How to Choose Your DJ Headphones
There are 4 pieces of equipment that you need to be a DJ: a pair of turntables, a mixer and headphones.
Today we’ll go over the types of headphones you may want to look into when choosing your DJ equipment. You could really use any headphones, but you won’t get very far with headphone that are not specifically made for DJing. So what are the best DJ headphones? The truth is that it depends on what you’ll be using your DJ headphones for, and of course, your budget. In general, there are several headphones that are well known to be a good choice for most DJs. Let’s check them out:
One of the main features you should look for in a pair of DJ headphones is sound isolatation. This is different from noise cancellation, which you probably won’t need. Sound isolating headphones are usually over-the-ear style headphones and they do exactly that. Over the ear headphones fit snugly over your ears so that the sound coming out of them does not leak out to the outside world.
As a result, you hear the sounds clearly and accurately. Usually, the better the headphones are at sound isolation, the better they’ll sound to you because you’ll be able to hear all the tiny nuances of the music. These headphones also shield your ears from the sounds going on in the world around you. So if you’re DJing at a bar where people are talking, dancing and laughing, you won’t get those outside sounds leaking in. You should consider, though, that most DJs want to be able to hear a little of the outside world because the helps for beatmatching. For example, it’ll be easier to match the beat of the track playing through your headphones if you can hear the beat on the track you’re playing on the club speakers. But this really depends on your style of beatmatching. It’s common for a DJ to take off one cup of his headphones so that one ear could hear the outside sound while the other ear hears the track he’s cueing up in his headphones.
Another thing to consider when trying out different kinds of DJ headphones is how the different frequency ranges are coming through. Some DJ headphones are pretty heavy on the low end, so you hear the bass more prominently than the other frequencies. This can be good for hip-hop or house DJs, who often focus primarily on the beat of the track.
In contrast, some DJ headphones come out stronger in the middle range of the frequency spectrum, so you hear the other instruments a little better and the bass may even be a bit downplayed. Make sure that the sound isn’t too tinny – that’s not something you want. You want a deep, natural sound. Of course, you may also be able to control these frequencies in your mixer, depending on what kind you have. But generally you want to find headphones that sound good for the type of music you’re going to be spinning. Most DJ shops have headphones out on demo so that you could try them out before buying.
In the United States, you can get a pretty good pair of DJ headphones in the $80-160 price range. There are definitely some really high end DJ headphones that can cost more than $300 but for the most part you will be happy with a $130 pair if you’re just starting out. In fact, they’ll probably sound better than any headphones you’ve ever heard before you became a DJ.
Here are a few DJ headphones that I personally recommend:
Sony MDR-V700DJ DJ Headphones – These are one of the most popular DJ headphones, used by both amateur and professional DJs. I have a pair of these and I think they tend to be a bit heavier on the bass than other DJ headphones I have tried. If you read some reviews, you’ll find that these headphones are known to break fairly easily when under heavy use, due to their plastic construction. However, most DJs who use these love them so much that they keep buying the same pair even after they break. You can find these for around $90-120 in online and retail stores. But beware of eBay fakes! You’ll find them for around $45 on eBay but they’re not of the same quality as the ones sold in stores in the U.S.
Technics RP-DJ1200 DJ Headphones – These are my personal favorites. I use them at home and out on gigs, keeping the Sonys as a backup. They are also used by many of the top DJs in the world, like Armin Van Buuren (currently the world’s #1 ranked DJ). The sound of these headphones is very clear and accurate. The bass is strong but not so strong that it muddies up the other instruments in higher frequency ranges. The construction is very sturdy and that is one of the reasons many DJs prefer them over the Sony model. They’re a big more expensive but tend to last longer. They also have a detachable cord, so if the cord breaks you can just replace it instead of replacing the whole headphone. These can be found in the $85-140 price range, depending on the edition.
Pioneer HDJ-1000 DJ Headphones – This pair of headphones is a bit more on the expensive side. Still, they’re very popular among professional DJs because the sound they create is exceptionally good. I have not used these heavily but I do know that they generally get pretty good reviews and I know a few other DJs who swear by them. However, I have seen people complain about these breaking occasionally as well. A pair of these DJ headphones will run you approximately $140-190.
Behringer HPX2000 DJ Headphones – If you’re just starting out as a DJ and have a small budget, these are the headphones to get. These were actually my first headphones back when I was just starting out and I have to say that for about $30 this is probably the best pair of DJ headphones you can get. The price is very low for good headphones and the sound is good enough for a DJ to use. The one major problem with these, and the reason you’ll want to upgrade as soon as you can, is that they are not very good at sound isolation. There is a lot of sound leakage from the outside, so this makes it hard to hear the track in the headphones if the outside music is very loud. But other than that, it’s a decent pair of headphones. If you’re just a bedroom DJ for now, these will be just fine since you probably don’t have a lot of external noise at home.
There are a lot of other factors to consider when choosing a pair of DJ headphones like their weight, comfort and ear fatigue. Make sure to try your headphones out at the store before buying them so you can get an idea for how they sound and feel. Good luck and happy DJing!
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This was a guest post from DJ Fooz at the Mixing DJ blog. Check it out for detailed DJ Tutorials and other tips about how to DJ. I’ll be sure to check back often and reply to your comments, so feel free to leave questions or feedback!