Headphones- DJ's Tell How to Choose One
Which headphones are worth the money? I know allot of people ask this question, especially when they are considering buying a new unit. With the tremendous amounts of marketing data out there and the huge claims from all the manufacturers, how about asking those that use them every day? DJ's should have the inside track on which DJ headphones are great and which are duds, right. I have been a DJ for over 7 years and have used, abused and used up many headphone sets. Here is my take on some of the headphones available on the market, from a DJ viewpoint.
Materials
Plastic- Most headphones today use plastic as the main construction material. This may or may not prove an important feature depending on the type of care the headphones receive. If you are the type that wipes the headphone down after each use and carefully places the unit in a hard protective case, then there is nothing you need to fear. Plastic will do just fine for you.
Metal- If however you are like most of us and expect the headphones to stand up to heavy and hard use, then the construction material is very important. Some units are constructed of metal, mostly magnesium. If you like to bang them around, look for this, otherwise you will start finding cracks on your plastic unit. Eventually the cracks will become profound enough to break the unit.
Sound Delivery
Bass- We all like a deep rich bass. But, this does not help if it overpowers the other genre. If you can't hear the crisp high notes and get smooth silky vocals you are nowhere. The optimum balance is a deep rich fullness on the bass but it should not overpower the treble instruments or vocals, they should come through clearly.
Vocals- You want to be able to hear the words in the manner the artist intended. This means the vocals need to strike a balance with the bass and treble. If you feel you get a silky envelope around the delivery of the vocals, you are in god shape. Avoid having the bass so overpowering that the vocals simply blend into the beat.
Treble- Depending on your taste, treble can be one of the defining factors to recognize a well balanced sound. A lot of what we perceive as the "club" sound is actually delivered by the treble. It adds a sharp crispness to the beat and adds to the richness of the music. You should feel that the treble actually rides on top of the bass.
Headphone Features
Even if a headphone sounds great, if it is not comfortable you will find yourself not using it. Look for large ear cups, preferably the type that covers the entire ear. Make sure the foam is soft and stick with synthetic covering instead of real leather. Yes, real leather may give you bragging rights, but it also tends to get hard by soaking up sweat. There is nothing worse than ear cups that feel hard and scratchy.
One awesome feature some units have is noise canceling capabilities. Get this, these headphones actually monitor and reproduce a negative wave of sound equal to the outside ambient noise. The negative wave thus cancels the ambient noise out. In my book, this is very cool. No more A/C unit noise messing with the beat.
Ever use words you would not want repeated simply because the cord from your favorite headphones broke? Yep, if the unit has not been designed to have replaceable parts, you have to throw the unit away. Some manufacturers are still making units that don't allow you to replace parts, especially the chord. In my opinion, these units could be better designed. Look for headphones that have this feature included. Most well designed headphones let you replace practically any piece that may break. Replacing a broken headband or chord is much cheaper than replacing the entire headset.
About the Author
What a review about DJ headphones or DJ equipment? Then ask a DJ. The Spin Crew of d.t. LA is here to get you on the floor and moving.