Another nice (and premium) selling point is that the polyurethane leather used for the ear pads and headband has a Nano coating on it. This is resistant to sweat, dirt and general deterioration. The HDJ-CX headphones are comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time without noticing their existence. The innovative, lightweight, ergonomic design is to thank for this outstanding level of comfort. Everything from the cable's wiring, which was streamlined to save weight, to the curl on the coiled wire, which was placed closer to the plug to improve balance, has been taken into account. As a result of all this, as well as the adjustable earcups and stainless steel headband, it's effortless to get the perfect fit. Sound-wise, the HDJ-CUE1BTs are definitely loud enough and don’t distort at higher volumes. Most notably, the bass response has a real punch to it (which many DJs will like), and they also perform extremely well with regard to noise isolation.

I found the headband a little narrow, meaning the top half of the earpads pushed harder on my ears than the bottom half. But apart from that they felt comfy enough. They’re certainly no less comfortable than my HD 25s, which actually apply more pressure on the ears. They just feel a bit different.

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX Lightweight On-Ear DJ Headphones Overview

The super light weight HDJ-CX from Pioneer DJ offer superb sound with the comfort of a light and flexible design. Thanks to a steel frame, super-flexible SteelFlex headband (great for single-ear monitoring) and their 3D mesh exterior, the M-100 Master are without doubt one of the most robust DJ headphones on the market.

That remains the case today, 30 years on. Yes, the HD 25s clamped your head a bit, yes they weren’t hi-fi headphones for long-term listening, but they sounded great, and were utterly reliable – you knew what you were getting. With regards to sound quality, the new voice coil design allows for tighter bass notes, detailed mids and crisp highs, whilst the 50mm high-definition drivers (upgraded from the previous HDJ-2000MK2s) have plenty of power, offering a frequency range from 5 Hz to 40 kHz.It might not seem like the Pioneer HDJ-CX is that special, but it can be pretty reliable for a good sound. As far as accurate studio headphones go, there is a ton of strong competition, but if you’re specifically looking for a flat ear cup with a focus on bass, then the CX will better speak to you. Pros With regards to sound, it really depends on individual preference. These things have a notoriously neutral (or balanced) sound compared to most DJ headphones on the market. In other words, whilst it’s more than sufficient, the bass isn’t as dominant. This allows the mids and highs to come through more, which many DJs prefer. Released in 2020, Pioneer has touted one of the key selling points as ‘durability’, and we’d have to agree. Despite being all plastic on the outside, the build quality is great, and they look and feel professional.

Of course, the highs aren’t going to be very pronounced on a DJ headphone, but the frequencies aren’t rolled off either. They actually possess a pretty flat timbre that appears even and well communicated. It presents a good amount of clarity with a solid amount of volume to the treble region. Summary The bass reflex chambers bring plenty of response on the low end. Because of this, the highs perhaps don’t come through quite as crisply compared to the Sennheisers – but again, it’s down to personal preference. We found that the noise isolation was also very good HDJ-CXs, so no complaints there. Next up we have the TMA 2 DJ XE modular on-ear DJ headphones from Danish company AIAIAI. These are the latest edition in their TMA-2 DJ headphone line released in June 2023. In addition to the HDJ-CX headphones themselves, Pioneer DJ include useful accessories that improve their longevity and let you adapt them to different listening contexts. In the box you receive a 3m coiled cable that’s suited for pro DJ and studio use, a straight 1.6m cable for casual and on-the-go listening, a pair of replacement ear pads and a handy 1/4" plug holder to keep your adaptor secure during a performance. The classic Pioneer headband is extendable, providing loads of padding and elasticity. Despite having lots of metal components and a chunky design, the HDJ-X10s are also very lightweight and provide the right amount of clamping pressure on your head (they’re very comfortable!). In addition, the ear cups also have a 90-degree ‘auto-return’ swivel, making monitoring super-easy in a variety of positions.

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Despite the all-plastic build the HD 25s are extremely robust, and they’re capable of handling high sound levels without any distortion. Noise isolation is also very good considering they’re an on-ear design, and the rotatable capsule makes single-ear listening super easy.