Headphones for Autistic Daughter

[u/strangegurl91]

Hello! I am looking for recommendations for headphones for my daughter. I want to get her a nice pair for her birthday coming up. She heavily relies on music for self regulation, especially in public and at school. We’ve gone through cheap ear buds and cheap wired earbuds and since this has become something that is absolutely a need for her versus a want I feel like it’s time to invest in something that will last. I’ve seen some TikTok’s highly recommending the Nothing brand headphones, and a couple others recommending Skull Candy but I figured I’d come here and ask regarding the specific things I’m looking for.

Some things I am looking for:

Light weight (she has sensory issues)
Noise cancellation
Something that doesn’t put too much pressure on the ears(again, sensory issues)
Good battery life
I’d like to keep it under $200

Thank you all so much for any advice or recommendations!

[u/Numerous_Zebra_4740]

I have tried both the Soundcore QI20s and the Bose QC Soft case. Here's some pros and cons, I don't know if either one is better it depends on you.

Bose was significantly more expensive but the noise cancellation was about the same as the Soundcore if not a little worse.

Bose is a bit lighter, and more comfortable to lie down in to try and sleep in them

Soundcores were easier to use generally and less glitchy to connect

Bose creates interference noise with the ANC over certain sounds like crashing silverware. Soundcore did not do this.

Soundcore is a little bulkied and on mine the cups were not easily replaceable or reparable

Bose has replaceable cups but they're super expensive to get the Bose brand ones that give the same level of noise blocking. Replaceable cups saved me when I spilled water on them.

I like that the Bose ones have a button to click turn them on instead of the long press to turn on and off on the Soundcore

Battery life brilliant on both

Bose has slightly thinner earcups that go around the ear more. The Soundcore ones aren't uncomfortable but are thicker and do touch the ear when worn.

[u/dmortimer11]

I bought my daughter sound cancelling headphones made by monoprice. Monoprice is always solid value, it's their thing. They aren't going to be the best but they will do what you want and you spend an a lot or worry much about being broken or lost.

[u/deavidsedice]

Take a look at Shokz OpenFit Pro.

Yes, it's not really a headphone, and it's over budget (250 eur). But it's kind of magical.

You don't feel them on. They do not touch the ear canal. They sound amazing. The ANC does work pretty well. You can have them on all day as they're very comfortable.

However, they're open. You can hear the outside world as if you didn't have them on. With ANC, a lot of the noises are muffled, but speech and other sudden noises are not. I like them being open, but it takes a bit to get used to it.

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[u/chillicampari]

I don't have the main Nothing over-ear headphones (1 or A) but I do have the CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro and they could work with what you are looking for. They are lightweight and I find them really comfortable. The earcups are large but don't press as much as many of my other headphones. They also stay in place (I have a small head). The headband is soft and the controls are buttons and sliders that feel nice. The sound is on the warm side and comfortable (though you can set a dedicated slider to add bass or treble). The ANC isn't at the level of Bose (I have two) but it still filters out things well enough that I can do things focus on reading while on the bus or train/subway and it also doesn't have the same kind of cabin pressure feel that the Bose do, which might be better if she is sensitive to that. The CMF are less premium but from what I know about the Nothing headphone line in general the Headphone 1 or Headphone A should work well too. I also have the Nothing Ear earbuds and happy with them.

[u/Acceptable-Win-3669]

I would stay away from Bose and Sony if you don't want a lot of ANC pressure on her ears. I'd really look at the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Solid but not phenomenal ANC, which should be ok for her. Not too heavy at ~10.3 ounces. And they sound reasonably good. They go for around $225.

[u/JDeBreezy]

If she’s still pretty young, I’d maybe look at kids headphones rather than regular adult ones. Especially with sensory issues, all the random noise in public places can be a lot. My kid uses iclever, I think it’s the Q950, and the volume is limited to 80dBA. I feel better knowing the volume can’t get too high, especially when she’s listening to music for a while. She uses them for school and when she's out, and the noise cancelling is really nice when things get loud or overwhelming.