others and if you "tune" the PortaPros they do a fine job. Too bad they don't do a few things at the factory that would be so easy. There are a number of posts on the easy changes that can be made.

Michiyo-Fir · #7 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 10:11 PM

The thing with me is that I don't think it's worth the effort to change cord for the Porta Pros, spend a lot of time tuning them, changing earpieces, etc. I'd be more than happy to do all that for my HD650s just to get the great sound but I'm not sure how much improvement could be made on the Porta Pros.

I just think that 40 something earphones shouldn't need another 50 hrs of work to tune, balance, equalize, mod etc since they're just for casual listening anyways.

I think I'd rather take the time to tune the Sennheisers instead. Porta Pros will probably just rest in my storage room for the time being.