solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 20, 2014 16:42:10 GMT
The ones I bought a few days ago also came in the new black packaging called PortaPro Classic. Different bag markings. 2 and 4 on the sides (may not be telling that much) and no adapter.
I guess it depends on who you buy it from via Amazon. The cheaper ones and coloured ones are most likely fakes.
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Post by c61746961 on Jan 20, 2014 18:41:35 GMT
BTW, I'm really enjoying these, one of the funner pair of headphones I've ever listened to, they sound right somehow even with the overly boosted lows.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 20, 2014 19:03:51 GMT
Frans, is the packaging new now? Mine came in blister packs so that could be another indicator unless Koss have changed things.
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Post by c61746961 on Jan 20, 2014 19:11:34 GMT
Not Frans, but the new packaging looks like this:
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 20, 2014 19:54:48 GMT
A lot of Koss products are still sold in those blisterpacks. The first PortaPro I bought (a real one) came in a blisterpack as well (as did both my KSC75).
This measured one came in a box. I reckon they use boxes now to differentiate from the fakers.
The fun thing with (real) PortaPros is they sound very convincing. Only when you change to a better headphone they show their flaws when going from a better one to this one. On their own they are very realistic, not boomy and not sibilant sounding and enjoyable headphones.
I have MUCH better sounding ones (and worse sounding ones) but the Koss never disappoint or get boring.
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Post by c61746961 on Jan 20, 2014 20:25:15 GMT
The other day I had a longish listening session at night with my favourite music and, what struck me the most, is the way the soundstage is portrayed. It seemed I was listening to a miniaturised stage put in front of me ; D. I've found out most headphones don't do this for me. May have to do with the angle in which these transducers sit against the pinnae and the convincing tonality (I think I listen at lowish volumes) and decent amount of air. Downside is the 9 KHz ear canal resonance becomes more accentuated, took me a while to figure that out and EQ accordingly.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 20, 2014 20:51:58 GMT
Ok Frans. When mine arrives, it'll be interesting to know how it compares with the one you got. Maybe I'll get a pleasant surprise when you send the real one back!!
The postmen really do take their time to get there don't they?
You'll see that the one I sent has a straight plug, not angled but it does have Koss marked into it. I have two drivers here and tbh I can't tell if they're real or fake. Both arms have 4 on them.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 20, 2014 21:00:54 GMT
Not Frans, but the new packaging looks like this: C###### are you UK based? I'm wondering whether you used amazon.co.uk and which one you bought. I feel a bit wobbly about them all tbh.
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Post by c61746961 on Jan 20, 2014 21:27:02 GMT
x2, mine are staying as well , I did the kramer mod and I think the SQ was improved. Not Frans, but the new packaging looks like this: C###### are you UK based? I'm wondering whether you used amazon.co.uk and which one you bought. I feel a bit wobbly about them all tbh. No, I ordered from Amazon USA. I ordered two pairs of KSC 75 as well, and all of them came in nicely printed boxes, with the do-not-trash cable stickers as well. No 1/4" adapters.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 23, 2014 16:39:56 GMT
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 23, 2014 19:24:01 GMT
Well they must be good copies because I'm having trouble trying to work out whether mine really is a fake or real one. I don't have a clue!! The differences are really quite minor I suspect and not that easy to spot.
There also seem to be many satisfied customers and they may well be listening on fakes!!
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Post by TOPCAT on Jan 23, 2014 21:53:30 GMT
Hi there...Got to know about this site from Ian (admin)...I read his review on the fake Porta Pros and wanted to add some of my views...Just to introduce myself..I consider myself as an Audiophile..(not an expert) but knowlegeable enough to know about speakers..headphones and in ear ones too...I like to think I have a good ear when it comes to music in general and my tastes in music usually lie in Jazz...but I'll listen to most things as long as it's the best recordings I can get... Anyway....as to the porta pros...I bought some myself and they ARE genuine and there ARE a lot of fakes out there despite them being on the budget end of the market...Fakes will be copied on popularity mostly and where a fast buck can be made..It's a sad day when we all have to double check and even treble check the goods we buy in the hopes we have the genuine article...and we still get bit at times, even the best of us..I'm a gadget freak too so I have to be doubly cautious and I've been lucky as to be had only the once so far...Sorry I digress...The porta pros are a great buy for the cost and even after all these years they have suddenly been discovered by Audiophiles to sound fantastic for what they are...you either love em or hate em the way they look..but you can't knock the way they sound..Bass is just right...treble clear and sharp without that piercing shrill you can sometimes get..and the soundstaging brilliant...they are probably the best headphones you can get for portability for your smart phone, tablet or laptop..well in my opinion anyway....I do have several pairs of headphones which service me under different circumstances but these are my favorite all rounders.. Thanks for listening to me..Steve.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 23, 2014 22:08:22 GMT
Hi Steve. Nice to see you here. We're still waiting for a verdict. It seems quite fine between fakes and reals. I'm still not certain. Solderdude here will hopefully be receiving one of the three that I got and he'll be able to check since he's able to actually measure them; both frequency response and impedance. Apparently, fakes also have a different impedance as well. We're all headphone mutters on here I guess. I'm a musician and Solderdude is a brilliant technician with headphones. The third admin is Javier who is a computer guy, so we have tech, computer and music people. Each of us approach listening from a different aspect I guess, but we all love music. There are some real characters here too and it can get quite funny!! Well, it makes me laugh sometimes. Welcome.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 24, 2014 10:51:52 GMT
found this: www.koss.sound-magic.de/Produkte/Portable/portable.htmlA German site that sells all Koss products and also has the all white, all black, red and classic versions. the price is a bit on the high side though. Packaging differs from the ones offered on fleabay and Chinese websites though.
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Post by TOPCAT on Jan 24, 2014 17:06:17 GMT
Thanks for the welcome...I'll pop by once in a while if I find things out about speakers..headphones and in ear phones of any interest..I'll look forward to hearing what the outcome is regarding the portas too. Just a little more info on some of the things I have..I recently bought some in ear phones ..The Soundmagic E10's and I have run them in now and they are truly amazing for the money..I can clearly see why they have won awards for the past 3 years..I use these with my recently bought Sansa Clip...what a great little machine this is.I got it for the portability as well as the fact it plays Flac, all the other features were just the icing on the cake for me.. My old set of headphones.. but still sounding smooth... are my Senheiser HD450's...they must be 20 years old and they still give a warm sounding musical rendition whatever I put in them...However.. I treated myself to some AKG 702's for my main listening pleasure about 5 months ago now (for those times when I need to keep the wife happy from hearing my speakers and moaning to turn them down..lol)...They are a shear delight to use and the clarity they give is very unforgiving especially if the sound source is poor...but you will hear every note and detail and the soundstaging so good you'd think the musicians were there in front of you..Like I said before..I listen to mainly Jazz and these suit that style of music very well indeed..I'm so happy I went for these in the end as I scoured the internet to find what I was looking for.....This brings me to fakes again...I was a little worried when I first bought them, because on arrival I discovered they were made in China and not Austria as shown on many photos even today...I managed to get Amazon to change their pictures finally ( I got mine from GAK..an AKG agent) as someone wrote they had bought a pair of fakes like I thought I had...I contacted AKG and they sent a very nice letter reassuring me that they are now made in China ( the parts are sent from Austria fdor them to assemble...Cost affective apparently..*smirk*)..and have been since 2010....and would you believe there are still some selling the Austrian made ones...so be aware to some degree..that if you do they are at least 2 years old ( shelf age )...I was also assured they were being made to the same stringent measures as if they were made in Austria...Not sure if anyone knew this and maybe I've enlightened a few at least. Take care everyone..Cheers Steve.
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