Why does the gearnews budget guide list the HDP DJ45 headphones as covering "20 to 2000Hz"? That is almost certainly a typo, since a range ending at 2kHz would leave cymbals and vocals muffled. It also shows why a spec sheet can't tell you whether cheap gear is good enough to learn on.
Cheap gear can sound exciting for a week and then teach you bad habits, like pushing the bass too hard or beatmatching by eye because the cue mix is muddy. A 20-30 minute, level-matched test in any DAW will show you what the numbers hide. This guide uses an entry-level kit as the worked example, but the method works with any budget headphones or small monitors.
The worked example: what the numbers do and do not tell you
The gearnews budget guide covers the Hercules DJLearning Kit MK3, listed there at $197 from Thomann (source). The kit includes a pair of DJMonitor 32 speakers with 3-inch woofers, 15 watts and a stated response of 60 to 20,000Hz. It also includes HDP DJ45 closed-back headphones with swiveling cups and a quoted 95dB figure.
Two cautions apply. First, the article gives the HDP DJ45 frequency range as 20 to 2000Hz. Check the manufacturer's spec sheet before you trust that number or any other.
Second, the article does not say what tolerance applies to the speaker's 60Hz figure, or whether 95dB means sensitivity or maximum output. A bare frequency range with no tolerance says little about how much bass you actually hear at the low end. So test by ear, with a method, instead of trusting the brochure.
What you need before you start
You need a DAW (any will do), the headphones and speakers you want to judge, and the controller or audio interface that drives them. Add three reference tracks you know well, saved as WAV or another lossless format:
- One with a deep kick and sub-bass.
- One with busy hi-hats and a crisp snare.
- One with wide stereo elements.
A phone sound level meter app is useful but rough. Use it to repeat your own setup, not as lab data.
The gearnews article does not describe how the kit routes its master and headphone outputs, so check your controller's manual. If the speakers and headphones appear as separate output pairs, you can route to both in one session. If they share one pair, you will switch devices or swap cables between rounds. That works fine as long as you mark every knob position.
Step 1: Build the test session
Create a new project at 44.1 or 48kHz. Add these tracks:
- Pink noise. Render or generate it, and set the fader so peaks sit around -20 dBFS. Pink noise carries equal energy per octave, so it sounds more like music than white noise. The -20 dBFS level leaves headroom so nothing clips.
- Three reference tracks, each on its own channel. Use the DAW's loudness meter to bring their short-term loudness within about 1 dB of each other, and keep peaks under -1 dBFS. Mismatched loudness is a common source of false results, because louder almost always sounds better.
- A test tone track. Most DAWs include a tone generator or a basic synth. Play sine tones at 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100Hz, each at low volume. Add a short click panned hard left, center and hard right.
Leave the master fader at a fixed position. Switch off every EQ, enhancer and bass boost on the controller and in your OS audio settings. Write down the starting position of every knob.
Step 2: Fix your listening position
Sit where you will actually DJ. Place the speakers at ear height, with the same distance between them as between each speaker and your head. Angle the tweeters at your ears. Keep the speakers away from walls if possible, because walls and corners exaggerate bass. For more on this, see related: how to test daws before buying: a 60-minute trial plan.
Mark the chair position with tape. For headphones, sit in the same spot and keep the cups seated the same way every time. Take off your glasses if they break the seal. Small shifts change the bass noticeably on closed-back designs.
Step 3: Level-match the two devices
Play the pink noise loop. Turn the speakers up until your phone meter reads about 70-75 dB at your ear position, then mark the knob. Treat that range as a starting point, and stay lower if it feels loud.
Now switch to the headphones. A phone meter cannot measure headphones reliably, so match by ear. Alternate between the two every few seconds and adjust the headphone level until the noise feels equally loud. Mark that knob position too.
Do not treat the quoted 95dB figure as a safe listening level. Start with the volume low and work up. This ear match is imperfect and is not a calibrated measurement, but it is good enough for this comparison.
Step 4: Run the A/B routine
Use the same routine for every section of every track.
- Loop a 10-15 second section of one reference track.
- Listen on the speakers for two passes without touching anything.
- Switch to the headphones at the matched level and listen for two more passes.
- Write one short note per device before switching again.
- Swap the order on the next section, so the first device doesn't always get the fresher ears.
- Take a 30-second break every few rounds to rest your hearing.
Keep notes short and literal. "Kick is a thump, no weight underneath" beats "bass is bad." Record your own observations, because nothing here predicts what your particular pair will do.
Step 5: What to listen for in each frequency region
Sub-bass (below about 60Hz). Play the 40, 50 and 60Hz tones low, then 80 and 100Hz. Note where you stop hearing a tone and start hearing only harmonics or a faint buzz. Small 3-inch woofers tend to fade out low, so a tone may seem to jump an octave. If a tone vanishes and returns louder an octave up, you are probably hearing harmonics, distortion or port noise rather than real bass.
Kick and low mids. On the bass-heavy reference, check whether the kick has a clear click and a body, or one smear. Check whether the bass line stays distinct from the kick. See mpc hardware vs software: a level-matched sound test: the details for additional background.
Snare and vocals (roughly 1-4kHz). Listen for the snare crack, and for whether the vocal sits in front of or behind a haze. This region drives cue clarity. If it sounds boxy or recessed on the headphones, picking out phrases in a cue mix gets harder.
Hi-hats and top end. Loop the hat-heavy track. Harshness shows up as a tiring, sharp edge on closed hats or sibilant "s" sounds. Also check whether the highs sound dull. A dull top end hides cymbal detail, which is one cue for finding phrasing.
Stereo image. Play the click panned left, center and right. It should sit exactly where you placed it. On the speakers, a vague center suggests poor positioning or a mismatched pair. On the headphones, hard-panned sounds may feel extreme because there is no room blending. That is normal.
Step 6: Add the DJ-specific checks
The frequency tests above apply to any listener. These three apply to someone learning to mix.
Beatmatch drift test. Load two copies of a simple drum loop at 120 and 121 BPM on separate channels and play them together. Listen on each device and note how long it takes before you clearly hear the kicks separate. If you hear it only on the speakers, your cue mix may be too vague to learn on.
Headroom test. Play a reference through the speakers at the loudness you would use for a small party. Then bring the headphones up until you can hear them over it, and note where the headphone knob ends up. If you run out of volume before you can hear cues clearly, that is a real DJing limit, because a noisy room demands loud, isolating headphones.
Isolation check. Play the speakers loudly while wearing the headphones at normal level. Note how much speaker sound leaks in.
Your pass/fail checklist
Copy this table onto paper and fill it in. Mark each cell with pass, fail or a short note.
Also read: related topic: jupiter-08 vs n/vision: which roland boutique to buy?
| Region or task | Speakers: notes | Speakers: pass/fail | Headphones: notes | Headphones: pass/fail | |---|---|---|---|---| | Sub-bass tones (40-60Hz) | | | | | | Kick weight and click | | | | | | Bass line separation | | | | | | Snare and vocal clarity | | | | | | Hi-hat harshness | | | | | | Top-end detail | | | | | | Stereo image (click test) | | | | | | Beatmatch drift audible | | | | | | Headroom at party level | | | | | | Isolation from room sound | | | | |
Decide in advance what counts as a fail. A sensible rule: any failure in cue clarity, drift audibility or headroom matters more than weak sub-bass on small monitors.
Which weaknesses matter for DJing
Bass roll-off below about 60Hz is expected on 3-inch monitors and does not stop you learning to mix. Learn what the low end sounds like on headphones or in a club, and use your meters and waveforms for the rest.
Cue clarity, low maximum volume and harsh highs are different. They change how you listen every session, so fix them first.
Decision table: finding to cheapest sensible fix
| What you found | Likely cause | Cheapest sensible fix | |---|---|---| | Thin bass on speakers, tones vanish below 60Hz | Small woofers, normal for the size | Do nothing yet. Check bass on headphones. Consider a small subwoofer later | | Thin bass on headphones | Poor seal or small drivers | Re-seat the cups, check pad condition, replace pads before replacing headphones | | Harsh or fatiguing highs | Peaky treble | Lower the volume. Try a different pad, or a mild high-shelf cut in your DAW for practice | | Low maximum volume in headphones | Weak amp or poor isolation | Check the controller's headphone gain. If it is maxed, upgrade the headphones first | | Muddy cue mix, drift hard to hear | Poor midrange clarity | Upgrade the headphones first | | Vague stereo image on speakers | Placement or room | Move the speakers, angle them at your ears, add stands or isolation pads | | Speakers distort at party level | Limited power | Lower the level, or upgrade the speakers later |
Upgrade order
In most cases, upgrade the headphones first. You use them for cueing, and you can carry them to other setups. This recommendation comes from how DJs use cue mixes, not from a measured result.
Upgrade the speakers when the kit fails the headroom test at the volume you need, or when distortion shows up before you can hear detail. If both devices pass the tests that matter to you, keep the kit and spend the money on practice time and music.
What to expect next
Repeat the test in a month with different reference tracks, and again after any change. Your ears will pick up details you missed the first time, and your notes will show whether a gap came from the gear or from unfamiliarity. If you do decide to upgrade, run the same routine on the new pair at the same level-matched settings, and compare your written notes before you commit.
