[kryten123]

Hi all,
 
I need some suggestions for alternative headphones to Solo Beats. A friend's son is keen on getting Solo Beats like his mates, but is tentantively open to the idea of something different.
 
He is 13yrs old and likes Bassy music. He will be mainly using them at home without an amp via his ipod\computer.
 
Suggestions for open and closed 'phones would be appreciated (can you let me know what they are when you post). Ideally they should be similarly priced or cheaper (£120)
 
Help me to show a young newbie how music should really sound while he is still young enough to be influenced, and away from the clutches of mediocracy.
 
Cheers
 

 

[ostewart]

sennheiser HD25-1 II or AKG K518 LE or DJ.

 

[Kernmac]

Beats Solo.  Then he can be just the same as his peers.  He is 13, plenty of time for him to decide later whether the pursuit of "better" headphones is a journey he wants to go down.  If all my mates drank beer (and they do) why would I want some wine ponce telling me that they drink low end rubbish and that here is a bottle of "nice white" you should all appreciate. Let him be a kid, and accept that your values are not the right ones for everyone all the time. 

 

[kryten123]

Its not about "telling him".
His father wants to give him some options to consider, rather than just following the crowd and the kid is open to the idea. Its about teaching him individualism and not to just blindly follow the crowd. Assess your options and make up your own mind - seems like a worthwhile lesson to me.
 
If he decides to go down the Beats route, that fine, at least he will have been aware of the alternatives.

 

[scottie584]

They shouldn't be drinking in the first place. Anyway, if he wants to impress his friends (and he will), maybe something like a Sony XB-700? Tons of bass which all his friends will like, and the rest of the frequency range will do considering that he probably hasn't heard many things to compare against. Unless his dad (I presume?) been influencing him? 

 

[ostewart]

V-Moda M80 is another suggestion, you can get custom back plates too.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 Just make sure he doesn't end up with a TMA-1 

 

[ostewart]

whats so bad about TMA-1?

 

[mukumi]

In which world do we live where parents buy 120£ headphones to their kids.... They'll certainly be broken in less than 6 months.
 
Just buy him some amazing Coloud R2D2

 

 

[scottie584]

If the kid realises it's 120 quid, he won't treat them like crap. Especially if he knows he won't get another pair 

 

[navii]

Kernmac is right.
 
As I was reading the first post I remembered of all the cool stuff I wanted as a kid, how disappointed I was when I didnt get it, and how happy I was when I got it.
 
For him the headphones are not about the sound.

 

[scottie584]

I'm 14, and I know what it's like to be 13 very intimately lol. First thing a consumer will notice about a headphone is the comfort and bass. Plus, you'll end up having to replace the solos time and time again...

 

[kryten123]

Thanks guys, I've passed these suggestions onto my friend.
I know the kid may want what his friends have, to be with the in crowd, but I think what his father is doing is a valuable lesson. If he still decides on the beats - hopefully, it will have involved some analytical processing beforehand.
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

whats so bad about TMA-1?

 Listen to a pair sometime, doubt you'll be feeling like trading in your K518DJ

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

Beats Solo.  Then he can be just the same as his peers.  He is 13, plenty of time for him to decide later whether the pursuit of "better" headphones is a journey he wants to go down.  If all my mates drank beer (and they do) why would I want some wine ponce telling me that they drink low end rubbish and that here is a bottle of "nice white" you should all appreciate. Let him be a kid, and accept that your values are not the right ones for everyone all the time. 

Yeah, I kind of have to agree with that.
 
If he gets seriously interested in audio, then he can look up all the audiophile forums on the internet. Until then, he'll probably walk around happy with those beats.