Koss - Porta Pro

I own three of these supremely comfortable pair of headphones. They have excellent sound quality, are highly portable, and come with a decent carrying case.

Koss Porta Pros are a weird purchase if you're buying them in India. They are not the budget monsters they are in the west, as they are moderately priced here. What they do offer over many other headphones are two things - comfort and a non fatiguing warm sound. If you like a combination of both, you'll love these headphones.

When I saw them first time online, I was intrigued by their design. Classic 1984 built, it's nothing like the others. Here's a thing. They're slightly fragile and tiny. They're not for everyone. They're not strong and tough and they do give a cheap feel but I embrace it fully given I love vintage stuff. Once you put them on, they're amazingly soft and you would forget that they're on top of your head. Plus they're really small so you get that nice portability factor to it. These are strictly not for the bass lovers out there. It has a very balanced and warm sound. They're not very clear either, you can't expect to hear every slightest detail but again, they're balanced. The very essence of a balance is that you cannot be inclined towards one thing. For casual listening, they're absolutely exceptional. They can be folded even further so that just contributes to its portability. Highly recommended if you need them for casual listening and don't mind the vintage design.

tl;dr: For the price paid, these headphones sound terrific and truly punch above their weight.

Going into detail, these are very comfortable and so lightweight that very soon, one forgets it's on your head. These do need to be handled with some care. The clamp is good with three levels of clamp provided to accommodate various head sizes. It's an open headphone so sound leaks in and out. Good luck to listening with these while walking on busy streets (especially in India). And that's a shame since these headphones are a delight to listen to.

The sound is not really balanced. It's weighted towards the low end. The bass is powerful and there is good texture. It can feel one-note though depending on the music. The mids are nice and detailed and for the most part is not overpowered by the bass; there is a bit of treble roll off. All of this makes for an easy listening. The sound stage is really wide relative to the size of the drivers. And these are easily driven out of the smartphones available today.

Bottom line: For the price, this is an easy recommendation to buy. I detest IEMs and a strict desktop guy with DAC/Amps/circumaural headphones. However, I will make an exception for the Koss when I'm moving around.

This is my second Porta Pro. I had used the first one for over 7 years until the left speaker ceased to function. I use it with Fiio DAC and an Fiio Amp. The sound is very satisfactory, and i love its portability .The hard case is really cool. Voice spillage is the only problem , not for me , but for others around me, especially while in a bus or train.

5 star because it nailed the ergonomics for me

First impressions I got from this headphones are as follows:
1.they feel fragile and cheap.
2.they have a very different
design philosophy which
makes them standout in
crowd.
3.they have a very 'balanced'
sound signature.
4.they have a very comfy pair of
cushions/foams.
5.they have a fitting system
which requires some getting
use to.