DJ headphones are designed and developed for DJing and provide excellent sound isolation. Beyond the look, there are several points to consider when choosing the right DJ headphones.

Even if headphones with a neutral frequency response are more suitable for the Home Studio (we will speak here of monitoring headphones or studio headphones), the technical boundary remains quite fine between studio headphones and DJ headphones. Your preferences, use and needs will define the DJ headphones that are right for you. For example, some will prefer to have a high volume while others will favor comfort. Anyway, DJ headphones are indeed specially designed for this discipline, even if some DJs choose to mix with headphones.

Using DJ Headphones

As a DJ, the main use of your headphones will be to listen (or rather pre-listen) to the next track you are going to mix without your audience hearing it. It is thanks to what you hear in your headphones that you will be able to synchronize the tempo and the rhythm of two different songs. It is therefore important to use DJ headphones (which are closed headphones) to be isolated from ambient noise which can be very loud (at a festival for example).

Closed helmet or open helmet?

One of the important criteria when choosing your helmet is the insulation. Closed (or circum-aural) headphones cover all of the ears, while open (or supra-aural) headphones sit on the ears. To mix, DJs will often advise you to use closed headphones in order to isolate your ears and to be able to concentrate more easily on your mix.

Features

Your DJ headphones must be flexible and resistant enough to accompany you on all your mixes and when traveling.

Flexibility

The flexibility makes it easier to withstand the twists of the DJ headphones. Indeed, a DJ sometimes pre-listens with one ear, to naturally mix the 2 tracks being played. He is therefore led to put on the helmet, take it off, change ears, and all that quickly. Some helmets even have articulated and swiveling earpieces to facilitate all these actions. This property of DJ headphones should therefore not be overlooked.

Comfort

Comfort is obviously an important point in choosing your headphones for DJing. Prefer a very light helmet, especially if you use it for hours. If your helmet is too heavy, then you may feel physical pain on the ears and the top of the skull. For more durability, prefer a helmet with earphones whose ear pads are interchangeable. Over time and sweat, the pads of your helmets can easily wear out or tear. Remember that we don't all have the same ears, so take the time to try out your next headset in Star's Music stores, it's your main work tool.

Resistance

The resistance of the materials will also be a crucial element in your choice. If you move around with your helmet on a regular basis, be sure to choose a model that is strong enough to withstand many twists and frequent repositioning. To avoid possible breakage, different cases exist to best protect your DJ headphones.

Sound quality and impedance

A DJ generally sets his tracks on the kicks (bass drum). It is therefore important to have headphones that reproduce low frequencies well. If your headset does not reproduce these sounds correctly, you risk not hearing your music correctly and will not be able to quickly cue your tracks. Don't worry, over time even the sound of cymbals and vocals will hold no secrets for you.

Regarding the number of Ohms, most DJ headphones have an impedance (the load exerted by headphones on the amp) between 25 and 70 ohms. High impedance has nothing to do with the sound quality you will get. Many times a high impedance is considered better quality, but is not. The higher it is, the more power will have to be supplied for the headphones to work properly.

DJ headphones cable and connectors

Check that the length of your headset cable is at least 1.5 or even 2 meters. A long cable will be more practical if you regularly move behind your turntables and want to be able to keep your headphones on your ears. Also favor a spiral cable system, this will prevent you from walking on it all the time, the spiral cable twists and therefore does not hang as much as a simple cable.

Many DJ headphones are equipped with 3.5 mm mini-jack connectors, while the majority of DJ mixers offer a headphone output with a 6.35 mm jack connector. To connect your headphones, you will therefore need a 3.5 mm jack to 6.35 mm jack adapter. For many DJ headphones, these adapters are supplied as standard. Check the technical specifications to find out if it is included.

There are also a few wireless DJ headphones, but they are still rare, with DJs sticking to wired headphones. Even if the wireless headset will allow you to be more free behind your turntables, a sound delay can occur because of the Bluetooth transmission. Even if this shift is minor, it can cause discomfort for DJs. We therefore advise you to use a wired headset for more reliability.