The Pioneer HDJ-2000s, a review

[Wondershock]

I've got the full review of the HDJ-2000 headphones on my site here:

http://dj.wondershock.com/?p=77

Has anyone here got them? I'd love to hear what you think of them, and if there's anything I left out of my review. In case you'd rather stick to DJTechtools and not head to an outside site, here's the post copied over but without crispy pics:

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The HDJ-2000 headphones are ambitiously billed by Pioneer as “The Ultimate Professional DJ Headphone.” After grabbing them a couple days ago and listening near constantly to them since, I might agree. In a nutshell, they’re easily the best headphones I’ve ever bought (let alone used), but the real issue here is whether they’re worth the price tag.

When you look up the HDJ-2000s, the first thing that usually pops up is something like “whoa! £200 (or $350) is too much for headphones, are they really that good?” After all, the HDJ-1200s are known for durability and overpricing issues and they’re the HDJ-2000’s immediate (and also pricey) predecessor. Could Pioneer have made headphones worth their premium, or were they going for shock value by playing in the high DJ headphone price bracket? What’s keeping Ultrasone, Shure, or Sennheiser from making something better when they have vast amounts of experience making high-end headphones?

Three things, strong and light construction, amazing comfort, and detailed sound, set these apart.

One glance at the HDJ-2000s and you can tell they’re serious headphones. The drivers are wrapped in metal rings, and the hinges are completely Magnesium alloy construction with heavy duty screws. The headband is (I suspect?) plastic sandwiched metal with soft-touch plastic and “Pioneer” emblazoned across the top. As you swivel the cans, they’re spring-loaded and return to place authoritatively, but smoothly. You can also fold them (so they’d rest on one side of the top of your head) or flip them over (so the driver is pointed away from your ear), all movements joined by a satisfying “click” and spring-loaded action holding them in place. Additionally, there’s a durable feeling mono/stereo switch on the left cup (right where your thumb lands if you reach up and grab the left cup!), for one ear monitoring. In short, the headphones are solid examples of material and engineering; everything feels tough, but natural, graceful, and purpose-built. All of this engineering coupled with exotic materials lend the HDJ-2000s a lighter feel, but I feel like this adds to their state-of-the-art attitude (and comfort).

The HDJ-2000s have visco-elastic foam inside of “protein leather” wrapped padding, with strangely thin ear pads and a small “top of head” pad. After first glance, I thought the padding was too thin for DJ headphones; would isolation suffer? After putting them on, I was relieved to feel that the pads were conforming around my ears perfectly, and comfortably, every time. The pad on the crown of my head felt a little stiff, until I gave the headband a slight adjustment. The trick is to position the headband so the pad touches your head just a little, and it will settle into place. I think the “heat-sensitive foam” allows such soft and relatively thin (around 1.5 cm on the ear pads) to conform and fit so well. The movements I mentioned earlier (swivel, fold, and flip) all return the headphone to resting comfortably on or away from the head. Even with both drivers flipped forward and the thin sides of the ear pads pressing into my temples, I felt little discomfort. All in all, these cans always fit perfectly, are completely comfortable in all positions, endure extended (6+ hour) use, and…

They sound amazing. My friend Roger of WhiteNoise | Lab noted they have a flattish response, like reference/studio headphones/monitors, but responsive bass and an expressive sound stage. After testing on Dubstep, UK Hardcore, trance, and various other things, I can boil down these headphones’ acoustic strengths to a few points:

* They’re objective and restrained, but still expressive and accurate. You won’t get the booming, powerful bass like from a good pair of AKGs or the Technics RP-DH1200. You won’t get an extremely bright and loud high end like some Sennheisers or Grado SR-80s. Instead, you’ll get a good, even range (including those aforementioned parts) that allows you to objectively and intelligently observe your music… With these phones, I feel like I’m overlooking all the different parts of the music in distinct order, none drowning out the others. Bass is distinct and responsive, never lagging, but doesn’t overpower. Very even for such a satisfying listen.
* They isolate extremely well. I find after using these, I get less ear fatigue (partly due to the high degree of comfort), and less hearing strain, since I can use them at a much lower volume than similar phones. With them on, they isolate well enough for my needs, but do not drown out sound completely. They do isolate better than my work studio AKGs and my RP-DH1200s, however.
* They’re amazingly detailed. Typical story here: wearing them I hear things I’d never heard in songs I’ve heard 100 times, and I often feel like the sounds are “sneaking up on me.” You know the feeling: you jump a little when you hear an unfamiliar siren in a song and wonder whether it’s outside your car or not. With these phones, I was constantly checking whether the building was rumbling from construction outside, or it was all in my head. The sound stage reproduction was reminiscent of my open driver SR-80s, but with powerful, detailed bass and great isolation. The response may be flatter than most “DJ headphones,” but they’re still powerful and convincing in their expression. Compared to anything else I’ve used, it’s like pitting an SDTV versus an HDTV: you’re able to observe things you weren’t sure were there before, and easily follow things you have.
* They’re not just for DJs. While the extra features and durable build belie a purpose built set of cans, there’s a lot here if you’re looking to use these headphones as reference cans or casual workhorses. All musical types were represented well as far as I could tell, from classical to folk, industrial to synthpop, and the varying degrees of rave music I obsess over. The point is, I have kind of an OCD ear (Klipsch customer support can attest to that), and these headphones easily quell any concerns over their versatility and accuracy. The phones would satisfy anyone who put them to the test, not just DJs, so don’t be scared away if you don’t have both feet into your obsession quite yet.

I’m using them with my Macbook Pro and FastTrack Pro, controlled by a VCI-100SE running Traktor Pro. In the mix, they feel like a secret weapon. Before I got them, I’d use my SR-80s to really objectively monitor the high-end elements of a mix I wanted to get absolutely perfect for a recording. The RP-DH1200s would be my isolation and workhorse headphones… I could slog them around knowing they aren’t as fragile as the SR-80s and their heavier plastic construction makes them feel solid. But now that I have the HDJ-2000s, I can’t see ever using the other two pairs of phones. I know they’re completely in a class of their own, but still I don’t see myself ever going back for any reason. They’ve brought new resolution and detail to my mixing that I don’t ever want to give up.

In short, these are amazing headphones for DJing or whatever else you might use them for… But it goes without saying that they’re exceptionally well built for their purpose. I picked them up for $270 at Amazon.com, but they can be had cheaper (at dicier joints) elsewhere if you do some hunting. Considering that’s close to three times what I’ve spent on my other phones, they’ve had a lot to live up to… But I haven’t once regretted dropping the money on them. No buyer’s remorse; that definitely says something.
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Thanks for reading, I hope the info helped anyone on the fence about the phones.

[BestLegsinHD]

great review! i'll be picking these up soon =D

[narrah]

I got a pair, love them, however they are my first pair of mid - high end headphones, so im unable to draw a comparison.... they are super comfy....no doubt!