Buying headphones

Cheap headphones are not my thing, but there is a zillion options in the low-end range (say 20-50 euro). I would opt for a budget model from a main brand (akg, reloop, numark, sony, maybe stanton), read the reviews (Phil has done quite a few on the blog) and pick one. I buy headphones that I know I will wear a lot (comfort) and that need to sound very good (sound quality) and that need to be able to withstand the rigors of the road (build quality), finally I prefer if all the bits and piece can be swapped in case of defects (don’t want to throw away my cans if a cable goes bad or the ear padding gets ripped on one side).

So, I ended up with Sennheiser HD25-IIs, at 250 euro hardly kind of cheap. But I have had them for 4 years of intensive use and they’ll serve me another 16 at least. Just a personal choice.

Don’t expect miracles from the low-end stuff, make sure they appeal to your taste (image) and are somewhat comfortable. As a DJ you’ll be wearing them around your neck most of the time, so make sure they are comfortable there as well as on your ear. The fact that when you use them it will often be on just one ear means lots of cans fail because they have a tendency to sit too crooked and/or slide off of your head. Swivel earcups that move out of the way make life a lot easier. Also if they rotate 180 degrees (if only on one side), so you can hold the headband in your hand and press the cup to your ear for a quick listen.

Hope that helps.

Greetinx,
C.

The stuff is so highly personal, what works for me might not work for you and vice versa. What one person considers comfortable the other gets frustrated with. So yeah, bit of a pain if you have to travel, but in my opinion with stuff like this no substitute for just sticking it on your head physically.

Even if they are cheap, finding out you threw away 30-50 bucks on something that wasn’t as good/comfortable/useful as you’d hoped from the spec’s and the picture …

Greetinx and good luck!
C.

Of course, I totally forgot Sennheiser makes cheap ones too 😀

Gary Spires, post: 41846, member: 11208 wrote: Defiantly agree with above, visit a store and try them out. It’s very much a personal choice here. I use the Sennheiser HD 25-II

Well … if you have that kind of budget, the only choice left really is do I want regular black or celebration edition aluminium (me want bad 😡 )

Greetinx,
C.

Yumm Yumm Yumm … 😀

I know! ME WANT :;

If you’re looking for something cheap but good, the Sennheiser HD205’s as suggested above are good. I’ve had a pair for over 2 years now, sound quality is good and more than loud enough for what I use them for (Mobile DJing). They come with a leather pouch, I’ve only ever stored them in this bag and there’s hardly any signs of wear and tear. I find them nice and comfy to wear as well!!!

I have an idea. I havent really read all of the comments cuz I am lazybones but I am pretty sure that none of them actually mentioned in-ear headphones. And I wanna recommend one: Klipsch s4 or s4i. They cost 45$ or 60euros and imho they are the best in-ear headphones for the price.
Pros: you can use em while djing in club enviroment because they will protect your ears, s4i have volume control on the cable and mic, you can use them as regular mp3 headphones
Cons: the only con I found is that you cant really put them around your neck like djs like to do.