Thanx. We’ll see. I read some observations that rate the leak equivalent to IEMs when using the PP with Yaxi pads. Anyway, I am really anticipating trying this budget wonder. 
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It’s a little more leaky than that.
The drivers aren’t large but they aren’t sealed from either side either, and it’s not like they have a cup that goes around your ears to contain any of it. People near you will hear something. Sorry.
Fwiw, It’s not as bad as an hd650 though. Also, given the price, it’s worth a shot to see.
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Thanks! No worries.
My - very good! - colleague is a human loudspeaker so I am more worried about me actually being able to hear the music. 
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Ok, here is a little modification you can make once you get the Porta Pros.
Get an old pillow case. Cut it half so you have two equal sized pieces. When your Pros arrive, take them and put them on. Take note on how much the headband extends for optimal comfort. Plug in the headphone to your amp, and check the sound. Now take one of the pillowcase halves and roll it lengthwise into a long cord. Tie your co-worker to his chair, and using the the other half of the pillowcase, gag him.
Now you can enjoy hours of peaceful audio at work!
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Great suggestion @ProfFalkin . Why didn’t I come up with that idea myself!? Your solution solves two problems at the same time. Pure genius! 
Let’s put this in the mod thread. There must be other members of the community with similar problems with their [insert wife/colleague/children etc.].
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Just received my KPPs. No problem using them at work. With the Yaxi pads the leak is minimal and definitely acceptable for my co-worker.
Am thrilled with the sound. And they are so comfortable! Nice complement to my Sundaras.
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Is that with or without the pillowcase mod?
KPP is awesome. Glad you like them. 
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Hehe. This is with the ‘stock version’ of KPP. 
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I finally found an excuse for leaving my impressions of these, as usual, they are avilable in Spanish on my blog and Youtube.
Review of the Koss PortaPro
I recently received some Yaxi pads for the Koss PortaPro and for the KSC75’s, after not getting around to it for over a year and losing track of how many people told me to get them! As I was about to open the Yaxi pads and give them a whirl on the Koss models, I realized that I hadn’t yet done a review of the PortaPro.
Now, there are a million reviews on the web praising the PortaPro and I don’t think the world would miss mine if I didn’t post it but I am going to anyway. My reasons are that I feel the PortaPro deserves it and also, I would like to leave my impressions on them before swapping out to Yaxi pads, to see if I really do notice a big change or not.
The PortaPro that I have is the Massdrop version which has an included microphone but other than for the mic (and colour scheme), I believe that they are identical to the normal PortaPro sold directly by Koss.
I did review the KSC75, which uses the same drivers coated in titanium but mounts them in a clip on style, and I was very impressed with them, so I will also be making some comparisons to them along the way.
So, let’s get on with it!
Build and aesthetics…
As I said plainly in the KSC75 review, the build is cheap and the PortaPro are no different in this regard. They have a retro look to them, like they are designed to match a 1982 walkman, and although the (Mass)Drop version is all black, they still look like a cheap set of headphones (which they are).
As with the KSC75, the drivers are part of a plastic disc type shape that clips on to a headband. In fact, the only real difference between these and the KSC75 (except for colour and titanium covering) is the headband, which doesn’t exist on the KSC75.
The headband is a rather strange system, it is extendable and allows the drivers to be folded and then clips itself together to form a small round “bundle” (for lack of a better word) that can be stored inside the bag it came with (at least the Drop version came with a drawstring bag).
The headband also has two small cushions that rest above the ears (I suppose these are to stop all of the clamp force being on the drivers) and also has a “comfort setting” which changes the force with which the drivers clamp to your ears. It is a system that is very difficult to explain in words.
The cable, as with the KSC75, is permanently attached to the headphones but is of a bit better quality on the PortaPro, or on the Drop version at least. At the 3.5mm TRRS (due to the mic) connector end of the cable, there is a small spring type strain relief which should help protect the cable from breaking at that end. However, in my personal opinion, I have no issues replacing the connector if the cable were to break at that end but there is no strain relief at the driver end which is where it could be more problematic to replace.
As far as build, I am not sure I can add much more, it does leave a lot to be desired but at the same time I think it is part of its charm.
Comfort…
Yes!
I mean, yes, it is comfortable. In fact, it is extremely comfortable. It is so lightweight and has such a nice clamp force (depending on the setting), that I can just forget I am even wearing it. I spend a lot of time on video & conference calls and I can just wear the PortaPro for hours and hours (even 8 or more) without it bothering me at all. In fact, sometimes I will end a call and not realize that I am still wearing them until a couple of hours later (without music playing). That is something spectacular for a headphone, even more so for an on-ear headphone.
I can say without a doubt that it is the most comfortable headphone I own.
Sound…
Anyone who has been around the hifi headphone world for more than a few weeks will probably have heard praise for the Koss PortaPro, I am not going to detract from the praise but I am going to give my opinion on it in comparison to my personal tastes.
If anyone read (or watched) my KSC75 review, you may recall that I said that I preferred the KSC75 sound signature to the PortaPro, which I still do, although they are very close, so I will explain why I have that slight preference.
As an overall signature, the PortaPro is warmer than the KSC75. They have more presence in the bass department but they are not really bassy as such. The don’t have a ton of bass, they certainly aren’t bass cannons, and the extension down into the sub bass region is not really huge. They don’t give you the rumble that others do with songs like “Bury a Friend” by Billie Eilish but they do give you enough for you to know that there is sub bass there. They do this by presenting the harmonics of that sub bass in a better way that the KSC75, making it so you don’t feel it is missing.
In the remaining bass frequencies, again they are not overly bassy and I wouldn’t say that these headphones are something that will appeal to bass heads or those that like a lot of thump on EDM tracks. Listening to “Sun Is Shining” by Bob Marley and Robin Schulz, there is enough bass there to enjoy the track but they certainly aren’t something that will make you “wow” at the bass.
In the lower mids is where they make up for their slight lack of bass punch and make these a warm sounding headphone. There is a slight elevation in the area where the bass meets the lower mids which gives a nice richness and smoothness to the lower registries, even without a lot of bass.
These lower mids give a very nice body to acoustic instruments like guitars and basses, making acoustic music (that is my preferred genre) a nice warmth. This doesn’t just work well for acoustic instruments though, it is also an area where the first and second harmonics of many bass notes are found, again, making bass guitars have a nice warmth and body. I find that the portapro has lower mids that are very similar to a lot of my favourite bass guitar amplifiers. This doesn’t work the best for genres that are more clinical though and I find that some tracks like “Killing In The Name Of” can have a little too much warmth to them.
Moving through the mids, there is a bit of a roll of in the center mids before rising again as they reach the top of the mid-range. This adds to that sense of warmth and while it is very smooth, sometimes it can seem too smooth and lack a little bit of mid range in voices, depending on the voice. For example, the song “Tears In Heaven (acoustic)” by Eric Clapton has a beautiful body to the guitar but his voice can seem to be a little distant. In other songs, where the voice is a little too mid-present, such as “Don’t You Worry Child” by Beth, the PortaPro does a great job of smoothing this out.
In the upper area of the mids, there is a rise again as the mids meet the higher regions. However, this rise is not as pronounced as on the KSC75 and doesn’t give as much presence as the titanium covered version.
In the higher regions, the PortaPro does a better job of avoiding sibilance than the KSC75 but the latter have a bit more “air” to them, giving a better sensation of clarity.
Image and Soundstage…
The PortaPro are a little more intimate than the KSC75. The soundstage is not as wide, which is also due to the way that the PortaPro is worn, and imaging is decent but I feel that the KSC75 was slightly better in this regard. I think this is also partly due to the warmer nature of the PortaPro, which doesn’t necessarily perform worse than the KSC75 as far as image placement, but the KSC75 stands out more due to it’s brighter overall presentation.
Conclusions…
I feel that the praise of the PortaPro (which can be found on any headphone related site) is deserved. They are not perfect and in my personal opinion, fall behind the KSC75 when looking for my own preferred signature.
However, they are a headphone that are pleasant to listen to, provide plenty of detail and a warmth that makes them very relaxing.
There are many times when I will hang up on a conference call and just hit play without even thinking about changing headphones or dacs and amps. They actually live on my work desk connected permanently to the headphone/mic port of my docking station and have become my default headset for all calls and other quick media solutions when at my desk. They do improve slightly when connected to better devices than my docking station but actually sound pretty good no matter what I connect them to, my phone, my PC, my DAP, literally anything.
They are so comfortable that I can literally wear them all day without any discomfort and are the first headphones I pack whenever I travel, basically to have a decent sounding headset that works with anything.
For my personal tastes, I do prefer the sound of the KSC75 but that is because it matches my preferred tonality better than the PortaPro but it is not because they are better or worse, just different. The KSC75 would be my preference for plain music listening but the PortaPro are my go to due to the whole package they offer.
I feel that just like the KSC75, the PortaPro are something that is worth having no matter how often you use them (or not).
And now… I’m going to unpack the Yaxi pads and see if my opinions change!
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I agree. Great review especially keying in on the various mid ranges.
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Excellent review!
I’m really looking forward to seeing what you think about the Yaxi Pads.
Cheers!
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Great review @SenyorC. Very detailed as always. The Koss is a no brainer if your starting out or even an established Audio lover.
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A good friend sent me a set of these with Yaxi pads…THANKS! You know who you are!! 
My main HP’s now-a-days are Focal Clears and HEDD’s. So my bar is really high when I compare other headphones…
I also have had the Koss smaller sibling the KPH30is which from what i understand has the same drivers.
I have used these for months and love them for “light” listening of music and Netflix. Always amazed at how well the do!
Depending on the music it can be a very enjoybale listen. But on some material you do run into the limits of these portable headphones.
I love the Yaxi pads for comfort and improved soundstage they for the cost are a no brainer.
Being really critical listening to Erice Claptons 24 Nights CD, Have You Ever Loved A Women, the drum “smashes and hit hat cymbols” do sound a but “crunchy” at the levels I like to listen to. But still ok.
Listening to James Horner’s Soundtrack for “Glory” the listen is really nice, and open. surprisingly wide…and just really sweet.
The comfort level is wonderful and once I figured out how to adjust the soft/firm switch I was a happy camper on FIRM it actually was abit too tight for my head, on SOFT its prefect…hardly know that they are on!
Think I will have to get a set of these YAXI pads for the KP30hi’s as well!
Thanks to my friend!!!
Alex
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It’s also available there in a mostly black model – no blue but silver accents.
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So how do you double the cost of a Porta Pro? Add YAXI Pads 
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Just did!! $33 final price.
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I know everyone on the planet loves them.
I tried them a while back and spent approximately 18 hours trying to figure out how to put them on without spending 3 hours adjusting each time.
Had to send them back.
Edit: Sorry for the delete/repost. Got fumble-fingers on the post.
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I own the wired and bluetooth versions. They are great to use. Comfortable. They are very light. And they have an amazing full spatial sound that plays well with all kinds of music.
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- Place Porta-Pros on head
- If they feel tight, slide the slider. Generally it’s 2 clicks. There are only 2 clicks.
Do not get this out of order. It will drive you crazy. They will not stay adjusted.
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