Recommended bt headphone for a teenager (12yo)

[Quimicas]

Hi everyone !
First time posting here. I want to gift my son his first headphones for his birthday. I wanted to pick the sundara (open or closed back) as they are quite cheap for the quality... but my wife says otherwise
She's requesting those headphones to be bluetooth and below 130€... Make it 150€ top.
My son wears glasses, so I'm looking for something confortable to wear with those.
He mainly listens to Ren and bass music.

Do you have any recommendations ?

EDIT: ANC is not mandatory as he'll mostly be listening in his room.
And I want him to be able to hear me across the apartment when I shout his name for doing chores

Many thanks

 

[Crook]

I bought Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT for TV listening and I am very pleased with them.
Still prefer a wired headphone though.

 

[davmol]

I have the Sony WH-1000XM4 for when I'm out and about (and I wear glasses). You can find deals on these and the XM5 but they might still be a little expensive, so I would try out the new ULT Wear, which is well within budget and has very similar features and the same processor used in the XM5 model.

I have Hifiman Sundara closed (wired, good value and they sound good with EQ), plus Ananda open, and if I'm at a desk then these are what I'm using, but the Sony's are no slouch and are my go to when walking around, or working in public. Sony tend not to be short on bass either, which might go well with your son's musical tastes.

 

[Quimicas]

I bought Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT for TV listening and I am very pleased with them.
Still prefer a wired headphone though.

It seems nice. It's a shame it only supports sbc, but I'll definitely keep these as an option.
Thanks for the recommendation

 

[TurtlePaul]

JBL Live 770nc

I use an older version of these JBLs. The app has a parametric eq graph. Your son may want to reduce the bass (or may not). But otherwise it is tuned relatively close to the Harman curve.

I also previously owned the Sony XM4. I left them on a plane (whoops). They are out of budget but they have better noise canceling. It takes more tinkering in the Sony app to get a good frequency response but they sound treasonable once tweaked - no PEQ, graphic EQ only.

 

[Quimicas]

I have the Sony WH-1000XM4 for when I'm out and about (and I wear glasses). You can find deals on these and the XM5 but they might still be a little expensive, so I would try out the new ULT Wear, which is well within budget and has very similar features and the same processor used in the XM5 model.

I have Hifiman Sundara closed (wired, good value and they sound good with EQ), plus Ananda open, and if I'm at a desk then these are what I'm using, but the Sony's are no slouch and are my go to when walking around, or working in public. Sony tend not to be short on bass either, which might go well with your son's musical tastes.

I have opened Sundara (I love these)and Mèze 99 classic and use only those (mainly the Sundara tbh) when I want to listen to music.
While I understand the practicality of Bluetooth, (I still use galaxy buds when I laze around on my tablet) I've been too deceived by battery life and/or durability of BT HP/IEM. And I've had bad experiences with Sony
I've looked at the Xm5 and 4 but they are above my budget and the Ult's durability is crap according to consumers reviews. So I'll rule it out.
Maybe I'll be able to convince my wife with the closed Sundara at 139€

Anyway, thank you for your advice !

 

[kemmler3D]

In that price range for BT you should look at the Soundcore / Anker headphones, the sound is pretty bad compared to proper HiFi, but it's among the better sound you can get from BT ANC headphones under $400.

I would also maybe recommend also getting him a pair of Truth ear Gate and an apple dongle DAC. This combo should be around $30 or less and delivers really insanely good sound for the money. They can be his "spare" headphones.

The bass on those guys is pretty darn good, so will be a great fit for his genre of choice, I also listen to D&B now and again.

 

[Quimicas]

JBL Live 770nc

I use an older version of these JBLs. The app has a parametric eq graph. Your son may want to reduce the bass (or may not). But otherwise it is tuned relatively close to the Harman curve.

I'll look into these, thanks !

 

[Multicore]

If Bluetooth then it will be used with a phone so if it were my 12 year old I'd want something that cannot block much ambient sound. For safety.

Koss Porta Pro Wireless is great, I use it, but you have to check how well it works with glasses owing to the cushions over the ear. Works for me but it's a bit of a fiddle to thread the specs' temples between the ear and cushion.

If you want to get your boy his first Hi-Fi cans, vicariously fulfilling your nostalgia, then do it right and go with something wired with a 1/4" plug that'll be inconvenient to use with the phone.

Noise cancelling phones are how kids get killed in traffic accidents (it wasn't my kid or anyone I know but it was horrible) and anything closed-back over-ear is on the same scale.

If you're 12-year old gotta use BT phones on the go then I like bone condition. SQ is poor but they leave the ears open.

 

[Somafunk]

He mainly listens to Ren and bass music.

The Nothing Headphone a looks good, by all accounts and reviews it is better than their more expensive model and has eq - £140ish

Headphone (a) | Audio

nothing.tech

 

[Quimicas]

In that price range for BT you should look at the Soundcore / Anker headphones, the sound is pretty bad compared to proper HiFi, but it's among the better sound you can get from BT ANC headphones under $400.

I would also maybe recommend also getting him a pair of Truth ear Gate and an apple dongle DAC. This combo should be around $30 or less and delivers really insanely good sound for the money. They can be his "spare" headphones.

The bass on those guys is pretty darn good, so will be a great fit for his genre of choice, I also listen to D&B now and again.

Thanks for the recommendations.
Looking at Soundcore, it might work, even if they seem less exciting than the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT suggested above.
Tbh I was planning to get some Truth ear... for myself
But I'll look at the Gate for him. And maybe for me too. His love for Dnb doesn't Come from nowhere !
Never tried the Apple dongle, but I purchased some Grave audio's ones on AliExpress for 8€. I don't know if it's a real brand, nor did I find/search any measurements about them, but they perform really well for our use cases.

 

[Somafunk]

But I'll look at the Gate for him. And maybe for me too. His love for Dnb doesn't Come from nowhere !

If he's into Dn'B then I'd avoid the Gate - its bland sounding

 

[Quimicas]

If Bluetooth then it will be used with a phone so if it were my 12 year old I'd want something that cannot block much ambient sound. For safety.

Koss Porta Pro Wireless is great, I use it, but you have to check how well it works with glasses owing to the cushions over the ear. Works for me but it's a bit of a fiddle to thread the specs' temples between the ear and cushion.

If you want to get your boy his first Hi-Fi cans, vicariously fulfilling your nostalgia, then do it right and go with something wired with a 1/4" plug that'll be inconvenient to use with the phone.

Noise cancelling phones are how kids get killed in traffic accidents (it wasn't my kid or anyone I know but it was horrible) and anything closed-back over-ear is on the same scale.

If you're 12-year old gotta use BT phones on the go then I like bone condition. SQ is poor but they leave the ears open.

Thank you for this wise advice.
We won't have this problem, as I keep a tight watch on his phone (thanks to Google family ). And he only uses it for calling, music listening (only at home or in vehicles ) and taking photos (no social medias, games...).
Wired headphones are not a real issue, apart for the wires adding clutter on the desk. His phone has a 3.5 jack output and we can use a dongle if needed. But my wife says otherwise.
I've always been curious about koss products. I'll look at the porta pro.
I Don't know much about bone conduction but it's definitely a good suggestion for the situation your describing.

Again, really valuable advice !

 

[staticV3]

headphones to be bluetooth

and below 130€... Make it 150€ top.

My son wears glasses, so I'm looking for something confortable to wear with those.

ANC is not mandatory and I want him to be able to hear me across the apartment when I shout his name for doing chores

Do you have any recommendations ?

Easy: Koss Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 or FiiO EH11.

 

[Quimicas]

The Nothing Headphone a looks good, by all accounts and reviews it is better than their more expensive model and has eq - £140ish

Headphone (a) | Audio

nothing.tech

Yes, I’ve looked into these today. They might have what I'm looking for. I'll continue to do some comparisons with those suggested above to be sure.
And for T.E Gate, reviews are indeed divided. But they are so inexpensive I might buy them just to forge my own opinion

 

[Crook]

It seems nice. It's a shame it only supports sbc, but I'll definitely keep these as an option.
Thanks for the recommendation

My honest opinion is not to worry too much over codec support. Most listeners would not reliably be able to distinguish between codecs in normal use. Drivers and FR are more important than codec, then there is source file quality, background noise etc. With lossless, on high-end phones in a silent room and maybe the difference would be evident. Maybe,

 

[Quimicas]

Easy: Koss Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 or FiiO EH11.

How does the EH11 compares to the porta pro ?
Because at 35€ it is seriously tempting. Also, are you familiar with the fiio/snowsky anytime ? Same price with more battery life and seems more comfortable.

Aaargh, so many good recommendations already and I can't buy them all !

So, to sum up :

1. nothing headphones a
pros: best battery life, bluetooth version, ldac, cool design
Cons: price (but still in my budget)

2. Koss Porta Pro Wireless
Pros: more affordable, light, good sound, semi opened on ear (good for safety... and doing chores ), wired connection possible
Cons: comfort with glasses ? Older bluetooth, no ldac, way less battery

3. Fiio Eh11
Pros: waaay cheaper than the aboved, in between for battery life, ldac support
Cons: I don't see any at this price point.
I think I'll order it out of curiosity anyway. Maybe not as is birthday present though. It'll depend on how they sound.

In the end, I've ruled out the Austrian audio.
I'm still considering soundcore as an option, but find it less exciting.

Many thanks to all of you for your recommendations

 

[Selkirks]

At reasonable pricing, Fiio EH13, Koss KPH30 Wireless, Haylou S40, Soundpeats Cove Pro, Soundpeats Space One. Moondrop Old Fashioned and Koss KPH40 with bluetooth adapters are good bang for the buck but I wouldn't recommend for a 12 year old. The Fiio EH11 is a blast for the low price.

 

[zonk]

Someone mentioned the JBL Tune/Live 770NC. I use an older model of f the JBL line up (Tune 710bt). It measures very well and sounds very good compared to my much more expensive Sony XM3. I would recommend the JBL.

When it comes to wired headphones, the open version of the Sundara measures very good. The closed back Sundara is not of same sound quality and measures not so good.

The Anker/Soundcore (Q30) without heavy EQing sounds very bad. With EQ it's ok, but longetivity in my experience is not given.

 

[Phorize]

Sennheiser Momentum 4s are excellent all round with very long battery life and are around for £169 in the UK so may worth seeing if they're as cheap in EU.