Foreword: I was looking up Allen and Heath to see what people's opinion of their headphones were, if there were any better options for DJing compared to other brands/models in their prices (regular headphones work too, not just DJ specific). I noticed a lot of people haven't said much about Allen and Heath's headphones, so... yeah, here we go.
I have the Allen & Heath's XD-53. Amazing can's. I DJ (part time, due to time constraints in personal life schedule) and when I bought these can's 2 or so years ago, I had tried out a lot of can's b4 I bought them (don't ask, but went from $100-$300 range). My other DJ friends at the time recommended Pioneer-HDJ1000.
I'm a Shure fan, so I tried out their HD750DJ's as well, and unfortunately, the HD750DJ's are much better sounding than the Pioneer's for a similar price, but their bass is lacking. They're great for their mid's and high's.
The HDJ's are nice, but when ur actually spinning/scratching, their bass isn't defined enough to hear it when ur beat matching with a loud bass next to you. However, they're extremely durable, except for the fact that the headband part is made of plastic, so when u use it too often it has a huge tendency to snap and break - hence u see a lot of DJ's with this headphone set with duct tape on one or both headphones.
So, I chose Allen and Heath's XD-53. Their bass is full (sized) and deep and sustained even for regular listening. The seal around the ears is good enough to isolate most outside sounds. Unfortunately, because of that design, they can get really really hot after extended periods of time (i use them on my airplane rides to asia [3 times / year, so headphone comfort is important as well]. The headphone band (the part that connects both left & ride speakers) is made of aluminum, with a hard plastic backing to support it, so they won't break like the pioneers. The only issue is, the swivel is plastic, not aluminum, but they have actual screws (they use a 3-point system) so even if u swivel them too hard the wrong way, they won't break off as easily (nor pop out, like the pioneers).
Sound quality compared to the Pioneers, the HDJ's essentuate the highs more, but they're not as clear. Allen and Heath's are much more well rounded. I'd recommend them for the extra $100. They also come with an adapter for an amp plug (3.5mm to w/e that size is).
My only issue with them is that they're 36 ohm impedence, and 53mm drivers - Ipods, Ipads, Iphones and even cellphones can barely run them to the proper sound quality (u have to turn it up all the way to hear the sound properly, as the source doesn't power them properly) -> keep in mind, these headphones were meant to be plugged into some sort of amplifier for their best performance.
If ur into Electronic/trance, then hip-hop as a secondary music choice, i'd go
Allen & Heath's Xone:XD53
Shure's HD750DJ
Pioneers HDJ1000
For those in order, of course, u could insert a lot more different full sized headphones in that list, but for the mainstream DJ headphones (those 3, generally), i'd go in that order.
If someone wants a real review and some pictures I'll post something up when i have more time (they're a little used, but their quality is still tip top shape), but this is just a quickie.
