Are DJ Headphones Good for Normal Use? – The Answers

Using DJ headphones in real life is probably as satisfying as having a fine restaurant deliver your daily meals every day. So the answer is yes, you can use DJ headphones as your regular headset any day of the week.
If you’re a music enthusiast, you’ve probably done quite a bit of research so far about high-performance headphones. People for whom sound quality is important in everyday life will find DJ headphones to be extremely rewarding, as they will offer a crisp, loud, and punchy sound, without being too heavy on the head or overheating your ears.

However, if you’re not exactly familiar with high-quality studio headphones, here are some features that differentiate them from the headset that you may have on right now:

1. Regular headphones are usually comfortable but have a rather flat sound with little bass action. They offer a sound quality that is enjoyable to the consumer, meaning that they leave out some of the sound modulation that the artist created in the studio. In other words, most consumer-oriented headphones will not offer you the full sound spectrum of your favorite songs. To experience that, you will need high quality, DJ or studio-grade headphones.

2. DJ headphones usually have a very loud and clear sound, as the people wearing them have to produce music instead of listening to what is playing in the club. They also offer very high-quality sound, so that the DJ is able to perceive the lowest bass lines and the highest pitches that can be heard from the speakers afterward.
Not only that, but DJ headphones are usually completely soundproof so that DJs can isolate themselves completely from what is playing in the club.

These would be the general characteristics of DJ headphones. If you’re still not convinced that they will make a great replacement for your day to day ones, here are a couple more reasons.

1. Loudness and bass
DJs and music producers have no interest in flat-sounding headsets or speakers. They need to have a studio-quality sound even in the middle of a noisy club so that they can perceive even the lowest and highest frequencies. If you like to listen to music that has a lot of extremely high and low frequencies, such as all sorts of electronic and club music, it is a great idea to invest in your own pair of DJ headphones.

2. Weight and comfort
While consumer headphones are also designed to be comfortable for long wear, DJ are meant to weigh almost nothing and inflict no pressure over the user’s head. As a gig may last anything from 30 minutes to several hours, it’s essential that the headphones stay on all the time and don’t give the DJs headaches or overheat over the ears.

3. Isolation
Most DJ headsets are very well isolated with dense foam and leather or fabric covers, providing a completely isolated sound from what it happening around the person. The special padding also ensures that the headphones do not overheat and that they provide proper air circulation without sound leaks. This is a bit if a tricky part – while professional DJ’s might need this complete isolation when they are mixing live in a club, it might not be a good idea to wear them when walking casually outside, as the complete isolation from the outer world might lead to nasty consequences. However, if you promise yourself that you’re only going to use them indoors, they are going to offer you infinite advantages.

Another isolation mechanism that DJ headphones have are the closed backs. Open back headphones cannot be used in a club setting where soundproof isolation is crucial. If you feel like you need your new headset to block more of the sounds around you and help you immerse completely in the music you’re listening to, buying a pair of DJ headphones is a must.

1. Durability

When buying a new pair of headphones, durability is probably not the first of your concerns. It’s pretty nice when they don’t break after a couple of months, but if you paid next to nothing, you don’t even expect something else. However, DJ headphones are designed to be extremely durable. Manufacturers know that they will be slammed against hard surfaces at least a couple of times per night so they will resist dropping and yanking. Moreover, they will be made from a sturdier material, which will make them safe to carry in a backpack with no worries. Some of them are even waterproof, as liquid spilling is common in nightclubs, and a DJ wouldn’t afford to change their headset every time they spill some beer on it.

2. Compactness
Most DJ headphones can be folded, and some even come with a case from the manufacturer, in which you can keep and transport them with you easily.

3. No tangling
As DJ headphones usually come with a single cord design, they will keep away wire tangles way easier than normal ones. If that is an issue for you, DJ headphones will make a world of a difference.

4. Pivoting cups
When playing music in clubs, DJs usually need to have pivoting cups that would allow them to take them off one ear, while still keeping the other one to monitor the upcoming track. In home conditions, this can be achieved by simply sliding one cup off the ear. However, this can lead to premature breakage of a non-rotating headset. If you tend to do this a lot, it’s always better to opt for a professional DJ headset with pivoting cups.

In conclusion, we will have to repeat our verdict: yes, it is possible to use DJ headphones in place of your normal ones. In fact, they will actually offer you way more satisfaction from the music you’re listening to. If you have an old, rusty pair of headphones, it’s highly likely that you’re missing out on quite a big part of the track. For music enthusiasts who cannot cope with a poor sound quality, it’s actually a must to invest in DJ headphones. However, we do not recommend putting them on when strolling around downtown, especially in busy areas, as they can sometimes isolate the sound a bit too much for such surroundings.