Koss Portapro @ Urban Outfitters, ugh...

Joewp

Joewp

Active Member
So for a month or so I was researching headphones to get with an iPod. I already have a pair of Sony MDR-V6's that I love, but I was tired of using earbuds with the iPod. After all the research, I decided I was going to get the Koss Portapros, and started searching best buy's in my area to see what I could find.

One night, on a whim, I picked up a pair of Koss UR-55's after reading some rave reviews from other forums. I am very happy with them, they are everything I was looking for and more, but I still wanted the Portapros, just because of all that was said about them, and how cool they look, but could never find them. (I could have gotten them online for $30, but I'm really impatient)

Well, imagine my surprise and dismay when I walked into an urban outfitters and found at least 15 pairs just sitting there at $50. Had I not gotten the UR-55's, I would have run to the counter, happy as hell, but instead I cursed my luck.

I am quite happy with the UR-55's, but man, I still want to hear the portapros. At least the hipster are bringing back a cool looking headphone.

Joe
 
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In case you're wondering, I do not much care for Urban Outfitters.
 
Also, Porta-Pros are real nice, I have a pair. The bass is a little muddy, but it beats using a way nicer pair of Sennheisers that have a 3 meter long cord when I'm walking to school.
 
If enough PortaPro threads show up, I might finally remember to contact Koss about fixing the headband on mine. :D
 
Sam Cogley said:
If enough PortaPro threads show up, I might finally remember to contact Koss about fixing the headband on mine. :D
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What happened to the headband? Did the plastic break? I'm just trying to picture a situation where somebody could have broken the steel somehow... and I don't like what I'm seeing.
 
What's wrong with Urban Outfitters? Hipsters have to get their corporate provided rebellion and mass-marketed kitsch somewhere, might as well be down the street....

They occasionally have nice pants.
 
Sticklyman said:
What happened to the headband? Did the plastic break? I'm just trying to picture a situation where somebody could have broken the steel somehow... and I don't like what I'm seeing.
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I bought my PortaPros on New Years Eve 1996. They've been around a while. When they got to about 9 years old, the little plastic retainers on the headbands started to crack. The metal bands are fine, I just need to get those small black plastic pieces fixed.
 
JohnVF said:
What's wrong with Urban Outfitters? Hipsters have to get their corporate provided rebellion and mass-marketed kitsch somewhere, might as well be down the street....

They occasionally have nice pants.
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one day urban outfitters, is only going to stock saran wrap in different colors, since in the future, clarity-see through is going to be the new in. I've already gone hip:thmbsp::banana::banana:
 
seesolo said:
one day urban outfitters, is only going to stock saran wrap in different colors, since in the future, clarity-see through is going to be the new in. I've already gone hip:thmbsp::banana::banana:
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I think that one day the weight of their obsession with irony will collapse in upon itself, forming a black hole of kitsch from which no sincerity can escape.
 
Sam Cogley said:
I bought my PortaPros on New Years Eve 1996. They've been around a while. When they got to about 9 years old, the little plastic retainers on the headbands started to crack. The metal bands are fine, I just need to get those small black plastic pieces fixed.
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That's kind of what I figured had happened. I was hoping for a story like "well, I ran them over with my car and the steel bands exploded, other than that the cans are fine, they did put a hole through my engine block though."

Send those puppies in man, the most you should have to pay is cheap shipping.


It's funny, my girlfriend has some clothing from Urban Outfitters, and it all looks nice. I think it's just the overload of being in the store, or when people have clearly bought their whole wardrobe there.
 
JohnVF said:
I think that one day the weight of their obsession with irony will collapse in upon itself, forming a black hole of kitsch from which no sincerity can escape.
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You mean they'll move corporate HQ to Branson?

Sticklyman said:
That's kind of what I figured had happened. I was hoping for a story like "well, I ran them over with my car and the steel bands exploded, other than that the cans are fine, they did put a hole through my engine block though."

Send those puppies in man, the most you should have to pay is cheap shipping.
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I know, just haven't gotten around to it.
 
JohnVF said:
What's wrong with Urban Outfitters? Hipsters have to get their corporate provided rebellion and mass-marketed kitsch somewhere, might as well be down the street....

They occasionally have nice pants.
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I always wondered where hipsters got all that stuff from. Now I know. If they haven't already they need to contact Apple and have them set up kiosks in those stores--they'd sell ten million Macs and i[fill-in-the-blank]s a day.

Reminds me of the old Peter Max merchandise. Same deal: counterculture image with a copyright symbol.

Some people buy image apparel. Some people buy audio equipment. In the end, we're both happy, but the latter get to hear the music. I suppose the former wanted to do that, too, hence the Porta Pros.
 
Cadillac Kid said:
I think Urban Outfitters is more Pop than Counter.
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You're probably right. :thmbsp: But I lump all that stuff together into one, mainly because it all seems to exist for the same reason: a generation defining themselves as firmly not their parents.

My parents' generation had better audio equipment, though, so I know they did at least one thing right. :music:
 
Squonk07 said:
Some people buy image apparel. Some people buy audio equipment. In the end, we're both happy, but the latter get to hear the music. I suppose the former wanted to do that, too, hence the Porta Pros.
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I wouldn't go that far, you would be amazed how many people would buy the portapro's for there "vintage" look as apposed to there excellent sonic quality's.
 
Well... not too many people bought them for their look, or their sonic excellence. My wife took me by the store tonight and they had two rows of them on sale, $20 a pop. Needless to say, I picked up my first pair and wow, glad I did
 
Squonk07 said:
You're probably right. :thmbsp: But I lump all that stuff together into one, mainly because it all seems to exist for the same reason: a generation defining themselves as firmly not their parents.

My parents' generation had better audio equipment, though, so I know they did at least one thing right. :music:
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Sigh.....I have disdain for my contemporaries(I refuse to call them peers) that shop there, 90% of the time they're pretentious jerks or kids that skateboard despite the fact they've been old enough to drive for years, fail.

I on the other hand love that I'm like my dad, I'll take my sleeveless concert tees, and mdr-v6s any day over the porta-pros(biased against koss anyway) and hipster garb. :smoke:

Sorry for the rant. If they do that saran wrap thing I might be interested though, seems a good alternative to my zebra pants. lol
 
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