7steps to Choosing the right Headphones
These days there are such a wide variety of headphones available that one is not quite sure where to stick your ears in between from a Dj’s point, and simply using your earbud earphones just wont cut it and dotting down to your nearest electronic store and grabbing the highest fidelity pair wont do why you may look at the following tips at buying the right pair.
Comfort.
Headphones are apart of the dj’s working tools, we wear it through out our set as we play be it 1hour sets or 5 hour sets weather this be around our ears, our head our necks or simply clamped between our shoulder and ear, the factor is if it isn’t comfortable it becomes a distraction and wearing something for more than ten minutes it will become an irritating distraction, the padding around ears the swivel of the cups the tightness on the head all plays a role in how easy your headphones sit on and off your head, and should be taken into consideration
Allows one ear monitoring
The common way to monitor cue your tracks is to monitor the incoming track in the one ear and listen to the main track with the other ear so it is essential that your headphones are flexible by having joints that allow you to tuck the un used cup in a position that doesn’t interfere with you open ear.
Be portable
Big bulky headphones can become a problem when travelling to and from a venue, make sure they fold away neatly preferably into 15cm diameter with a carry bag as this is ideal , to prevent your headphones from snacking when you take them in and out your bag.
Durability is key
Your headphones move on and of your head constantly they might be trampled on , shoved into the tightest corner of your bag, cable pulled at as you turn to take that drink , tugged on by that annoying request girl , you name it they take quite a beating, so it is vital that when picking a pair of headphones that they feel as robust as they look , preferably they must have metal parts rather than plastic, have strong hinges, have replaceable parts in case they break
Closed Back isolation
Headphones must have closed backs this earphones with closed casings instead of open holed casing, to isolate the outside sound for when you are cue your tracks with out interfering sound from the main sound this will prevent you from cranking up the sound to much which could potential damage your ears.
Are they LOUD & Clear enough
A pair of headphones might be crystal clear but the minute you push them to louder level needed in a club environment you will tend to loose that clarity that is why high fidelity headphones are made to be in everyday environments the moment you are in a loud environment such as a club you find your self cranking up your headphones to a level that a normal pair of headphones even hi fidelity phones wont and then distortion sets in which hinders your cueing and monitoring
Cheap headphones will break your bank.
Buy right the first time, you might need to pay a considerable amount for your headphones , but trust me you only pay that once in a lifespan of 8-15 years , however buying that cheap headphones might save you money now but you should prepare yourself to be replacing them every 6 months, over the long run you will find your self spending more than the once you would of paid for those robust headphones, but also be warned that buying headphones based on the most expensive doesn’t guarantee you longevity as some High end headphones are just not designed for the Dj environment, stick to making sure you have these pointers covered and you should find the pair that will stick with you for a long time.
