Pioneer HDJ-2000 Mk2 Review

The Pioneer HDJ-2000 Mk2 is a relatively expensive ($349) DJ headphone.  While not the most expensive model of its type, it does occupy the summit of Pioneer’s DJ lineup.  So just how good is this DJ headphone?  Let’s find out.

Pioneer HDJ-2000 Mk2 Review

The HDJ-2000 Mk2 comes in a rather imposing box with a compact hardshell carrying case, a 4 ft (1.2 m) coiled cable that extends to 10 ft (3 m), and a 5.2 ft (1.6 m) straight cable, as well as the headphones themselves.

The first impression these headphones give is one of flexibility.  Featuring a double-hinging mechanism, the cups rotate down and out from the headband to about 270 degrees.  Add to this a 90 degree swivel, and the ability to push the earcups up and in towards the headband, and the results is a headphone that can contort itself into a roughly football-like shape.  In regular use, though, this enables all kinds of one-ear listening scenarios.

That being said, wearing these on both ears for a normal listening session, they are still comfortable, with a clamp force that isn’t too tight, but still does a good job of minimizing outside noises.

Specs

Here you get a sense that the headphones offer a good amount of detail, as well as a decent volume, while keeping power requirements fairly low.  You should be able to hear a great deal from something as portable as an phone or MP3 player, or your computer.

Low End

The first sign that something was amiss with the HDJ-2000 Mk2, the low end detail is somewhat lacking, with a canned or compressed sound.  The bass is decent with some good impact, but can also seem a bit overpowered at times.

Mids

The midrange suffers from general inaccuracy.  Not enough to make you hate the headphones, but enough that I could at least resent them for it.  It’s hard to consider this a monitor headphone when budget stuff from brands like AKG give me more accurate vocals, so, yeah…  Another strike against these Pioneer headphones:  an lack of separation or clarity between vocals and backing music.  The whole sound seems to teeter on the brink of devolving into sound-sludge.

High End

Where lows and mids were pretty lackluster, the high end of the HDJ-2000 Mk2 isn’t quite as bad.  But it gives me the impression that it’s headed there.  Highs seem to get just a little more piercing than they should (thing those really high notes on a violin), and despite the generally-bright-leaning characteristics of this headphone, the control in the high end definitely outshines the lack of control in the lows and mids.

Soundstage

Almost nonexistent, what soundstage does exist with these headphones suffers from poor placement and spacing.  However, there is still a little depth to the music, leaving us feeling pretty “meh.”

Portability/Flexibility

Probably the biggest selling point of these headphones, the HDJ-2000 Mk2 do give us the impression that you could bend them in a pretzel knot if you wanted to.  And it should be stated that we don’t necessarily feel like they’d break while being tied into said pretzel knot.  This also translates into a more portable headphone, something we rarely see at this pricepoint where most brands opt for a more rigid (albeit more detailed) design.

Overall Impressions

The HDJ-2000 Mk2 offers an resounding bass and some okay high-end performance.  It’s not the kind of “monitor” we want to recommend to our readers, much less leave on our ears for long periods, but it does offer some impressive flexibility and portability that may be perfect for DJs.  We don’t know for sure, though, because we’re not DJs.  We’re just word jockeys.  With a serious headphone fetish.

Recommendations

If you’re after a detailed headphone that is considered professional, avoid this headphone.  Delete this page from your browsing history, drive across a State Line, and hit up an electronics store for something from AKG or Audio Technica, or feed the Beast and order from Amazon (ugh!).  However, if you’re looking for some downright scary basshead-level bass, or if you’re a DJ looking for a dynamic sound in a portable, flexible package perfect for whatever one-ear listening-scenario you can cook up, buy these ‘phones.