ST-PRO300

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TDK's ST-PRO300 headphones are supposed to be studio quality DJ headphones. Unfortunately, they are let down in a number of areas, including design and audio quality. While for the price they aren't a terrible buy, professional DJs and audiophiles should best look elsewhere.

Pros

  • Nice detail in mid range, comfortable for long listening periods, inline volume control

Cons

  • Bass weak and lacks punch, shrill highs, not suited for DJs as stated

Bottom Line

Considering their price tag, TDK's ST-PRO300 headphones are a decent buy, but their hollow bass and shrill highs combined with the airy, open design mean they aren't necessarily suited to DJs.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 39.95 (AUD)

The most obvious problem is that the headphones are extremely open. They don't sit firmly on the ears at all, sporting a wide design that forms no seal with your head at all. This lets a large quantity of external noise in, which can be quite detrimental for DJs. The vast majority of DJ headphones have a closed design, and for good reason.

Another factor that makes the ST-PRO300s less than suitable for DJs is the lack of bass. This is a key characteristic of DJ-style headphones, as the music they're playing is often bass oriented. These headphones produce fairly slow but weak bass all up. It is quite hollow and doesn't extend very deeply, meaning it lacks punch.

Meanwhile the mid range is strongly emphasised, with a forward presentation that dominates the rest of the sound. It can be harsh at times and is a little distorted, but there was a reasonable level of detail and clarity and for tunes that don't have a lot of bass the mid-range-heavy presentation was a little more suitable.

Highs were a little too shrill and suffered from the same harshness mentioned earlier. The soundstage was reasonably well produced, with a fairly wide presentation that was quite immersive.

As stated earlier the design of the ST-PRO300s is quite wide and narrow, although the cups can be extended to help achieve a better fit. They are covered in soft material rather than the plastic faux leather that is commonly found on cheaper headphones. The open design is comfortable and helps create a slightly airy sound, but it also means quite a lot of sound leaks in and out, so they aren't suited to listening when silence is paramount.

Built from flexible plastic, they feel relatively sturdy. They are quite large so you'll need a bag to take them on the road. The cord is a very hefty 2.7m which should be adequate for pretty much anyone, and it also includes an inline volume control.

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