Look, I'm by no means an authority on what's cool. I'm a millennial, for God's sake, we've officially been uncool for a while. But when you write about culture and tech for a living you can't help but get a sense of what the youth (read: TikTok) are into – and the youth are really into the Koss Porta Pro.
These retro headphones have enjoyed a cult following for a while now, with celebrity fans including Zoë Kravitz and Caroline Polachek (who wears them on the cover of her latest album). And the reason for their popularity is three-fold: they look great, they sound great, and they're priced great. In fact, now that they're they're 20% off at Amazon, bringing the price down from $49 to $39, they're priced amazingly.
I've been rocking a pair since 2024, and am still blown away by the sound quality – especially considering the price. These things wouldn't sound out of place on our best budget audiophile headphones roundup, yet, right now, they cost just under $40. So take my sound advice and buy these headphones.