Numark HF125 - Ultra-Portable Professional DJ Headphones with 6 ft Cable, 40 mm Drivers for Extended Response & Closed Back Design for Superior Isolation, Black

Product Information

If you need a good pair of headphones but you’re on a tight budget, the Numark HF125 is a great option - even for recording and DJ situations where you need to hear all the nuances. They’re also good for those who are stepping into the world of recording music and don’t want to splash out on an expensive pair. Their lightweight design makes them easy to throw in your bag and take anywhere.

As with most technology, there’s a big difference in price and quality. You’ll know yourself the budget you have to work with but what we would say is that a quality set of headphones is an important investment. You can get away with cheap models to a point, but nobody who invested in a decent set ever regrets it in the long term. Do I need wired or wireless DJ headphones?More so than in the studio, you’re likely to move around while DJing and – depending on your style of mixing – move your headphones on and off your ears as you mix. This is where durability and flexibility comes in. Comfort is important too though; no one needs an awkward set of headphones uncomfortably squeezing their head several hours into a marathon DJ set. The Crossfade range has recently hit its third iteration. Changes include a variety of new colour options and a slightly punchier sound. The headline feature of Crossfade 3, however, is the improved wireless battery life, quoted as up-to 30 hours from a single charge. These features work well and the NC-Q1s sound good too. However, they’re inherently more complex in-use than the straightforward passive pairs in this round-up. You could argue that, when you already have a multi-channel mixer and at-least two players to deal with, you probably don’t want to be thinking about your headphones’ noise cancelling too. Featuring flexible 7-position independently adjustable dual ear cups so they’re comfortable for anybody, large 40mm Mylar speaker drivers which let you hear exactly what’s happening with your EQ or effects, One place a DJ can’t compromise, is in how they hear their mix. The Numark HF-125 headphone set delivers the goods with flexible 7-position independently adjustable dual ear cups, large 40mm Mylar speaker drivers, 6’ tangle-resistant cord with a moulded 3.5mm TRS connector, and padded headband and ear cups.

Headphones in general are increasingly going wireless, relying on, or at least incorporating, Bluetooth technology over traditional wired connections. But is this an asset in a set of headphones for DJing? We’d argue that, on the whole, it’s best to avoid wireless headphones for mixing. While latency is becoming less of an issue with modern Bluetooth technology, it does still exist, and timing is incredibly important when beatmatching. What’s more, your DJ setup is likely to require you to stay within arms reach of a mixer, turntables, CDJs or controller anyway. Unless you’re desperate to dance, thrust or climb your way around the stage during your sets, is it really worth the extra cost - and potentially of dead batteries scuppering your set - of going cable-free? How we test DJ headphones You might think that a ‘good’ pair of headphones is a universal concept, but the qualities we look for in a set for DJing aren’t necessarily the same as those of a top pair for home-listening, gaming or studio use. For example, when it comes to studio headphones, the key quality we’d look for is honesty – the ability to accurately translate your mixes as they’ll sound on a top-quality sound system. For music listening, by contrast, it can be desirable for your headphones to ‘flatter’ your favourite music a little, perhaps by boosting the bass and dulling any harsh high frequencies. The thing we like most about the Cue1s though is their styling. Many budget sets of DJ headphones tend to look cheap and toy-like – HF125s we’re looking at you – but the Cue1s have a stylish and pro-feeling design, which can be customised by purchasing replacement coloured ear pads and cables. The sharp look is matched by some DJ-friendly design touches, such as the lightweight, foldable body and detachable cables.

Numark HF125 Professional DJ Headphones Overview

While the sonic specs, such as impedance and frequency response, don’t quite match Pioneer’s top-end cans, they’re still very impressive for a set of entry level DJ headphones. Sonically, these outstip many of the more expensive pairs on the market. The Numark HF125 Headphones are great for those on a budget - delivering clear sound as well as being extremely comfortable. The HF125 are closed over-ear headphones with a loud output and deep bass Pioneer DJ’s budget headphones take many of the winning design choices from the brand’s more expensive HDJs – feature elsewhere in this guide – and bring them down to a price point to suit beginners and cash-strapped DJs. Featuring flexible 7-position independently adjustable dual ear cups so they’re comfortable for anybody, large 40mm Mylar speaker drivers which let you hear exactly what’s happening with your EQ or effects, a 6’ tangle-resistant cord with a moulded 1/4" TRS connector, and a 1/4" to 1/8" TRS adapter. The padded headband and ear cups let you listen comfortably over long periods of time. The HF125 also has a 20Hz - 20kHz frequency response and a high dynamic range.