BTW, I bought the Porta-Pros purely based on reviews and feedback here. Haven’t been thinking of them before that. They are a GREAT value and perfect for my exercise needs. Probably the best $40 I ever spent on audio gear.
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Those Yaxi Pads will fit right into the Darthpool Purple Pleasure Palace Collection I’m sure. Lol.
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Looking good and Feelin Groovy? Look what else you can still buy:
I’m wearing a USA made pair of Converse All Star Low Tops. Oh wait. that was the early 60s.
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Nice! Michael Knight approves!
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Hells yeah, this is fantastic!
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The next picture is of them trying to skate around a little old lady, forgetting they’re both connected to the Walkman and decapitating her with the headphone cable.
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No, they’d have stopped and carried her across the street and then bought her a loaf of bread and bottle of milk. It was a thoughful, compassionate, focused, and polite era. Many people would even preface naughty words with “Pardon my French.”
To understand the uplifting human spirit that Walkman and Koss brought to humanity, watch some historical documentaries: Animal House, Grease, Porky’s, and absolutely nothing after Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
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I just refloated a 3 year old thread with another review so I am not going to create a thread for these, I will just leave my review of the KPH30i here and link it in the KSC75 thread, as the review compares to both of them. I seem to remember that someone owned up to doing a comparison of these recently in a thread, well, as I have a soft spot for budget stuff (ok, I’m a tightwad as @pennstac would put it), I also admit to doing it and here is the proof 
As usual, this is also available in Spanish on my blog and on YouTube, links at the end of the thread.
Intro…
There are no shortage of opinions and reviews of the KPH30i available as this set of ultra-budget headphones were released back in 2017, however, that didn’t stop me from reviewing the Porta Pro and KSC75 that were released decades ago.
The PortaPro and the KSC75 are my most used headphones, not because they are the best headphones I own, it is because they are so easy to grab and sound so good that they are the only headphones I always have sitting within arms reach and connected, ready to go, 24/7.
In the office, the PortaPro are permanently connected to an Apple dongle DAC, being my default headphones for long conference calls and also see plenty of use for music listening between calls, even though I have other alternatives and a desktop set up at the side of me, I find I use them a lot more than any other headphone or IEM at work.
In my home set up, the KSC75 (on a PortaPro headband) sit at the side of my desk connected to either the 789 or Asgard 3. When I sit down to listen for a period of time, I usually opt for other solutions but because I live in such a dusty place, all of my headphones live in their cases/boxes, meaning that for quick listening to PC content, I end up grabbing the KSC75.
It also helps that they are light and small, avoiding the heat build up that I get from my over ear solutions, avoiding the “wet sponge on head” sensation.
So, seeing that I have got so much enjoyment and use from the two budget options from Koss and the fact that it was on sale for less than 30€, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out the third highly praised budget option from the brand, the KPH30i. It is not as widely acclaimed as the other two variations but it is still very easy to find praise for it online.
Presentation…
The typical budget from Koss is present once again with the KPH30i. Arriving in a transparent plastic sleeve, with nothing more than the headphones and the warranty card, there really isn’t anything much to say about the presentation.
Basically the presentation is cheap (of course) and the packaging is just meant to get the headphones from the store to your house, be opened and then (hopefully) recycled.
Build quality and aesthetics…
As with the other models, the build quality of the KPH30i is cheap, using nothing but plastic and a simple silicone comfort strap. I have seen people who prefer this build to the one of the PortaPro but I have also seen many cases of the plastic headband breaking, so my guess is that they won’t stand up to much abuse but for less than 30€, it is not going to be heart breaking if they do get damaged.
The adjustment is by means of plastic sliders on both sides of the headband, which are honestly difficult to adjust once on the head but are quite useful when adjusting before putting them on. People complain about the PortaPro headband pulling their hair out, which is something I have not experienced personally (due to short hair and not adjusting them while wearing them), that is something that won’t be an issue with the adjustment of the KHP30i but personally I prefer the system of the PP, both for adjustability and due to the fact that they fold, something that the KPH cannot do.
As far as aesthetics, I have seen them referred to as library headphones and I can see the resemblance (for the young ones out there, a library is a place we used to go to borrow or read books before the internet existed ). They are certainly not headphones that look anything other than cheap but I have a soft spot for the “old school” looks that Koss go for with some of their models and the KPH30i are no exception. I opted for the white version and I don’t have an issue with their looks but that is a very personal thing.
As far as comfort, they are very light and I find them just as comfortable as the PortaPro, I just forget I am wearing them.
Sound…
Now, before getting into the sound of the KPH30i, I want to mention pads and the swapping of them.
There are many reports of swapping the stock pads on the KPH30i to either Grado 1000 type pads or to Yaxi pads. I have installed Yaxi Pads on both my PortaPro and KSC75 and I agree that it does improve the overall sound quality in both cases. WIth the KPH30i, to change the pads it is a little more complicated than on the other two models, with a very high possibility of destroying the pads when removing them, therefore, I have withheld from performing a pad swap until such time as I have completed this review. I will be trying the Grado style pads afterwards but I really don’t think I will opt for them as it goes against one of the things that I most like about the Koss range, the fact that they are not over ear and do not build up heat. I will probably end up installing Yaxi pads but that is something for a later date.
So, on to the sound in their stock form…
First, as is the case with the other two models I keep mentioning, these headphones really shouldn’t sound this good for the price they are sold at. I mean, they are not something that competes with hi-end offerings from other manufacturers (at 10, 20 or even 50 times the price) but they have a sound signature that is more than enough to enjoy music without worrying about it, just plug in, sit back and relax.
Starting off with sub bass, this is not the strong point of these kinds of headphones. While it doesn’t feel like it is lacking, there is a clear roll off in the lowest registries due to the nature of these on ear headphones. If you are looking for a bass boost with rumbling lows, then these are not the headphones for you.
In the mid bass and higher bass regions is where the KPH30i makes up for the lack in subbass. There is a bump in this area that gives the impression of good (and clean) bass performance, allowing bass guitars to be nicely presented and come across with a natural tone to them. In “Smooth Operator” by Sade, the low end is nicely balanced and it is easy to follow both the bass lines and drum rhythms without them bleeding into one another too much. I say “too much” because the separation is not excellent, there are many headphones that do this better (obviously at higher prices), but it is more than enough to enjoy and appreciate the instruments. The same can be said of tracks like “Jack Of Speed” by Steely Dan or “Elephants on Ice Skates” by Brian Bromberg. If we focus on electronic tracks, such as “Sun Is Shining” by Robin Schulz feat Bob Marley, then the bass is acceptable but I feel it is a little lacking to really appreciate EDM. The bass hits are there but the roll off of the sub bass makes the bass in these tracks seem a little hollow.
Moving into the lower mids, there is a slight reduction in comparison to the low end, but nothing dramatic, just enough to avoid bleed and keep the lower mids tight and controlled, keeping those bass guitars and the low end of guitars intact. I like the whole presentation of the mids as far as tuning goes, in fact, the general tuning of the bass and mids is one that I find enjoyable. From tracks like “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, through to “Back It Up” by Caro Emerald, the tuning is well balanced and does not give the sensation of anything being recessed in the mids. It also doesn’t give the sensation of anything being overly upfront or in your face. All in all, the mids are a pleasurable experience that could improve in detail but the tuning is pretty much spot on.
Up in the higher regions, this is where the KPH30i are slightly off target for my preferences. They are not quite up to the treble found in the KSC75 (I will mention more about comparisons in a second) although they are still a pleasurable listen. They do avoid sibilance quite well, as found in my usual test tracks of “Code Cool” by Patricia Barber and “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing” by Lana Del Rey but they don’t quite sound as natural as they should up there. Sometimes I find that brass instruments have a bit of an artificial sound to them and this can reflect negatively on the higher ranges of voices but, again, this is not terrible, just not quite right.
Conclusion…
I have three sets of Koss in front of me right now (well, 4 if we count the set of KSC75 that are still mounted on clips instead of a headband) and I can say without a doubt that all of them are well worth their price. But which one is the best?
Well, the best is obviously subjective and each person will prefer the sound signature of one over another, even if all of them are actually rather similar but with some clear differences.
In my personal preference list, my favourite would be the KSC75 mounted on the PortaPro headband and sporting Yaxi Pads. The KSC75 have better highs and more definition than the KPH30i. The bass is more present and punchier on the KHP30i which does work better for certain songs and genres but in general I prefer the KSC75 signature and find them more detailed. However, let’s consider that, although I like the KSC75 in their stock form, I think they are great in the form that I currently have them which includes 20€ for the earphones, 17€ for the PortaPro headband and 10€ for the Yaxi pads, totalling 47€ . This leaves more than enough to install Yaxi pads on the KPH30i which may improve them enough to be closer to the KSC75, although I feel that the sound signature will still be more to my preference on the KSC75.
In comparison to the PortaPro, I actually find that I prefer the sound signature of the KPH30i. While I like the PortaPro, it is a headphone that is slightly dark. It could even be considered slightly veiled with its stock pads, although I found that the Yaxi pads again improved this. The KPH30i, even with its stock pads, is slightly livelier and clearer than the PortaPro, with more of a defined hit in the upper bass and lower mids, just slightly cleaner overall. My main use for the PortaPro has been calls due to the incorporated microphone which works well (or at least I haven’t received any complaints over the past year or so) and I do enjoy it for relaxed BGM listening but the KSC75 is my preference for real music listening. I would place the KPH30i above the PortaPro due to sound signature being sort of midway between the KSC and the PP, added to the fact that it also has a microphone, so it can replace my PP on my desk, although for travel, the PP will still be my pick due to it folding. I would say that at this moment, the PortaPro are again better defined than the KPH30i but, once more, they are wearing Yaxi Pads, so a fair comparison can only really be made after swapping pads on the KPH30i.
So, after all that, all I can say is that any of the three Koss models mentioned in this review are worth owning, in fact, I am happy to own all three. If we take into consideration my total investment in Koss ultra-budget options, I have probably spent 130€ (including Yaxi pads for all of them and the headband for the KSC) which have brought me more hours of use than any other headphone in my collection, even ones costing 10 times the sum of all three.
If you don’t own a set of Koss and have never given them a try, just grab a set the next time you see one on sale (or even at full retail price) and give them a whirl, I can guarantee it won’t be wasted money because even if they turn out to not be your thing, they will make an awesome gift for someone around you!
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With you 100% bro. I have the same setup both at work and in my home “office/computer/music” area. At work, I don’t have a headphone setup, but am now using speakers quietly. At home, although there is a Schiit stack, a STAX amp, and the old STAX headphone, the Nectar Hive (my favorite) and a Senn HD 6xx all in easy reach, the Koss (porta pro in my case) gets more use. Nor have I gotten any complaints about the mic and sound, something I cannot say about my Audeze LCDi3 with Cipher cable or Bluetooth cable. I also have some Skullcandy earbuds - they seem to have an OK mic, and Hifiman 600TWS. For calls, I occasionally get a complaint, but not often. This room has a noisy window AC which seems to bother some mics but not the ones from Koss. Probably a good spot to explore closed back, but I procrastinate, and if I do so long enough, the summer heat will be over.
Great review as always, @SenyorC .
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hello I have these headphones with black yaxi pads and in the absence of money for an elex I’d rather use them than my dt880 or dt770 because the treble doesn’t kill me also they are very comfortable
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Nice write up. Don’t have the KSC but I love the KPH and do prefer it over the Porta-Pro ( may be just a comfort thing). I use it for console gaming (very rarely do this anymore though) 
and choose it over my Sennheiser pc37x …haven’t really a/b ’d it as far as SQ but I find it way more comfortable and that’s enough for me.
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Another excellent review @SenyorC. Sir, you are a reviewing machine and I don’t know where you get the time from, to both write and then share this with us. Thanks for another great read.
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everyone said koss porta pro is very comfortable for a long-time wearing but i feel sore at the top of my head when i wore it about 10-15 minutes. Can you guys suggest any solution for this? I’ve just bought it yesterday and i love the sound of it
Have you tried extending the headband enough so that it is too big for you and doesn’t touch the top of your head? The clamp should be enough to hold them in place (you can also adjust the clamp force with the little switches on each side).
Another option is to add some kind of thin padding under the headband to see if this helps.
One other option I can think of is to swap them for clips from the KSC75, that don’t have a headband at all. I am not saying you should buy the KSC75 just for the clips (although they are great earphones), but many people have swapped out the clips for a headband on the KSC75, so somebody may have some clips laying around that they don’t want. I have some but as I am in Europe, the shipping would be more than just buying the KSC75.
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Actually, while I am posting in this thread, here is a shot of my final KPH30i condition after some pad swapping and comparisons.
In the end, I opted for Yaxi pads and removing the foam behind the driver. The Grado style pads do sound great but they take away one of my favourite part of the Koss line up, the light on ear comfort. They make them over-ear and if I want to deal with the heat of over-ears, I have a few other sets
BTW, the spikes that hold the pads on are a real PITA, so I just removed them with some flush wire cutters. Now I can install or remove Yaxi (and other pads) without having to dismantle the headphones and damage the pads.
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I had an old mouse mat I wasn’t using anymore. I took an X-Acto knife and cut little squares out of it, and used double-sided tape to attach it to those plastic pieces on the headband.
Comfort issue completely resolved.
When they advertise this as permanent double-sided tape, they stinking mean it. This is some of the best stuff I’ve ever used.
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Do y’all think the Porta Pro, paired with Yaxi Pads, would be a good headphone for my kids to use for the virtual schooling that they have? The audiophile in me wants to just buy them each a Senn HD 560S, but that would be silly. 
I think it would probably work ok, but you have to be careful with the thin wires.
The kcs model with the plastic headband would probably be better, easier to use for kids.
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