I'm sure you have checked @shotgunshane 's thread, there's some good info there. I'm sure it depends on what Sound he's looking for, but almost anything will be a step up I think. He'd be the one to ask though.
I don't think they really know their sound preference. Brand new to this sort of thing...they listened to my work setup and got the bug. Best educated guess would be something that's forgiving to bad recordings with a slight bass elevation.
IE80 / something from Periodic / MD IEMs seem to be safe bets at a reasonable budget. I feel like these options will give better performance than most full-size closed cans at similar price points.
If this HS student is like my two, get one from a company that will stand behind it. They mostly have cord issues because of the wonky way kids store or get snagged on stuff. My choices would be Shure and Senn since I have been pleased with warranty replacements. Also, Koss and RHA are strong. That leaves out most Chinese Brands, without a strong presence in the US. Try Advanced S2000
Brainwavz HM5. Detachable cables, ear pad rolling and it responds well to most sources. If you want something more durable Shure SRH840. I tried both headphones. The HM5 sounds a bit clearer for me.
Thanks all. I'll give him this list tomorrow. He likes to "stand out", so I wouldn't be surprised if he went for the portapros simply because there is NOBODY else in high school walking around with those things :P
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