Koss Portapro Thread

[chrislangley4253]

I love my portapros, but I'd like to get a good budget portable amp to cover up the audio shortcomings of the iPhone4. Any suggestions?

You aren't going to find a portable amp to make much of a difference with portapros. Upgrade your headphones first. Sr80i highly recommended.

The new FiiO E6 is probably the best "tiny" size-factor affordable amp available.

The E6 would help, if he had impedence issues. But there shouldn't be any in that setup, low impedence source, low impedence headphones.

Also, the E5 is nicer than the E6

 

[Axeraider2]

Do the sr80i's have the same warm aggressive sound that the portapros have because I really do enjoy that type of sound.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

They have the same warm mid-bass hump, but more forward mids and aggressive treble. They're brighter headphones than the PortaPros. 
 
Quote:

Do the sr80i's have the same warm aggressive sound that the portapros have because I really do enjoy that type of sound.

 

 

[chrislangley4253]

They have the same warm mid-bass hump, but more forward mids and aggressive treble. They're brighter headphones than the PortaPros. 

 

He is right, they are very nice though and a big step up. Jumping from portapros to sr80i was the biggest upgrade in sound quality I ever achieved. Probably followed by moving to magnums and thengetting an amp and then getting a dac... With all kinds of purchases in between that made relatively little difference.

 

[Kerry56]

Has anyone noticed that the Porta Pro's have jumped waaaay up in price lately?  Amazon is selling them for $49 plus shipping.  They were selling for less than $30 not too long ago.
 
At $30 they are a good buy, but when you take them over $50 total, the competition gets a lot more intense.

 

[classique]

I <3 my KSC75 in porta pro housing. I think KSC75 has the same driver as porta pro so am I in the club too? =D

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Has anyone noticed that the Porta Pro's have jumped waaaay up in price lately?  Amazon is selling them for $49 plus shipping.  They were selling for less than $30 not too long ago.
 
At $30 they are a good buy, but when you take them over $50 total, the competition gets a lot more intense.

I have indeed noticed this.. Bummer. 
 


Quote:

I <3 my KSC75 in porta pro housing. I think KSC75 has the same driver as porta pro so am I in the club too? =D

same driver, but with a metallic coating. The ksc75s are brighter. Plenty of people prefer it... I tend to like the portapro drivers more, myself. 
 

 

[ironstar]

Portapros still have the same price here

 

[iiohab]

 
Quote:

sounds like best buy edition to me. Give em some time to burn in and then think about doing some mods. Everyone agrees on the quarter mod, cut a quarter sized hole out of the pads and then glue that circular pad onto the sliders to keep them from pulling your hair out for bonus points.
 
Also, there is the kramer mod, which I am a fan of, you should be able to find it on head-fi.. It brings out highs and mids just a tad more. I also just used a bit of sugru to make a better stress reducer on the cable. I've broken one pair there, be careful with the cable at the stress reducer, it's definitely the weak point of these headphones. Might wanna look into getting a bit of sugru too Have fun with the headphones. 

Thanks for mentioning Sugru...had not heard of it previously but after checking out their site I placed an order today.  Can definately use some of that stuff on Koss ksc75's for strain relief -- had planned to buy heat shrink tape but sugru looks like a lot more fun!
 
I liked the quarter mod and Kramer mods on ksc75s.  Will do the quarter mod to portapros tonight. I love the simple quick low touch mods that have good results. The Kramer mod was more involved but a good sized project for a rainy day. 
 
I agree completely with your comparison of the 75's with the pros. I purchased 75s for my kids and noticed they actually started using them over the stock apple ear buds (a minor miracle).  Only one pair has broken with crazy use (strain relief related) but Koss replaced them no questions asked. I also see th ksc75's are down to $13 on amazon.  Hard to beat that...
 
Thanks for all your posts. I've enjoyed reading them and have learned a lot from this community. 
 

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

 


Thanks for mentioning Sugru...had not heard of it previously but after checking out their site I placed an order today.  Can definately use some of that stuff on Koss ksc75's for strain relief -- had planned to buy heat shrink tape but sugru looks like a lot more fun!
 
I liked the quarter mod and Kramer mods on ksc75s.  Will do the quarter mod to portapros tonight. I love the simple quick low touch mods that have good results. The Kramer mod was more involved but a good sized project for a rainy day. 
 
I agree completely with your comparison of the 75's with the pros. I purchased 75s for my kids and noticed they actually started using them over the stock apple ear buds (a minor miracle).  Only one pair has broken with crazy use (strain relief related) but Koss replaced them no questions asked. I also see th ksc75's are down to $13 on amazon.  Hard to beat that...
 
Thanks for all your posts. I've enjoyed reading them and have learned a lot from this community. 
 

No problem I actually enjoy the kramer mod more with the portapros than the ksc75s, I like those without the kramer mod
 
Also, you can just switch the grilles around. You can put the kramer modded grilles from the ksc75s in place of the non-modified grilles on the portapro to see if you like the sound. 
 

 

[iiohab]

Switched grills so the Kramer mods are now on the Portapros...it took maybe 10 min to carefully complete the switch and pop the ear pads back on them.  Oh My!  The portapros now punch far above their weight.... Again, factoring in price plus portability durability, and Wow!  I am trading off very little when running around using these phones.  Serious listening is still the domain of my sr225i's but the pros with mod are embarrassingly enjoyable with a BIG advantage in form factor. Dude, you rock!

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Switched grills so the Kramer mods are now on the Portapros...it took maybe 10 min to carefully complete the switch and pop the ear pads back on them.  Oh My!  The portapros now punch far above their weight.... Again, factoring in price plus portability durability, and Wow!  I am trading off very little when running around using these phones.  Serious listening is still the domain of my sr225i's but the pros with mod are embarrassingly enjoyable with a BIG advantage in form factor. Dude, you rock!

 

[BloodyPenguin]

Used chrislangley's idea and Quarter modded Grado Pads from my MS1i; Used my GF's Nylon Socks to cover the drivers; and the put two pads onto the headband.
 
 
Sound:
 
I really think the soundscape is now slightly increased.  More mids/highs come through.  Bass might be a little less, but if anything it is more refined.
 
If ever these sounded like inexpensive SR60s, they do even more now.  
 
 
 
Comfort: 
 
Stock is about a 7/10, Modded "GradoPro" is about a 3/10.  It is not good at all.
 
 
 
Pictures:
 

 
 

 
 

 
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[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Used chrislangley's idea and Quarter modded Grado Pads from my MS1i; Used my GF's Nylon Socks to cover the drivers; and the put two pads onto the headband.
 
 
Sound:
 
I really think the soundscape is now slightly increased.  More mids/highs come through.  Bass might be a little less, but if anything it is more refined.
 
If ever these sounded like inexpensive SR60s, they do even more now.  
 
 
 
Comfort:
 
Stock is about a 7/10, Modded "GradoPro" is about a 3/10.  It is not good at all.
 
 
 
Pictures
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
..

what issues are you having with comfort? I like them with those pads quite a bit.. also, I wound up getting rid of the nylon, but i'm glad you reminded me of it.. I wanted to give a modded pair to my girlfriend (with cats) I think I'll look back into the nylon. 
 
 

 

[BloodyPenguin]

Quote:

what issues are you having with comfort? I like them with those pads quite a bit.. also, I wound up getting rid of the nylon, but i'm glad you reminded me of it.. I wanted to give a modded pair to my girlfriend (with cats) I think I'll look back into the nylon. 
 
 

Oh, my issue with comfort is the pressure they put on my ears now.  Kinda smashes them.  Though it is not a bother unless I am listening to them for quite a long time.
 
I REALLY do like the sound now.  I was surprised it made such a difference. 
 
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