Finally, I can try this legendary headphone from Koss. Why legendary? From a quick google you can find that this headphone series has been manufactured by Koss since 80s (that explains the retro look).

The headphone has always been compared with Sennheiser PX100 because they both portable and roughly tagged at the same price. As a proud PX100 owner I was curious of how Koss PortaPro sounds, and I’m really fortunate to have the chance to try one that my work colleague just bought.

Does it really beat the Sennheiser PX100? Let’s find it out!

Physical Form

The PortaPro size is very similar to PX100. The driver size is also about the same size. PortaPro is foldable and (supposedly) portable. It folds quite weirdly, but compared than nothing I guess it serves its function to be portable well enough. With a retro look, it surely catch attention easily. Not for everyone maybe, but I love it.

It also close the ear perfectly and comfortably, and that means good sound isolation.

Sound

From one forum thread dedicated to discuss the comparison of PortaPro and PX100 I already read that the PortaPro sound bright, while PX100 sound dark.

I agree with that. The sound that PortaPro produce is simply brighter and richer than that of PX100. PX100 tends to cover certain detail sounds while PortaPro tends to expose them.

Listening to Jazz and Acoustic songs using PortaPro is really a treat.

Unfortunately when it comes to low sounds, PX100 excel significantly. Not to say that the PortaPro produce bad bass sound, it’s great indeed, but not as impressive as PX100.

Price

Unfortunately in Indonesia, the PortaPro price is tagged at $70.

Conclusion

In general, I’ve got to admit that Koss PortaPro beat Sennheiser PX100 because of the brighter sound reproduction. Acoustic and Instrument songs lover will surely love the PortaPro because of the crystal clear sound. Although if you are a bass head, you would prefer Sennheiser PX100 for more punch pumping bass.

So should you buy Koss PortaPro or Sennheiser PX100? If money is no problem then go buy both of them.

Wow, I’m very lucky to have the chance to review several earphones and headphones this week!

This time I borrowed my other work colleague’s Sennheiser OMX 52 headphones, one of the headphone from street style series of Sennheiser.

It’s a cool looking headphone with a oval shape and shiny metallic skin. But does it sound as good as it looks? Here’s the review.

Sound and Form Factor

Bring me the bass sound!
OMX 52 is a hybrid of earphone and headphone, so considering the driver size I expect it to kick some bass.

Unfortunately it seems that Sennheiser misengineered the earphone form factor, causing the bass to be, well, almost unheard.

It’s a supra aural type, meaning it sits on the ear, not enclosing the ear.

I tried to press the drivers to my ears and finally I could heard something I wish to hear earlier. When pressed close to ears the bass sound is good enough, but still lacking.

Mid and treble is fine, nothing special though.

Forget the detail, it also suffer from the misengineered form factor.

Hookability

Ok, the OMX 520 is a street style edition, so it’s supposed to be wear in the street. I tried to head bang while wearing this headphone and they stayed on my ear, though I think they still slightly moved.

But I don’t think normal use of this headphone include head bang in the street, so yeah, it is quite allright.

However, I think it won’t survive longer period of shake such as when jogging and running.

Yet I find no issue with wearing the headphones for a long period indoor, it is comfortable enough.

Price

It is tagged with a price of around $28 in Indonesia.

Buy or Not?

For the sound, I don’t recommend this Sennheiser OMX 52 simply because I’m not satisfied with it. It supposed to deliver a better sound if only it has better position and more pressed to the ear. Actually the form factor waste so much of its true capability.

If you are looking for a more portable headphones than Sennheiser PX 100, this still could be your choice though.

A work colleague of mine asked me to bought this earphone for her when I was still in Jakarta two weeks ago. She was thinking of MX 360 before but changed her mind to MX 460 because the MX 460 supposed to deliver better bass.

Frankly, I never been a fan of earphone, so I always chose portable headphone whenever I have the option. Simply because I still believe in driver’s size does matter.

But hey, this beautiful white earphone bear Sennheiser brand in it, so I think the company will not let it to be just like the rest of earphone in the market.

So today I asked my friend to let me test the earphone, and here is what I have to say about it.

Sound

Of course I was really interested to test the bass capability of this can, so I immediately tested it using some of the deep bass punch songs.

The result was not bad, it tried to punch my eardrum somehow, but something limited it and thus some breakage sound is inevitable.

Like I have expected, some of the really deep bass sound feeling is not fully producable by this earphone. Yet, some of the bass, middle, and treble are perfect and I think it sounds better than ordinary earphones.

Details is enough although still lacking if compared to my dbE Acoustics PR20 IEM. This is, however, also expected because the earphone lacks of isolation. I’m not saying that this earphone doesn’t provide detail sound, yet some very subtle sounds will not be heard.

Design and Comfortness

The white color is catchy and makes it look good, but I don’t find any special with the design, it still looks very similar to other ordinary earphones.

It is comfortable in the ear, I don’t feel any objectionable feeling wearing it for a long period of time.

Price

In Indonesia the earphone is priced at $18, not so cheap, but not so expensive also like other serious earphones.

Buy It or Not?

If you are a casual listener I think this earphone is a good buy. It gives an enough clear sound for most of the music types and you will love it. It also gives an introduction to better sound quality not given by other ordinary earphones.

Yet, for those who are serious about sound and looking for exceptional sound quality and details, I think this earphone cannot be an option, it just not meant to make such sound.

Honestly I was planning to buy the dbE Acoustics PR18 when I went to Plaza Semanggi two weeks ago. I heard about the GadgetXone store where we can tried the different dbE Acoustic earphones from the internet.

It’s kinda hard to find the store in the 3rd floor (2B), but it worth all the hardship.

I tried three of the dbE Acoustics In Ear earphone; PR18, PR20, and HF30.

To make the story short, more than 30 minutes later I went out of the store with PR20 instead of PR18. Why I bought the PR20 is what I’m going to tell you in this review.

*This is also my first time experience listening to in ear type earphone so maybe the review sounds so newbie.

Sound

Let’s get straight to the deal. Earphone is 90% about sound so how exactly is the PR20 sounds? In two words it’s: “very nice”.

Bass capability is always my first type of sound test, so there is no excuses for this PR20. It amazingly reproduce a great bass sound considering its tiny size. However I got to remember also that for IEM (in ear monitors) earphone the sound quality is expected to be better than ordinary earphone piece.

I love the bass that comes from PR20. I know it’s not as thumping as the Sennheiser PX 100, much more compared to Behringer HPM1000, but it’s already enough to know that there is bass there.

How about the mid and treble sounds? Are they covered by the bass?

Now this is the single reason why I took PR20 and not the PR18. PR20 produce significantly clearer mid and treble sounds compared to PR18. Period.

Tricks With IEM Earphones

The sound quality of IEM earphones is affected by the size rubber seal that should fit our ears.

Wearing a wrong rubber size seal can make you disappointed with the sound. I wear the medium size rubber seal which gives the PR20 its 100% capability.

Prolong use of IEM earphones somehow makes me discomfort though, so for a long listening session I still count on my Sennheiser PX 100 which is really really comfortable.

Price

dbE Acoustics PR20 is priced at $27. A wonderfully priced earphone set and it worth the price tag.

Buy It or Not?

I think IEM is not meant to all of the people because of its ‘invasive’ nature. However for audiophiles, IEM is one of the good things in life.

For PR20 I have no complain when it comes to the sound, it delivers what I want to hear.

However for long listening session I won’t use this IEM because of its uncomfortable nature.

*Bonus Story – Experience Listening to Yuin PK3 and PK2

GadgetXone not only sells dbE Acoustics earphones, it also sells Yuin PK3 and PK2, two of earphones that are well known among audiophiles.

I’m so fortunate to have the chance to listen to these two earphones. I have heard from Kaskus and other forums that Yuin is one of the best earphones though not so many people know.

Both PK3 and PK2 has not much bass sound but somehow the mid and treble sounds are so so so crystal clear. I don’t know how to explain it but there is really something special about the sound that were reproduced from these two Yuins.

PK3 is priced around $45 and PK2 is around $75.

I wonder what kind of sound the PK1 ($150) can produce.

Well, hopefully one day I will have the chance to review Yuin PK1 or better yet, own it. ;D

I heard the brand Behringer few years ago when I was still in the Philippines, and I tested their headphone back then. I remember the price was around Php 1,000 ($20). Unfortunately I don’t remember how the sound quality was and what was the series.

As I returned to Bali last week I noticed my work colleague has a new Behringer headphone, HPM1000. Curious about the sound I tested it and here is my review of the headphone.

Sound

I believe the headphone has already burned in by the time I tested it because my friend have bought for a while, so there will be no excuse.

I tested the headphone for its bass punch sound immediately because I expect its big driver to deliver some deep bass sound. It pass very well and to some extend it surpass the Sennheiser PX 100 that I have.

All bass and no detail will make a headphone a dull one, so I tested the detail sound next.

Hmmm… probably it is really the fate of entry level headphone to lack the detail and crystal clear sound. HPM1000 is somehow has a warm characteristic that makes some of the brighter sound seems lacking.

Physical Factor

Ok, let’s get physical this time.

Behringer HPM1000 is a headphone type so it’s a bulky one that normally sits in the house and not to be carried around with your portable music player.

There is something lacking about how it supposed to cover my ears. The earpiece design is stiff so it doesn’t adjust with our ear position. Simply, it doesn’t cover my ears perfectly. Sadly, this may result to unoptimal sound quality.

Price

Behringer HPM1000 is tagged at $15 at Froogle (Google’s version of Amazon) and around $20 here in Indonesia. A very competitive price with such quality.

Conclusion

Finally I can write the review of Behringer headphone after several years ago I tested one.

Behringer HPM1000 is one great entry level headphone that brings good bass punch though detail is quite lacking in this headphone.

At $15-$20 it’s indeed a bargain, a great sound above ordinary headphones, unfortunately nothing that makes me awe.

Woohoo.. finally I got my Sennheiser PX 100 last week. It is a great portable headphone that worth mentioning, though maybe not the best headphone out there.

This is not my first Sennheiser though, I already have PCX 200 (with active noise cancelling) since last 2005, so I already have something in mind when I expect the Sennheiser sound quality.

Sound

One sure thing about this headphone, it can make a standard or even lousy MP3 player produce a far better sound. Honestly, it was the single reason why I decided to bought it.

One time I borrowed my work colleague’s PX 100 and tested in my office PC. I usually use my PCX 200 and without turning on the noise cancelling, the sound that comes out from the PC was really pathetic.

I plugged in PX 100 and whoaa…, I can’t believe the sound can be this good. I really wonder what magical thing happened inside this headphone. Trust me, the voice blew me away.

It wasn’t a hard thing to decide that I should get one of this headphone.

Different Music Types

For the whole weekend I tried various songs and music types with this headphone and though in general all of them sounds awesome, there are certain music types that this headphone is really targetted at.

- Acoustic and Instrumental

I believe this is the best type of music to bring out the best of Sennheiser PX 100. Somehow the headphone can produce all the detail sounds in acoustic and instrumental music.

As I listen to some acoustic songs in my MP3 player, I noticed some sounds that wasn’t clear earlier yet reproduced clearly by this headphone.

- Pop and Rock

These are the second type of music that you can expect the headphone to perform at its best. Nice, sweet, and crisp…

- Techno and Trance

I was expecting something more from the headphone when I listened to some Techo music I have. The sound was great, but somehow not special. Probably the headphone was not specifically designed for this type of music.

Price

At around $40 this baby is pretty expensive compared to other common headphones, yet pretty cheap compared to far more expensive hi-fi headphones. But the experience that the product gives pays it all.

Plus, with 2 years warranty that it comes with, I think it’s really a great deal.

Buy It or Not

If you want a great headphone at a “friendly” price, this headphone is definitely a must buy. When I googled for its review, some people mentioned that iGrado is better than Sennheiser PX 100 at a higher price (~$47). Other also said that AKG 412P is better than this headphone at a cheaper price (~$37).

Actually, since I already have a Sennheiser PCX 200 I planned to order the AKG 412 P or iGrado. Unfortunately these two headphones were not available when I contacted the seller so I get myself Sennheiser PX 100.

Nonetheless, I’m very happy with it and recommend it!

Just bought Okion Temus AHS9M Headset in Kuta today. I was really looking for a headset, headphone with microphone that is, so I can chat using Yahoo Messenger or Skype more comfortably rather than talking to my laptop monitor screen closely (since my laptop microphone is located on top part of the LCD screen).

Got several options actually, but somehow I got interested to this Okion Temus. Besides its friendly price (Rp 75,000), it’s also has a big driver. I love big driver because I still believe the bigger the driver, the better the power, which could mean better sound and deeper bass.

I borrowed my friend’s Sony Ericsson Walkman phone to test drive several headphones in the store before I decided to bought the Okion Temus.

Sound

Although the headphone comes with a price tag of less than $10 and thus can be considered as entry level headphone, the sound is quite impressive. It has deep bass (which I think due to its large driver) and yet clear treble as well. I know it is still far below my Sennheiser headphone, but this Okion Temus headphone surely doesn’t disappoint me at all.

Score: 7.8

Features

It’s a headset, so it comes with a microphone. The microphone is rather a small one, does not extend fully to your mouth position (not even close). Tested the sound, though I can’t say that it’s really good but it is acceptable.

Another helpful feature is the volume control and microphone on/off switch. I believe it is quite standard in all headset, but I still love its existence in this Okion Temus.

Score: 8.0

Comfortableness

Hmm.. This is quite tricky. The headphone has soft pad that close ear softly. However after about an hour of using the headphone I felt dizzy a little bit. I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with it’s closed system.

Score: 5.5

Price

One of the best part and crucial part determining whether it’s a good buy or not. I guess it’s still a good buy. At around $8 (Rp 75,000), you get a headset that is good enough. It is not the best headset you can have out there. But if you are in a budget, this headset surely is a good buy and I recommend it.

Score:8.5

Conclusion

Total score is 7.5

Yeah, the Okion Temus AHS9M I bought is really a bargain and I didn’t regret buying it at all. For the price, I believe it is really a competitive product. If money is no issue, then you still may to consider Logitech headsets or Sennheiser headset, since their sound quality is well known. However, Okion Temus AHS9M is surely one of the best buy you can get out there.

This is my first Okion headset, and I think I will surely consider Okion products in the future when I’m buying headset and earphones.