The year was 1984: Ray Parker Jr. was dialing the Ghostbusters, Cyndi Lauper just wanted to have fun and George Michael was asking what everyone thought was a girl to “wake me up before you go-go.” And the discerning young’uns of the time listened to all this music on a Sony Walkman with a pair of Koss Porta Pro headphones plugged into it. This year, those classic folding cans are finally getting a slight update in the form of the Koss Porta Pro KTC.
Despite making its debut over 25 years ago, the Porta Pro continues to be highly-rated in its category, apart from being considered among the best values in on-ear portable headphones to this day (yep, they still sell the exact same thing). In honor of its iconic predecessor, this new incarnation promises to deliver the same “standard-setting performance,” while incorporating a few new tech advances that make it better suited to today’s mobile music sources.
The Koss Porta Pro KTC (which stands for Koss Touch Control) adds an inline remote and mic combination to the collapsible cans, complete with a thumbs-up from Apple for their line of iOS devices. Of course, it can work with most other smartphones, too, so Android-bangin’ Porta Pro fans need not be left out. The headphones retain their original form and design, sporting a rigid Mylar construction that minimizes mechanical distortion while delivering more accurate sound reproduction.
Koss hasn’t revealed pricing details for the Porta Pro KTC, but it shouldn’t be that far off from the original’s sub-$50 price. Availability is slated for early Spring.
[Koss]