review: Pioneer HDJ-2000 headphones

I heard about the Pioneer HDJ-2000 Professional Flagship DJ Headphones that had "construction robust enough to withstand professional use".  Having destroyed many sets of "cans" during, what I consider, "normal" use on-air in radio stations...and as a D.J. in various nightclubs...I had to try them.

After removing them from the box and admiring in a mirror how good I look, and how good they headphones look on me, I noticed they're very..."light".  Yet, they feel sturdy.  And durable.  Per Pioneer, "This minimizes stress on the head..."

The swivel mechanism allows for the earphones to swing out towards the front of your face.  The headphones can also be swung down, around, and up...so they face away from your head.

The audio cable attaches via a Mini XLR connector.  It's a 4-foot coiled cable, that can stretch to approximately 10 feet.  Attached to an end of the cord is a 1/8-inch plug.  A 1/4-inch screw-on adapter is included.

Pioneer states:  "Low-rebound urethane foam is used inside the ear pads and head pad...maintaining comfort with a snug fit even in long sessions..."  They are "snug"...but not obviously noticeably so.  And "closed", meaning noises outside of the headsets are expected to be minimized.  Yet with "clear reproduction of mid to high sound ranges...These headphones are also suitable for professional use in studios."  I concur.

Using various (software program) audio players, I listened to various very high-quality audio files of varied genres (pop, adult contemporary, funk and soul)...because I have various eclectic tastes.  I was able to notice audio artifacts in some songs I had never before been aware of.  The bottoms were clean...and bass lines not muddy (as some headphones can produce).

Should you ever need, or want to have a spare set, replacement ear pads are available for the HDJ-2000 (they are the HDJ-EP01).

A MONO/STEREO switch allows for when you are using only one earphone to monitor...and/or when you need to check the phasing of audio (when the left and right audio have been incorrectly produced).

The HDJ-CA01 Replacement Cord for the HDJ-2000 is available so you can replace a damaged cord, and/or have one as a spare.

The headphones fold and can be place in a bag that is provided for storage and transport...

If you want something with more protection the HDJ-HC01 DJ Headphone Case is designed specifically for the Pioneer HDJ-2000, as well as the HDJ-1500 Professional Headphones.  It has a carabiner (so you can connect the case to a bag or belt loop).  Inside is a pouch for USB drives and SD cards.

The HDJ-2000 headphones are available in silver, black chrome, and white.

I strongly recommend that, before you waste your money on (any) "Beats By Dr. Dre - Beats", "AKG - Quincy Jones Signature Series", or "SMS Audio - STREET by 50 Cent"...you consider the HDJ-2000:  the HDJ-2000 have more features.

Also, read:  Some Headphones Amplify Celebrities Over Sound

record on an iPod/iPhone from a guitar/mic/source

If you have an iPod, you might have the beginnings of a mini-recording studio available to you. And with another piece of equipment, the i-GX Guitar Effect Processor with iPod Player/Recorder, more options...

The Jammin i-GX will allow for playing a guitar while using an iPod for practicing. It will also record the session...to the iPod.

There is a 6.35 mm (1/4-inch) input port for a guitar, one (unbalanced) for a microphone, and one that allows for the unit to be connected to an amplifier. And there is a 3.5 mm (1.8-inch) stereo line-in auxiliary input port.

Input sensitivity
AUX (3.5mm stereo): 250 mV
iPOD: 500 mV
GUITAR(6.35mm Jack): 8mV
MIC(6.35mm Jack): 10mV

With a 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) stereo headphone output port, the audio can be monitored as the i-GX is used as a 4-channel mixer (with the iPod, guitar, microphone, and the auxillary input port).

The 24 bit/96 kHz effects processor includes:
5 amplification simulations (acoustic, clean, overdrive, distortion, and microphone)...
4 digital effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremelo)...
and 2 ambience options (reverb and echo).

The "Compatibility Chart" included in the packaging noted some generations of iPods and iPhones:
iPods, from 3rd to 6th generations
Minis, 1st and 2nd
Shuffle, 1st and 2nd
Nano, 1st through the 4th
Touch, 1st and 2nd
and 3G and 3GS iPhones.

Certain features are supported by specific models: some units can be recharged by the i-GX, and record using the “Voice memo” application in the iPod.

And another tool that is built-in is a harmonic tuner (E/A/D/G/B/E).

The i-GX measures 147 mm (5 inches) × 162 mm (6 inches) x 58 mm (2 inches)...which is about as large as my open hand. And it weighs only 0.4 kg (14 ounces)...about as much as a "heavy" cellphone.

Four AAA batteries are needed to power the unit, but there is a port for the connection of a 9-volt (1 ampere) AC adapter.

http://www.jamminpro.net/products/guitar_effects/igx/index.html

http://www.jamminpro.net/minisite/igx/index.html

PURCHASE AT AMAZON.COM:
Jammin i-GX Guitar Effect Processor with iPod Player / Recorder

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Other products available from Jammin Pro include the StudioMix 702 7 channel mixer...

It can record to USB flash drives up to 32 GB in size.  "Channel 1" has 1 XLR input, and 1 1/4-inch, mono input..."channel 2 and 3" are line level inputs...and "channel 4 and 5" have RCA inputs.

----------------------------------------------------

The Jammin Pro StudioPack 202 is a 3 piece bundle mini-studio to allow for recording performances to a computer.

The SoundBox 202 audio interface connnects to the USB port.  From the Quick Start Guide (that's included in the package), the supported configuration is to:  "Connect the Microphone...to Input 1 of SoundBox 202, or you can connect your guitar/bass to the input 2...at the same time."

The C-10 (condenser) microphone has a cardioid (heart-shaped) pattern.  A table stand, and large windscreen is provided.

And the comfortable HD-65 headphones have a 10 foot long cord.  They have become my "go to" headphones.

a Yeti, an iPad, and some Blue FiRe...

I reviewed a Blue Microphones Yeti USB microphone (http://www.techtalkradio.com/blogger/2010/04/yeti-usb-microphone-review.html).



Now, I've learned it can be used with Apple's iPad...with the iPad Camera Connection Kit, and Blue FiRe software.

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"The iPad Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera: using your camera’s USB cable or directly from an SD card...

"The Camera Connector features a USB interface. Just plug it into the dock connector port on your iPad..."

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A

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Blue FiRe is a simple to use professional quality stereo field recorder application...from Blue Microphones...

- "Record until…" settings
- Quality settings: Low (11.025 kHz), Medium (22.050 kHz) and High (44.1 kHz)
- File Export via Local Web server FTP
- WAV, AIFF, CAF (Core Audio Format)

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blue-fire/id336713577?mt=8

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I learned about it after reading http://www.appletell.com/apple/comment/how-to-record-cd-quality-audio-with-your-ipad/

new audio software from SRS Labs

Today, SRS Labs is launching SRS HD Audio Lab software:

"...It allows the user to select audio content (music, movie or game) and then choose the speaker type (Headphone, Internal notebook speakers, or external speakers) to dial in amazing sound tailored for your listening preference...

"...personalize the sound...deep, rich bass, offer 3D enhancement for stereo and mono content, restore the clarity to vocals and high frequency sounds, and more.

"SRS HD Audio Lab also allows users to take advantage of surround content regardless of their speaker arrangement..."

Take note of the system requirements:  initially I installed the software on a computer that did not have a comparable processor, and noticed the software seemed to fail to modify the audio enough for reasonable use on that computer.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
•  Microsoft Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 / 7 (32bit or 64bit)
•  Intel Pentium 4 3.0Ghz / AMD Athlon 3200+
   (A dual core CPU is recommended)
•  1GB System RAM
   (2GB is recommended for Windows Vista or higher)
•  60MB Hard Disk Space
   (Up to 500MB can be used with Microsoft .NET Framework
    installation)
•  DirectX 9.0c capable video card with 128MB VRAM

Customizable audio features:
SRS 3D - a "3D" stereo enhancement for mono or stereo content
SRS 3D Center Control - extracts and positions (audio) dialog in the
   foreground or background of the mix
SRS TruBass - adjusts the bass output for more or less bass response
Speaker Size - adjusts the audio to the quality, or limitations, of the
   size of the speaker (larger speakers give better quality; this control
   can make cheap speakers sound better)
SRS FOCUS - "raises or lowers the audio field" (for clarity)
SRS Definition - highlights the high frequency details...can sharpen,
   or smooth, the sound
Limiter Level – prevents speakers from being over driven...
   for most setups, this option doesn’t need to be adjusted

Adjustments are availble for 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, and 7.1 speaker configurations.  SRS Circle Surround II creates multichannel surround sound from mono and stereo audio sources for them to be played over a 5.1 or 6.1 speaker playback system.

SRS Circle Surround II Headphone can enable 5.1 reproduction from stereo, or surround, encoded content...

I have not tried a external speaker system with the software.  When using the software with the speakers on my Alienware Area 51 M9750 notebook computer, I was able to make the audio cleaner and clearer.  Using Sony MDR-CD180 and SteelSeries Siberia headphones is when I best experienced the features the SRS software had to offer...using the Advance Controls allowed me to get the best performance possible from the headphones.

If you often use a computer to listen to music for enjoyment, this software can make it a much better experience.

{UPDATE...AFTER I HAD WRITTEN THE PREVIOUS}

I had disabled the software from loading at boot.  After restarting my computer I noticed no audio would play.  In the Sound properties, I found a "SRS HD Audio Lab" playback device had been added and was enabled.  I enabled "Speakers" (in an attempt to bypass the SRS software), but was not able to engage sound.

After looking at some of the other software I have installed, I suspect there may be a conflict between the SRS HD Audio Lab...and the Realtek HD Audio Manager that was provided with the computer:  when I disable the SRS software, it no longer interacts with the Realtek software...probably causing no audio between the two applications.

AM/FM Stereo Headset Radio/Headphones

Radio Shack

This comfortable AM/FM stereo headset doubles as headphones. Simply plug your CD player, MP3 or cassette player into the audio input jack.

AM/FM Stereo Headset Radio/Headphones

better audio quality than expected

4 5

Pros: Good Sound Quality, Lightweight, Durable

Cons: Cord connects behind ear

Best Uses: Home Use, Commuting, Travel, Daily Use

Describe Yourself: Gearhead

I was comparing earphones and headphones I own...I purchase my set years ago, and recently found it's the best pair of headphone I own!