[Sonic OCD]

Hello,
I am trying to find a good pair of earphones for my dad that sound good, are comfortable and durable. He has gone through 2 sets of noise canceling Bose and liked them but I'd like to find a higher bang for the buck set that he can use for listening to music on his iPhone (mostly classical, symphony, etc.) and also for using with a portable DVD player. Price range under $300 but less is better. High value.
He is in a wheelchair, so he has a difficult time with his dexterity so the should be comfortable. He also tends to fumble around with stuff so durability is also key. He just finished trashing the Bose set, but he's not sure how. I think he ran the over with the scooter, but that's a different conversation, and I know no headphones will take that kind of abuse.
Bottom line: comfort, durability and good sound are the main thing. Also ease of use, so portability and folding is not much of an issue as he either leaves them on a desk or hanging on a lamp. Not really too much travelling.

Side note: are there any headphones that have a build in amp?
What is the correct term for over the ear headphones?

Thank you

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

audio technica ath a900x and a cmoy amp is about the best you are going to get. Super light weight and comfy, and pretty durable too. 

 

[aidenator]

look at V-Moda, I cannot speak for overall sound quality because mine aren't burnt in but so far not bad. V-Moda has basically the most durable headphones on the market, they have 4 models 3 are over ear, one are on ear, MIne are entry Level CrossFade LPs which are only 100$.  They have one model thats 300, the on ear model I looked at in a store seemed pretty nice, comfortable, and compact design. 

 

[squallkiercosa]

Phillips Fidelio L1. A "gentleman's headphone" 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-L1-28-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B006RUIWC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358305395&sr=8-1&keywords=fidelio+l1
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/handsome-philips-fidelio-l1

 

[Sonic OCD]

Wow, Thank you everybody. I looked into your suggestions. The Philips from what I read don't have replaceable ear foam, and pops seems to eat though those, not sure how. The v modas are interesting. Very durable but I need to do more research on those. The audio technica a900x seem very nice, and seems to have all the thing I described: comfort, durability, sound. How would you compare their sound to Bose? The are right in the price range I described, however...
I just spoke with my dad and now he says he prefers to stay under $200.00. He actually said $150.00 but i think i can talk him into 200.

Are there any other suggestions?

He is definitely looking for the set that cover the ears, and have good isolation. He cranks them with my mom in the same room, and she doesn't like to hear it. Thank you in advance, I appreciate all of you help.

 

[peepr]

just ordered a pair of AT AD700's for my dad lol.  115 on Amazon.  Will let you know how they are.  I've heard the A700x and A900x aren't as nice as the AD versions.

 

[shockdoc]

The AD700's are great cans but if you really are looking for good isolation you'll probably be disappointed.

 

[Sonic OCD]

Here are a few others I have found in this obsessed quest: BRAINWAVZ HM5, ATH M50, Sennheiser 558. what do you think? I hope to pull the trigger on something today. I am personally still interested in the a900 also, but i am still working on pops.

Will his iPhone and portable DVD player be able to drive these well enough? Should I remove any from consideration.
He probably should use an amp, but probably too much for him to deal with. He's old, and has some hearing loss.

Circumaural, closed, comfort, build quality, sound.
For classical, symphony, opera, & movies. My pops needs some cans.

 

[MajorBrass]

The AKG K550 or the new portable focused K551. I did extensive research and these seem to be one of the best closed/sealed in your price range.

 

[shockdoc]

If he's old and has some hearing loss (my dad suffers from these two maladies as well) maybe consider something less expensive that will isolate well and not be a big deal if he breaks them. I tried to get my dad into a pair of Senns and then some AKG's but he actually ended up with some Panasonic HFT-600's. I bought him two pair (one as a spare). At his age he honestly couldn't hear any difference between my Senn 580's and any of my cheaper phones so it didn't make much sense for him to get a higher end can. FWIW

 

[Sonic OCD]

Thank you, I think we're almost there.
I just found out about the jaycar pro monitors, which are supposed to be like the hm5, and half the price. I could get him 2 pairs instead, and let him have at 'em. Has anyone had any experience with these and is Jaycar.us a trusted site to buy from?
Do you think these will cover the criteria of comfort, durability and sound for classical, opera, and movies?

 

[Sonic OCD]

I went with the ath m-50s. Hope he likes them. If not I'll use them and try again.
Thank you everyone.

 

[peepr]

Cool. Let us know how they fit and finish.