Customer Reviews

Koss PortaPro 25th Anniversary Edition Headphones

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've used porta-pros while running, hiking, etc almost every day since they came out in '84. I still remember how they made my little Aiwa walkman suddenly come alive. I guess I've had almost two dozen pairs since, and always marvel at their value.

I also accept that their one major design flaw, the way the cord connects to the diaphragm, will force me to trade them in on the lifetime warranty annually or so. Small price to pay (seven clams for shipping). So the one notable upgrade here does address that issue, more with the cord cover than the connection modality, however. It remains to be seen if that will fix the issue. One hopes so, as this is a limited edition and they won't be replacing these for you, is my guess.

Oh well, back to the soldering iron, which I became accustomed to while living abroad, unable to replace them.

These anniversary model 'pros also have a few touches to glitz them up a bit, and they are perhaps worth the price for longtime porta-pro aficionados...but frankly, the originals offer much more value, at less than half the price.

In any case, they do sound excellent, not noticeably better than the originals, but those are the best lightweight portable 'phones under 60 or so, maybe even 100, so you can't really go too far wrong grabbing these guys.

Koss is a great company, and I thank them for this genius design and the endless joy it has brought me, from floating in the middle of the Pacific to dancing on mountain tops. I doubt this design will ever be topped at the 35 price point, so we'll probably see a 50th anniversary model too.

Many happy returns!

Where were you when the first PortaPro was released in 1984? I was still listening to Van Halen on headphones that came with my gigantor Sony cassette walkman. Can headphones released 25 years ago still succeed today? Amazingly, yes! These 25th Anniversary Edition PortaPro's offer fans a unique treat. And after 25 years, I finally own a pair of PortaPro's of my own!

If you are looking at this special edition, then you are more than likely already familiar with the PortaPro's, but I'll briefly summarize the standard PortaPro. Most headphone connoisseurs agree that the PortaPro is the category leader in sound quality for the price. Frequency range is 15-25,000 Hz. They are very good at driving portables such as iPods and other personal media players. It is an ideal travel can because they fold up for easy storage and are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, though perhaps not quite as comfortable as the Sennheiser PX100. They have excellent bass and good overall mids and highs. They also offer little to no sound isolation as they are open cans. The earpads are user removable and very inexpensive to replace. Some people have complained about durability and aesthetics but rarely have I heard complaints about performance, especially at the standard PortaPro's, budget price. The only serious competition to the PortaPro is the Sennheiser PX100, which I also own.

25 years after the first PortaPro was introduced, Koss released the Anniversary Edition to commemorate John C. Koss, the founder. The difference between the Anniversary Edition and the standard edition is mostly in packaging and cosmetic, with one important distinction. The 4.5ft straight Y cable has been upgraded to a cloth covered cord. This might address some of those durability issues. The plug has also been changed to a straight plug from a right angle one. The cosmetic changes include a black headband instead of plain silver and the ring is now a polished silver instead of just brushed steel. The ring also says 25th Anniversary on them while the ComfortZone tab has been changed to black from that odd, blue-ish teal color. I REALLY like the new look and think all PortaPro's should look like this. Although, then it would diminish the uniqueness of the Anniversary Edition (reportedly only 25,000 made).

The Anniversary Edition comes in a nice black box with foam cutouts, which you can use to store them in, as well as a leatherette pouch for travel, a commemorative coin, 1/4" adapter, and a Koss history booklet.

The standard PortaPro is a budget audio enthusiast's dream. For the most part, durability complaints can be ignored because Koss offers an incredible lifetime warranty! The 25th Anniversary Edition obviously doesn't quite fall under the same category anymore due to it's much higher price tag (now it's in the Grado SR60 price range). However, for collectors, fans and those fortunate enough to own the Anniversary Edition, I think you will nonetheless be very pleased. I am happy to finally be a proud PortaPro owner.

** 02/10/2010 UPDATE **
I have found non-25th Anniversary Edition PortaPro's at a place that rhymes with Vest Guy, that are identical in appearance except for the badging. If you're looking for the new look and upgraded cloth cord, you can get it for less than the Anniversary Edition but still quite a bit more than the standard PortaPro from Amazon.

I'm an huge Koss fan, had the standart PortaPro for almost 2 year and they are still sounding as good as a new one.
I live in Brazil and travelled to US when I saw the 25th Edition of this headset.

I liked it so much that I bought 3 units (one for me and two to give as gifts to some friends) in a gigant NY eletronic store.

The 25th edition is pretty much the same of the stantard edition but has a fancier layout.

After around 2 months the plastic that holds the speakers (just below the crown) broke up!
Told this to my friends and they had exactly the same problem, this happenned on the two sides of the headset.

I really though this strange, 3 headsets breaking exactly the same way. I've never heard of any problems like this on the standart edition...

Calling Koss they asked me to contact Koss in Brazil and Koss Brazil told me that they were not going to replace my headsets because I've bought it in US - a real shame for a company that's known by it's awesome customer service.

Anyways, sending my headset back to US is the same price of buying a new one, so I'll simply buy a new one - definitly not the 25th edition! ;-)

The first time I heard a pair of PortaPros was in the Big House (1992). Inmates have to listen to their stereos or tvs with headphones on. I thought they would be substandard quality because that's usually what you get in the Big House (trust me). I was actually shocked to hear the quality and deepness that these little headphones provide. Let me tell you, if you're looking to escape from prison, just put a pair of these on your head.

Since then, I've had the chance to try out several other headphones and NONE have sounded as good as my PortaPros. I've purchased a couple sets over the years and they make fantastic gifts. The 25th anniversary edition are slightly better looking because they are black, but it's the same sound quality that never disappoints.

I purchased these headphones to wear at work and listen to Pandora on my Blackberry. I love the full sound of PortaPro and the Anniv. Edition sounds a little nicer than the originals. The best improvement is the cloth cord that doesn't tangle and looks a lot nicer than the standard rubbery insulated cord.

My only criticisms are that the storage bag included in the box is a tight fit but loosened up after a couple weeks of use. Also, I think the price is a little high compared to the non-anniversary edition but for me it was worth it for the better sound quality and better cord.

If you want a portable, over the ear style headphone these really can't be beat. The 80's look of the headphones may or may not work for you depending on your personal style. The sound is competitive when compared to my larger and more expensive over the ear "audiophile" type Sennheiser headphones when listening to normal quality sources like internet radio or a standard MP3 player.

I've owned PortaPros on and off since the 80's. Wear and tear and me tripping on the way too long cord usually did them in. But this little baby got it right with a nice shorter cloth cord and it's a delight. It's hard to believe the sound that comes roaring out of these cans. Even for the jacked up price you just can't do better than this for a pair of street phones. The bass is a-BOOMING, the trebles, while not exactly crisp are perfectly fine. If you have any kind of hesitation, don't hold back. I have owned at least a dozen headphones in my life and somehow I always come back to these. They are in a class all their own. I never thought that the Sennheisers came even remotely close to them. Go. Buy. Enjoy.

I have to admit, I was blown away with the sound quality. They are exceptionally comfortable and light. The fact that they fold up for easy transport is just gravy on top. As stated they do not do any sound isolation. The sheer volume can keep out the other noise, but I appreciate the fact that if I turn the music down I can hear what is going on around me. This makes it ideal for using while at work, or at home when the family is around. Excellent buy!

I have to admit that these Koss headphones sound just as good if not better than my audiophile Grado 325Is. The only difference I can hear is the Grados have a touch
more soundstage. But the comfort is definitely Koss and the bass is very accurate. You just won't go wrong with these budget headphones.

I bought these headphones because the reviews were really good.

They were alot smaller than it seemed in the pictures.

They seemed really flimsy, even though they were the 25th anniversary edition which was a contributing factor for me returning them.

My brother tried them and really liked them, when i tried them they were pretty good, but they were not excellent as i thought they would be. Maybe ididn't let them kick in enough time or something but i returned them 2 days later.

(P.s.) The box and carrying bag they came with were pretty cool though, the coin looked pretty cheap tho.)