AKG K 26 P vs Koss Porta Pro

[Fatality_]

My friend is looking for a new pair of portable headphones. At the moment he has Koss Porta Pros and is looking at the AKG P 26 P. What are the differences in sound, is the AKG better? Thanks.

[Edit] Do you have other recommendations?

 

[dag655321]

I know this does not help you yet, but I have a pair of K 26 Ps due in tomorrow. When they arrive, I will try to compare and contrast them to my PortaPros. The only thing I can tell you right now, is that the PortaPros are open and the K 26 Ps are closed. The PortaPros don't leak a lot of sound, but they do leak more than the Senn PX-200s which are closed and similar in size to the K 26 Ps.

 

[Fatality_]

Nice, waiting for it. Anyone else?

 

[Pete7]

I have both pairs. They are both great portable headphones, and the headbands are pretty much exactly the same. They both have great sound,also, but I find that the AKG26P's are more to my liking. They seem more comfortable. Also, they are sealed as opposed to the PortaPro's being an open type headphone. Because they are sealed, I believe this to be the reason they sound better, with better bass. I've even tried the 26P's amped, and the sound is even better.

 

[arisen]

Personally, I like the PortaPro a lot more. The K26P, although decent quality for the money, they’re really not that much fun to listen to. They do have a lot of bass (more then the PortaPro), but it’s muddy and lacks impact. On the plus side, they do good job at isolating and that was the only reason to buy them in my case.

Anyway, just don’t think as the K26P as an upgrade from the PortaPro, because at best they’ll be very close.

If you definitely need closed (isolating) headphones deepening on you budget, start looking at HD201 (cheap) or MDR-V6 or IEM’s.

If you just looking to upgrade from the PortaPro, SR-60 would probably be the next step.

 

[xlEnt]

i've had the akg since friday and I decided this morning to return them... they're just too muddy. I couldnt even listen to them last night had to pull out my hd580's to make sure the recordings weren't that terrible. [This was my bedside rig] Also the noise level when plugged in w/ no music running is pretty bad.

This is with about 40-50 hours of burn in.

 

[Spiritboxer]

I haven't heard the AKG's but the PortaPro's were the best in class for maybe 15 years. I've been burning in a pair of PX 100's since Labor Day and the PP's still sound better IMO.
In my experience, open cans sound better than closed but that may be just me.

 

[EvilDwarf]

Maybe you should also consider the KSC 75 which can be modded by drilling holes into the casing. Some people find they even sound similar to the SR 60. I find listening to them highly enjoyable.

 

[dag655321]

Ok, I realize I am going to get a lot of ess aych eye tea (sound it out) for this, but all I can do is give my impression of the cans before burn-in.

I recently acquired a pair of PortaPros, K26 P and K24 P. I prefer the PortaPros in all aspects. They are comfortable (I like the adjustable pressure) and they sound great. To my ears the PortaPros have a more balanced and even sound, and much better bass that either of the AKGs. The pleather pads on the K26 Ps get to hot on my ears, and the sound is a little un-even. Not bad, just not as smooth as the PortaPros. The K24 Ps were very disapointing. Comfort and sound were both quite bad. The K24 Ps sounded distorted at all volumes.

My short answer is that the PortaPros are well worth the extra five bucks. They look very retro (which may be good or bad), and sound great straight from a portable. The K 26 Ps were not bad, and are closed, so if you need isolation or to prevent sound leakage, they are not bad. Stay away from the K 24 Ps.

The PortaPros are my new favorite ampless portable can.

 

[dad123]

I have senns PX-100, AKG 26P and Koss Porta Pro's. I think the senns sound the best. The Porta Pro sound good but have less detail and more bass then the senns. The AKG have the most bass and I agree with the other posters here in that they come off sounding muddy.

For portability I find the senns or AKG are good. Both can fold and fit into your pocket or brief case. The Porta Pros cannot.

The AKG's are closed cup so if you are looking for less leakage and portability then the AKG's are a good compromise.

I have Shure E3c and though they sound great they are short on bass. But I find the shures can be a pain to take off and put back in in situations where you need to remove headphones periodically. So I find the AKG an alternative with compromise.

 

[TooNice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilDwarf Maybe you should also consider the KSC 75 which can be modded by drilling holes into the casing. Some people find they even sound similar to the SR 60. I find listening to them highly enjoyable.

Tell me more please. I recently bought the KSC-75.

Although.. The word "drilling" is a lil worrying.