Modifying The Koss PortaPro Headphones.

I am not going to make an introduction to the Koss PortaPro Headphones as most Head-Fi buffs worth their salt would already know about these portable headphones already and most likely own a pair in their arsenal of of headphones. But quite briefly they have been around since Adam was a boy and the retro styling has remained the same and is almost timeless. They are famous for being able to deliver punchy bass for a set of very light weight headphones, others have tried and died! You can check out the Cnet video I posted earlier in the month on an introduction to the PortaPro heaphones.

What I have always hated with these sets is the el-cheapo foam pads which they use for ear pads, they are uncomfortable and do not last very long. So today after work I decided I would go and buy some leatherette type ear pads and fit them to the PortaPro replacing the el-cheapos! So here are the pics of the conversion, before and after:

Photo 1 above: The new leatherette pads before insertion.

Photo 2 above: The Koss PortaPro's with the el-cheapo foam pads before removal.

Photo 3 above: The Koss PortaPro's with the new ear pads in place.

With the conversion my ears don't hurt as much using the PortaPro headphones and the end result also provides better external sound isolation making the whole listening experience much better then using the el-cheapo foam pads. There is less sound leakage and therefore I am hearing also more detail at lower volume levels then before.