BACK ON TRACK
Great thread!
My daughter who is in middle school wanted the cool looking headphones that many of her friends have. She din't know the brand but she said that there is a letter "b" on them . I told her to
STAY AWAY from those.
I did research on budget audiophile headphones and found Tascam TH-02 with awesome measurements at Innerfidelity. For the price, these cans sound great with a neutral sound signature. I don't care much for the treble spike and some resonance though.
I got both my kids Tascam TH-02 for $15 each. They liked them very much. It's been a month and after the burn in, the kids like them even more.
Last week one of my daughter's friend who had the "b" headphones came over to our house, looked at the Tascams, got curious and tried them on. She was blown away! She said "Music is so clear on these headphones. I want these for my birthday. How much do they cost?". I asked her to take a guess. She said maybe $150 or $200. I was watching my kids reactions, they were gloating with pride.
I was genuinely surprised that kids at that young age would be able to recognize and prefer neutral sound signature compared to mass produced, overpriced commercial ones.