I need a headphone for my phone. I dont want a Koss headphone but something else. I dont want to have to use an amp. Dont want IEMs, I heard of the Kiwi Ears Ellipse and it looks good at only 60$ But will it sound good without an amp? Any other headphones I should look into?
A used Hifiman HE5XX can be used with an Apple adapter for $9 and sound excellent and really comfortable. I also have the HE400SE stealth and it’s also tuned out of the box so we’ll. The AKG K371 wired is another winner that can be powered by anything and nice bass response in a closed back.
AKG K361 or K371.
The HE400SE is better than either of the AKGs above, but it’s a planar. It will work from a phone, but it sounds better with an amp. Planar drivers crave power.
A shame you don’t want an IEM. At the $100 price point, IEMs DESTROY over-ears in terms of sound quality. It’s not even close. The gap starts to narrow at around $200 and probably meets around $300-400.
If they want hp sound but hp size, that would be earbuds.
As for the apple dongle rec, If they are in europe, I would not go for it as it is volume limited (half the power 0.5vrms instead of 1.0vrms). Recommend Jcally instead, like the JA3.
You can do it for under $50. Pretty much any studio reference headphones will sound great: Budget Audio
Thieaudio ghost of you can find them.