Like the rest of the DJ world, it is only in recent years that the question of noise cancelling DJ headphones has become popularized. In 2021, JBL and Korg both released their pro DJ headphones with noise-canceling features.
However, whilst this doesn’t innately guarantee we’ll be seeing them flood the market in the future, it does ask the serious question of whether or not they’d be a good fit for the DJ headphone market?.
Before we jump straight into the nitty-gritty of the article I guess we need to ask the big question, “what are noise cancelling headphones?”
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What Are Noise Cancellation Headphones?
Noise-cancelling headphones reduce unwanted external (ambient) sounds using an active “anti-noise” control method. This is different from passive headphones that use techniques such as soundproofing. Noise cancellation actually makes it possible to listen to audio without raising the volume excessively.
In order to create this anti-noise, these headphones monitor and sample ambient noise using tiny built-in microphones. They “listen” to the ambient noise around you, and then using the built-in electronics take it from there. Cleverly, the headphones then create a sound that is exactly opposite to that sound wave to cancel it out. In that way, all you should hear is the music coming from your headphones—and not anything going on from your external environment.
Industry Development
Modern DJing offers a lot of different perks and benefits that, during the early years of DJing, simply weren’t available.
Different hardware and software brands like Denon DJ, Numark, Pioneer DJ, and Rane have only, in the past few years, started to come out with some truly impressive technology.
One of the biggest areas of focus and development will be found in the headphone space.
With DJ headphones becoming more and more impressive over time, it was only a matter of time before their variations started to get attention from people. One of the clearest examples of this is none other than noise canceling headphones.
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What Makes A Good Set Of Headphones for DJs?
Before we start talking about noise-canceling headphones, in particular, it’s good to know what you should be looking for in a set of quality DJ headphones in the first place.
Simply put, while much of this does translate to other headphones overall, you’re ideally looking for something that has a high amount of durability, sound isolation, comfort, and good frequency response.
We’ll get into noise-canceling in a bit, but for now, you just need to know that it’s not essential if you’re just looking for a quality set of DJ headphones.
Durability
First on the list is durability.
You want a set of DJ headphones that are incredibly durable. We’ve talked about this for other reasons for a good set of DJ headphones, but the prospect of being a DJ is fairly intense.
You’re going to be doing a lot of fast movements, a lot of knocking things over, and dealing with a lot of accidental headphone drops. If you’ve got some dainty headphones that can’t take a bit of abuse, you’ve just wasted your money and time.
A good set of DJ headphones should be able to survive a few good drops and “steps” without too much issue. If they can’t, you should take a look at getting some that can.
Sound Isolation
After durability is sound isolation.
At first glance, you may believe that sound isolation and “noise cancelling” are the same, and, in reality, you’re not too far off.
The difference between the two largely stems from what their intended goal is.
Both features do limit the types of sound that the owner would come in contact with. Where they differ is that sound isolation works solely on other sounds in the headphone themselves, whereas noise-cancellation deals primarily with sounds outside of the headphones.
This distinction is hugely important as it determines what sound is getting curtailed and reduced.
Sound isolation is very important, as it allows you to focus on key sounds without worrying about distortion getting in the way or distracting you.
It also ensures that you can hear each sound as distinct from one another as opposed to one big “mess” of noise.
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Comfort
While not “technically” essential when it comes to DJing, it’s vitally important that your headphones be as comfortable as possible.
We’ve all been there at least once where we’re using headphones that are too small or angled poorly.
These issues may not have a direct impact on the quality of our DJing the same way sound isolation or frequency response may, it certainly does have an indirect response.
A set of DJ headphones that are uncomfortable to your head and ears is something that can be a serious distraction over time.
Every time you have to readjust the headphones or move them around so they aren’t causing you discomfort is valuable DJ time spent with your hands away from the DJ controller.
This can be the difference between you catching a beat drop and missing it entirely, missing a transition cue, or when to loop or add an effect.
Even if you can soldier through the discomfort and not readjust your DJ headphone, you’re still going to have to deal with the mental distraction that comes from an uncomfortable set of headphones.
This may still yet cause you to make a mistake while performing that you normally wouldn’t have if your headphones were properly fitted and suitably comfortable when worn.
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Frequency Response
Frequency response is a very important factor when it comes to DJ headphones.
As with durability and sound isolation, as a DJ, you’re going to be doing a lot of things a lot of the time. In this case, you’re going to want to keep your finger on the pulse of the frequency response as much as possible so things manage to stay as level as possible.
Headphones with a good frequency response level make sure that you’re hearing what you’re hearing and not an off-kilt version due to issues with the sound.
This means you can accurately and effectively manage your transitions.
Conversely, by having a set of headphones with poor frequency response, you’re likely to overemphasize one of the three sound frequencies based on what you’re hearing.
This could mean cranking up the low-end bass when it doesn’t need it, or tempering the high-end treble when it may need to be boosted.
Is Noise-Cancelling Good For DJs?
So, now that we understand what constitutes a good set of headphones, where does noise-cancellation come into the mix?
Is it useful for DJs?
Well, not really.
For a DJ, headphones are less a method of enjoying entertainment and more of a tool for properly hearing and mixing the following track.
This allows them the ability to fade the mixed song into what’s currently being played without needing to tweak the frequency response once it’s out in the open.
Not only does this ensure a smooth transition between the two tracks, but it makes it so that the track itself sounds good even when playing on its own.
The problem with noise-cancellation technology is that, by its very nature, it keeps a DJ from being able to hear external sound.
As DJs need to be able to rely on their hearing to pick up on the playing “track A” to mix in “track B” noise-cancelling headphones make about as much sense as a basketball player wearing a blindfold.
Plus a DJ will lose that audio connection with the crowd.
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Noise Cancelling DJ Headphones: Takeaway
Noise-cancellation, like Bluetooth DJ headphones, sounds great for DJs in theory.
In reality, however, it can be an incredibly frustrating and difficult thing to deal with if ever made a requirement.
Regardless of the situation or scenario, noise-canceling headphones cause more problems than they fix, as even the best noise-canceling headphones are only going to work on low-end bass noises (noises that you, as a DJ, need to hear).
Ultimately, if you’re interested in avoiding excessive sounds that may distract you from your performance, that’s good.
However, instead of looking for a separate type of headphone setup, you may be better off investing in a set of DJ headphones that are of high quality.
Not only will these naturally block out the sounds from a club that you don’t need to hear, but will do so more effectively (and more affordably) than their noise-cancelling alternatives.
Noise Cancelling DJ Headphones.
It’s a resounding “No” from us.
