The Pioneer HDJ-2000MK2 monitoring headphones strongly inherit from their predecessor and use its already successful design as a solid base upon which they innovate and improve. The result is a pair of DJ headphones with superb clarity and extremely comfortable construction.

Design

The HDJ-2000MK2s take many design cues from their predecessor. Their key characteristic is a minimal design that doesn’t try to impress with flashy colors and over-the-top branding. Instead, you get a simple, sleek black exterior with a matte finish. We can confidently say that the headphones look amazing, and they didn’t fail to attract attention everything we took them outside. There’s just something about the stealthy look that makes people wonder.

Build quality

It should go without saying that headphones for DJs have to be able to withstand some serious abuse. That includes everything from stage use, transportation, and accidental drops and bumps. The Pioneer Pro DJ HDJ-2000MK2-K are sufficiently rugged to meet high requirements of the most demanding DJs out there, while still remaining pleasantly lightweight.

Comfort was never an issue during our testing, largely thanks to the memory foam padding, which effortlessly conforms to individual user’s head shape.

Both earcups swivel at 90 degrees and automatically return to their original position. Instead of the traditional 3.5mm audio connector, there’s a mini-XLR connector with locking mechanism. It helps to prevent accidental detachment of the cable. It works great, but you have to keep in mind that you can easily knock your headphone down and do some serious damage.

Sound

The large, 50mm drivers are able to effortlessly reproduce all frequencies and create a great soundstage that won’t fail to pull you in and immerse you in a colorful landscape of sounds.

Pioneer went to great lengths to improve sound isolation. Their newly adopted low-volume air chambers increase the isolation of low to mid frequencies by as much as seven decibels when compared to the original model. In practice, you will be able to clearly hear your music even in a loud club environment.

We were really pleased with their performance and didn’t even mind their slight lack of detail.

What is in the box?

Pioneer was kind enough to include hard-shell carry case to protect the headphones from any damage during transportation. There’s also a detachable cord and a handy adapter.