[naurispunk]

Hi

In case you missed the other post Im currently looking for a new pair of headphones for personal use and I won't mind if they are a bit on the expensive side. And It appears to me that if you want good headphones that you can also use on bus DJ headphones are the way to go. Unles you want noise cancelling headphones but that is not what im looking for.

In last few days of reseach though I have come across a few terms that I dont think I truly understand (since Im not a DJ). I was hoping that some of you may help me with them:

1) Swivel earcups - not 100% this is the right term but basically those are earcupst that can turn 60, 90, 180 or whatever degrees.

I was wondering how these swivel mechanisms affect two things
1.1 To me they seem like one more thing that can break. Do they make headphones more prone to breaking?
1.2 If I move around with these will they fly off my head? Or maybe improve the way they hug your head?

2) Sound stage and mids.
I know that these terms are connected to the way headphones sound. And as I understand that most DJ headphones do not have balanced sound.

Most of the time I'm either listening to either rock (The Offspring, Nofx, Pennywise... that kind of thing) or ambient music. And I apriciate headphones in which I can hear and recognize and single out instruments. Do DJ headphones are good for this?

3) Bass guitar.

I must say I have never had a pair of headphones that reproduced bass very well... at all. If there is a part in song that has only bass and drums then yeah but as soon as guitar comes in bass is gone.

Is that because I have never had a good set of headphones or because in headphones you can create good bass without blowing your eardrums?


P.S. Of course there are many DJ headphones and I assume some of the things I mentioned above can vary significantly in different headphones. Right now Im looking at 3 and 1/2 headphones

1) ALLEN & HEATH Xone XD-53
2) DENON DN-HP700
3) PIONEER HDJ-2000

and maybe BOSE® AE2 Audio Headphones

 

[LizardKing1]

The Bose aren't even worth mentioning.
 
Swivel earcups are indeed characteristic of DJ headphones, they usually rotate 90 degrees, sometimes 180. I don't think they break easier than if the earcups didn't swivel. You need to check the general build of it and that will tell you more about the durability than the earcup rotation, I think
 
Mids are exactly that: the middle section of the sound spectrum. They usually represent vocals and guitar. They are a kind of sound.
Soundstage is a characteristic of the sound, be it mids, highs or bass. It is the ability a pair of headphones, or loudspeakers, have to create aspacial positioning for every instrument to the listener. This means that on a pair of headphones with a good soundstage you can close your eyes and just by hearing, understand where every instrument is coming from. It's not really sound quality, but some consider essential to a good listening. However, open headphones generally have much better soundstage than closed, and DJ headphones are usually closed, so you probably won't experience amazing soundstage out of these.
 
Now, you're looking for something detailed, with instrument separation. Also, do you just want detailed bass, deep, that you can hear well, or do you want to 'feel' it thumping? The Shure SRH840 have great detail, since they are the big brother of a very neutral pair (the SRH440), with a heavier bass I think. However if you really want a DJ headphone, you might want something with more bass.
 
I have never head the pleasure of trying them on, so I  can't fully recomend them, but from what I've read they appear to be what lies in between a DJ headphone and a neutral one: slightly more bass, great soundstage for a closed-back, comfortable...

 

[Deep Funk]

In my experience the K181 DJ is better than expected with switches for mono/stereo and small/large club (bass). Also the K181 has a very pleasant sound stage...

 

[Lex]

To answer your last question first, it sounds like you haven't heard a good set of headphones. You're in for a treat.
 
Ultrasone DJ1 is one of the best sounding DJ headphones on the market, it's non-identical twin, the HFI-580 is currently enjoying some well-deserved recognition here on Head-Fi (same headphone, different styling)
 
Detailed treble, smooth mids and absolutely incredible bass (tight, deep, fast). 
 

 

[smedley]

  Koss pro DJ100's .  Awsome sounding headphones at a reasonable price, around $80 at Best Buy.  Had these since xmas and they are by far the best sounding headphones I have had. They do have really good bass also , at least thru a stereo receiver , have not tried them for a mp3 player .Listening to Free's Alright Now's kickdrum was a sonic experience with these . I tend to listen to everything thru my  Onkyo amp .This is one of those headphones where when you start listening to your music you hear a lot of things you never heard before in the music  from the separation to  the acoustic guitar riffs and they all sound great , not overly bright either but the clarity is there.They look almost exactly like Ultrasones HFI 580 model except they are all black  and they have a lifetime warranty for any kind of breakage or failure, just send them back to Koss. Do a search for previous discussions on this model.

 

[naurispunk]

Thanx for replies about the terminology

As far as headphones that you suggested go

Koss pro DJ100
Ultrasone DJ1
K181 DJ
Shure SRH840

I checked out and they are on the same (or below) price range as the ones I mentioned

1) ALLEN & HEATH Xone XD-53
2) DENON DN-HP700
3) PIONEER HDJ-2000

How do these three in you opinion stack up against the ones you suggested?

Reason why Im asking this is cuz Im will buy my headphones in a local store (less risky and/or messy in case I need to deal with varranty) so it limits my options. These 3 are or soon will be available.

Although Pioneer is criminaly expensive I like the fact that they seem indestructible.

 

[PPIZZ]

Pioneer HDJ 2000, are great imo, my buddy has them and have great dj characteristics

 

[lltfdaniel]

The hfi 580 does better in the low end of bass compared to the dt770 it is great for rap.
 
You have to try the dj1/hfi 580 to see why.
 
The way these are tonal is different but it makes it sound clearer.

 

[Roller]

I don't have a single complaint about my A&H XD-53, they pack quite a punch and more clearer than I expected

I wouldn't recommend the Denon DN-HP700, the DN-HP1000 would be a better choice. From a few posts around here, it seems that there isn't a significant SQ difference between the XD-53/DN-HP1000 and the HDJ-2000, so unless you're willing to pay the premium for slightly better materials of the Pioneers, I'd go with A&H XD-53.
 
EDIT: It also do depends on the price you're getting them.

 

[naurispunk]

Why do you prefer  the DN-HP1000 over DN-HP700? Reason why I picked DN-HP700 is cuz they have mettal on the sliding part of the headband unlike 1000's which are all plastic.

 

[Roller]

DN-HP700 don't have the same drivers of DN-HP1000, which are the same as the A&H XD-53. DN-HP700 have smaller drivers, half the input power, a narrower frequency response, etc.
 
I would actually recommend you the XD-53 more as they also have the metal strip and a different plug, and are slightly cheaper, depending on each place. I'm very glad with mine, no doubt on that. Though they do benefit from some amping.
 

 

[naurispunk]

Quote:

Pioneer HDJ 2000, are great imo, my buddy has them and have great dj characteristics

 
I keep reading that Pioneer's HDJ 2000 are not best in mid range department cuz they were built for DJing. 
 
Does that mean if I buy them and listen to guitar rock Im screwed? Or this doesnt matter as long as you have sound player with eq?
 
P.S. I'm really not into that bass thumping crap. When I listen to music I like to hear bass lines, guitar, vocals and drums that are nicely seperated and you can hear them comming from different places (as opposed to creating one somewhat screatching sound as the bass, guitar and drums clash together).

 

[Roller]

Keep in mind that the HDJ-2000 can cost up to twice as much as the XD-53, with some reviews stating very similar SQ. Again, HDJ-2000 comes to the materials premium. Not that it's a bad set, not at all, just too highly priced IMHO.
 
More and more, the line between dj and audiophile headphones is blurring, as dj headphones are no longer the "mess" they were in the past, sacrificing parts of the frequency range to favor others mainly useful for djing.

 

[tdockweiler]

I'd also suggest the Koss Pro DJ 100. They're very small, have good mids and bass and get my vote for one of the best closed headphones under $200 and I've tried dozens. I imagine some people would see the price and think they couldn't possibly compete with $150 headphones, but they can. I even prefer them to the SRH-840, ESW9a, HFI-680, M50, K240 Studio and a few others.
 
They do have a lot of bass (maybe not enough for a basshead), but I don't think they're bass heavy. The sound is still well balanced. The highs are somewhat rolled off, but not too badly. The sound signature is very non-fatiguing. Best things about them are how clear everything is, the good vocals and how much detail they have. I find they do have very slightly forward mids, which is a plus for me. Not as much as my ATH-AD2000, but close. Pretty impressive soundstage and imaging for a closed headphone too.
 
Unfortunately I do think they need an amp to sound their best. They're sometimes OK out of my Ipod Touch, but it depends on the music. Some here I believe seem to think they're fine without an amp.

 

[naurispunk]

Quote:

Keep in mind that the HDJ-2000 can cost up to twice as much as the XD-53, with some reviews stating very similar SQ. Again, HDJ-2000 comes to the materials premium. Not that it's a bad set, not at all, just too highly priced IMHO.
 
More and more, the line between dj and audiophile headphones is blurring, as dj headphones are no longer the "mess" they were in the past, sacrificing parts of the frequency range to favor others mainly useful for djing.

 
When you say "sacrificing parts of the frequency"does that mean that these headphones like 2000s or XD-53 suck in  mid range? Or they are just as good with mids, just by default they are not as loud as high's or low's (for DJing purposes) and if you adjust eq in the music player the mids will sound just as detailed as highs and lows?
 
 
The thing is I'll buy headphones at my local store and currently the  XD-53 are not available at the store. They will be next week so I'll check them out, listen to them and everything. I wont make final decidion until I get my hand on both of them. I'll also check out the K181 DJ and Denon DNHP700 since those are also will available at that place next week. So far I only listened to 2000s and yeah I liked everything except the price.
 
The thing that bugs me about XD-53 though is that they dont have detachable wire. Also they have a word "professional" written on them which for me is huge con (ok, maybe not that huge, I just dont like that )
 
But then again I've found a few posts on Pioneer forums that have reported that 2000's are not as indestructibe as I thought (http://forums.pioneerdj.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/371103214/m/694105136).
 
 
Also Im considering buying E5 amp to get the most out of them when Im using them with my phone.