[inthere]

 Get the V Moda M100. Durable, sounds great, good for listening long periods. 
 
I have a pair of Pioneer HDJ 2000's sitting next to me broken. The cable shorted out within 2 weeks of light use. The hinge on the left ear broke yesterday. 
 
The Sennheiser HD25's are very durable, but can be very loose on the head and isolation is a big problem. 
 
 My favorite DJ headphones that I use professionally are Beats Mixrs, but they are not very comfortable, and too much high mids. Bad for every other use (home listening/portable listening/studio use) except DJ'ing. 
 
But if you're a professional DJ they are extremely durable and the kick and snares/backbeats are emphasized. Both earcups also swivel so you can listen to one ear at a time and they STILL fit snugly on the head while you're doing it. Dual inputs so that if one shorts out you still have one left, and you can also listen to two sources at the same time and also share a source with another DJ, if you're part of a team. 

 

[ev13wt]

The Senns are not studio headphones. They where created with field recording and throwing them into a duffel bag in mind.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Quote:

The Senns are not studio headphones. They where created with field recording and throwing them into a duffel bag in mind.

indeed
+1 for senns
could be getting confused with the sp

 

[inthere]

 The HD 25's are definitely DJ headphones and I've run through probably a dozen pairs, but sonically they suck to me. Just about the most overrated DJ headphone ever. 

 

[grizzlybeast]

Quote:

 The HD 25's are definitely DJ headphones and I've run through probably a dozen pairs, but sonically they suck to me. Just about the most overrated DJ headphone ever. 

so what sucks about the sound to you? I like the way the hdj 2000's are I just know they can break and dont have good bass extension.
I want to get some v modas too. They seem pretty durable.

 

[Armaegis]

I've had the HDJ-2000 for a few years now with no durability issues, but I tend to baby all my gear. Isolation is only average, but comfort is top notch which is why I've kept it as my main portable after all this time. 
 
The V-modas definitely have great durability, though the cords will fray over time. Sonically the M80 is the more balanced sibling and cleaner through the mids. The M-100 sounds weird to me, though would be more suitable for DJ'ing with it's compactness and more V shaped sound. Neither has a swivelling earpad if you tend to DJ that way though, and isolation is below average as well since they have those rather large cup vents that let in a lot of sound. 
 
The Ultrasone DJ1 is... odd, and I'll just leave it at that. Either you like S-Logic or you don't. Good build quality and isolation though, as with all ultrasones.
 
The HD25-1-ii is solid and reliable, isolates very very well, and is (relatively) easy to fix. The sound quality is good throughout and is mildly V shaped which is ideal for DJ settings. The amperior is slightly better in all respects, though I'm not sure if it's worth the price premium. On the other hand, refurbs of the Amperior are common and very reasonably priced. 
 
The Audio Technica Pro700mk2 is a fun head-shaker. It's also the same headphone as the Denon HP1000 (though the latter is actually more expensive). 
 
Shure 750/840 are decent, and build quality is good even though they feel plasticky. They are very top heavy in the headband though (especially the 840), which affects fatigue. The 840 pads are great though, and I'd recommend getting some of those pads to swap onto any other headphone you have. 
 
Audio Technica M50... it was stupid popular around these parts for a very long time, and for good reason. Personally I didn't quite like it, but it has solid performance and durability. Isolation is good, though lags behind the Shure 840 and Senn HD25. Sound is mildly V shaped like the other options, and quite clean throughout. 
 
The Beyerdynamic DT1350 is quite good, but there are reports of high driver variability. The pair that I used to have were very good and had a very neutral (and somewhat sterile) sound). Isolation was the best of everything mentioned so far, and arguably the most neutral sound as well. 
 
Aiaiai TMA-1... ugly sounding one-note doof in the bass sums this one up. 
 
A dark horse pick would be the AKG K181. Great isolation and build, compact, and pretty darned cheap compared to the rest. The smaller K81/518 is similar and can be found for under $40 which is awesome. 
 
I've gone through others, but these are the ones I've owned or had quite some time with in the past. Out of all of them, the only one I still have is the HDJ-2000.

 

[grizzlybeast]

I've gone through others, but these are the ones I've owned or had quite some time with in the past. Out of all of them, the only one I still have is the HDJ-2000.

Yeah I really liked having the hdj-2000 until i lost them on a plane. They proved to be portable. Djs say they break at the hinges. My only gripe was no inline controls and the bass extension. But sound wise they were non-fatiquing and clear but a little murky sounding. I dont know how to explain the murkiness but overall those and the germans maestros were my favorite closed can to date. If you like the hdj's you would like the germans. They sound very similar only the germans may be a tad more sibilant but with very good bass extension though they are borderline basshead cans. 
 
I saw the modifactions that I believe help impact but not bass extension. If I were a dj I would have the v-modas (just for djing not for listening because of the mids) the Pioneers not soo much just because of the isolation. You cannot get better than that for a dj. I would say the top 5 would be.
 
pioneer hdj 2000
allen and heath xone xd53 2
german maestro 8.35 d
sennheiser hd 25 ii
dre mixr
 
I wonder if the dt1350 isolation would beat the Germans. Both are reportedly better than the hd 25 II in isolation.  I couldnt hear my wife vacuum with those things and she could sleep with the volume up. Though I sold them I would buy them again in a heartbeat(german maestro that is)

 

[Ramtha604]

I've been using the Beyerdynamic DT250-250 for djing for over 10 years. About 1 year ago I bought Sennheiser HD-25 II C ('C'oiled cable) as backup and for cases when the combination of loud venue sound and weak hp amp in the mixer makes me wish for headphones that isolate a bit better and are more efficient than the DT250s. The downside of the HD-25 II is that they don't reproduce the bass as cleanly as the DT250s. It's harder to hear which kick is where when they are almost, but not exactly on top of each other, yet.
 
Conclusion: Beyerdynamic DT250-250 >= Sennheiser HD-25 II
 

 The Sennheiser HD25's are very durable, but can be very loose on the head and isolation is a big problem. 
 

 
I guess when they are new they clamp well, fit well and isolate well, but after many, many hours of use, when they don't clamp well anymore that probably becomes a problem.

 

[Tweakings]

Would it matter that I prefer electronic music, to mix and to listen to, before circa. 2002? Spec. 1987 (acid house)/92 (hardcore/ambient)-1995 (techno-trance)/97 (jungle before 2-step .../plastikman/crystal method/)/99 (HHC before trancecore and uk hardcore) ... 2002 (breakcore/raggacore, boards of canada ... they're new stuff is good too, an all around fan of Warp and planet-mu am I)... just wondering because sound engineering may have been different at that time so headphone specifications, i.e. the top contenders is what this conversation is about,  may have been different too.
 
The dance music of today doesn't sound like what producers used to make, for example dubstep and electrohouse. I prefer the whole gamut of genres of the old times, along with the hardware that they used... extended period of listening because I want to dig deep into this period of electronic dance and listening music. there's been a revival of this music up to a certain point, I've heard (I haven't been out). I'm thinking until 1992, techno ... but I want to extend it a bit further, but without the new "club sound" as I call it of the new millennium .... hope this can extend the conversation further. 

 

[ev13wt]

Just buy some headphones and practice mixing.

Until you get to the point in DJing where the headphones matter, you will know what sound you are looking for. But basically the above posts have described it for you. Isolation, kickdrum and snare emphasis, rolled off highs because you don't want to damage your hearing at high volumes in a club. That, combined with durability and comfort is what you want.

Sound QUALITY is actually second fiddle in mixing. Listening to mixes of course its different.

 

[ev13wt]

How do you plan to mix? I sure hope you are using (Vestax / Technics 1210) turntables and timcode records (Software Final Scratch, Traktor Scratch Pro, Serato Scratch Live etc) as well as analog records?

Everything else is crap.

 

[Tweakings]

Nah, just recently bought a DDJ-SX ... 

 

[swiftW1nd]

I personally don't think you need really high end headphones for DJing. You need to be monitoring and paying attention to the  stage and there is so much going on and loud noises, theres very little difference between a cheap set vs a really expensive one in actual practical usage. Build quality, pivot, compactness are way more important. You are there to make sure people have a blast, not to really enjoy the music. I really think its a waste of money to spend 500 bucks on DJ headphones vs getting a really high end pair for normal listening. 

 

[Tweakings]

Thank's swiftS1nd, that makes a lot of common sense ... Thank you Armaegis, grizzlybeast, ev13wt and Ramtha604 thank you ALL for adding to positive input to the conversation and your insight. You've given me some options, I am grateful to think about this further.
 
I guess the next question which I would have to ask, and I hope people are still in this conversation, is what the best pair of headphones to listen to electronic music of the era./genres which I have said?
 
I am plead complete ignorance with the headphone market, and want to make the right decision. All I was investigating for the past few months were dj headphones, and you all gave me a lot to think about.
 
It's most likely that these headphones which you'll recommend to me will be more important than the DJ headphones, for now, at least, because I'll doing a lot of listening of mixes, recordings, and I'll be practicing at home ... as I want to earn a living enough to build a DIY sound system ... these things take time.
 
Tweakings, Toronto.

 

[inthere]

 
 
These are my Pioneer HDJ-2000 headphones and this is why I had a negative comment about their durability...........as I said before the cable shorted out within 2 weeks of very light use. The hinge broke recently. 
 
I have been DJ'ing professionally for 25+ years. I play in a different country every week. The best advice i can give you is if you do multiple jobs, you'll need multiple headphones. Headphones that sound great on iPods sometimes sound horrible on other sources. Headphone that are neutral and great for pro studio mixing are bad for pleasurable listening. And optimal DJ headphones are 
also bad for pleasurable listening. Open backed, sweet sounding headphones with great separation are always high impedance and you'll need a good headphone amp to make them sound great, but don't try to travel with them because they're not only expensive, but everyone will hear what you're listening to, lol. 
 
So pick your priority (studio work, DJ'ing, portable iPod listening, or home audiophile) and we'll eventually come up with something that may suit you.