My Chosen Phone

Well, I've finally reached a decision after a couple days of deciding between the headphones listed in my previous post. I read and watched reviews for hours on end, looking for information that applied to what's important to me. Although the Xone 53s sound great and are very durable, they have many reports of becoming painful to the ear after an hour or two. Who wants to be distracted from the fun of a mix by the pain in your ears? Not me.

The next to be crossed off my list was the Ultrasone DJ1, mostly because I liked the DJ1 Pro's offerings better. The Pro is essentially the same headphone with larger earpads, extra earpads, an easily replaceable cord, an extra cord, and a rugged carry case. There is a noticeable tuning difference between the two phones also, since the DJ1 Pro is a remodeled Ultrasone Pro 550 and the DJ1 is a remodeled HFI 580. http://www.headphone.com/ has the results from testing each of these models, and the results differ in almost every test.

I narrowed it down to the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro v.s. the Pioneer HDJ-2000. My chosen phone is the Pioneer HDJ-2000. I fully expect the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro to be more entertaining to listen to (the surround sound is really crisp, clear, and fun), but there were a lot of good reviews on the HDJ-2000's sound quality, isolation, and volume levels. I've yet to see a single complaint about anything on the HDJ-2000, aside from the price, even if its sound supposably doesn't match up to the Sennheiser HD25 or the DJ1 Pro. These phones are going to last me a long time, the mono/stereo switch is nice, and they look awesome.

So what was the main deciding factor? Value for the dollar. I found HDJ-2000s, which are metal and look professional, for the same price as the DJ1 Pros, which are plastic and look like a toy. When it all hits the fan, the reviews are just a guideline... and the final decision always comes down to what you want when you look at it. That's why I didn't even consider the Sennheiser HD25s, I can't even picture using or wearing them because I dislike the physical design. Sorry Senny lovers.. Pioneeru, I choose you!