Hi! Long time lurker, first time poster!
I recently got the ProDJ200s and I must say that I really like them! Full disclosure, I haven't heard many headphones in the $50+ range. My previous headphones were the Koss UR55 (which was my gateway headphone), JVC HA-M55X (which I use when I want my head kicked in by bass) and Sennheiser PX360 (which I only picked up because they were 80% off on clearance and I wanted to hear a midrange Senn).
So I realize that this could sound like someone who never tasted sugar before raving about how great necco wafers taste, but here are my impressions with the sound of this headphone. First off, I was not initially impressed when I plugged them into my Galaxy S3 mini. I was kinda surprised, not because I didn't know about the effect of amps/DACs or concepts such as burn in but rather I was expecting it to be easily driven due to the impedence/sensitivity specifications. One thing that was severely lacking on this initial test was bass, as the first song I pulled up was the bass heavy "Bangarang" by Skrillex. Disappointed yet hopeful, I plugged these cans into my Alienware laptop. The results were much better this time around. Though most of the sound was forward with some rather rough edges, the clarity and detail were bar none in my limited experience. While my UR55s introduced me to the details so often overlooked by inferior headphones, these gave those small details amazing clarity and texture. You could clearly tell that what used to be a squeak was now a fretboard slide. or that that guitar medley was clearly recorded by an acoustic rather than a acoustic/electric hybrid through an amp. Percussion now had an impact, feeling as if the drumsticks were banging against your eardrums.
Bass, which had been a weak point before, was now a strength. Controlled and tight, with very high velocity, it too had a great impactful feeling to it. Even though out of all my phones these had the least bass quantity, they have the absolute best bass quality and are by no means lacking. On my first day there was just a slight amount of bass bleed leaking into the mids and treble but it made those parts of the spectrum feel warm and pleasing to the ear. All in all these cans were pleasing to listen to and quite neutral sounding with a slight emphasis on the mids (though this could just be a bit of a shock to hear such balanced mids after listening to cans with more of a U or V shaped sound signature).
After burn in the roughness is now gone and it feels less warm but, as a result, more detailed. Though I don't have a trained ear by any means, I can tell a difference between my low bitrate MP3s and lossless audio with these headphones, as well as which of my CDs were not recorded well. Though it could be differences in recording quality compared to other genres, I find there are 2 genres that don't seem to get espoused upon when talking about this line of headphones that sound really good. The first is smooth jazz/R&B where groups like Sade and Simply Red really seem to shine with a great emphasis on vocals and instruments and a smooth, impactful bass line keeping the rhythm. The other genre is country, which I must admit isn't exactly one of my favorite genres but having tried listening to it on a whim with these cans, it sounds really good.
I found that Metal, a genre most reviewers of these fine headphones generally tell people to shy away from, isn't really all that bad. The bass quality is great for blastbeats and the clarity makes the vocals of subgenres such as death metal much easier to distinguish. Though the forwardness of the mids may make listening to the shrieking vocals of subgenres such as black metal a bit fatiguing.
As far as soundstage goes, I can't really comment. Without hearing different headphones and having experts tell me which ones have better/worse soundstage than others, I can't really determine what sonic quality to be listening for though suffice to say I find that with higher quality recordings it's easier to feel immersed in the music and sounds as if different instruments are coming from all over the place.
So even though the sound quality doesn't really have much of a "WOW" factor, its a quality that you grow to appreciate over time. Based on the rather neutral sound of these cans as well as the monster detail and clarity, I would hazard a guess that these are the closest to audiophile quality that I own. I'm currently in the process of getting a portable amp, or an amp/DAC combo to see if I can really make these babys shine. If anyone can recommend an affordable (<$150) amp or DAC that would really bring out the best in these headphones, it would be appreciated.
As far as construction goes these seem fairly sturdy and are quite comfortable (though I probably have a smaller head/ears than their target demographic). The stock earpads are comfortable to me and provide a great seal so I don't foresee doing the M50 mod just yet.
So yeah, sorry for rambling and sorry if I'm raving about these in the manner of an ignorant person who has never experienced anything better. I just really like them even with my severely limited experience..
