OK I’ll admit. I’m a complete nerd when it comes to sound. Over the last twenty years, I’ve never even considered DJing with anything other than a £180 pair of Sennheiser HD25’s. Plus all those years ago when I started to delve into the world of production, £300 was spent on a high-end set of studio-specific headphones as a necessity. Understand where I’m coming from? Good. So why the hell am I reviewing a set of £39.99 DJ Headphones?
Quite simply, because not everyone can afford to pay a three-figure sum for what could be better spent elsewhere. If like me, you’re swanning around the globe playing the busiest of clubs night in, night out, then you’re gonna need to invest. But what if you’re not? Well you’ll need affordable quality sound to be able to learn your art. You need to be considering something a bit cheaper. I’ve been there, done that – so perhaps I can help. £39.99 is a decent price for entry-level gear – providing they actually sound good. So do they?
Well yes they do, sort of. At first I noticed the bass was hard in the 100-300hz regions. The sub 30-60Hz doesn’t represent the sound as well as I’d want and the top end does not have that special definition I’m used to. But what the hell do you expect at this price? So it’s back to my original point - my version of perfection will be a lot different to your entry level DJ.
So I thought about a real comparison. I bought a similar price set of recommended in-ear heaphones at the airport the other month for those times when I want to listen to something quickly on the plane to gigs without a huge headband on. And sure enough, these MOS006 headphones brush up well. They are loud too. I’m happy to report there is absolutely no cheap ‘tinny’ sound – something that fills me with dread from those days with my £10 headphones from Woolworths!
Let’s move on to practicalities here. They certainly feel sturdy enough for club use, the cans are attached via metal - not plastic - and especially impressive is the flexibility of the headband. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen a DJ struggling because the plastic parts of his headphones have broken completely. These are gonna take some destroying! (I’m sure you’ll have a go Mark – ED).
Finally, although the cable isn’t the best quality, it ingeniously detaches from the cans themselves, thus avoiding those moments when someone pulls the mixer off the table because they didn’t see you in the way. ie you dont end up looking like the prize turkey in front of the crowd. Surely a plus!
And you know what? They look pretty good (especially the Silver ones). Sure the headband reminds me of that spongy stuff you put around hot water pipes, but hey I remember buying a job lot of that from B+Q to keep my studio cables in order once and it actually looks pretty space-age. Nice!
All in all, I’d say this is a pretty decent set of headphones for the entry level DJ. Just remember that in the end, you'll need to go further than £39.99 to improve your art!
Hope this helps you all!
