I do quite a bit of listening with headphones on portable audio equipment/boombox and have done lots of research and sampling the past few months on all kinds and types of headphones from $10 to $300. There's a whole other world of headphones out there that you won't find at a Best Buy or Circuit City. Those places bairly scratch the surface and ALL headphones that are included with a portable cd player are junk. Toss them out, they do a dis-service to the unit. For the most part, the laser diode pick-ups in cd technology are the same and from a portable standpoint, your limiting factors are your headphone and power requirement to power the headphones.

You can get as elaborate and expensive as you want and hi-end Grado, Sennheiser and Etymotic headphones are regarded as the best in the world.

But the point of this public service announcement is to pass along that I have learned that most all audiophiles regard the Koss Porta Pros as the best headphone in the world for the money. You will not find these in any stores, anywhere. They can be purchased directly from Koss.http://www.koss.com/ There are other audiophile houses that would carry them but they are mostly mail-order. I went to Koss direct to take advantage of the coupon.

They retail for $49.95 but when you place your order there is a spot to put in a "coupon code" number. If you type in 617A the headphones will come up at half price. I got my "delivered" for $31.00. Not sure how good the coupon code will last but they are a steal at that price. I'd probably pay $100 for these.

So if you workout or are a runner or do listening on portable equipment you will be blown away by the sound of these. I kid you not! They don't look the greatest but they are incredibly comfortable and (very important) they are sensitive enough to be driven out of portable equipment without an amp. I've had mine about 2 months now and the listening experience is incredible! I'm hearing details I simply didn't hear with my previous phones which I thought were pretty darned good. Massive bass as well. They are even good enough to use on home equipment or for taking on the run.

I just wanted to pass this along to all you music lovers in an attempt to better your listening experience. For anyone that decides to make this purchase, I would love to hear your opinion on these.

Now back to your regular scheduled program.

Hey Steve, what type are they? The kind that cover the ear with an over the head support, or earbuds that go into the ear with a wire that hangs down? I like earbuds personally.

Libralady...They are what is called "open air" which fit on the ear as opposed to "closed headphones" (isolated, around the ear) or earbuds.

Many people have difficulty with earbuds because of the fit. It has to be "just right" to fully benefit from the sound, particularly the bass. If they are used in an active mode, they tend to lodge out a little when you move around.
I have a pair of Koss "Plugs" and there is no comparision to the Porta Pros.

I'm to late. I'm expecting delivery Monday of my just ordered Sennheiser HD-580.

I use the Sennheiser HD-280s! When I start working on my platinum productions, I'll move up to 580s.

I have a pair of Koss headphones that my dad gave to me...20 plus years ago!!! They cover the whole ear(ooooold style),volume controls on both sides,best damn headphones i ever had

Peace

Spyro1

Aw, man, I remember those - had a set like that.
Then my son got hold of em. The pads were the first casualty. Next were the wires.

Porta Pro

I have a Sennheiser HD 470 (similar comfort design with the Porta Pro) but i dont think its amplified enough. My next one if I have to get one will probably those noise cancelling Bose headphones.

At work, I'm quite happy with the Sony bud headphones that I use in my puter, its has deep bass qualities with its own volume control and was the second best in its class when I bought it 2 years ago.

Joel...thanks for the pictorial. They are pretty hideous looking but I don't care about "the look." I am more interested in "the sound" and, of course, comfort. They have been in production since 1985 (The "look" seems like 1965). It is very rare that any piece of audio equipment stay in production for 18 years with virtually no changes. Must mean something.

I actually bought a pair of the Bose Triports(Christmas present From: Me, To: Me) and I took them back after three days. They do sound great but I like my music pretty loud and they would start distorting and the louder volumes. And in typical Bose manner, they are grossly overpriced at $149.95 If I'm going to pay that much for headphones they better be gold on my ears. Straight up I'd still take the Porta Pros.

My HD 580s arrived today.



First thing on the player was Stanley Clarke & Friends Live at the Greek. I promised my son I'd never say this but these things are SWEEEEEEEET!

Steve,

Speaking of the look, I think Retro is always "in".
Those triport? are those the noise cancelling models?

Up to what level do they get distorted?

My Sennheiser on my mini hi fi can take up to the max but its not really "deafining" loud due to lack of amplification (i suspect).

dwill,
Great choice of album, Live At The Greek is one of my best live albums....and there nothing wrong is saying...sweeeeet.

Hey Dwill...Do you know if those can be powered out of a portable?

Joel...The Triports are not noise-cancelling but they are "closed" which is practically the same. As far as distortion and how loud is loud enough I guess it's all relative. For me, I could actually get it to a good strong volume but depending on the music, the phones would "pop" on some of the heavy, loud bass notes. Very annoying. I believe the "noise-cancelling" model is basically the same headphone but with added noise-cancelling features. I'm sure the Bose website explains it more thoroughly.

My wife is hearing-impaired and often listens to music with headphones at work. When we last visited her ear doctor, I asked whether wearing headphones might further damage her hearing. He suggested that subjecting the ears to such direct, close-range sound waves is not a good idea for anyone over extended periods such as an eight-hour work day.

Any thoughts? Anyone experienced hearing loss related to headphones? Might the quality of the headphones make a difference?

Yea, I always hear it's the "extended periods" that is the real culprit. I'm sure a lot of it's hereditary too. I have been listening on headphones at loud levels for probably close to 30 years but usually never more that 45-60 minutes at a time. Every two years I get my hearing checked as workplace requirement and "knock on wood," I am greatfull that my hearing is still okay.

Funny how the noise from an airplane or heavy piece of equipment can seemingly "hurt" (your ears) to listen to but "Curves Ahead" at the same decibels is "soothing" to the ears.

SteveH:

Everything I’ve seen says no. The impedance of high-end phones is of issue. What I understand can be done is you can run HD 580s or something similar like Grado SR60s thru a headphone amp for use with a portable. HeadRoom is the company I often see mentioned in this category. I bought my headphones for the express purpose to start converting my album collection to cds. I wanted some good headphones to aid in cleaning up that crackling sound that’s present on most lps.

SteveH,
Based on your recommendation, I ordered a pair of Koss Porta Pros and they arrived today. These small headphones are a real jewel and bargain, the discount code # still worked. To think they have been around for many years and I just found out about them. Hmmmmm! They are everything you and others have said about them.
Thank you for posting them,
Lou

Lou, that's great! Glad they worked for you.