[TRANCEJUNKIE]

I have used the Koss Porta Pro for many years and absolutely love the sound they produce, in particular the bass impact, mid range and rolled off treble. Sub bass is not an issue for me, providing there is enough impact in the bass frequency range and the mid range needs to be there also. I am definitely not a fan of harsh prominent treble. I now desperately need a closed back over the ear headphone alternative because the Koss are open and leak so much. I use a Fiio X1/ Fiio M6 DAP and a Fiio E11K Amp and am really happy with the sound. I am happy to spend up to £200 and would like the same 'fun' sound they produce, or better for the money. I only listen to EDM and electronic music so would favour a headphone suitable for this genre. I have already owned the Beyerdynamic DT770, but these were lacking in the mid range due to their V sound. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, especially from owners of the Koss Porta Pro.

 

[VRacer-111]

Closest thing in overall character I have to my Porta Pros with Yaxi pads is my custom modded Sennheiser HD58X, but its darker and a little more flatter sounding with more withdrawn mids that are thinner sounding. Bass is AWESOME as is the smooth, yet detailed treble. Cost for closed back conversion and pads is double that of a stock HD58X though... total cost was a little over $400 when everything was said and done:

My TH-X00 Purplehearts are the closest in sound regarding the overall liveliness and punchy character of the Porta Pro, but the treble is not relaxed at all - my Beyerdynamic DT-177X has more relaxed treble than my Purplehearts. A TH-610 may be closer, supposed to be more relaxed. Used prices for them still probably beyond what you are looking for. I can't think of any sub $250 closed back that would be close in sound to a Porta Pro. Converting an HD6XX to closed back would probably be the closest thing you could get to a Porta Pro since the mids have about the same forwardness and general sound profile is very similar. You would just need a good tube setup to drive the HD6XX though.

I can understand trying to get Porta Pro sound in a closed back form... it's something I want as well...Love my Porta Pros. Unfortunately have not heard anything that is close enough to their sound. The TH-X00 have that energy and warmth that is very Porta Pro like... they just have more recessed mids and treble which is not bad on but it is quite forward and can get tiring long term. If you could get a TH-X00 Purpleheart to have the midforward vocal nature and toned down treble of an HD6XX that would be the ticket, don't think that is a possibility though...

 

[CoryGillmore]

I think the Sony MDR-Z7 is what you're after, but it's out of budget. A used one can be had for close to your budget. The MDR-1AM2, on the other hanmd, is right in your budget and is a fantastic headphone. The treble is very deatiled yet never fatiguing. The bass impact is amazing and it reaches low. The 1AM2 is Sony's answer to popular consumer oriented headphones like Beats. It's got a fun, consumer friendly signature that anyone can put on and go "wow". Very easily driven. I highly recommend it.