The Runwell Turntable By Shinola

The Runwell Turntable by Shinola

The Koss PortaPros: One Month Later

About a month ago, I ordered the Koss PortaPro headphones from Amazon. With $50, I wondered if I could buy anything that could sound substantially better than my Beats Solo HDs. After looking at reviews on CNET, PC Magazine, and the like, I decided to go with the Koss. The PortaPros in particular are known for their audiophile status in headphone circles because of their 80s design. According to Koss, not even the design has changed, which I don’t mind. They’re a rather unique looking pair, and no one is going to confuse them for anything else.

I can say for certain that they sound as well as every review says they are. The PortaPros do not have as much bass as the Solos, but to me, that’s a plus because it’s not masking the lows, the mids, or highs. I’ve listened to Beethoven’s Symphony 9 with both these and the Beats. There really is a difference, and I know now what CNET meant by the Beats’ “muddy sound.”

I don’t claim to be an expert. CNET’s review about the PortaPro’s sound quality is much better than my own analysis, and yet, how comfortable have they been in the month that I’ve had them? It’s takes a little time since the headphones adjust via a fully exposed collapsible steel band. They’re designed so that they fit exactly against the head.

The PortaPros can be adjusted the most spacious setting, which prevents them from collapsing before the user puts them from their head. I found this useful for placing them around the neck when I wasn’t listening to music because the metal band does bite into the neck if it’s not fit properly. However, I don’t find this cumbersome at all.

I’d recommend to not place the earpads directly on the ears when wearing these. Doing so will not affect the sound quality at all, and depending on the individual, this adjustment is anywhere from a millimeter to a centimeter or so. Sometimes, the earpads press too hard on the ear because of the pressure the metal band exerts, but this can be alleviated by the method above or by the comfortZone setting just below the band.

One month later, I can say that I definitely recommend these. They have a learning curve, but it should only take a day or two to get accustomed to its design. The biggest knock on the Koss PortaPros is not sound quality (not by a long shot) but comfort due to its design. Even so, I’d fine the comfort to be better than my $200 Beats Solo HDs. My rating for that is a 3 out of 5, and my overall rating is a 4.25. If you don’t mind the learning curve and the open design, buy these. You won’t regret it - especially since it has a lifetime warranty.

Rating Breakdown:

Sound: 5/5

Design: 4/5

Comfort: 3/5

Customer Service: 5/5

Overall: 4.25/5

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7 years ago

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Five NASA Technologies at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show

This week, we’re attending the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where we’re joining industrial pioneers and business leaders from across the globe to showcase our space technology. Since 1967, CES has been the place to be for next-generation innovations to get their marketplace debut.

Our technologies are driving exploration and enabling the agency’s bold new missions to extend the human presence beyond the moon, to an asteroid, to Mars and beyond. Here’s a look at five technologies we’re showing off at #CES2017:

1. IDEAS

Our Integrated Display and Environmental Awareness System (IDEAS) is an interactive optical computer that works for smart glasses. The idea behind IDEAS is to enhance real-time operations by providing augmented reality data to field engineers here on Earth and in space.

This device would allow users to see and modify critical information on a transparent, interactive display without taking their eyes or hands off the work in front of them.

This wearable technology could dramatically improve the user’s situational awareness, thus improving safety and efficiency.

For example, an astronaut could see health data, oxygen levels or even environmental emergencies like “invisible” ethanol fires right on their helmet view pane.

And while the IDEAS prototype is an innovative solution to the challenges of in-space missions, it won’t just benefit astronauts—this technology can be applied to countless fields here on Earth.

2. VERVE

Engineers at our Ames Research Center are developing robots to work as teammates with humans.

They created a user interface called the Visual Environment for Remote Virtual Exploration (VERVE) that allows researchers to see from a robot’s perspective.

Using VERVE, astronauts on the International Space Station remotely operated the K10 rover—designed to act as a scout during NASA missions to survey terrain and collect science data to help human explorers.

This week, Nissan announced that a version of our VERVE was modified for its Seamless Autonomous Mobility (SAM), a platform for the integration of autonomous vehicles into our society. For more on this partnership: https://www.nasa.gov/ames/nisv-podcast-Terry-Fong

3. OnSight

Did you know that we are leveraging technology from virtual and augmented reality apps to help scientists study Mars and to help astronauts in space?

The Ops Lab at our Jet Propulsion Laboratory is at the forefront of deploying these groundbreaking applications to multiple missions.

One project we’re demonstrating at CES, is how our OnSight tool—a mixed reality application developed for the Microsoft HoloLens—enables scientists to “work on Mars” together from their offices.

Supported by the Mars 2020 and Curiosity missions, it is currently in use by a pilot group of scientists for rover operations. Another HoloLens project is being used aboard the International Space Station to empower the crew with assistance when and where they need it.

At CES, we’re also using the Oculus Rift virtual reality platform to provide a tour from the launchpad at our Kennedy Space Center of our Space Launch System (SLS). SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket and will launch astronauts in the Orion Spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. Engineers continue to make progress aimed toward delivering the first SLS rocket to Kennedy in 2018.

4. PUFFER

The Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot, PUFFER, is an origami-inspired robotic technology prototype that folds into the size of a smartphone.

It is a low-volume, low-cost enhancement whose compact design means that many little robots could be packed in to a larger “parent” spacecraft to be deployed on a planet’s surface to increase surface mobility. It’s like a Mars rover Mini-Me!

5. ROV-E

Our Remote Operated Vehicle for Education, or ROV-E, is a six-wheeled rover modeled after our Curiosity and the future Mars 2020 Rover.

It uses off-the-shelf, easily programmable computers and 3D-printed parts. ROV-E has four modes, including user-controlled driving to sensor-based hazard-avoidance and “follow me” modes. ROV-E can answer questions about Mars and follow voice commands.

ROV-E was developed by a team of interns and young, up-and-coming professionals at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who wanted to build a Mars rover from scratch to help introduce students and the public to Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) careers, planetary science and our Journey to Mars.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

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7 years ago