[uzziah]

want to get some basic headphones for my mom for mother's day. right now she has a shuffle and the stock ipod buds, which are a bit uncomfortable for her. my price range is low, and IEM's are out; she'd rebel at the thought of shoving things in her ear canals. right now i'm debating between koss portapros which she could use portably, or grado sr60's which she could use around the house or from her headphone out on her laptop. i think she'd really enjoy the sr60's, but then she could not use them at work (though i doubt she listens to music at work anyway). isolation would be nice, but i can't think of any phones that would suit that. anyway, the KEY here (alas) is small, light, portable, and good-looking (non-intrusive) as possible, and sound quality is second. thoughts?

do the sr60's come with comfies? i think comfies would certainly be the way to go for her. clearly the sr60's go against the small, simple paradigm, but i have a hunch she'd be hooked on listening to them with her laptop at home, then again maybe to big and bulky.

other thoughts? maybe akb k26p's. she's very much into latin-rock, bruce springsteen, that sort of thing.

oh, and comfort is KEY as well. i know she'd just switch back to the buds if anything was uncomfortable, so it comfort is quite important. i'd go with a circamural for her at home, but i don't think she'd really be into how big they are (alas, again), and i'm still thinking perhaps something small and portable might be the way.

anyone have better thoughts than portapro, sr60, or k26p?

oh, she really likes to rock out

so we definitely need some "punch". no need for massive bass or something, but nothing analytical that would put her to sleep

btw: i'm hooking a basic car system for her as well. (CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP, with a simple cdplayer, and a pair of decent coaxials, and a line-in for her ipod shuffle.

 

[jagorev]

PX 100 is small, good looking, and usable at home as well as portably. Also quite comfy.

 

[kramer5150]

portapros would be my suggestion.

 

[evilgnome]

PX100.

Great sound, fun, stylish and compact. No need for amping.

Plenty of punch and a massive upgrade from the ibuds. Plus they dont stand out. My girlfriend loves them for this reason. Oh and they dont mess with your hair. (Thats important for all women right??)

Get her the portapros if she wants to attract attention.

 

[dvallere]

Try the AKG K81DJ, my current fave. There are a couple of threads spouting the love for them, and at $70 they're really a delight. They're closed, but not freakishly isolating, so it could be a good compromise. Very sturdy build quality, very amazing sound.

Otherwise the PX100 is my second-fave and if open is OK then that's a bit cheaper and a little lighter. The PX100 have that nice little carry case in case she wants to throw them in her purse.

Donna

 

[LaBreaHead]

My mom took very well to the Sony canal phones and finds them very comfortable ... she hates the way regular earbuds fall out. But you say in-ears are out, so go with the PortaPros (which I just got this week -- much smaller and lighter than I expected, and available for some good low prices). For a little more money, and a more "classy" look, if that's important, the Sennheiser PX100's are supposed to be quite good, and maybe the better choice for her.

Are you sure she wouldn't like basic canal phones? Sony's, Creatives, Sennheisers, etc. have very soft, comfortable tips -- and with in-ears (remember, not earbuds) there are no "hair style" issues, if that's a factor.

 

[uzziah]

i think i'll go with the px100's. my portapros used to snag in my hair, and that might be worse for her; and they're sort of odd looking. i like the dj's but they're too big and bulky.

i think i might have to try those dj's for myself though. they look so dang "yeah, i like to mix my music, you know...mix it up"................sorry.....wonder how they compare to the (granted-ly more expensive) hd25-1's and the sp's?