Ultrasone DJ1 Pro VS. Pioneer HDJ-2000

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Ultrasone DJ1 Pro VS. Pioneer HDJ-2000
Posted on: 30.03.2009 by Dawn Van
I've read the several post's about headphones, most of them were before the Pioneer HDJ-2000's were actually available.

*** PRICE IS NOT AN ISSUE ***
Please don't comment about price... I don't care.

Has anyone actually used/borrowed/demoed, or owned the new Pioneer's?
I've read several very positive reviews of the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro's. The only bad thing I've read is someone went through 4 in a 4 month period because the joints were breaking. I currently own the Sony MDRV-700DJ's I've repaired the joints on these severl times. Having read that the Pioneer 2000's have metal joints realy makes me lean that direction, BUT the Ultrasone's seem awesome too. Note: I like that they come with two cords, one with volume adjustment.

So, what do you guys and girls believe??? HDJ-2000 or DJ1-Pro
Cristian Carmona
08.04.2009
Originally Posted by Fatlimey
7:50 in that video, Hawtin is right on the edge of a mix-through and someone comes and slaps him on the sholder wanting his attention. He turns to the guy, executes the bass drop and smiles at him...
I would have been caught off guard if they did that to me.
robert chanda
09.04.2009
Originally Posted by djas
7:50 in that video, Hawtin is right on the edge of a mix-through and someone comes and slaps him on the sholder wanting his attention. He turns to the guy, executes the bass drop and smiles at him.

Saw what you like about his product whoredom, but _that's_ a professional, nice guy.

Impressed!
Ela Hoeger
04.12.2013
Anyone else prefer one over the other?
Luna Coupal
11.01.2010
I've heard the ear cups are too large on the HDJ-2000 and the DJ1 Pro. What is the diameter of each? Would someone mind measuring theirs and posting?

I am concerned about protecting my hearing, and I've read where Ultrasones keep you from having to turn the volume up very high. Do HDJ-2000s have to be turned up so loud at loud venues that your hearing is affected? i.e. do you have a hard time hearing things after playing?

Are the HDJ-2000's just as comfortable as the Ultrasone DJ1 Pros? Do the HDJ-2000s cause any inner or outer ear pain after a couple hours?

Do the HDJ-2000s leather ear cups feel like they will wear out and get torn one day? Are they more durable than the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro ear cups, from what you can tell? Are HDJ-2000 ear cups replaceable?
Dawn Van
11.12.2009
So, this had been a slow year DJ wise since I got the new Pioneers. But, I've done enough gigs now that I can give a review. This will be short, if someone has a question feel free to ask.

PROS
- The sound quality is awesome! Super crisp Highs and tight lows.
- The Mono feature is great for mixing.
- Overall, Tough as Nails. I've allready dropped them plenty of times.
- Very Comfy
- Can go VERY LOUD, if needed.
- They look Bad Ass

CONS ** these are more just personal prefrence cons ***
- Sound Isolation is only Ok, I thought it would be a little better. It wasn't really an improvement over my Sony's.
- Ear pads could be a little thicker. When on, I can actualy feel the hard part of the speaker touching my ear, which was not the case with my old Sony's. This isn't realy a bad thing, just feels a little strange some times. A quick adjustment makes this go away. I might just have goofy ears.
- BE CAREFULL with the XLR cable connector. Don't just jam it in without lineing the pins up. I thought I had them lined up once and bent one of the pins and pushed it in slightly!!! Almost freaked out, grabbed some needle nose pliers and fixed it. So, now I just leave it plugged in.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.
-Nate
Roselle Mcnaul
11.12.2009
I also forgot to mention, I tried to demo Ultrasone DJ1 Pro's, but when the store owner took them out of the box, plugged them in, and handed them to me - they immediately blew out. I'm not pointing the finger or anything though :P
Roselle Mcnaul
11.12.2009
I currently own a pair of the HDJ-2000's, and also own Sennheiser HD-25's. Both are my headphones of choice depending on what Im doing.

The 2000's are without a doubt worth every penny. Imagine if you will, the polar opposite in build quality of a MDR-V700, and that would accurately tell you how rugged the built is on them. Solid magnesium frame, you can bend the headband on the headphones in the opposite direction, and they wont snap. The swivel action (also metal joints) are smooth, and move naturally and with more fluidity than past models. Plain and simple, the build quality will blow your shit away, and then some.

As far as the sound, they have more clarity than my Sennheisers, without a doubt. Most DJ headphones suffer from "colored" sound, mainly due to that massive 50mm driver which powers the bass, and bleeds into adjacent frequencies. The HDJ-2000's however, posses punchy and warm lows, and still manages to bring out the clarity of the mids and highs. In other words, it makes a track sound more natural, which is also great because this means less listening fatigue.

Comfort wise, compared to anything else (again, I've used Sony V500/600/700/900, Pioneer SE-DJ5000/HDJ-1000, etc etc), they absolutely kick the crap out anything else on the market. You know that really sore ache you get on the top of your head when you wear V700's?, it's non existent with the HDJ-2000's. Pioneer really nailed this down well, and it doesn't even deserve to be put in comparison to past headphone stereotypes. Then again, the HD-25's I got are 1/5 the weight of the 2000's, and after a while, they don't even feel like they're on your head (yes, they're that light).

However, ONE thing which the HDJ-2000's cant do is outperform the isolation levels of my HD-25s. I compare any headphones ability to block outside noise to the HD-25's, and as to date, nothing really compares (although some come close). In this particular comparison, the difference to me to noticeable. Bear in mind, ear structure, head shape, and all thing which can contribute to isolation vary from person to person.

Between my HD-25's and the HDJ-2000's, they're both equal in caliber. At the end of the day, if I had to take one to a gig, I'd still choose my Sennheiser's.

Hope that helps
Birdie Vogeli
11.12.2009
I can't wait for the review!
Dawn Van
10.04.2009
OK, just purchased the Pioneer's online. Will post a review as soon as I get them sometime next week.

Thanks for all the help!
Cristian Carmona
08.04.2009
Originally Posted by Fatlimey
7:50 in that video, Hawtin is right on the edge of a mix-through and someone comes and slaps him on the sholder wanting his attention. He turns to the guy, executes the bass drop and smiles at him...
I would have been caught off guard if they did that to me.
Random X
08.04.2009
Hawtin is the ownage meister himself!
robert chanda
09.04.2009
Originally Posted by djas
7:50 in that video, Hawtin is right on the edge of a mix-through and someone comes and slaps him on the sholder wanting his attention. He turns to the guy, executes the bass drop and smiles at him.

Saw what you like about his product whoredom, but _that's_ a professional, nice guy.

Impressed!
Dawn Van
08.04.2009
djas... you KILLIN ME! Just when I believe I've made up my mind.

Chubbz... thanks, looks sweet.

08.04.2009
@ nate1379

hiya...

slightly offtopic but a suggestion for your old cans..dont throw em away or let them gather dust somewhere...mod them into stick headphones...my friend had a pair of sony 7506 and modded them into a stick headphone and gave one to me for my birthday or if you not so good at modding things (like myself ) you can send your old cans to companies like this where they can customise to your liking... check out their webbie... http://www.redboystix.com/Home_Page.php enjoy...

cheers
chubbz
darren Morriss
08.04.2009
It's better to ask Richie Hawtin if you meet him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB64GWW8YfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKM-Bspe87o
Teresia Marstiller
07.04.2009
Thanks guy's I was scared about those plastic dj1-pro. I'm going to buy them right now they look so light and I want to protect my ears, my xone xd-53 are too loud and destroy my ears each weekends after 2-3 clubevening per weeks they hurt and they are kind of heavy!
Can't wait to get those ultrasone!
Dawn Van
07.04.2009
S t i l l c a n ' t d e c i d e . . . . I believe I may be leaning towards the Pioneer's. Only because not that many people have them, and I've found them for $259.00. Although, I did find the Ultrasone's for $219.00, and yes they are the "Pro" model.

Though I'll post a couple pics of my current MDR-V700DJ's I've had them since 2001. They still work great, but obviously from the pics i've repaired the joints more than once (crazy glue and baby zip ties) and the earpads are about to disentagrate.

Thanks everyone! Which ever one I finaly purchase, I will post a review here.
Which is kinda why I want the Pioneer's, because there are not any real reviews. I know there at least better than the Sony's, and I loved my 700's.
Random X
05.04.2009
Yeah, if it weren't for the quality of the BeyerDynamic soundquality, I was totally going for the HDJ2000.
Ryan Konarski
05.04.2009
Originally Posted by Tekki
HDJ2000 construction is way better than the HDJ1000.
(Much more solid and heavy.)
i tried the pioneer hdj2000 last week @ beatport pool party during wmc ansd i was amazed the weight is really good actually is really confortable also it feel like is get the shape of your head is a flexible metal but strong.......the sound quality is really good i believe the same as the hdj1000 just a 10 percent better but it feels way better and it last forever i bet =) hopefully
Random X
05.04.2009
What did you believe of 'em?
Ryan Konarski
05.04.2009
Originally Posted by Tekki
HDJ2000 construction is way better than the HDJ1000.
(Much more solid and heavy.)
i tried the pioneer hdj2000 las t week @ beatport pool party
Random X
04.04.2009
HDJ2000 construction is way better than the HDJ1000.
(Much more solid and heavy.)
Sean Sibanyoni
04.04.2009
I can't comment on the HDJ-2000, but I did use a set of 1000's for a couple of years. Unless Pioneer has fixed the way the headphone fold in, then I would highly avoid them. Essentially the way the wiring was on the inside, it would rub against the housing and eventually wear through, causing the sound to fail on one side. Used once or twice a week, I was having to have them repaired every 6 months or so.

I replaced them with the DJ1 Pro from Ultrasone. The Ultrasones are far and away superior for sound quality and construction. Gotta love the quick switch ear pads too (great for when you get too sweaty).

The Ultrasones seem to sound better the older they get as well (mine are roughly 2 1/2 or 3 years old). My only issue I've had with them is with the cord. The piece that screws into the headphones has a tendency to come unglued if you are unscrewing/screwing it together often (and Ultrasone says in the manual to always disconnect the cord when putting the headphones away). I'm on my third cord now (regular cord - I didn't replace the one with the volume control when it came unglued). Granted, I probably could have fixed the cords pretty easily with a bit of crazy glue, but I'd rather not take the chance of have it come loose and disconnect the sound during a set.

Now the biggest and most important piece about the Ultrasones and why I can't recommend them enough... the sound technology they use. The Natural Surround Sound allows a lower dB output while sounding louder. This helps protect your ears, gives a clearer sound and helps reduce eardrum fatigue. This alone was worth the purchase for me. After a 4 hour set, I can still go outside and have a conversation with friends without yelling. Granted I would still recommend some good musician earplugs as well.
Vernetta Sulenski
02.04.2009
I have a pair of Ultrasone 750 Pro's that I use for Dj Mixing/ Production and general listening. They are great and sound awesome. I've taken them everywhere and they hold up to abuse.
Dawn Van
31.03.2009
Originally Posted by Fatlimey
I have no idea how someone could break the joints without actively abusing them, so that one unfavorable review seems to come from some kind of spastic rhino or more likely a 14 year old with anger issues.
Love it! You are probably correct. I wish I could find somewhere local that I could demo both. The only places I can believe of are Sam Ash and Guitar Center. Sam Ash actualy has all of theres out for demo... BUT they don't carry either of these... poop.
Random X
31.03.2009
I am usually not that fond of the Pioneer-hype, but I gotta tell ya, this one will be outliving people.

The Ultrasones? Still gotta test me a set, but if it is a way of ducking the Pioneer-hype, I am all for it.
daniela klein
01.04.2009
FWIW, if it helps sway you, Ultrasone's customer service is some of the best I have ever experienced. The first cans I bought from them had a volume problem on one speaker and they were so mortified that it had happened that they sent me a new set before I'd even mailed the first ones off. They take huge pride in their product.

My experience with Event Electronics (I own PS6 monitors) is similar. Amazing company.
robert chanda
01.04.2009
I vote for the Ultrasone DJ1 Pros. I have no idea how someone could break the joints without actively abusing them, so that one unfavorable review seems to come from some kind of spastic rhino or more likely a 14 year old with anger issues.

Sound quality from the Ultrasone's is excellent and everyone I've met who have tried that brand have instantly bought them and never gone back. The individuals hyping their Sennheisers and Pioneers seem to be the people who haven't tried the Ultrasones yet! (OK, exaggeration).

Get the Ultrasone DJ1 Pros, you will love them.
Dawn Van
31.03.2009
If anyone else has used either, please still post. I'm still torn on which on to get????
Dawn Van
31.03.2009
Thanks everyone! As far as the HD25's the padded cup is too small. I like the padding to go around my ear. That's also why I never bothered with the Pioneer HDJ-1000's.
robert chanda
30.03.2009
Originally Posted by ToS
how about Senh. HD25?
The difference? About $100 worth of quality.
DJ MENSAH
30.03.2009
how about Senh. HD25?
daniela klein
30.03.2009
I've used the same pair of Ultrasone DJ1 Pros for 2-1/2 years and they look and work as if brand-new. They've survived drops, bangs, luggage slams, and two Burning Mans. I love 'em. I can't compare them to the HDJ-2000, though, cuz I've never used them.

It's worth mentioning though, that I loved my Sony MDR-V700s. When they inevitably cracked at the stems after a year I refused to replace them because I don't want to give Sony anyh more money for a flawed product. I believe the the DJ1 Pros are comparable.

Headphones are tough to recommend because they're such a subjective topic.
Random X
30.03.2009
I have tried the HDJ-2000 for a few minutes and I was impressed.

Nice heavy, but not too heavy if you ask me.
It looks like a durable and solid Headset, and certainly does feel like it too. Sound quality is also great.

Did not get the chance to compare it too production headsets, but what I could hear, a fairly true sound with nice sound isolation.
(Noise from outside of the HPs was not to be heared, while volume of the headset was not cranked)

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