Наушники — Koss Porta Pro Utility

The Porta Pro Utility comes from Koss, the American company that made the SP3 Stereophone in 1958 and introduced the original Porta Pro in 1984, and it belongs to the Utility Series, a range of three headphones and three cords designed to work together. Its main change over the classic Porta Pro is a detachable cord system, meant to let the owner connect to the devices they own now or buy later by swapping the cable instead of the headphone. The frame follows the original Porta Pro closely, with a sliding metal headband, plastic earpiece housings, foam cushions and a design that folds into a compact size.

Key specs that matter

Rated figures are a 15 to 25,000 Hz response, 60 ohm impedance and 101 dB SPL sensitivity. The supplied 3.5 mm Utility cord is 1.2 m long. The earpieces are open-air, the fit is on-ear with an adjustable headband, and in wired use the headphone needs no batteries. For personalisation Koss also sells optional colored ear cushions in standard and oversized form that fit the Porta Pro Utility.

Engineering and use context

Three cords are part of the system. The analogue Utility cord comes in the box and is the only cord included as standard. A USB-C Utility cord, sold separately, contains a built-in DAC with 24-bit and 96 kHz support plus call and track controls on the cord, aimed at Android phones, tablets and laptops with USB-C ports. A Lightning Utility cord is MFi certified for iPhone, iPad and iPod and also carries an in-line microphone and remote. A Utility Bluetooth adapter, again sold separately and fitted with a microphone and remote, turns the headphone into a wireless model. Koss covers its wired headphones, including this one, with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The Utility Series is built so that one cord can be moved between the headphones of the series, which means a buyer who already owns a USB-C or Lightning Utility cord can reuse it with the Porta Pro Utility.

Pairing

With the included cord the Porta Pro Utility plugs into any standard headphone output. Where a phone or laptop lacks a headphone jack, a USB-C cable carrying its own converter, or the Lightning cable, gives a direct digital link, and the Bluetooth adapter removes the cable altogether.

Alternatives

Within the Porta Pro range, the Koss Porta Pro Wireless is the dedicated Bluetooth 5.2 version of the Porta Pro, with a built-in battery rated for more than 20 hours and USB-C charging.