Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones Review

When it comes to DJing, the difference lies in the right kind of equipment, and the Technics RP-DJ1200 headphones have become a must for both professionals and amateurs. From what I have personally experienced through working with these headphones in real life, I believe that they deliver impressive audio quality without sacrificing comfort and durability. 

The RP-DJ1200s serve an experience that features a powerful bass required to keep energy levels up during long sets and wonderfully secure, and comfortable so they don’t wobble off. In this review, I would like to elaborate on my experience with the headphones, including their intuitiveness, the quality of sound, and the fit for the studio versus live performance. An appreciation for the roles of the Technics RP-DJ1200 should assist anyone whether warming up or a specialist in DJing trim in making those vital gear decisions.

Design and Aesthetics

The Technics RP-DJ1200 headphones is pleasing to the eyes but do not seem to attract much attention on the first glance unlike Sennheiser HD 560S or Skullcandy Crusher Evo. There is nothing glamorous or overly superficial about them, which is why professional users appreciate these headphones – they keep the focus on work. The appearance is simple – there are no substantial structural highlights. The ear-cups are mostly planar black matte apart from the silver Technics branding on them. It’s a look that says ‘pro DJ7′ without having an aesthetic vulgarity.

Another thing that caught my attention regarding the design is the overall size of the headphones – they are quite discreet. They can be classified as over-ear speakers, but still are relatively thin, when wanting something more snap-on head than Vocals headphones. In addition, they collapse in on themselves which assist with both transport and storage, and when they are on are quite low and comfortable wearing around the midsection.

One of the features that stand out in the Cuenca sun design is the 270-degree swivel of the ear cups. This is mainly beneficial for Djs that tend to use one ear stethoscope and one ear concentrates on the sounds in the room. The swiveling mechanism is robust and mechanical so that the earphone cups do not feel flimsy or easily detached from the body.

Looks like the Technics RP-DJ1200 are not seeking the title of the best looking headphones in the world. They are equally big and bulky, but are quite right for a headphone of this class. It is all about systems, so from here also all the design went for functional purposes.

Materials and Build Quality

The Technics RP-DJ1200 headphones is made with special attention on one fundamental aspect, which – endurance. One cannot miss this when you first pick them up. The arms feel solid, but lightweight allowing the headphones to take some abuse without adding much further strain. Most of the outer casing consists of plastic with some higher areas like the headband being obsessively metallic so that the hinge is made of brass. That way meant the headphones were tougher without being subject to too much weight, thus enabling long use of the devices.

A piece of metal runs through the headband itself and I could feel it when I was raising or lowering it to have a better grip. When I was carrying out the tests, I tried to bend and stretch the headband a couple of times and when I had made all the tries that were necessary, there were no signs of deformation on the headband. The earcups have tough plastic like Beats Studio Pro and Beats Solo3 and even though I threw them in my bag without caution they came out without any damage. The gear is obviously made to handle the impact of being in a DJ booth, or being shoved in a gear bag, or both.

In addition, the coiled cable is another aspect that resonates with the build quality. It doesn’t seem to be thin, which means it will not break very quickly. Although the cable is not removable which could be considered a disadvantage, it is secure and does not feel cheap. On the whole, the construction of the RP-DJ1200 is perhaps the most significant positive aspect of the headset and makes it suitable for professional applications.

Comfort and Fit

There are pros and cons with the comfort that the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones brings to the user. The earcups are covered by a synthetic leather that is comfortable, but not overly cushioned like Jabra Elite 45h and Jabra Evolve2 65. Many of us would repeatedly wear the headsets for hours on end. The experience was pleasant for the most part, but the ear pads could be bigger. What this means is that they rest more on top of the ear rather than encircling the entire ear and hence could be uncomfortable for those with big ears or for long use.

The Adgressor headphones also rank fairly low on weight. These headphones are 230 grams and no weight will be felt on the head thus optimizing comfort for long use. Coming with a cross head band the user is ensured comfort adjustment for the varying head sizes and there is adequate force with the increase in band which ensures the headphones do not fall off but are not too constricting.

The additional swivel action on the ear cups has added to this aspect especially for DJs who listen through one ear and suddenly need to switch because of the ‘everybody’ cue. This degree of liberty is one of the reasons the RP-DJ1200 has been well accepted in the professional setting. The earcups are flexible and can lie flat. They are thus easy to put on/take off with reasonable ease.

Sound Quality

Where the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones really gets it right is the sound. Since these headphones are designed for DJs, there is no wonder that they perform well in situations where sound amplification is important. I experimented with many music genres: hip-hop, classical, rock, electronic, and the headphones constantly amazed me with the sound they delivered.

The bass is tight and punchy with a certain level of control. Its not one of those DJ headphones that beef the bass to ridiculous proportions, rather it’s being boosted at optimal levels to give the music the required depth sureness. I noted that there was no bass bleed into the mids, which is important for one who deals with sound training or DJing. Heavy beats and deep bassline tracks provided the desired weight (which even though was), not interfering.

This is the region where the RP-DJ1200 took me the most by surprise, the upper midrange. The midrange is also clean, and vocal and instrument protrudes out of the mix rather than getting submerged due to overfilling. Be it a justification where vocals prevailed or a more instrument orientated approach, mids were clear and defined, a rarity especially with active DJ headsets built for bass thumping.

There are crisp, clean highs that never feel overly forward. Sufficient treble information exists to add a degree of brightness to the tracks, but none so excessive as to be fatiguing. It is also worth mentioning that at a reasonably high volume level, I never noted any issues with distortion in the upper parts of the sound spectrum, which indicates very good quality of the drivers in these headphones.

Another noteworthy feature is sound isolation. There is no active noise reduction when it comes to the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones, but thanks to their closed back design and well fitting earcups there is decent passive noise isolation. When I found myself in distracting circumstances, like a noisy café or even a busy DJ practice session, the headphones were quite effective at shutting out most of the ambient sounds and let me concentrate on the music.

Smart Features

Now here is where the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones sacrifice their reliability. It’s much more useful than those in the ear cans since they avoid all the trending technologies which dominate the market today ie Touch control, Bluetooth, and active noise reduction technology. These headphones do not incorporate such advanced technologies as active noise canceling or speech recognition and are plain wired.

For some, this might be a deal breaker especially if you have become accustomed to more equipped headphones. But to DJs and other professionals who do not need features, only the performance of these gadgets rather the presence of the features is actually quite good. No batteries to charge, no bluetooth to sync with, no software updates that one has to be clocked up with- you just plug it in and it works perfectly.

Overall, the RP-DJ1200 is that minimalistic design that is quite pleasing. It is simply a pair of headphones with the sole characteristic of bass reclining high fidelity sound reproduction and ruggedness without the burden of wispy intelligent features.

Connectivity and Usability

Unfortunately, the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones has a non-removable coiled cable, which is one of those elements that has been retained regarding the design of these headphones. One can coiled the cable to about 1.2 meters or stretch it out to 3 meters which is ideal for a DJ booth or studio where the user needs to move about freely.

The non-removable cable as many would view it in this world of modular headphones, is however solid and quite well made. I did not encounter a single knit, and the coiled design brought its use without the complication of long straight cables which are restricted. The cable terminates in a 3.5 mm stereo jack, which is also equipped with a 6.3mm adapter and therefore suitable for both home and professional level devices. I connected the RP-DJ1200 to a smartphone, a laptop and a DJ controller – the headphones worked perfectly with all of them.

It is quite simple regarding the use of the headphones. There is no difficulty in operation: no one has to master special features; they just need to be plugged in, and that’s it. For practitioners who require durable and dependable equipment that works right out of the box, the RP-DJ1200 is the perfect choice.

Battery Life

Since the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones falls under a wired headphone category, you do not have to be bothered by battery life. This is one area where these headphones differ from many modern competitors. While wireless headphones need indentation plugins as power sources and require trimming, the RP-DJ1200 can be used without a power outlet within a plug. For DJs or professionals working long hours documenting all their work, this can be quite a benefit – fear of battery depletion in the middle of a set is nonexistent.

Mic Performance and Call Quality

Pity, the Technics RP-DJ1200 is designed without an in-line microphone or any internal microphone for placing a call rendering weak its purpose especially for those who are in pursuit of a headphone for every day usage like taking calls with it. These headphones are purely for listening to music and/or monitoring and DJ’ing purposes, if you want to use a headset for talking, you will have to find another one.

Durability and Portability

As for the construction, I must say that the Technics RP-DJ1200 headphones are tough enough unlike the Sony WH-CH720N. I carried out the test carrying the headphones loosely in my bag, in a club environment, and moving with the headphones attached during setting up or breaking down the session and they still look pretty good. The fast pivoting of the ear cups appears to be well made and the headband that is reinforced with metal makes one reuse that it is not going to break during ordinary use.

As such, the RP-DJ1200 performs well in terms of portability as well. The fact that the headphones can be folded flat allows for reduction in their space thus portability is enhanced. They go into a bag pretty well and although they have no carry pouch with them, enough strength is built to endure being in another equipment’s broom.

The coiled cable also makes the headphones easier to carry. While straight cables fold like a mess in the bag and become computer cords, coils do not fold messily as there is no kinking or taking up worlds of space. People have to move into the Modern Era and the RP-DJ1200 is a good for tablet users or DJs who travel a lot and require ease in carrying the device.

Final Verdict

Having used and evaluated the Technics RP-DJ1200 Headphones for a long time, I can say with pride that these are a nice pair of headphones intended for DJs, producers and anyone interested in sound rather than studio looks and effects. They have a good sound, delivered without vices – there’s tight low-end, concise midrange and airy highs, and their crafted planks make them an efficient option for users who want equipment that can last.

For Bluetooth or a noise cancellation function, there are no modern smart features here, but the simple and practical, wired construction does perform the main task – to be used without any interruption. In terms of noise isolation, comfort and weight, they pretty much match the requirements, but more padding would help with long term usage. That said though, their lightweight and adjustable ear cups make them a perfect choice for long shifts or marathon DJ gigs and studio recordings.

BoomBox boasts of very good audio instruments; thus little effort needs to be taken in interspersing or trying so hard to use additional connecting devices. Simple in function, simple in design; there’re plastics and metal parts but they’re all very well built. In other words if you want to buy headphones for hard work the Technics RP-DJ1200 should be on your short list without a doubt.