headphones

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head

removin the cobwebs
seems a bunch of you fellas are dj's so i figured i'd ask here; my ol' trusties(vr700s) got busted up during my move last month and are all bent out of shape. i've been tryin to put it off, but it's time i invested in some serious headphones again.

so what are the top of the line/almost top of the line dj headphones on the market these days? i'm lookin for good bass output and good outside-sound buffering; my main use is gonna be spinnin jungle/breaks so i need 'em to be heavy duty in all respects.
 
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Badmarsh

Well-known member
senheissers...all about those for crispness in sound.

although u seen what danny bukem's bussin nowadays? rude set of headphones...they're like those regular shove in ear ones...but he uses them to mix...
 
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stelfox

Beast of Burden
sony do some nice metal ones - ripley can tell you what they are coz she uses them and i nabbed them off her last time we played together. i tend to go for the cheaper end of the sennheiser range tho because they sound good but aren't that expensive for someone who breaks their headphones pretty often. i also frequently end up getting drunk and leaving them behind where i'm playing, so it's best to limit my losses by not spending too much in the 1st place.
 
H

head

removin the cobwebs
i also frequently end up getting drunk and leaving them behind where i'm playing

yeah, word. haha.
 
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grosun

Guest
Badmarsh said:
senheissers...all about those for crispness in sound.

although u seen what danny bukem's bussin nowadays? rude set of headphones...they're like those regular shove in ear ones...but he uses them to mix...
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Wo.. they those etymotic ones? Think they started off doing earplugs, & their headphones are designed round them, so they give massive db reduction, specially if you get the expensive (£120 for in-ear headphones) ones.

For my money tho', unless you want to check out the etymotic option, Sennheiser HD25 or HD25sp if you want to spend less, are good every time; near-unbreakable, & you can get replacement parts.
 
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droid

Guest
Paul Hotflush said:
HD25s all the way.
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Yes. HD25s (with the single lead instead of the double.) I remember the first time I used these.. the loudeness and clarity of them... the comfort... :eek:
 
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Canada J Soup

Monkey Man
Technics DJ-1200s...the sound isn't on a par with the better Sennheisers (it's a little too bassy and mids and highs are not as crisp) but you don't need audiophile headphones for playing records in public, you need something that can take a beating and these things are indestructible. I've sat on them, stood on them, left them in pools of beer, dropped them down stairs, rescued them from the cat and yanked them out of mixers more times than I care to think of and they still work as well as when I bought them three years ago. (Before these I don't think a pair of headphones ever lasted me more than six months, although admittedly I used to DJ out a lot more then I do now).

The other great thing about them is the level of external noise attenuation they provide. They're like industrial ear protectors even with sound off. If you mix in your headphones, these are the only ones I've ever used that allow you to do so in a loud space without pushing the volume all the way up.
 
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ripley

Well-known member
I had the Sony 700s, (the silver ones that every drumnbass dj on the East Coast had for a while there) but they have broken in an annoying way - sound is fine, but the earpiece cracked so it doesn't stay on my head. Apparently many folks have had this problem.

They are also quite heavy, and maybe a little to big for my head.

I just bought new ones that are smaller and lighter and fit better and are more comfortable, but I haven't tested them in a really loud environment. they are way more comfortable, though, which is a plus.. I forget the model, I'll check later.
 
H

head

removin the cobwebs
I had the Sony 700s, (the silver ones that every drumnbass dj on the East Coast had for a while there) but they have broken in an annoying way - sound is fine, but the earpiece cracked so it doesn't stay on my head. Apparently many folks have had this problem.

yeah that's exactly what happened to mine, won't stay on my head now. of course that doesn't matter so much when i'm mixing cuz i only need the one and i'm holding it between my shoulder and head with the dj neck scrunch, but there's loose things rattling around and they don't fold up right anymore and i don't think they're gonna last much longer.

thanks to everyone for the replies, i've got some good leads now - and feel free to keep advising me!
 
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ThinKing

Well-known member
They've fixed the problem with the Sony's now - the new version shouldn't crack.

The Senn HD25 is pretty much the industry standard, and they do sound good, but I've owned & trashed 2 pairs so I think they're a little flismy - they weren't designed with DJing in mind. Also, the cups don't swivel so they're not quite so good for the ear-to-shoulder ting in my book. The short, non-curly cable isn't too DJ-friendly for the "walking away from the decks but forgot to take my 'phones off" moment either.

I now use the Sennheiser HD280 which are fat - they're like big comfy ear sofas. Swivelling cups, fold up in your bag, go plenty loud, curly cable, and you can get em for about £70.

sennheiser-hd280-cu.jpg
 
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soundslike1981

Well-known member
For over-the-ear, quick-on-and-off I use Senn HD 200s. They've served me well the last few years--basically unbreakable (esp. because of the detachable cable), relatively light, sound fine.

For travelling I use Shure E2c's. Least expensive intro to the canalphone realm, and they sound quite good.

For serious listening I have Etymotic ER-4p's. They're just beautiful, but I can't really use them for more than a couple hours contiguously--my ears get too hot.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed by good/great canalphones, for fidelity at low volumes.
 
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ripley

Well-known member
I have the SOny 500s now, they are a bit smaller, which is good for those of us with erm, smaller heads. (us Ladies, particularly, perhaps?)

still pretty loud, nice long curly cord (I hear y'all on needing the length for when you forget to take'em off!). They are much lighter and stay on my head better than the 700s.

ThinKing said:
I now use the Sennheiser HD280 which are fat - they're like big comfy ear sofas. Swivelling cups, fold up in your bag, go plenty loud, curly cable, and you can get em for about £70.
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Those are way too big for me and would fall off my head as soon as I leaned forward. My ears also sweat if they're totally encased in vinyl headphone padding. not comfy for me - gotta keep those 2 hour sets in mind!
 
Grievous Angel

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
I just picked up a pair of Sony MDR 7506s for home listening and production after doing an extensive comparison at Turnkey. I wouldn't use these to play out because they are fairly delicate (and chuffing expensive). But they sound utterly amazing. In comparison the HD25s, which are good phones (and normally very robust) sound muddy and grating. My Sony's have near-bottomless, articulate bass and gorgeously controlled yet explicit treble. I can hear a lot more detail and richness than I've ever heard through headphones before and I don't seem to need so much volume either. I'm ever so pleased with them.
 
Chef Napalm

Chef Napalm

Lost in the Supermarket
2stepfan said:
I just picked up a pair of Sony MDR 7506s for home listening and production after doing an extensive comparison at Turnkey. I wouldn't use these to play out because they are fairly delicate
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You'd think that to look at them, but I've had mine for almost 5 years and they're still good. And $99 isn't really that much.
 
Grievous Angel

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
Chef Napalm said:
You'd think that to look at them, but I've had mine for almost 5 years and they're still good. And $99 isn't really that much.
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Good news. I paid a lot more than that though. I don't care though, because headphones are very important to me (young kids) and these ones suit me very well.
mang said:
the Sony MDR 7506s I've tried ... sound very thin to me.
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Funny thing, the human ear. Mine say the HD25s sound thin. Obviously, we're both "right".

By god, I'm glad I didn't buy via mail order.
 
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mang

New member
2stepfan said:
Good news. I paid a lot more than that though. I don't care though, because headphones are very important to me (young kids) and these ones suit me very well.
Funny thing, the human ear. Mine say the HD25s sound thin. Obviously, we're both "right".

By god, I'm glad I didn't buy via mail order.
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yeah, funny thing... I heard the sonys at a friend's place... but bought the HD25s blind. And he later got the HD25s as well.

I wonder how much the style of music & listening environment affects the sound... probably significantly.
 
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skim

Member
Another vote for the Sennheiser HD25s – love 'em to bits. Apart from the short lead, which is a pain.
 
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