Koss Portapro Thread

[Das Mookid]

The KSC21 pair I ordered a bit back finally came in. From what I can tell, sound wise they don't seem too objectionable or particularly exciting compared to Koss' more reputable sports clips.
 
Unfortunately, my overwhelming impression is that these came from the design wing at Koss that seem to cater to Hobbits - they are way, way too small! The clip comes with a lovely rotational hinge that lets you snuggly clip it around your ear (very similar to KDE250 actually), however there is no height adjustment option, and this means it is a struggle to get the clip over the back of my ear, while getting the element to cover my ear canal opening - instead it typically gets dragged to rest further up/back on the ear depending on how aggressively I have tried seating them.
 
Here are some picks compared to the incredible KSC35 (very similar styling to the sexy Sporta Pro!) and the famous KSC75 for diameter comparison. There is no indicator on the box or styling, but I almost wonder if these were intended for children's use given the scale. . .
 

 

 
By rotating the clip out of the way, I can hold them over my canal and get a reasonable impression of the sonic profile, but unfortunately, I must admit further impressions will have to wait. . . another shipper proved to be VERY keen and I was pleasantly surprised with a bonus Koss package in my mailroom that had arrived quite early, when I picked up the KSC21's yesterday
 

 

[Saoshyant]

On the topic of ear clips but off the topic of Koss, has anyone tried the ATH-EM7X?  I didn't notice until recently AT put out another metal ear clip.

 

[danmlr]

I asked in the senn thread, but thought I'd post here as well. Can anyone compare any of the koss 'phones I have (ktxpro1, portapro, sportapro, ksc75, PE modded or otherwise) with the higher end Senn 'phones: HD600, 650, 800? A volume matched comparison would be great but realize few people have the equipment or time to go about this properly, so anecdotal impressions welcome.

Thanks. 

 

[danmlr]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/439656/possibly-fake-portapro-help-me/45
 
Quote:

  Hi all!
 
I  ordered these fake Porta-Pros from this seller and it came in the fake box and all and I knew all they way along that they would be fake.
 
What surprise me is that they sound great (I also own modded KSC-75's and the KSC/35's) so I should know/notice the difference in sound.
 
The fake ones have 60ohms drivers, I test them myself with my meter and they seem to have the same drivers as my KSC/35's.
 
They do sound really good.

Saw this post in the thread linked. 
 
And I do agree. It is very, very surprising how good these knockoffs sound.
 
If it weren't for the gawdawful smell out of the box, you could easily be fooled into believing they're authentic. 
 
I've noticed this with quite a few chinese goods, whether it's cheap locks, cables, various electronics, or headphones: the chemical odor is truly appalling. 

 

[Das Mookid]

  I asked in the senn thread, but thought I'd post here as well. Can anyone compare any of the koss 'phones I have (ktxpro1, portapro, sportapro, ksc75, PE modded or otherwise) with the higher end Senn 'phones: HD600, 650, 800? A volume matched comparison would be great but realize few people have the equipment or time to go about this properly, so anecdotal impressions welcome.

Thanks. 

 
'Anecdotal' is probably generous in my case - I tend to buy mainly American cans these days so it has been many years since I spent some quality time with the 600s.
 
The other challenge with the Senns in particular is that they have a reputation for being excellent at illuminating the quality (or lack!) of your source chain, so many on these boards would argue that needs to be considered in any comparisons, and might hobble the Senns compared to something very easy to drive like those particular Koss sets. 
 
That said, I had the chance to try out a pair of the very nice HD700 at my local Best Buy 'Magnolia' section over the past weekend and for once had my KSC35 with me for comparison. I fed both direct out of my LG V10 (and before everybody cringes at running Senns from a phone, the Sabre DAC in this thing feeds the 'difficult' 250 Ohm TI Pro 4AAT to very, very unpleasantly loud levels - a reasonable SPL is at 35/75, with the auto impedance match active of course).
 
Unfortunately, the corner of a Best Buy even in these quiet economic times is too busy and loud of a place to properly audition opens like the Senns (or the semi open KSCs to be fair), but I could still definitely make out slightly more detail from the HD700 than with the Koss clips (I wish I had the KSC75 to compare in this respect). 
 
More than anything though, the biggest sonic difference is the soundstage - the Senns are cinematic in their imaging and separation, whereas the Koss element just feeds a hose of comparable spectrum at you. It makes zeroing in on specific instruments and details much easier, even though the actual bulk sound is largely comparable.  
 
The other thing you can't ignore is that the Senns feel like a premium product in their design in ways that Koss just doesn't focus on at any price level. They feel luxurious to put on.

 

[cmarti]

  Saw this post in the thread linked. 
 
And I do agree. It is very, very surprising how good these knockoffs sound.
 
If it weren't for the gawdawful smell out of the box, you could easily be fooled into believing they're authentic. 
 
I've noticed this with quite a few chinese goods, whether it's cheap locks, cables, various electronics, or headphones: the chemical odor is truly appalling. 

Glad someone else confirmed my findings.

 

[Hutnicks]

Well. Given that Australia caught the chinese made Mattel products using a well known date rape drug as a mold release agent. A little caution might be in order.

May very well explain some of the reviews we read here on HF though.

 

[danmlr]

I don't know what's more impressive about the chinese: the quality of their reverse engineering, or their worker's ability to withstand the toxins they work with every day, 70 hours a week.

https://www.tecma.com/koss-corporation-moves-manufacturing-to-mexico/

It looks koss 'phones are manufactured primarily in china, with some plants now in mexico. No wonder the chinese were able to ahem 'borrow' the portapro designs.

 

[cmarti]

It looks koss 'phones are manufactured primarily in china, with some plants now in mexico. No wonder the chinese were able to ahem 'borrow' the portapro designs.

Mexico is worse, at least they don't cut your head of in China.

 

[Hutnicks]

Mexico is worse, at least they don't cut your head of in China.

Really? Read up on the stats for which country annually executes more of its own citizens.

 

[cmarti]

Really? Read up on the stats for which country annually executes more of its own citizens.

Only criminals, Mexico is everyone

 

[qiujiaheng]

Mine died after I stepped on it...

 

[danmlr]

Really? Read up on the stats for which country annually executes more of its own citizens.

He's talking about the epidemic of drug and gang violence in Mexico. China is a very safe country albeit with an authoritarian government. China's government is likely a major reason for it's safety. 
 
Take a look at the chart in the link. Mexico's homicide rate is nearly 20X higher than China's 0.8 vs. 15.7 per 100,000.
 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
 
Anyway, let's get back to headphone talk. I think it's pretty clear that these "fake" PP's are actually real PP's with stolen designs since the authentic were and are manufactured in China. They also cost just about as much as actual PP's, if not more.

 

[cmarti]

Mine died after I stepped on it...

Lifetime warranty

 

[Penzo]

How often do these things break for you guys? I use mine almost every single day with the phones hooked up to my phone that's in my pocket. I do my biking, skateboarding, running with them and they last me usually less than a year, maybe 7-10 months. It always breaks at the same spot (the connector piece at the bottom, can only hear audio from one side.). I've been RMAing them just fine but these just won't last very long.