headphones

what headphones are good and excellent for personal listening and DJ-ing? the cost not taking into consideration.

 

I spent ages reading up on all the Audiophile B.S. people spouted about the need for incredibly expensive accurate headphones, before buying new ones at the beginning of the year last year. I also spent time looking to see what the gun DJ's were using and found the Sony MDR-V700 were very often the headphone of choice. It was a trade off between Senheiser and Sony, the latter won the day.

The V700's produce strong bass and for beat matching are an excellent choice. The have a nice smooth midrange and a good top end that is not too strong and bright up high so they are able to be worn for longer periods than others in their class without becoming tiring. They are however fairly heavy. I have no problems with the weight but some do! I do find that wearing them for long periods they get hot around the ears, but are really comfortable overall.

The folding design is a great plus but you do need to take care to ensure they don't get too badly mistreated. They work great in almost all DJ listening positions, and the long curly cord and robust connector is a real plus.

Cost is around $120.00 USD but can be had cheaper on sales, Ebay or other low price outlets that have them.

hope this helps.
Phil

 

There is a huge discussion thread on DJ headphones here:
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=8
It is the sticky topic near the top on "headfones".

After reading a lot, I got the Sennheiser HD-280 which are excellent but not really designed for DJ work and possibly not sturdy enough to take a lot of on-and-off the head adjustments - headband already cracked but replaced under 2 year warranty. They do not sound as bassy as other models but are supposed to be more accurate sounding which some say is better for beatmatching. Very good isolation from external sounds. $80 US at etronics.com and sometimes a good deal at amazon.com too.

 

Gotta agree! Its a long read but there is a lot of good info in between the considerable amounts of B.S. I was refrring to, Its absolutely worth reading some of it regardless of opinions of the value.

Phil

 

Thanks. But any pros and cons on those 2 headphones mentioned?

 

Well to summarize whats already been written ; ......
V700
Pro's
Produce Strong bass, easily driven, with a good broad dynamic range
High Freqs while not cutoff are not too bright (strong), making long periods of continuous use comfortable.
High output
Good Isolation from outside sound (cuts off the output where its needed),
Reasonable Cost

Con's
Some say, weight is a factor
Some say Durability is likewise a factor
The audio response curve enhances the lows (if these are DJ only headphones and for beat matching) then move this to the Pro's column.


HD280
Pro's
Excellent broad dynamic range, much flatter in the low end than the V700's producing a more 'accurate' sound.
Lighter weight than the 700's
Comfortable design, easy to wear physically for long periods
Excellent cost ~$US100.00

Con's
Fairly Delicate and not ideally designed for DJ use, pleanty of user report damaging theirs.
Some say beat matching in really loud clubs is more difficult because the Highs are so much brighter in the highs in relation to the lows.
Sound-wise the phones can be tiring when worn for long periods or listening in loud club environments.


Remember tho these are opinions based on a combination of my personal experiences and others opinions / experiences. Others here will certainly have differing opinions.

Headphone preferences are very much a personal taste thing, the best thing you can do is go try some, Load up your CD Walkman / MP3 player or whatever and go 'jack-in and try a few sets, see what you like. Remember too that what you hear in a store is not gonna be what you hear when playing live so try to listen in noisy / raucous envronments too, it will likely make a difference!

Phil

 

The V700 sounds mighty fine compared to the HD280. But the price is hefty here, it is priced on sony online at $223, in singapore currency. Its pretty much twice more than stated in US dollars. Is it worth it?

 

I own a set of the Sony's, and I love the hell out of them, but the damn things are a bit fragile in the area where they rotate and pivot. I think the reason why mine broke so quickly, is due to the fact that I always collapsed them so that I could put them into the bag that Sony gives you. As much as the durability pisses me off, I would definately have to say that I will still be purchasing another set. I have tried the 280's, and I think they sound like S***! Well, there's my opinion.

Hobbes

 

Wow. They sound pretty good and it looks stylish. But the price tag is hefty, I guess it wouldn't be too extravagant to purchase it here for $200 right?

 

Yeah I have taken great care of mine and like you I collapse them when ever I am goin somewhere with them which is everywhere. I use mine at work so I can screen out the outside noise and can concentrate. They are still in excellent condition and are not showing any signs of imminent failure. I do wish Sony would craft the hinge and pivot in Aluminum or Kevlar or something elese really durable. Also I wish you could buy parts for them.

While I did not want to disparage the 280's, I gotta say I was not at all impressed with the overall sound quality of the 280's rspecially when used in club environments.

Phil

Phil

 

We use and like the V700. No failures yet. We also collapse them to put in the bag.

I don’t know where you are, but:

www.musiciansfriend.com $120 usd
www.pssl.com $110 usd

Maybe you can get them online??

 

Singapore is in south-east asia, right below Malaysia. I checked out the Sony site and checked out the online price and it tagged S$223. If I converted USD to Singapore currency, it would still cost $204 or so. I'll try to source around somemore.

 

I use koss pro 4-AA classic's. They are 100% steel craftsmanship & can take a beating. I replace them on average about every 10 years. They run $129 to $199 They have sick bass response, ear piercing treble, and they can handle speaker wattages if you're deaf. I've never blown a cone on a set of these. The thick shell blocks out external sound fairly well. The only drawback is that they're sickeningly heavy. So unless you have a thick muscular neck , i'd stay away from them... they will give you a headache from neck strain if you're not strong enough for them. They're also a little strange looking. They're an off color of pea green.

I also use koss pro 4 AAAA from time to time. They're $99-$130 at most places. I don't like spinning with them unless I have a booth with isolated sound like plexiglass / lexan. They don't block out enough of the exterior sound. They're also fragile. They last about 1.5 year before i have to send them back on average. By that time they're bound with duct tape, and have had the cables replaced a time or two.

All koss line has lifetime replacement / repair, no questions asked. Send them in a box with $5 and you've got a replacement set. I can't ask for better warranty. You can even buy an old pair on ebay & send them back to the koss factory if you can get the address and they'll fix them.

 

I use an AKG K171 .
I like them because there are no moving hinges or joints that would creak when you move your head around, and they stay on your head whatsoever.
Great sound; tight bass, pristine mids & highs.
Cons ... the cords are too long. For some treble-heavy tunes maybe the highs can feel too strong.

I'd say that if the choices are limited in Singapore the Sonys are great too.
The Pioneers felt a bit pricey for its sound quality, except for the SE MONITOR-10R.

 

Sennheiser HD25 - been using 'em for years. Pretty much indestructable and sound quality is amazing.
I know 2 Pro Record Producers who use 'em for studio monitoring.

Can't reccomend these enough.

 

and why not?

 

in a nutshell;-

1. Sound Quality is very true - most so-called DJ cans are way too bassy. These are pretty damn flat - like an NS10 Studio Monitor. You can drive the hell out of them if you're deaf and they don't distort. They perform really well in noisy places.

2. Build Quality is supberb. I sat on them a couple of times and no problem.

3. They're light and comfortable to wear.

4. You can spin the cups for classic monitoring.

3. Reasonably priced - around £100 in the UK.

 

I might be way off, but I smell a misunderstanding here:

"Can't recommend them enough" - means: He'd like to recommend them even more, but there's not enough space on the page / time in his life. Therefore: "good"!

Just pretend you never saw this post if I'm wrong (I had my fair share of problems with those english double- and triple negations - we don't need no education anyone? )

cheers, h00la