Pioneer HDJ-CX headphones in review

Pioneer DJ continues to expand its popular HDJ headphone series with the launch of the all-new HDJ-CX.

With this latest addition to the product line, the HDJ-CX departs significantly from Pioneer DJ's current HDJ lineup, offering a low-profile, on-ear design that's so lightweight you might forget you have the headphones on.

In this review, we'll analyze the new design language and application possibilities of these mixing and monitoring headphones - and hopefully help you to decide if they're a good fit for you as DJ headphones, a replacement or an upgrade.

First impressions

Even at first glance, you'll notice that the new HDJ-CX is quite different from the current HDJ-X series. The CX is light - 136 grams without cable, to be exact.

Besides its minimalist design language, you shouldn't be fooled by its weight. The headband is equipped with a steel core, and the devices are shock-tested according to the US military standard MIL-STD-810H, which means they are robust and can take a beating.

Wearing comfort

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX TragekomfortNaturally, we were most curious to see how the headphones felt on the head. While it was no surprise that the light weight puts less strain on the neck, the two design elements that make these headphones extremely comfortable are the adjustable center bridge and the swinging ear cups.

The center bridge of the headphones has large, tooth-like notches that allow a DJ to adjust the size of the headphones to different head circumferences. Several people have worn these headphones with us for testing and all agreed: No matter whether the head is small or large - the headphones simply fit well!

The second design element are the two oscillating earcups that rotate 90 degrees in either direction, allowing DJs to listen to their music traditionally with both ears or adjust one of the two headphone diaphragms to sit in front or behind the ear.

Other headphones that I have used so far had good sound characteristics, but were not comfortable to wear due to their heavy over-ear design. After an hour or so, it usually became very tiring. Not so with the CX from Pioneer DJ. Even after two hours and longer, no signs of fatigue were felt.

I placed the headphones completely behind my ear - of course, you can also put them on the front. The headphones stayed firmly on my head and did not wobble.

The sound quality

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX Sound QualitySo let's move on to the sound of the HDJ-CX. After all, these are smaller headphones. Due to their size, we were very curious to see how they would compare to other models.

According to the manufacturer, the frequency response of the headphones is between 5 Hz and 30 kHz, the impedance is 32 ohms and the sensitivity is 103 dB. According to our subjective impressions, the headphones have a wide sound spectrum and are exceptionally well balanced. We were able to hear the snares, kicks, hi-hats, and bass accurately without one element drowning out the other.

When DJing during the mix, the consistently positive impression continued. We didn't have to turn them up excessively loud, and isolation from outside noise was impeccable, with the foam never really pressing in my ears. For those producing with a laptop in small spaces, these monitors are a solid alternative to studio monitors.

Further application possibilities

Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX AccessoiresDue to its size and weight, the CDJ-HX headphones can be used outside of sets or the home studio. We have included the headphones in home use and used them for listening to music or Zoom meetings.

With the two included cables, it was easy to switch from the coiled cable format, which I prefer for gaming, to the straight cable for everyday use. These headphones were also convincing when traveling: They fit exactly in my pocket and were quickly ready for use to listen to music on the go

I wish Pioneer DJ would have made the connection cable between the two headphone jacks removable. This feature would allow the user to replace broken headphone jacks. 

Conclusion

Are these headphones suitable for professional-level DJing and monitoring?

The answer is without a doubt: Yes!

Thanks to their light weight, they can be used in the studio for extended periods of time. Their flexible fit and rotating ear cups make them perfect for DJs using headphones for dual-ear and single-ear cueing.

The size and replaceable cables make these headphones in a small bag perfect for the modern DJ on the go who often does a lot of prep work on the laptop and doesn't want to use heavy headphones there.

Verwante artikelen
Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX
Pioneer DJ HDJ-CX
€ 105,00 € 139,00
Beschikbaar op korte termijn