HDJ-500 Headphones Review: Decent, But Disappointing
HDJ-500 Headphones Review
For a long time now I’ve been looking forward to trying a new pair of headphones from Pioneer, but when the HDJ-500 showed up on my doorstep, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. The HDJ-500 headphones are in a line which also includes the Pioneer HDJ-1000, HDJ-1500 and HDJ-2000.
Over the last few years I have been using a solid pair of high quality headphones and so my overall standards are high. As I pulled out the HDJ-500s I immediately liked the look of them and they seemed somewhat solid. I’m not entirely sure how durable they are, but like any headphones you want to take good care of them. The left side is a fixed position but the right side is movable for your needs as a DJ. However, I must say that I really didn’t like mixing with these headphones. I couldn’t angle them the way I am use to. Of course you can flip the right side up and down, but it’s just not that great and it can be a little awkward if you are not use to that type. I like and need more maneuverability and these just can’t offer that.
When it comes to the sound quality, one of the first things I noticed was a higher bass volume and the same goes for the treble. My initial reaction was that I didn’t care for it. It sounded like they put to much bass in and overshot the treble as well. Again, these were just my initial reactions as I used the HDJ-500 headphones. There were even times where the treble was way to loud which became bothersome. For most people that use the headphones for just listening to music, they may take notice of that at times. The bass did eventually grow on me however, and now doesn’t bother me at all. The mids are fairly solid and were not much of an issue for me. I still think the sound quality wasn’t the greatest with these headphones, although after listening with them for a while, I did get use to them. The same goes for the comfort level of wearing them in which I also didn’t like that much at first.
My overall opinion is that if you are looking for a good quality pair of headphones for both sound and performance then it would probably be worth your money to check out one of the higher models of the HDJ series. It doesn’t cost that much more to move up to the next model, especially if you are already considering putting out the money for a more high-end headset. Even the style of the HDJ-1000 looks to be more comfortable and easier to adjust while mixing. That was, by the way, my biggest complaint with the HDJ-500 – I couldn’t maneuver the headset the way I wanted while mixing. Of course we all have our own styles and they still do a fine job, they’re just not for me. The sound quality is fairly decent though but I believe these headphones would be better for just listening to music rather than for mixing. Bottom line, I find it difficult to recommend these unless you find a great deal on them.
I guess the best way to find the best headphones would be to try them all out. Is there a place such as this? Thanks for the review…