Koss radically updated its most iconic headphones without anyone noticing

The Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 is exactly what it should be

The Koss Porta Pros are one of the most iconic and popular designs in the history of audio equipment. The headphones were released in 1984 in response to the rise of the Sony Walkman and aimed to translate the company’s audio prowess in a portable, affordable form factor.

The results were unmistakably odd. The collapsible headband, blue driver housings and striking shape meant you could spot them from a mile away. But Koss managed to deliver its trademark warm, bassy sound signature into an accessible product, and its retro-futuristic industrial design has never quite gone out of style.

Koss, which is still a family-run business headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sold the Porta Pros virtually unchanged for decades. At under $50, they remained a great option for on-the-go listening. But with the demise of the smartphone headphone jack, eventually a modern wireless update felt like an obvious move.

Unfortunately, Koss’ first attempt in 2018 was a whiff. Despite coming after Apple’s AirPods made their debut, the wireless Porta Pros relied on an awkward cable that housed an inline remote and a battery that rested on the wearer’s neck.

A few months ago, I found out that Koss released an radically updated version around a year ago, dubbed the Porta Pro Wireless 2.0. This feels like the sort of thing I should have noticed, but apparently Koss didn’t feel the need to actually tell anyone about the new version. There’s a press release, sure, but for some reason the product got virtually no coverage in the usual channels.

The Verge didn’t follow up on its withering coverage of the 1.0 model. You won’t find reviews on major audio equipment outlets. Even the thread on legendarily obsessive audiophile forum head-fi.org has just 14 posts. (For comparison, the thread on my own Koss go-tos, the relatively obscure KPH30i, has 392.)

The Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 is, however, freely available to order on Amazon for $99, so obviously I had to check it out.