I WOULD not blame you if, at first, you are unimpressed by the looks of this pair of headphones.
They seem more suited for teens of the '80s - when Michael J Fox made the hit movie, Back to the Future, around 1985 - than on the head of today's iPod-toting urbanite.
After all, this limited edition Koss Porta Pro is a blast from the past, being a 25th anniversary version of the 1980s original that still sports cheesy black plastic and large, flat sponges for ear pieces.
Looks are deceiving though: Once I put on these ear muffs from the American headphone maker, I was a little surprised at how well these made-for-old-Sony- Walkman headphones matched my modern Apple iPod.
First of all, the aural spaciousness.
Surprisingly, for a pair of headphones this size, the music does not sound like it is confined to your ears.
The sound feels like it is in front of you.
Of course, this nowhere nearly matches the sound from huge, open-back headphones - that promise to hold their own against serious speakers - but those cost many times more.
These "re-issued" Porta Pros do a neat job of separating the instruments.
For example, in Mind Games' rendition of classic bossa nova songs, the saxophone and bass instruments came together in smooth harmony.
For the most part, however, the headphones are more enjoyable for bass-heavy tracks.
Fire up Black Eyed Peas' old Elephunk album, for example, and you will find yourself tapping away to the beat of Hey Mama and Let's Get Retarded.
However, the bass can sometimes overpower the vocals and other instruments, causing the sound to be a little "muddy".
Final say
A pair of retro headphones that does well, but comes with a heavy bass that you should check out before rushing out for such '80s nostalgia.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
