7 reviews for Retro Koss Porta Pro On-Ear Headphones: Durable & Chic!

1. 

   E. Clemence – November 11, 2025

   Great little cans
   I was looking for a sonic step up from my JBL wireless on-ear phones. The JBL’s aren’t bad, I’m just looking for better. I don’t need noise cancellation, or even isolation. I thought I’d have to spend a lot to get any kind of noticeable improvement, and I wasn’t even considering this price range until a few folks recommended giving them a look. And so I did, taking in every review and comparison I could find. The only constant criticism I saw was that they’re very light and feel cheap, though despite that, they still hold up well through all kinds of abuse. Not a concern here, because they won’t be leaving my house – probably not even my couch. It’s the sound I’m looking for, and everything indicated that these would indeed be a step up from what I had. And they definitely live up to the hype. They get plenty loud just plugged into a USB C adapter into my iPhone, and have a much fuller sound than anything you’d expect after just looking at them. The sound is on the warm side without being muddy. There’s enough bass to keep me happy (gotta have enough bass!), while not losing any detail in the mids and highs. I’d have to call it just a very pleasant listening experience from phones that are so light, you might forget they’re on your head.Some reviews warned that noise leaks in and out because they’re open back, but I could not hear my tv playing over them, and nobody has complained yet about hearing what I’m listening to. That may be a concern if you’re in a noisy area or play them very loud around other people, which is something to be aware of before buying. The only criticism I have is the adjustable headband – it does not hold its position when you take them off. It’s easy enough to adjust, but I’d prefer to be able to set it and forget it. But that’s a very minor inconvenience that I can easily overlook at this price point; and once they’re on, they’re very comfortable. Bottom line, I got what I was looking for at a lot less than I expected to have to spend. I’m very happy with this purchase and would definitely recommend these Porta Pros for anyone looking for good sound for not a lot of money.

2. 

   Blueberry789 – November 11, 2025

   inexpensive but not “cheap”, the PortaPros deliver sound much better than your pack-in phones at a price that makes them a must!
   Consider this my first impression review of these headphones, as I have only had them for about 10 minutes. I’ll come back to this review later as I get more use out of them.Packaging: Excellent, yet minimalist. My set came in a black box bearing photos of the headphones from different perspectives on 3 of the four sides. Inside, the headphones rest in a black plastic shelf, with a clear plastic cover. The cord is hidden behind a cardboard piece sitting just below the headphones. Aside from the headphones, the only other thing in the box is warranty and safety information, and a black drawstring carry pouch that looks and feels like denim. All in all, perhaps not up to Apple’s packaging standards, but very nice for $25 headphones (probably even for $50 ones).Design and materials: it’s a good thing Koss thought to put an “L” and “R” on each respective side, because the first thing I thought was “man, I have no clue which was is the right way to wear these”. As an all plastic and metal affair, everything seems well designed and assembled. The band is obviously nothing special, but it is functional and I suspect that it will resist damage fairly well, provided you aren’t grossly negligent. Similarly, the plastic over the drivers is minimalist and certainly on the lighter/cheaper side, but it does not make me think “cheap”. The wiring, similarly, is thin and the plastic encasing it is not as satisfyingly rubbery as, say, on my Apple EarPods, but again, I don’t feel concerned by the cabling, as I suspect it will hold up reasonably well. Why am I so optimistic about materials I’m describing as “cheap” and “thin”? Because this honestly feels like a product where the designers said “what is the simplest, cheapest set of headphones we can make that will have awesome sound and awesome comfort?” These don’t strike me as hastily or sloppily designed; rather, there is a purposeful frugality going on here. It really does strike me that this product is the “people’s headphone”, meant to combine rather uncompromising sound quality with reasonable durability. In other words, these strike me as value-oriented headphones designed by someone who wanted to do right by their customers while still being profitable. That’s pretty cool!By the way, the fact that these collapse and can be rolled/clipped into a ball is really cool. They fit snugly into the supplied bag, though the draw strings can’t completely close up the bag with them in there. My only question: what am I supposed to do with the cable? Wrapping them around the headband seems obvious but also slightly risky, as I’m worried about snagging on the clasp that holds the headphones in a ball. Maybe I’m just paranoid, though.Comfort: much has been made of the fact that your hair can get caught in the band. I get it, and I don’t doubt it. On the other hand, I think the band is designed brilliantly, with two sliders that make it pretty simple to adjust size quickly. I’ll let you know if they pull out my hair, but so far so good in that respect.As for the “ComfortZone” pads that rest on your temple, I can totally see what they are for, and the three settings do affect how the phones sit on your head somewhat, but at least for me, it seems a bit gimmicky because I feel you can accomplish much the same thing by adjusting the headband.The foam pads over the drivers are reasonably soft, though I do question their durability because they are simply cheap porous foam. I remember the 80s well enough to know that these will disintegrate at some point, so I ordered 3 extra sets from Koss for $4. Assuming the pads last at least 6-9 months, I’ll be satisfied. If they longer, I’ll be ecstatic.The sound: I’m not an audiophile or audio engineer, my main set has been the EarPods for the last couple of years, and my eats are probably damaged from years of operating a table saw in high school stage crew. Nonetheless, the sound from these headphones is really great! I plugged them into my iPad Air, and even at ⅔ to ¾ volume, these things were really loud. I ever so briefly put the volume near the upper limit, and they seemed uncomfortably loud. I can only imagine what you could achieve with an amp. I listened briefly to some Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, Skrillex, Linkin Park, and a song from the musical “Wicked”. I’m pretty sure everything I listened to was encoded at 256kbps as AAC or MP3. All in all, the sound was terrific. Vocals were clear. Hell, everything was clear. I heard details such as snares that I don’t remember being there before. And the bass! Holy moly! I’m not sure what really constitutes “good” or “deep” bass, but boy did these things wimp me when I listened to Skrillex. I’m sure there are better headphones for dubstep, but frankly I don’t care. For $25 open headphones, I was thoroughly impressed. Some folks say these get better after some amount of use/burn in. I have no idea yet, but I’ll try to provide an update if and when I notice any difference from prolonged use.Value: at $25, they’re less than a third of the price of a pair of Grado SR80s, and they’re even cheaper than my EarPods. I did not buy these on a whim, and nearly bought about half a dozen other, more expensive pairs before I settled on the PortaPros. I have no idea what more money would have bought me, and for now, I don’t really care. In 10 minutes, I’ve experienced better sound compared to what I was using before, and for $25 with a lifetime warranty, that sounds pretty good to me!

3. 

   BEACHCAT – November 11, 2025

   Alright so I got them on a pretty neat discount. Back then I wasn’t willing to pay the full price, and now that I have one I’m still not convinced on the 50+ cad price. Yeah sure it’s wonderful pricing for such a great sounding headphone, but did you ever consider the consequence of taking such a plunge? I mean go on the internet and you’ll either find raving reviews saying these are the best in class, or immeasurable disappointment who foolishly set too high of an expectation to get what they expected: Not good enough.When you buy one of these as a hobbyist, you look back at your audio, wondering where you’ve gone wrong. It’s not quite audiophile enough to replace my more expensive, albeit larger sets of headphones, but it’s not quite bassy enough to satisfy my basshead beast that’s leaching off my life essence (curse you Sony Extrabass and your extra-bassyness that not even the bass the fish can sate my evergrowing lust for extra bass). I’d compare the bass level to what sony throws out on their non-Xtra-Bass lines of headphones.There’s enough width to sound to almost pretend I’m in the place of recording… almost. It just lacks that little bit of something that ruins the immersion. Yeah sure it’s wide, but what’s the point if you’re fully aware that what you’re listening to is only a sample of what the audiophile world has in store for you? The audio listening hobby quickly shifts from a minor purchase here and there to irresponsible spending in a blink of an eye… and before you know it you’ve created a black hole in your wallet where your hund-o’s used to live.That’s what this is, unsatisfying in any way you look at it, if you’ve gotten a glimpse of what it could’ve been with a few more tens, hund-o’s, or grandies to spend.Build quality is competent, but I wish the clamping force wasn’t so hard, and the foam that’s supposed to sit on the head to alleviate the problem doesn’t reach my big, dumb head.Comfort is there, but not enough. The furthest settings for the “comfortZone” (which adjusts how much pressure the earpads assert on your poor ears) is just not light enough for my sensitive ears. I don’t think I can spend a whole day wearing these without my ears getting sore. Good news for glasses wearers though (at least some of them), the pressure is put on the antitragus and the tragus, so though you’ll get discomfort (or at least itchiness) in those middle outer parts of your ears, your glasses frame will likely not dig into your skull! But of course your mileage may vary.The cable is not noisy at all, though I don’t think that matters much considering that these are open back, and you’ll definitely hear the cable whack around furniture due to careless usage.The audio quality, though really good for the price, short of a miracle that everyone claims it to be, and a bit too bassy for ex-bassheads (and not bassy enough for the bassheads). It’s a pretty warm sound, but the mids and highs are present enough to make it seem like it just has that extra bass on top of a balanced sound.Sure the driver units can be popped off and attached to other attachments (I’ve actually gone and put them on a KSC75 earhook), and the foam pad can be replaced with the much more comfortable and better sounding YAXI earpads… however I’m reviewing the product as it’s own… and without any accessories (except a “protein leather” egg bag), this product is not good enough for all the praise everyone’s screaming out…But that’s what it is. Disappointment if and ONLY IF you set your expectations stupidly high based on reviews bowing down before its presence. If you ignore all the fans (somehow) and just buy the product expecting nothing but a 50$-sounding headphones, prepare to have your socks blown off to next sunday cuz this set of headphones is the best retro-style good-sounding headphones for the money!When you buy this, don’t expect a giant-killer; Be humble, and you’ll get more than you’ve bargained for. If not, at least these do well as conversation starters and/or room decoration.

4. 

   Jon Leonardsson – November 11, 2025

   A great product that is still going strong. Easy to drive and good comfort.

5. 

   hondojhp – November 11, 2025

   Excellent sound & good quality materials workmanship

6. 

   mario – November 11, 2025

   kultowe słuchawki oferują rewelacyjną jakość dźwięku ,Kossy docenią też osoby noszące okulary, znajduje się dużo miejsca na oprawki ,brzmienie jest takie, jakiego oczekiwałem po słuchawkach w tym stylu – mocne, z wycofanym górnym skrajem pasma i ogromną ilością basu polecam :]

7. 

   César – November 11, 2025

   Al principio había dudado en comprarlos, pero, realmente me dejaron sorprendido.Soy alguien que gusta de la eficiencia en las cosas y sobre todo de la portabilidad, ya que, suelo hacer largos trayectos casi a diario y el escuchar música es algo que disfruto bastante.Como sonido de referencia, tengo a los ATH m50x y los Grado SR80; que según mi experiencia son de los mejores audífonos en calidad y precio. Por lo que estaba buscando un sonido que se les pareciese o les fuera competitivo en unos audífonos lo mas portables posible. Los Koss Porta Pro cumplieron este capricho; y aunque no los supera, tampoco se quedan atrás.Tengo ya casi un año con ellos y funcionan como el primer día, es por ello que son de mis favoritos para el uso diario. A continuación comparto algunos pros y contras según mi experiencia:PROS- El sonido es excelente: es balanceado y detallado para el tipo de audífono y el precio- Son muy fáciles de transportar- Aunque los materiales se ven “desechables”, son de muy buena calidad- Son muy ligeros y a veces pareciese que no los traes puestos.- Tiene un ajuste para que la presión no sea directamente en los oídos (uso lentes y esta característica hace que no me lastimen)- Incluyen una funda para transportarlos.CONTRAS- Se suelen enredar con facilidad y desacomodarse dentro de la funda.- Al ajustarlos a veces se enredan con el cabello o el “fit” es difícil de conseguir (con la costumbre esto mejora)- Al ser audífonos abiertos, no tienen mucha reducción del ruido y se escapa el sonido de lo que estés escuchando.- El sonido es balanceado, por lo que los bajos no tienen mucho “punch” (para quien guste de los bajos exagerados)