- As time rolls on and the tools of the DJ trade evolve with each passing year, one of the fundamental pieces of a DJ's setup remains largely unchanged: headphones. Any DJ who has been at it for a bit probably has his or her favorite set of phones, and as such there might not be much incentive to keep up with the latest and greatest of what's released. However, if you do find yourself in the market for a new pair, or if you are a new DJ just starting out, there is a sea of options out there right now. Late last year, Pioneer entered their latest stake in the game with the HDJ-500—the most affordable of their Pro-DJ headphone line released to date.
Any mention of Pioneer's HDJ line has to start with the HDJ-1000s, the standard-bearer going on almost a decade now. Many users swore by them and they were apparently so beloved that Pioneer decided to release a "limited edition" recently, with an option to get them with a flashy gold paint job. The HDJ-2000 showed up in 2008, an expensive high-end set that made little compromise in quality. Finally now, with the HDJ-500, Pioneer seems to be filling in the gap left on the lower end—with three color options and a much lower MSRP of $125.
So what is unique about the HDJ-500s? A few things, actually. Most notably, the cable is interchangeable between a short straight cable and the more traditional longer coiled cable found on pro DJ headphones. The shorter cable measures out to around one meter, which ends up being just the right length for home use, like plugging into an iPod or a laptop. Changing the cables out is easy enough that we ended up switching cables quite often, leaving the coiled cord attached to a DJ mixer and the straight cord in a laptop, carrying the phones back and forth. Both cables lock into place using a twisting motion, so there is no fear of it coming unplugged from the headset by accident.
The other marquee feature Pioneer engineered into the HDJ-500s is the swiveling right earpiece, which can pivot 60 degrees in either direction. As you're probably aware, one-ear monitoring is part and parcel of DJing. Many headphone manufacturers have attempted to address this, whether by a flexible top band, a flipping earpiece, or even a telephone-style one-sided set. A few have done the rotating earpiece before, but Pioneer's implementation is definitely one of the best out there right now. Everything manages to stay balanced and secure when the earpiece is rotated, which was surprising for a lightweight 6.8 ounce set.
Pioneer lists the frequency response of the HDJ-500s as 5Hz – 28,000Hz with a max output of 105 dB, which is remarkably close to the HDJ-2000's listed response of 5Hz – 30,000Hz at 107 dB. Considering the fact that the MSRP of the 2000s is over three times that of the 500s, it's a pretty impressive accomplishment. Without a set to compare, we couldn't draw a true conclusion as to just how close the 500 got to emulating its much more glitzy older brother. However, when comparing the HDJ-500s to a few other sets of headphones (Sony MDR-7506, Beyerdynamic DT-990 PRO and Audio-Technica ATH-M50) a few observations became clear. The 500s are powerful and loud (due to their low impedance of 45Ω), with a strong emphasis on bass. It is safe to say that they come the closest to making music sound like it does at a club with a good set of subs.
Considering that they can be had for under $100 new, Pioneer has packed a surprising amount of features into the HDJ-500. While it might not be advisable to attempt to use them as a reference set (due to the emphasized low end), they work very well in a DJ setting. We did, however, find it troubling that they don't come with a carrying bag, and don't fold up. As a result, they take up the same amount of space whether in use or travelling. If you can get past this, and are in the market for some new phones (or a backup set to a more expensive pair), the HDJ-500s are definitely worth a look.
Ratings /
Cost: 4.5/5
Versatility: 4.5/5
Sound: 3.5/5