[headwhacker]

  I've had Koss Protapros for years and love them, but I figure some of you guys will have multiple headsets and have a question for you since this seems like the best thread for a relevant answer. I'm thinking of finally delving into the more expensive headsets and am a bit confused about open headsets. I know that Koss Portapros are open, but do they have the same amount of leakage as say Beyerdynamic DT 990's? I currently wear my portapros at work every day and there really is no leakage at the volumes that I listen to my music (I need to be able to hear if someone comes into my cube). Are high-end open headsets similar? From reading around about the leakage I'm worried that these things (DT 990's and similar) will practically be as loud to everyone else as they are to me.

 
The amount of leakage will always depend on how loud you listen. If you find the amount of leakage acceptable on your porta pro and DT990, it is more or less similar to any open-back headphones.

 

[PSORngr]

   
The amount of leakage will always depend on how loud you listen. If you find the amount of leakage acceptable on your porta pro and DT990, it is more or less similar to any open-back headphones.

Great! Thank you for your help. I'll focus on open-back headphones then. Move the porta pros to my on the move headset instead of at work headset.

 

[chailee80]

I've had Koss Protapros for years and love them, but I figure some of you guys will have multiple headsets and have a question for you since this seems like the best thread for a relevant answer. I'm thinking of finally delving into the more expensive headsets and am a bit confused about open headsets. I know that Koss Portapros are open, but do they have the same amount of leakage as say Beyerdynamic DT 990's? I currently wear my portapros at work every day and there really is no leakage at the volumes that I listen to my music (I need to be able to hear if someone comes into my cube). Are high-end open headsets similar? From reading around about the leakage I'm worried that these things (DT 990's and similar) will practically be as loud to everyone else as they are to me.

The portapros are what I would call semi open, if you look at the backs of the drivers theres only a few openings and far less than a regular open backed can. The dt990s are much more open and will leak more sound than the portapros. How much depends on how loud you listen to music but at what I would consider normal listening levels the leakage shouldn't really disturb anyone unless they sit right next to you. You could consider the dt880s which are semi open like the portapros and offer the best of both worlds.

 

[Mad Max]

D990 is semi open.  Its cups are only aesthetically different from 880, for the most part.
 
DT990 innards
DT880 innards

 

[chailee80]

  D990 is semi open.  Its cups are only aesthetically different from 880, for the most part.
 
DT990 innards
DT880 innards

I just go by what beyerdynamic states. On their website the dt880 is listed as semi-open and the dt990 is listed as open.

 

[FiJAAS]

I enjoy my PortaPro so much, I must say I like it better than my Shure SE215 and Audio Technica ATH-IM50.

 

[PSORngr]

The portapros are what I would call semi open, if you look at the backs of the drivers theres only a few openings and far less than a regular open backed can. The dt990s are much more open and will leak more sound than the portapros. How much depends on how loud you listen to music but at what I would consider normal listening levels the leakage shouldn't really disturb anyone unless they sit right next to you. You could consider the dt880s which are semi open like the portapros and offer the best of both worlds.

Thank you! I'll check those out.

 

[TanC]

Glad to see these Koss PortaPros (that's been around longer than I have, imagine that!) still kicking ass in 2015. Just got my first pair of PP as temporary 'phones while my AKG K712 is in repair, and to experiment with the more bassy sound in comparison to my AKG (I'm a newbie to headphones).
 
I've decided to fiddle with the bass a bit (before deciding on doing the Kramer mod) and am thinking about buying a few different ear pads to experiment in increasing the distance between driver and ear. Just curious if anyone got any experience with these or something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-Thicker-New-Ear-Pad-Cushion-for-Koss-Porta-Pro-PP-SP-KSC35-KSC75-Headphone-/251801292230

 

[waynes world]

Another option: Put the drivers on the parts express headband, they wont clamp as much and the bass is more controlled. And also do the kramer mod.

 

[afbug]

  Glad to see these Koss PortaPros (that's been around longer than I have, imagine that!) still kicking ass in 2015. Just got my first pair of PP as temporary 'phones while my AKG K712 is in repair, and to experiment with the more bassy sound in comparison to my AKG (I'm a newbie to headphones).
 
I've decided to fiddle with the bass a bit (before deciding on doing the Kramer mod) and am thinking about buying a few different ear pads to experiment in increasing the distance between driver and ear. Just curious if anyone got any experience with these or something similar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-Thicker-New-Ear-Pad-Cushion-for-Koss-Porta-Pro-PP-SP-KSC35-KSC75-Headphone-/251801292230

Those are not too good, if you want to stay true to the PP sound. Tightens up the bass but the mids are bumped up and brought forwards. Good if you want to experiment with PP's sound.
 
Doing the Kramer mod, flexing the headband to make it looser, use the 'soft' setting or the parts express headband will be better choices.

 

[TanC]

Ah, thank you all for the replies! Unfortunately I don't think there's a Parts Express here in Singapore/Malaysia region. Perhaps I can go straight for the Kramer mod instead. Now to locate a drill for that purpose...
 
I keep listening to these headphones, in some music the bass doesn't sound tight, in others it's perfect! But the more I listen, the better they sound! Definitely a fun headphone.

 

[waynes world]

  Ah, thank you all for the replies! Unfortunately I don't think there's a Parts Express here in Singapore/Malaysia region. Perhaps I can go straight for the Kramer mod instead. Now to locate a drill for that purpose...
 
I keep listening to these headphones, in some music the bass doesn't sound tight, in others it's perfect! But the more I listen, the better they sound! Definitely a fun headphone.

 
Yeah, that's how I felt about them when I first auditioned them. I instead got the ksc75's (onto the parts express headband) and was quite amazed (also did the kramer mod on them). And I then got the sportapro (same driver as portapro but less expensive) and did the below mod, but ended up also putting them on the parts express headband. I oscillate between both depending on the mood and music:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/124243/kramer-mod-ksc75/435#post_9302214

 

[TanC]

   
Yeah, that's how I felt about them when I first auditioned them. I instead got the ksc75's (onto the parts express headband) and was quite amazed (also did the kramer mod on them). And I then got the sportapro (same driver as portapro but less expensive) and did the below mod, but ended up also putting them on the parts express headband. I oscillate between both depending on the mood and music:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/124243/kramer-mod-ksc75/435#post_9302214

 
Thanks, waynes world, I'm thinking of switching between them all just to experience the different sounds and try my hand at modding. Do you know if the drivers on KSC75, Sportapro, and Portapro are interchangeable? I'm thinking of swapping out the drivers on the Portapro with KSC75 or Sportapro drivers (I have the KSC75 on order, now I may just add in Sportapro too). I've read that there are differences in sound quality for these drivers and I'd like to hear them out.
 
After all that experimenting around I may just get my friend stateside to help me buy the Parts Express headbands and attach the KSC75 and Sportapro drivers to it. 

 

 

[waynes world]

Thanks, waynes world, I'm thinking of switching between them all just to experience the different sounds and try my hand at modding. Do you know if the drivers on KSC75, Sportapro, and Portapro are interchangeable? I'm thinking of swapping out the drivers on the Portapro with KSC75 or Sportapro drivers (I have the KSC75 on order, now I may just add in Sportapro too). I've read that there are differences in sound quality for these drivers and I'd like to hear them out.

After all that experimenting around I may just get my friend stateside to help me buy the Parts Express headbands and attach the KSC75 and Sportapro drivers to it.   

The portapro/sportapro/ksc35 drivers are the same, and the ksc75 are different (more balanced). They all fit in the different headbands (including parts express headband).

 

[chailee80]

   
Thanks, waynes world, I'm thinking of switching between them all just to experience the different sounds and try my hand at modding. Do you know if the drivers on KSC75, Sportapro, and Portapro are interchangeable? I'm thinking of swapping out the drivers on the Portapro with KSC75 or Sportapro drivers (I have the KSC75 on order, now I may just add in Sportapro too). I've read that there are differences in sound quality for these drivers and I'd like to hear them out.
 
After all that experimenting around I may just get my friend stateside to help me buy the Parts Express headbands and attach the KSC75 and Sportapro drivers to it. 

 

I know the ksc75 and portapro drivers are interchangeable. I often change them around depending on my mood. They compliment each other quite well, the ksc75 drivers gain some bass with the tighter fit when put in the portapro headband and if you put the portapro drivers in the ksc75 hooks it makes the bass much less boomy and brings out the treble much better. The kramer mod brings some subtle improvements too. When i did mine i didn't have a drill so i actually used a soldering iron to melt holes in the grill and smoothed the edges with a craft knife. Its best to start out with just a few holes and test the sound from there. I put too many in which ruins the mids imo.