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View Full Version : For protecting your ears.. Which headphones do you recommend?



nevin
05-31-2012, 08:51 AM
Sennheiser hd25s or pioneer hdj2000s

Most headphones around the $200 - $300 range sound pretty good so I don't mind about sound quality at that level. What I really want to know is which will isolate my ears better and allow me to work at lower volumes in a loud environment. A lot of reviews focus on sound quality, I am more focused on protecting my ears which is why I have started this as a new thread..

Any other headphone suggestions are welcome too.

John Veselsky
05-31-2012, 08:55 AM
Looks like your looking for a pair of IEM's.

Era 7
05-31-2012, 09:03 AM
with a loud soundsystem you won't get around cranking the level a bit on either of those but what i can say about HDJ-2000s is that they cancel pretty good. after i came back from my last gig my right ear was ringing while my left ear (which i used for monitoring and cueing all the night) did not. haven't used the hd25s yet so i can't comment on them.

Buszaj
05-31-2012, 09:41 AM
HD-25s. Best solution is to get those headphones (or any decent pair, HDJ-2000's will be fine) along with custom earplugs.

M!TCH
05-31-2012, 11:08 AM
The 2000s are a joke. I got rid of them and moved to the HD-25 II

Sublim&All
05-31-2012, 12:04 PM
Heard good stories about the Ultrasone DJ1 (pro?) blocking out a LOT of sound. Would really like to try these once myself!

nevin
05-31-2012, 08:58 PM
The 2000s are a joke. I got rid of them and moved to the HD-25 II

why did you get rid of them?

Atomisk
05-31-2012, 09:11 PM
why did you get rid of them?
They're super muddy and don't accurately reflect songs. Build wise they're insanely comfortable and feel great but the sound is inferior to the senn HS 25s.

To OP, get a pair of IEMs or a pair of earplugs. I alternate between the two depending on the club/if I'm DJing with my production partner.

DJ Riddims
05-31-2012, 09:34 PM
Since I started using my Ultrasone DJ1 Pros I no longer get a ringing in my ears after a long set.

noize_unit
06-01-2012, 10:11 AM
I prefer over the ear vs on ear, so HDJ2000 have been working great as replacements to my really old Sony MDR-V500s. All you need as far as sound quality goes is to be able to hear where the kicks/snares/basslines are anything else is a plus, the HDJs have great sound. coming from my sonys i felt they eq'd the bass too much but under further comparing my sonys were very muddy and had no bass but they were great headphones for the price. HDJs are comfy, also another major plus for these is how sensitive the speakers are (only have my headphone volume at 2.5-3 mark vs with the sonys i needed it up at 5-7 to be able to hear everything. I have yet to test them in loud environments but at home they work great, also way less ear fatigue after playing a 4-5hr set (not in a club, mind you) all in all i would recommend trying them out and comparing if you can, maybe have the guys in the pro audio dept at GC turn up the volume and A-B the headphones. if it wasnt between HD-25 and HDJ 2000 i would recommend IEMs for ultimate isolation, but if your worried about protecting your ears and you plan on monitoring the master from booth monitors that ear will be susceptible to damage unless you get db reducing ear plugs (custom molded)

Synergy
06-01-2012, 10:33 AM
ive had ringing in my ears for as long as i can remember. I used to listen to my walkman maxed out, regret the fuck out of it now.

M!TCH
06-01-2012, 10:55 AM
why did you get rid of them?

Isolation sucked in my opinion. I've found the HD-25 have done a great job at isolating noise and I'm not 100% sure they were intentionally designed to :shrug: The HDJ2000s are well built and very sturdy so if you find your stuff getting banged up easily take note that the HD-25s feel pretty "fragile" in my opinion. Like Atom said, the 2000s really muddy the sound and if you're trying to match hi-hats or something other than kicks it can be more difficult with them. Plus, I am pretty sure they are still more expensive than the HD-25 so that's why they also get my vote.

Phil Noize
06-03-2012, 03:29 PM
Isolation sucked in my opinion. I've found the HD-25 have done a great job at isolating noise and I'm not 100% sure they were intentionally designed to :shrug: The HDJ2000s are well built and very sturdy so if you find your stuff getting banged up easily take note that the HD-25s feel pretty "fragile" in my opinion. Like Atom said, the 2000s really muddy the sound and if you're trying to match hi-hats or something other than kicks it can be more difficult with them. Plus, I am pretty sure they are still more expensive than the HD-25 so that's why they also get my vote.

Wow, I am surprised that you say the HDJ2000s are "muddy". As a user of both of these sets of phones, I find that they both deliver exceptional clarity. The isolation is also very good with both, but the Senns are slightly better depending on how you wear them. I like to monitor "on-the-shoulder", using my shoulder to vary the distance of the right ear cup from my ear, to hear a nice balance between what's going out on the main speakers and what I'm cueing. For this, isolation isn't the most important factor, and the HDJ2000s are slightly better IMO.

Really, it's down to personal preference, but the word "muddy" certainly isn't a word that I'd use to describe either of these sets of cans.

Dj_4-$hure
06-03-2012, 07:04 PM
ive had ringing in my ears for as long as i can remember. I used to listen to my walkman maxed out, regret the fuck out of it now.

Same here. Walkman, cd player, and ipod all use to be maxed out, now I'm paying for it. Everyday my ears feel fatigued. I used to fall asleep the best when listening to music at night, but can't do that no more, can't even wear headphones for a long time period. Kills me inside.:cry::banghead::argh:

dj daywalker
06-03-2012, 11:50 PM
I use hd-25 II's AND westone er49 custom earplugs (with 9db filters). Best investment you can make. When ever someone else has played on my setup the headphone volume is considerably louder than I use it at. (and they are not using earplugs...think about it). It makes beatmatching a little hard though, and takes some getting used to.

nevin
06-05-2012, 07:58 AM
I use hd-25 II's AND westone er49 custom earplugs (with 9db filters). Best investment you can make. When ever someone else has played on my setup the headphone volume is considerably louder than I use it at. (and they are not using earplugs...think about it). It makes beatmatching a little hard though, and takes some getting used to.

I'm thinking about getting some ear plugs as well after what everyone is recommending. What do you mean it makes beat matching harder? Just getting used to the different sound?

So far it sounds like the sennheisers are coming out on top.

I tend to dj with the old one ear in headphones kinked neck approach, but I'm gonna start trying to mix completely with both cans on, in order to regulate sound better. Hopefully this makes a difference too..

M!TCH
06-05-2012, 09:49 AM
Wow, I am surprised that you say the HDJ2000s are "muddy". As a user of both of these sets of phones, I find that they both deliver exceptional clarity. The isolation is also very good with both, but the Senns are slightly better depending on how you wear them. I like to monitor "on-the-shoulder", using my shoulder to vary the distance of the right ear cup from my ear, to hear a nice balance between what's going out on the main speakers and what I'm cueing. For this, isolation isn't the most important factor, and the HDJ2000s are slightly better IMO.

Really, it's down to personal preference, but the word "muddy" certainly isn't a word that I'd use to describe either of these sets of cans.

I'm going to have to say my 2000s were very muddy compared to the Senns. The difference in sound quality was so astounding to me I couldn't believe I paid extra for the HDJ. Not to mention, I thought the isolation on them was average at best. Maybe I just have a weird shaped head :eek:

Atomisk
06-09-2012, 01:39 AM
I'm going to have to say my 2000s were very muddy compared to the Senns. The difference in sound quality was so astounding to me I couldn't believe I paid extra for the HDJ. Not to mention, I thought the isolation on them was average at best. Maybe I just have a weird shaped head :eek:

I actually just picked up a pair of HD-25s, just got back from a party and they performed fairly well. They're super clear+comfortable, great listening headphones, but I still prefer my IEMs for situations where its super loud. I can't listen to HDJ-2000s now - It sounds like Pioneer somehow managed to fit a saturator inside the headphones, they sound like absolute garbage! We were pumping the speakers retardedly loud at the request of the host, I didn't have a chance to compare them to other headphones on the spot. (I forgot my IEMs and earplugs :cry: )

EDIT: They also seem great in the studio so far. I've been using them at night, nice and clear - I wouldn't do a mix on them, but they're really fun to write with & they make great referencing headphones. The bass is really defined too - I'm not sure on the cutoff, but the low cutoff seems really low, and there doesn't seem to be too much resonance under 100 hz. I feel like I'm listening to some basslines for the first time!

tl;dr HD-25 < HDJ-2000 A million to one.