So you don't own a pair... have you tried them? How many of "lots of people" did you ask?:-)

Granted that I did not pay for mine but the headphones are hands down one of the best headphones I've used.

btw price equals quality is absolutely ______ I'm sure you get it. Like most things.
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This is getting off topic, Sorry REV. I'm done.
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I've had mine for almost two and a half years without an issue. They are noise cancelling and do not take batteries...they draw power from your ipod. As stated before...superior sound quality. I'd recommend 'em to anyone. Just a tad pricey. :-)
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Grado or Shure for my money just depends on whether he wants in ear or over. Shure for in ear Grado for over
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ok, simply, price isn't determined by value or "quality", it's determined by the intersection of supply and demand... Value is very subjective remember:-)
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I've read great things about both of those as well. I have a couple friends who have had Grado's for years, though I can't remember the models they own. Other than normal wear and tear (foam does tend to collapse over time) they have held up very well.

Who would've thought a simple question about a pair of headphones would breed so many different responses. I mean, after a certain pricepoint, you're really just splitting hairs or touting personal preference. What you actually hear is so subjective. From the source/processing of the composition you are listening to, to how sensitive the individual's ears are when they actually perceive the sound. In this sense, I would think the best bet is to have your son try out a few pair, and see which HE likes the best. Though I suppose that's the same concept as "smoke what you like, like what you smoke." In which case, I'm only telling you something you innately already know.

I wonder if on some audiophile forum, if someone posted a topic about "I want to buy some decent cigars for $200 or less," how many different responses would come from that as well lol.

Honestly, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Shure, and Grado are all well-respected brands. Stick with something in the 100-140 range, and you should be light years ahead of his old phones.

Oh, and try not to mess up the new ones. :-)
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this is the honest downside to the grado's the foam earpieces they do collapse but price is a huge upside I have the 60's which were $80 when I bought them but the sound quality is amazing and yes they make a lot of noise and can even function as small speakers so they will make the kid happy. The shures I have both the e3's and e5c's both are worth the money for what you get but the 3's seem more comfort driven than the 5's. THe fives can take you away to a whole different world.

Rev all of the brands that pektel compiled from our posts are great. What it comes down to is, how do they look like they will hold up to the way he treats things.
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In ear/on ear/over ear style? Someone mentioned Grado and I am inclined to agree for on/over the ear styles.
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Gimicky or not I've heard from several people that the Beats line of headphones has great audio quality
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I didn't read through the entire thread, but I will throw out a recommendation for Dr. Dre Beatz...they're awesome.
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Rev, I've gotten my kids various headphones over the years. I like the over the ear models. Out of all the ones we've been through, I consistently go back to the Sony MDR-XB500 (actually hid them before so only I know here they're at :-)). You can get them under $60 if you look around and they are great. Go up one step to the XB700 and another $25 and you'll have a sweet set of phones. The bass is low and great, so much so you'll find it hard to believe you're listening to headphones. The studio is also good. They have huge, padded ear covers and feel like wearing a cloud. They're bulky - not made for exercising or yardwork, but for sitting around listening to movies or music, I'd highly recommend them.

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Todd, why not just get him another pair of the Skull Candy? I mean hes a kid right, could get broken, lost, stolen, etc. Not saying hes irresponsible by any means... but things happen. How old is he btw?

If not, you cant really go wrong with Bose:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=REG&A=details
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I have several pairs of RAZER Moray gaming headphones and I love them. For $35 they provide very realistic sound for games and movies, as well as a good range. Of all the headphones I own, they're the only ones that have had a strong enough mid-high range so that I don't have to turn up the volume on movies to hear the dialog over other sounds.
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He is 15, has a job, is very responsible, loves his music.

I broke (and then repaired) the Skull Candy. He left them in the computer in the study, the phones on the desk, and the cord hanging down by the tower sitting on the floor. I got up quick, my foot hooked the cord hanging on the ground, and yanked the cord out of the plug. I felt pretty bad. I got a new plug from radio shack did some repair work, and got them to work. They just are not what they were. Skull candy will replace them at 50%, but he's listened to some other headphones and wanted to upgrade. The ones he listened to were $500 and up at a top end electronics store in San Diego. He didn't want to go that far out, but wanted to get something better than these.

I said that since I broke them, I pay to get them replaced by Skull Candy, or go up to the next model, or 1/2 of something up to $60.

He went with the Sennheiser HD 449 Headphones.

He will use these for at home. Then he can take his Skull Candy (in their limited ability) with him to football games and to the gym for working out.

Thanks for all the help guys, it is appreciated.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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I bought my boys Philip's O'Neill headphones from Radio shack with a no questions asked return policy for 40-45 a pair, for the money they work very well and have held up "better than 20.00 ones".:-)

"lots of random people" may disagree.
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I've tried them, they're actually not bad, and they're way better than what most people are used to listening to, it's just that there are many headphones at lower price points which are considered by most experienced listeners to be much better, and many at much lower price points which most people would not be able to hear a difference in. Many people like them, and if you can afford them, who cares?

The thing that gets lost often in this discussion is headphone amps. A good headphone amp will make all music sound way better, and if you're carrying around a big pair of over the ears anyways, a little headphone amp isn't a big addition. It'll rock your world if you've never listened to your headphones through a real amp. For my money, there are a few cheaper headphones than the beats that look way cooler, imo, and coupled with a decent headphone amp would blow them out of the water, so my money would go that route, but I'm not hating on those that can and choose to afford beats. That being said, just check out head-fi, Beats are probably the most contentious discussion, lol.

If anyone is interested in a quick buyer's guide, I'm not endorsing the opinions, but just linking a resource some people might find useful, since the people who wrote it generally know what they're talking about. http://www.head-fi.org/t/618255/chec...2-buying-guide
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http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide
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Maybe take him with you and let him pick something reasonable out?

That way you know he will like them and use them.........

Just an idea
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As an update, he loves them. And to be honest, they sound much better than the Skull Candy did. I listened to a few different headphones lately and I am thinking I might have to get a pair.

Thanks for all the help, again.

Peace of The Lord be with you.
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