[sesame]

I am purchasing a Christmas present for a 13 year old boy who needs a new pair of headphones. He uses headphones to listen to music from his laptop for up to 3 hrs while in the family room, generally when others are watching TV (loudly). He has only owned <$15 headphones previously, and has been commenting on his friends' Beats by Dre saying the sound quality is much better. He doesn't care about the brand and listens to pop and rock music. He wants a pair of over ear headphones that have good isolation so he can't hear the TV much and decent sound quality, but he is not an audiophile (yet). I am guessing comfort is a factor as well, although it is not something he mentioned. I would like to spend less than $45. One of my concerns is that, given his young age, his head is smaller than an adult male (he's about 4'10" and 80 lbs).
 
I initially considered the Sennheiser HD201 (unfortunately not on sale now), and am now leaning toward either the Monoprice 8323 (possibly with the $13 upgraded headband that has been recommended if the headband bothers him) or the Superlux 668B. Have also read good things about the Incipio f38 and Panasonic RF-HTF600S. I think for an adult, the JVC HARX700 might be the best overall bet, but I am concerned about the large size of those headphones.
 
Also, I have read complaints about the Monoprice 8323 pads, but are the Superlux or JVC pads better? Given his smaller head size, would that reduce the likelihood that the Monoprice headband and pads would be an issue for him, or is it not really about head size when it comes down the Monoprice headphones feeling too tight after a while? Would the JVC headphones definitely be too big and unwieldy?
 
What would you recommend? Thanks!!!
 
Edit: Summarizing the most important characteristics besides sound quality. 1) To use with a laptop for listening to music, 2) Noise isolation since the TV is often on in the background, 3) Fit since he has a smaller head than an adult male, and 4) Comfort so he won't complain when using them for several hours. Have been considering Monoprice 8323, Superlux 668B, Incipio f38, Panasonic HTF600, JVC HARX700 (maybe nixed because too large), and others have mentioned Creative Aurvana, Koss Tony Bennett Signature Edition, Panasonic RP-HTX7.

 

[viralcow]

Hey there. It's too bad that you need to buy these before Christmas so you can't wait for sales and whatnot.
 
If you had more time, I would have recommended these: 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/637699/50mm-driver-open-air-full-size-cans-pop-out-of-nowhere-sound-amazing
These are quite the FOTM, apparently for ~$45 they sound on par with the HD580. However they ship from China, so it will take up to two weeks for them to arrive in the States.
 
The headphones you've already listed are all well-known for being great budget cans. I've heard the HARX700 myself and they are quite amazing headphones. If you're afraid they might be too big, I say go for the f38 or the HTF600. The HD201's are probably the worst sounding of the bunch.
 
Others you might consider:
http://www.vminnovations.com/Product_7877/Sennheiser-HD428-Hi-Fi-Stereo-Headphones-Refurbished-.html
These go for ~$25 on sales, but even at $40 they are quite the deal.
 
http://www.tuesdaymorning.com/tony-bennett-signature-edition-stereophones/1255982.jsp
$50, one of the best sounding budget cans out there. Nice build quality and detachable cable too.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000ZJZ7OA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355644239&sr=1-1&keywords=Creative+aurvana+live
Again slightly above your budget, but man do these sound great. Many consider these to be the best-sounding closed cans under $100.

 

[sesame]

Thanks! I haven't seen the JVC in person... in your opinion, do you think it would be too big for a young teen? I suppose if it adjusts small enough so the pads were actually covering his ears, that would probably be ok, but I'm not sure how he would react to the likely heavier weight and fact that it protrudes out very far. You also mentioned that you'd consider the f38 and HTF600 if the JVC were too large... did you nix Monoprice/Superlux because they were similarly large to the JVC or because you find these others to be superior headphones? His birthday is at the end of January so in theory I could wait and get headphones for him then, although I'd rather he have them for Christmas. I'm a bit concerned with the open back of the Somics if he is looking for decent noise isolation.
 

 

[viralcow]

While I've heard the HARX700 and Monoprice 8323, I haven't tried the others, so I can't comment on how the Superlux and HTF600 sound. The Monoprice, while very good for $25 or so, aren't very impressive (or at least to my ears). On the other hand, the HARX700/900 sound more like $100 cans.

 

[sesame]

Thanks, viralcow. I probably can't go overly wrong with any of those options in terms of sound quality. I guess I'm wondering more about the characteristics that matter most to him as a 13 yr old in addition to sound quality... 1) noise isolation, 2) fit given the smaller head, and 3) comfort, which aren't mentioned much in the reviews of the different headphones that I'm reading.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

another vote for the creative aurvana live here.

 

[navii]

http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/panasonic-rp-htx7-white/4505-7877_7-33397148.html
 
I always pimp those babies.

 

[sesame]

The Creative Aurvana Live ones look great with good reviews about using them with a PC, but are definitely over my budget unfortunately. I'll check out the Panasonic RP-HTX7. They seem like they'd be more comfortable than the Monoprice 8323 and have greater isolation than the Superlux 668B. On Amazon, some of the RP-HTX7s (A1 and R1) are listed as monitor headphones, while others are listed as stereo headphones. What is the difference and does it matter?
 

 

[sesame]

I've narrowed it down to the Monoprice 8323 ($23 shipped from Monoprice) and Panasonic HTX7 ($30 shipped from Amazon) for his purposes. The Panny definitely fits a smaller head (there are pics with babies wearing them) and is more comfortable, but I think the sound quality and isolation are poorer than that of the Monoprice. I can't find a direct comparison of the two unfortunately. Those who own the Monoprice or Kicker, any thoughts on whether the discomfort from the 3-pressure-point Monoprice headband would be reduced with a smaller head size?