Koss PRO-4 AA vintage headpones

[Marco]

Well the PRO-4 AAs have arrived!

First impressions are very good indeed (and they look fab), but I will report back in more detail once I've run them in more, with a CD on repeat overnight, and had a proper listen and compared them to my K701s

However, I can hear plenty of 'SPPV' quality even now, and they can only get better......!

This definitely has all the hallmarks of another 'amazing new discovery'

Marco.

[StanleyB]

Marco, if you ever get the chance to listen to the Denon D7000 then you should. My K701 lacks the sort of detail in the lower frequencies that the D7000 is quite good in deciphering.

[Marco]

Hi Stan,

Thanks for that. I believe those are the ones that Dave Cawley of Sound Hi-fi uses at shows (together with the ANT Amber 3T headphone amp). I've heard them, and they are very good, but I'm somewhat reluctant to spend £500-600 on headphones

What I'm hearing at the moment from the PRO-4 AAs is, sonically, a pair of £200-250 headphones with a £69-00 price tag (finished to an impressively high standard for their bargain basement cost), which is really quite remarkable..... They're certainly in my opinion sonically superior to the Sennheiser and Beyer Dynamic price eqivalents I've heard (and I mean the £200-250 ones!) I also love their 70s retro looks!

Weight-wise, they're heavier than is the norm with headphones these days, but being quite a big bloke, I didn't find it a problem. I suspect that most people wouldn't either, unless they were girly-men who couldn't cope with using anything but featherweight headphones (). I feel therefore that their apparent 'excessive weight' is somewhat overplayed, as is the 'sweat factor'. The latter, however, may be an issue in the summer months.

The PRO-4 AAs also shut out external noise extremely effectively (probably the most effectively with any headphones I've used to date), which certainly aids detail retrieval, as one's ears are immersed in total inky-black silence, from which music then emerges rather spookily. Crucially, they are also as effective at keeping noise out the other way, so that only the user is aware of any music being played, making these headphones ideal for use late at night where the slightest noise may disturb others sleeping.

In terms of absolute sound quality, they don't quite have the overall finesse, airy spaciousness, and that 'out of the box' sensation of the K701s or top-notch open-backed headphones, and certainly the Denons you're referring to. However, the level of detail retrieval and insight into the musical programme listened to, no matter the genre of music is, quite frankly astonishing at this, or indeed any price. If you enjoy forensically examining the minutiae of information in recordings, then these are the cans for you!

There is also a real sense of cohesion, with voices and instruments taking their correct place inside the acoustic space, creating a sense of realism, and giving their overall presentation an addictive musicality that encourages lengthy listening sessions. In terms of tonality, there is plenty of extension and sparkle at the top end, superb midrange clarity, and tight but 'articulate' bass. One can certainly hear why these were/are used for monitoring purposes in broadcasting studios.

Koss, IMO, have used their huge experience and no doubt unique access to specialist in-house materials, employed successfully for well over 30 years in the same design, to keep costs down, and carefully updated key components, whilst very cleverly voicing the PRO-4 AAs sympathetically to the originals, but at the same time also adding a more modern and incisive sound.

It's an incredible achievement for £69-00, and ably demonstrates that with some of the 'fancier' looking headphones on the market, most of what you're paying for is aesthetic frippery... Now where have I discovered that before?

For me, even at this stage when they're not run in yet, and when I haven't yet got a full handle on their sonic signature, at £69.00, they represent an unmitigated bargain, and thus easily represent a superb example of the SPPV we value on AoS. I can't see these being anything other than an enhancement by Koss of the original design (the same Koss who first produced the PRO-4 AA) - thank goodness!

Right, I'm off for another listen - laters

Marco.

[Marco]

Just about to hit the sack, as I've got a long drive tomorrow to Martin T's for a T/T bake-off, but I'd like to add that the PRO-4 AAs have (as you can imagine) gotten even better now after a few days of use.

The sound has really fleshed out, losing a slight thinness and hard-edge they had when brand new. The top-end is still wide-open and extended, but both it and the midrange are now purer and sweeter, and that lovely sparkle and clarity are still there in abundance, and the bass boogies like a bad thing!

Guys, these really are fantastic headphones, and an utter, UTTER bargain. I would seriously urge anyone in the market for sub £300 headphones to check these out, as quite simply, you get £250-300 worth of sonic performance in a £70.00 package..... A quality headphone amp is of course mandatory.

Anyway, how often do you get genuine bargains like this these days? My advice? Snap 'em up now before Koss realise just how much they should sell for!!!

Marco.

[DSJR]

Hi Alex,

{Discussion moved from the music room}



Lol, yeah I kinda thought that, so I've just bought these instead (always fancied a pair of 'retro' headphones):





Info here: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/koss...rodid-564.html


They're basically these classic 70s headphones, only new (hey, they're not originals, but they'll be guaranteed to work!):









Should be nice

Marco.

You don't arf give yourself these situations Marco. These things clamp themselves to your head and the weight hurts your neck muscles - they used to give me a headache after half an hour. Sounds a bit like a pair of teacups clamped to your head Seriously coloured sound and it's not that long ago I heard some either.

Jeklin Floats is where it was at back then

See below

[Techno Commander]

I think I detect a slight difference of opinion here.
I must admit, I really liked my originals. True, they did clamp to your head like a pair of limpets. But they did their job and did it effortlessly and put a bloody big smile on your face too.

[DSJR]

I must justify my position by mentioning the now old Sennheiser HD265 closed-back 'phones, as well as the current 25-SP series. Both of these are - IN MY OPINION - significantly less coloured in the midrange, more revealing of the heart of the recording and production and with loads of balls and life - quite the opposite of the average HD600 installation.

At the time, the new generation of electrostatic 'phones like the Jeklins, early Stax, Wharfedale Isodynamics etc. really showed how coloured the older coil type headphones were, the Pro 4AA's sounding cupped-hands on cocals in comparison. In fact I remember the "budget" Pro-4AA (the K6 Red Devils?) sounded a bit better and was ever so slightly lighter too.

None of my comments above deny that the 4AA were beautifully built and the featured liquid-filled pads were innovative back then. I suspect they'd cost loads if made now.

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

None of my comments above deny that the 4AA were beautifully built and the featured liquid-filled pads were innovative back then. I suspect they'd cost loads if made now.

That's the whole point - they are made now. I'm using the currently produced ones. And they are far from being "seriously coloured" - quite the opposite!

Was the pair of PRO-4 AAs you heard fairly recently a vintage pair or the new versions like I've got?

There is quite a difference in presentation, as I listened to a vintage pair the other day, and I would (mostly) agree with your assessment. The new versions have been considerably improved, sonically, and are thus a different ball game.

If you heard those, shweety, trust me, you'd have a rather different opinion. I would not be using them if they sounded as you describe!!

Andre, the ones I'm using are made by the same company as the vintage ones, only they've been upgraded with modern components, and they look identical to the originals... There is nothing whatsoever better about the originals in terms of build quality or sound. I've done the comparison

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

For anyone not put off by trying the originals!

[Marco]

Hi Alex,

They look very nice, but they're not 1970s originals - compare with these and you'll see:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-1971-K...e409dd&afsrc=1

They look possibly like the newer models that were introduced in the late 80s (defo 80s vintage, I think), see info below (from the current Koss advert):

As the first dynamic stereophone to deliver true full frequency, high-fidelity performance, the PRO4AA set the standard when it was introduced in its original form in 1970. In the late 1980s after long service, it was retired and replaced by a newer model. Customers clamored for its return, and by 1988 it was brought back by popular demand.

That's not to say, they won't be any good, though. I suspect they will be, so someone should snap up a bargain!

Marco.