Punch Audio is a relatively new brand, dedicated to the bassheads among us, releasing the Martilo early in 2025 which I got to try out and loved and ended up giving it 5 stars, so I was excited when Linsoul asked me if I would like to try out the Portazo. Where the Martilo had 2 x DD, 2 x BA, 1 x Planar, the Portazo has quite a different setup with one DD looking after the bass and mids, and two planars for the treble.
The packaging is excellent, with a similar look and feel to the Martilo but green. You get the IEM’s, a lovely cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm options, two sets of tips, some replacement filters, and a case. The case is the perfect size with everything fitting in it with ease. For the tips I love included brown silicone ones, the fit my ears perfectly.
I listened to the Portazo on and off over Christmas and New Year, then pretty much solo for the last week to really understand what it offers. I listened across many sources, from dongles, to my AK SP4k, to the Mojo 2, and then finally also out of the Earman L-Amp Mk2 (with that experiment being quite interesting). The bulk of the impressions are based on listening out of my LP W4 dongle however it does scale quite well with more expensive sources.
For music on the Portazo I listened to anything and everything. I’ll call out a few through the review. Onto the sound!
Bass:
The Portazo has a 15db shelf from 20Hz through to 400Hz and it’s immediately obvious that this is done well. It’s hard hitting from the get go, with a beautifully textured bass coming at your ears. Even though it’s elevated it remains clean throughout, I didn’t notice much bleed at all.
I have a playlist specifically for bass, with one of my favourite test tracks being ‘THE PLAN’ by Travis Scott. The Portazo works extremely well with the lovely bass throughout the track, but his vocals aren’t impacted at all with them coming through quite clearly too. I really appreciated the texture in the bass on this track with the Portazo, I had a few listens back-to-back just enjoying what the Portazo was extracting from the track. I also love ‘Sorry’ by Röyksopp and the Portazo works so well for it. The vocals on the track, and the background instruments at the start sound amazing, then the bass coming in around 1:45, while it’s elevated, doesn’t drown out the rest of the track.
It’s a basshead set, so you expect it to do bass well, but the way it handles the rest of the frequencies for bass focussed tracks is worth a call out.
Mids:
I was a little surprised by how well it handled mids, given the mids are driven by the DD, and the DD handles the bass (being the Portazo’s selling point). Is it my favourite mids? No, but at their price point, and for being a basshead set, it’s great. Vocals, both male and female, sound pretty great to me. They lack a little of the weight that would elevate them more for me, but texture and tone is accurate/natural to my ears. Instruments are a similar experience, they sound quite natural however sometimes lack a little weight. Overall, for the price point and tuning, I was impressed and over the last week of mainly listening to these I didn’t miss much. I mentioned the L-Amp Mk2 a little earlier and driving the Portazo through this addresses the weight in spades but it’s not a standard setup that I would imagine many people would be using!
Treble:
Quite an airy listen, and not what a basshead set usually sounds like. The two planars work well here creating a treble region that is present and enjoyable, doesn’t fatigue or do anything that you’d generally have to complain about in the treble region. The flip side to this tuning is that it doesn’t wow you either. I think it’s works for the tuning and the price point of the Portazo.
Technical performance:
Soundstage is decent extending out past my ears, and also extends quite well vertically, however it does lack some depth. For a basshead set I think it works well, the depth only becomes an issue on multi-layered tracks where you lose some of the detail you may get on other sets, the tracks still sound great, it just makes it hard to pick out an individual instrument sometimes. Imaging wise the Portazo works well due to the size and height of the stage, again you’ll just have issues trying to pinpoint something when a track is quite layered. Detail retrieval is average for the pricepoint.
Subjective thoughts:
The Portazo is a very enjoyable set, it’s unashamedly a basshead set with tuning orientated to its purpose. You get used to the bass with extended listening sessions and when you go back to something more neutral that set will sound lacking until your ears readjust. Through the dedicated listening time I had with the Portazo I on occasion missed some excitement in the treble region and found myself gravitating to tracks which suited the tuning of the Portazo. This isn’t a bad thing, it just means that I probably wouldn’t recommend them as a one and done set unless your music library aligns. I would however absolutely recommend them as a basshead set to compliment something more neutral. The build, included accessories, and sound that you get for the price of the Portazo is fantastic. I look forward to see what we get from Punch Audio next!
Overall:
A fantastic basshead set. Enjoyable and unapologetic in what it’s giving you. Price to performance is high for a focussed set and recommended as long as you’re going in with eyes open on what this set is.
Scorecard at $189:
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | 5/5 | Hard-hitting with excellent texture and control. Elevated but clean, with very little bleed despite the sizeable shelf. A standout for bass-focused tracks. |
| Mids | 4.2/5 | Natural and well-textured vocals and instruments, especially given the tuning. Slight lack of weight holds them back from being truly engaging, though still impressive for a basshead set. |
| Treble | 3.7/5 | Airy, smooth, and well-behaved thanks to the dual planars. Non-fatiguing and well judged, but sometimes doesn’t deliver the “wow” factor. |
| Technicalities | 3.7/5 | Soundstage has good width and height but limited depth. Imaging is solid until tracks get busy. Detail retrieval is average for the price, acceptable given the tuning focus. |
| Build/Design | 4.5/5 | Beautiful IEMs, well built, great accessories |
| Value | 4.5/5 | Excellent price-to-performance for a purpose-built basshead IEM. |
| Overall | 4.3/5 | A highly enjoyable, unapologetic basshead set that delivers exactly what it promises, with fewer compromises than expected. |
Aussie Audiophile 
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