[MrAhmet]

I researched both headphones. Normally PortaPro should be more expensive. But things change for me after tax and shipping fee.

PortaPro $43
PortaPro 3.0, Black version $50 ( Good looks but cable quality has reduced? )
Ksc75 $50
The Kph30i is pretty good too. But these are $65 for me

Also the yaxipads is too expensive for me. It comes to $30. I cannot make additional purchases. I can use the headphones with the stock pads. That's why you should consider the performance that comes with the stock pad.

Ksc75 is more clear and detailed. But ear clips are questionable for comfort. Also the upper mids, low treble seem too high for me. It can be a little tiring.
I think PortaPro is better for comfort. But it has a bass-focused, somewhat veiled sound.
I think PortaPro is more durable. Ksc75 break very quickly.

Finally, I will use it with a dongle amp/dac. I can manipulate the sound character with PEQ. That is, if the headphones respond well to the EQ.

What is your recommendation based on prices and stock usage? Is PortaPro still good?

Also, how is the comfort of these headphones? Will it hurt my ear while watching movies/series?

 

[odarg64]

Your post indicates that you have already tried both models. If so, which works best?

I can use KSC75 for hours at a time and forget I'm wearing them. I've had several pair a none of them have broken, even while wearing them during exercise or working outside. They also sound great and are the best value in headphones that I've encountered. I could absolutely live with them as my only headphones if needed.

 

[MrAhmet]

Your post indicates that you have already tried both models. If so, which works best?

I can use KSC75 for hours at a time and forget I'm wearing them. I've had several pair a none of them have broken, even while wearing them during exercise or working outside. They also sound great and are the best value in headphones that I've encountered. I could absolutely live with them as my only headphones if needed.

I didn't try. I'm just speaking based on frequency response and reviews.

 

[odarg64]

I didn't try. I'm just speaking based on frequency response and reviews.

Understood. I haven't own PortaPros since the mid-1980s. I don't remember how they sounded, but didn't find them particularly comfortable and gave them to a friend. I have though about trying them again though.

 

[earmonger]

Are those your only available choices?

I couldn't get a secure fit with the KSC75 and was always aware of them dangling by my ears. The PortaPro were comfortable for me, but they might not be if you have a large head.

And are you committed to that form: little over-ear headphones? Because those are old models, and you can get much better sound from equivalently priced IEMs now, if you're willing to go in-ear.

 

[MrAhmet]

Are those your only available choices?

I couldn't get a secure fit with the KSC75 and was always aware of them dangling by my ears. The PortaPro were comfortable for me, but they might not be if you have a large head.

And are you committed to that form: little over-ear headphones? Because those are old models, and you can get much better sound from equivalently priced IEMs now, if you're willing to go in-ear.

IEM is not for me. I have Moondrop Aria. I can't do long listenings. My ears are becoming sensitive. I also pay attention to the sound stage. IEM soundstage is bad. The sounds are very close to each other. Although the clarity and detail are high, I do not enjoy it.

I'll be getting full-size closed earphones later. For now I'm looking for something cheap for soundstage and daily use.

I reviewed models such as Superlux 681, Samson sr850, ISK hf2010. These have poor comfort and harsh, sharp treble issues. Comfort can be solved by changing the pad, but this removes the cheapness. Also, I don't know if the sound quality is better than koss. Koss is recommended everywhere.

 

[odarg64]

re: old models
Good sound doesn't get old.

IEM and open ear headphones are different types of devices and aren't directly comparable.

 

[earmonger]

re: old models
Good sound doesn't get old.

The standards for good sound keep changing.

There were people at the time who marveled at how incredibly lifelike Edison's cylinder recordings were. I don't think we'd say that now.

I liked my PortaPros at the time. But then I got Sennheiser PX100 on-ears, which were much better for both sound and fit. Alas, they are discontinued, as are their successor PX100-ii. I'd hope that there are some newer on-ears incorporating newer engineering, but maybe there aren't.

 

[vmiguel]

I would go for the KSC75, as you can see on my sig. I've tried the PortaPro and did not like the head band (it catches my hair), and they sounded a bit bassy to me.
Also have the KSC35 and KPH30i, and love them all, No problems with the ear hooks. Use them with Yaxi or original pads, and altough they sound different I have use cases for all of them.
I'm also waiting for the KPH40

 

[tomb]

Your post indicates that you have already tried both models. If so, which works best?

I can use KSC75 for hours at a time and forget I'm wearing them. I've had several pair a none of them have broken, even while wearing them during exercise or working outside. They also sound great and are the best value in headphones that I've encountered. I could absolutely live with them as my only headphones if needed.

^ This!

Yeah, I have HD800s and several other top-level phones, but I'd never be without a KSC-75 or several of them, in fact. I absolutely agree that they are the best value in all of the headphone world. They're efficient, with great bass, pretty good mids, and a wonderful sparkle in the highs. I stopped complaining about the clips, because I think it has a lot to do with the great sound. I've tried putting them in PortaPro frames and buying the KTX Pro1, or at the least the old Radio Shack version and they're not as good as the plain old KSC-75 with the clips. The clips are not nearly as bad as you think, anyway, once you learn to use them correctly. As odarg64 states above "... hours at a time and forget I'm wearing them."

I have had several PortaPros for years. They're pretty good for a tiny portable. Bass is great (although no KSC-75 sparkle) and the spring steel band compresses into a neat pouch package. However - if you have any hair on your head, that spring steel band is going to painfully pull out some of that hair - almost every time you put on/take off a pair of PortaPros.

 

[tomb]

The standards for good sound keep changing.

There were people at the time who marveled at how incredibly lifelike Edison's cylinder recordings were. I don't think we'd say that now.

I liked my PortaPros at the time. But then I got Sennheiser PX100 on-ears, which were much better for both sound and fit. Alas, they are discontinued, as are their successor PX100-ii. I'd hope that there are some newer on-ears incorporating newer engineering, but maybe there aren't.

Funny ... I thought the Senn PX100 was one of the worst sounding headphones that Sennheiser ever made. The fold up case was a major feat of German engineering, but the sound was just blah ... there's a reason they quit making them. Sennheiser doesn't just stop making a headphone if it's well-liked.

 

[MrAhmet]

Will ksc75 be ok with stock pad? If I buy a Yaxi pad, the price will not be cheap.

 

[odarg64]

Will ksc75 be ok with stock pad? If I buy a Yaxi pad, the price will not be cheap.

Maybe better to try it stock and then decide, unless shipping gear separately becomes prohibitively expensive.

 

[odarg64]

The standards for good sound keep changing.

There were people at the time who marveled at how incredibly lifelike Edison's cylinder recordings were. I don't think we'd say that now.

I liked my PortaPros at the time. But then I got Sennheiser PX100 on-ears, which were much better for both sound and fit. Alas, they are discontinued, as are their successor PX100-ii. I'd hope that there are some newer on-ears incorporating newer engineering, but maybe there aren't.

The capabilities of human hearing don't change. Good sound is good sound.

Oddly enough, I listened to my share of Edison cylinders on different equipment from that era for a job. They were state of the art at the time (when they were recorded, not when I had the job...), but are very low-quality recordings by any standard. Human hearing is capable of processing much better quality sound than what was available from those recordings. No contest.

KSC-75 were very good headphones when they were introduced in 2004 and are very good headphones now. That might explain their popularity, even among headphone enthusiasts.

The changing 'standards' for good sound (e.g., 'Hi-Res') have now become superfluous. Not much has actually changed, sound-quality-wise, in the past 20 (or more) years.

 

[jmwant]

I researched both headphones. Normally PortaPro should be more expensive. But things change for me after tax and shipping fee.

PortaPro $43
PortaPro 3.0, Black version $50 ( Good looks but cable quality has reduced? )
Ksc75 $50
The Kph30i is pretty good too. But these are $65 for me

Also the yaxipads is too expensive for me. It comes to $30. I cannot make additional purchases. I can use the headphones with the stock pads. That's why you should consider the performance that comes with the stock pad.

Ksc75 is more clear and detailed. But ear clips are questionable for comfort. Also the upper mids, low treble seem too high for me. It can be a little tiring.
I think PortaPro is better for comfort. But it has a bass-focused, somewhat veiled sound.
I think PortaPro is more durable. Ksc75 break very quickly.

Finally, I will use it with a dongle amp/dac. I can manipulate the sound character with PEQ. That is, if the headphones respond well to the EQ.

What is your recommendation based on prices and stock usage? Is PortaPro still good?

Also, how is the comfort of these headphones? Will it hurt my ear while watching movies/series?

I had all of These three. I loved the KPH30is sound the most. Attaching the yaxipads on Kph30i is a pain. I'd suggest to get the kph40i instead.