Trapped with Koss Porta Pro for life. Is there a way out?

[HiCZoK]

Hey everyone!

Years ago I had few gaming headphones from Creative and then I got Cal!
I liked it. It was much more clear sounding but it did not sealed at all (which I wanted a the time) and headband hurt the top of my head. Also they lacked a punch.
Then I got Fiio E10K and Brainwavz HM5 which clamped waaaay too tight and isolated so much I could hear all the microphonics like... blood flow and blinking... so I sold it, kept the super soft pads, bought new CAL! for my fiancee and gave it to her together with HM5 pads. She is very happy.

I moved on to something different. I did not needed isolation anymore (since I bough my own flat) and wanted something that would sound good but also fun and punchy for games, music, movies etc.
So I bought Koss Porta Pro which I still have after 2 years. It's incredibly impressive little headphone. It sounds fun but I can also hear more details "the way they are supposed to be heard". At the same time it's extremely comfy(no more hot ears or sweat) and I can forget that I am wearing it. Perfect and I think underrated.
E10K bass boost muddies it but it's nice for some tracks. Although recently I am mostly listening to it without bass boost.
In short - I am loving Porta Pro. It's the best headphone I've ever had/tried on. Both in terms of audio quality and comfort... which I admit is weird, because most people do not like on ears. Especially in home.

There is this track "lifeformed - cider time" which I use for testing. About 13 seconds in, a drum and "a kick" appear. Only on Porta Pro I can hear the "kick" with some depth to it. With Cal! it's completely shallow and sounds just terrible.

I also bought AKG K26P just because I really like the looks of it (found it new somehow last year. It's a fantastic style) and kinda hoped it would be "closed Porta Pro" and while it sounds "kinda similar" it does not really sound as good in almost any aspect and it's clamping a lot while not providing isolation worth it. It does have a bit more bass but still manages to sound worse. I still listen to it sometimes.

So I am definitely looking for fun and "full" bassy sounding headphones. And seriously? Cal! is considered warm or bassy? LIKE REALLY?! it is almost completely dry. Just as HM5 imo.
I am mostly listening to video game music. Old and new games, Starting with 8 bit stuff, through synth, edm, disasterpeace, Classical music and Bloodborne orchestral score (and many, many more).

So anything I should try compare to Porta Pro? No matter if on or over ear, closed or not.
And sorry for the cheeky title - Porta Pro is a great trap to be trapped in !

TLDR - please recommend good headphones up to about 100$. Possibly warm/bassy/fun! and comfy! Location is europe so no amazon stuff but aliexpress is ok I guess.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The Porta Pro is my least favorite out of the six Koss headphone models I owned. My favorite is the ESP950, which is way more expensive...but my second favorite is the KTXPRO1: a semi-open on-ear that has almost the same drivers as the Porta Pro, but coated with titanium and perhaps a slightly different shape. The main difference in sound comes down to the enclosures, which I confirmed by swapping the drivers. Considering that it costs under $20, it has no business sounding so phenomenal. I've owned plenty of ultra-high-end headphones, but the KTXPRO1 is still among my favorites. Definitely worth trying. I'll also mention that it scales with the Chord Mojo. (Only worth bothering with once you have high-end headphones.)

 

[Goophoba]

Still keep my porta pros on the headphone shelf. Too fond of them to hide them away (but I don't use them anymore). Had a pair of "Beyerdynamic DT 770 i" headphones that I liked. Ran off of low powered devices well and closed, should fit the price.

 

[serman005]

You might also check out an SHP9500 and see what you think. It fulfills some of your criteria and the price fits.

 

[HiCZoK]

Thanks for interesting answers.
@Music Alchemist
KTXPRO1 is sadly nowhere to be found here. And it looks so terrible, I am super interested to try it
Not to mention the esp950 but it's out of my league (and also hard to find). Well there is no reason not to get ksc75 but from the looks of it, it sounds just as porta pro or less bassy. And I am not too interested in clip design.

@Goophoba
Not really interested in beyerdynamic stuff. It's ok and all but kinda overpriced here. And it just does not speak to me.

@serman005
This is the one I've heard a lot about. very interesting and I would've already bought it but here in Poland it's only for 100euro on auction sites or available from aliexpress. And that is mostly "s" version which is supposedly worse.

I was also interested in PX100 as some say the bass extends lower but they discontinued it!!!!

 

[Music Alchemist]

KTXPRO1 is sadly nowhere to be found here.

You could always buy it online and import it.

Well there is no reason not to get ksc75 but from the looks of it, it sounds just as porta pro or less bassy.

The KSC75 sounds nothing like the Porta Pro or KTXPRO1.

 

[HiCZoK]

I will keep my eye on it.
How would you compare 75 then ?

 

[HiCZoK]

How about other types of headphones other than traditional ones? I've never tried electrostatic, magnetic, planar or whatever there is?

There is stuff like monoprice m560? it's planar on-ear...and those weird headphones are starting to be affordable... very hard to buy in poland though

 

[Music Alchemist]

How would you compare 75 then ?

These are my very subjective impressions. I'm only touching upon them without going into much detail.

KTXPRO1: Strong impact and dynamics. Great tone and detail. Surprisingly open-sounding. Love it with all music.

KSC75: Sparkly treble. More open-sounding since it rests away from your ears. Mids are acceptable. Bass is lo-fi. (It did not improve when I pushed the drivers against my ears.) Light and springy sound signature, but too lifeless and lacking resolution in the lower frequencies, so only good for some recordings in my experience.

Porta Pro: Just sounds underwhelming to me. I did not enjoy it with music at all. I mostly used it for videos since it's the most comfortable headphone I've worn (slightly more so than the KTXPRO1) and I'm not picky with sound quality for videos.

How about other types of headphones other than traditional ones? I've never tried electrostatic, magnetic, planar or whatever there is?

I thought your budget was under $100 USD.

As far as I know, you can't get an electrostatic or planar magnetic system within that budget unless you go for vintage stuff, such as the electret (variation of electrostatic with the voltage permanently applied) STAX SR-30 (which, by the way, is the best headphone I've heard under $100, but it's painfully uncomfortable) or old planar magnetic headphones that may not be good.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Superlux HD681 with either hybrid pads or velour. They are usually right around $20 on Gearbest and if you can get a coupon code for them they sometimes go as low as $12.99. You definitely need to upgrade the pads, but once you do they are very comfortable and sound amazing for the price.
I also recommend the 9500s...I wouldn't be concerned about 's version' versus regular version, they are the same headphone, so if you can get a good price on one, don't worry about "which one" because it doesn't matter.

 

[HiCZoK]

@Music Alchemist
The "budget" is 100$ but I don't really need new headphones so if something is worth it, why not wait a little longer. Anyway, forget about it. Electrostats or planars are totally not available here in Poland. And STAX SR-30 is collectors item but seems interesting.

@Cruelhand Luke
I've bought 2 pairs of 681 evo's to my fiancee parents. Ofc listened to it before it. It sounds ok but very unenthusiastic. Just proper. Not to mention that it's a huge plastic piece of crap and require better pads.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Anyway, forget about it. Electrostats or planars are totally not available here in Poland.

There's nothing preventing you from buying online and importing whatever once you can afford it.

 

[HiCZoK]

There's nothing preventing you from buying online and importing whatever once you can afford it.

there is a lot. If I am to buy something "expensive", then I want to have a local warranty and so on.

I was also thinking about eating the bullet and buying something like Sennheiser hd600 one day and be just done with it. But on the other hand, I know that nothing like "endgame" exists huh

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I said HD 681...NOT evo
with some simple and free mods, plus the pads, it's a great sounding headset under $50 (My set , including pads was $25)
and as far as needing pads being a demerit? Oh no! I have terrible news for you! Pretty much everything under $100 has either horrible pads or pads that are wrong for the headphone....needing pads is more of a feature than a bug at this price point. They ALL need different pads....if only there were some kind of a forum that could help you with that....anyway, good luck. I've had the porta pros, I know what they sound like and the HD 681 is a good step up from them, but...you'll figure it out.

 

[HiCZoK]

I said HD 681...NOT evo

I know. It's more/less the same. Which is cheap plastic, uncomfortable heap of plastic If I didn't had any then sure but PP blows them out of the water