[oyjandrew]

Hello everybody. I've read plenty of great reviews regarding the ms-1 and was just wondering if i should upgrade my 1 year old portapro to a ms-1? Also, are the isolations of the portapro and ms-1 approximately the same? I would not mind using the ms-1 outdoors if this is so. Thanks

 

[xkRoWx]

Koss PP isolates? /scratches head.

If the KTXPRO1 is the same as the Porta Pro, then MS-1 is a little shy on bass impact compared to the Kosses. The question is, will you trade bass impact for detail?

 

[Evshrug]

By isolates do you mean leaks your sound to everyone else? If you're asking if you can still hear what's going on outside of your headphones, then yes they're the same, but as for how much leakage there is you'll have to wait for someone else.

 

[Bat King]

I only got my MS1i today, but from what I can tell, the bass impact on these is about equal to that of the Portapro, but more refined. The MS1i also has a more refined top-end, lovely and sparkly. And the soundstage is much bigger! Beats them Portapros all-round, I'd say.

However, my experience with Gradessandros tells me that they leak a lot, compared to the Portapros which I'd say are usually not that intrusive on, say, a train. I'd say then that the Portapro probably has better isolation than the MS1.

I guess biggest thing will be what you want to use them for. Gradessandros aren't that suited to portable endeavours - they don't fold, they leak a lot and their cables are huge and stiff. That said, they will definitely outshine the Portapros in a home rig. If you want something that'll be good both for indoors and out, I say keep your portapros. They're still damn good cans.

 

[oyjandrew]

Thanks for your inputs everbody. I think I'll keep my portapros but still get the ms-1s for my home rig soon. On a side note, anybody knows if the portapros will benefit from a portable amp like the ibasso T4? Thanks again

 

[iancraig10]

imo, an amp makes slight differences to a Porta Pro. The main benefit for me is being able to crank up volume from an EU Ipod, but generally, I don't bother. Tone changes are maybe the main difference and you can lighten the bass a little with an amp.

Personally, I'd move on to MS1. Far superior but not good for walking around outside. They also need quite a lot of current to drive them. They would benefit from and amp.

Ian

 

[Almoxil]

Have both.

The MS-1 are more "mid-centric" (if I can say so), with bass which is good but not that great (benefit from an amp, or good bass enhancers, like Mach3Bass on my Cowon D2). They don't need to be EQ'ed to sound great.

The PortaPros are clearly bass-centric, although retaining a great level of detail, especially at their price point. In my experience, the bass on the PPs have to be tamed down, since they leak into the low mids a little. They don't benefit much from an amp.

 

[revolink24]

The MS1s are clearly more detailed and neutral 'phones that seem to excel with mid-range vocals. They still lack a terribly wide soundstage, as is typical with lower end grados. I would say that if you are looking for a change in sound, go for it, but if you are going for a quantum leap in sound quality, you'll have to save a bit more and go for something a bit more high end. Also, The MS1s are almost impossible to use in public due to the noise-in noise-out factor of grados.

 

[Evshrug]

Look at the MS1 mod, the MS1000

 

[Xan7hos]

On the flip side, for around $80, you can pick up a 25th Anniversary Limited Edition PortaPro from Koss (you have to call in the order). It'll at least retain its value