Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X are some rare headphones, capable of striking the balance between pumping bass and faithful detail without losing any sonic ferocity. But is this enough to make them some of the best headphones?

It depends on you and what you need from headphones. As you might’ve guessed from the name, the DJ 300 Pro X headphones are intended to be used by the disc jockeys amongst you. If you’re after cans with rich, punchy bass and an accurate reproduction of studio-quality detail, you’ll want to know about the DJ 300 Pro X.

However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The DJ 300 Pro X only really excel with electronic genres like house, DnB, techno, and garage. Rock, indie, and even some pop songs fall a little flat. But are you an electronic DJ? Highly likely, right? Then you’ll want to find out more in this Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Cans for the disc-jockeys of the world
• What does it cost? $279 / £169
• What do we like? The bass performance is rich and balanced without overpowering the detail in the treble
• What don’t we like? They’re weirdly expensive (especially in the U.S.) and not hugely versatile

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Specs

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X are $279 from Amazon U.S. and £169 from Amazon U.K.. This is reasonably pricey for on-ear DJ cans: I tested the $99 Rode NTH-50 and found they performed similarly. While I think the DJ 300 Pro X sound great, they’re probably not the best-value reference cans you can buy.

If you’re a music professional — be that studio or DJ — you’ll likely be familiar with Beyerdynamic. The German brand offers tons of professional-quality cans: the DT collection is ideal for studio recording and mixing thanks to the over-ear design (meaning they can be worn for longer periods than on-ears) and neutral tuning.

We reviewed the $159 Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro earlier in the year and awarded them a magnetic 5 stars, so might be worth checking out if you want Beyerdynamic sound quality for cheaper.

Pioneer also makes DJ headphones: the HDJ-CUE1 are just $89 from Amazon, and the HD-JX7 are $239 from Amazon. These are considerably cheaper than Beyerdynamic’s offering, so, again, could be worth checking out if you’re short on cash.

Finally, Sennheiser’s HD-25 are generally considered the “best in class” DJ headphones, and are just $142 from Amazon. These headphones are supremely comfortable and have swappable parts, so might be worthy competitors.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Design

• On-ear rather than over-ear
• Closed-back design to prevent ambient noise interference
• Uncomfortable for long periods

As you might expect from DJ cans, the DJ 300 Pro X are on-ear rather than over-ear. This is both a pro and a con: positively, the on-ear design means you can move the earcup back with little fanfare, so you can interact with the crowd or colleagues as necessary.

Negatively, the on-ear design means the DJ 300 Pro X are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. After just thirty minutes, my ears were aching, and I had to remove the headphones to allow my poor cartilage to recover. This issue was only exacerbated by my glasses, so I’d recommend glasses-wearers steer clear of on-ears.

This was true of the Rode NTH-50, so it’s an on-ear headphones issue rather than a DJ 300 Pro X issue. The Sennheiser HD-25 are on-ears that somehow don’t suffer from this, so I’d recommend them if you’re going to be playing for hours and hours.

However, the cups themselves are soft, and there’s a decent amount of padding on the headband. Beyerdynamic also says you can switch out the ear cups — so you could add your own DJ branding if desired — but I didn’t get a chance to test this out as I didn’t have any replacements available.

The DJ 300 Pro X feel well-made and sturdy, and the integral parts are replaceable, so the $279 asking price isn’t outrageous here.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Connectivity

• 3.5mm and ¼ inch connectivity
• Can connect to left or right ear cup

The Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X come with both a 3.5mm jack and a ¼ inch jack. I listened while connected to my MacBook Air M2 and had zero connectivity issues.

The headphones have a 2.5mm jack on both the left and right earcups, so you can switch depending on your listening device. Strangely, my MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro M1 have the headphone jack on opposite sides (right and left, respectively), so this is a necessary feature if you’re using multiple devices.

If you’re unfamiliar with DJ cans, you might be surprised by the lack of Bluetooth, but this is normal on studio or professional headphones. If you want optimal sound, you don’t want to be listening via Bluetooth. If you’re mixing tracks live, you want zero latency and zero connection interruptions, so wired headphones will be your savior here.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Sound quality

• Rich, clear bass and detailed treble
• Sounds best with electronic music
• Rock, metal, and alternative perform considerably worse

As the DJ 300 Pro X are (shockingly!) DJ headphones, they’ll sound a little different than your standard Bluetooth headphones. With Bluetooth headphones, the sound signature is often quite warm, rich, and bassy. Cans like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM6 are proof of this.

The DJ 300 Pro X are heavy on the detail, but bassier than reference or studio cans. This is a feature rather than a bug. DJ cans need to be bassy because you should mix basslines rather than mids — so being able to hear the low-end over a rowdy crowd and speaker setup is a necessity.

To test the DJ 300 Pro X, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles.

First, I played ‘Blue’ by Billie Eilish, a dynamic, episodic track built over Eilish’s iconic breathy vocals, soft guitars and pianos, closing out with an electronic beat. The electronic, bass-heavy pulse sounded the best, with well-rounded lows and balanced high-frequency effects. I was surprised to find a little crackling at the top of the treble, as this isn’t something I’d expect from detail headphones.

After, I listened to Grimes to test out the balance between soft feminine vocals and electronic instrumentals. I played loads of tracks, but I’ll just discuss ‘Violence’ here. This track has an electrifying techno beat with Grimes’s ethereal vocals floating over the soundstage.

As expected, Grimes’s delicate vocals were prevalent at the front of the track, as were the high-frequency electronic percussion instruments, but there was a touch of softness in the treble. The bass was warm and rich, with no muddiness or confusion. I’ll just throw in one more track here: ‘4AEM’ by Grimes is a DnB-heavy track with clattering percussion and breathy vocals. This song was a particular standout, showcasing the DJ 300 Pro X’s immersive bass performance and ability to balance sound across the frequency range.

However, ‘We Appreciate Power’, a metal guitar-led track rather than electronic instruments, suffered from the same crispiness as the Billie Eilish record, so I wouldn’t recommend these cans for rock or heavy genres.

I’ll discuss ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ by Nirvana. This track has Nirvana’s classic grunge flair, groaning guitars layered over Kurt Cobain’s raspy vocal, with quiet verses and loud choruses. The choruses sounded a little flat, like the guitars and the vocals were recorded smashed together. The verses sounded better — more balance across the frequency range — but this song was far less dynamic than electronic genres.

In general, electronic music sounded the best. I know, shocking, seeing as the DJ 300 Pro X are DJ headphones. Even so, I tested with acoustic and rock music, too, for a balanced analysis. If you’re a rock, metal, or alternative DJ, you might want to consider something else. But for techno, DnB, house, garage, and anything in between, the DJ 300 Pro X balance bass and detail admirably.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Verdict

If you’re an electronic DJ, then the DJ 300 Pro X are fantastic headphones that’ll impress you. With faithful bass reproduction that balances studio-quality detail in the treble, you won’t miss a beat.

However, if you’re a rock, metal, indie DJ — anything predominantly guitar-based — you might be disappointed. The DJ 300 Pro X tend to muddy complex guitar-based instrumentals and suffer from a touch of crispness at the top of the treble. Even so — sweeping generalization incoming — many DJs might only need to consider electronic genre performance.

So if you’re one of the aforementioned electronic DJs, the DJ 300 Pro X are well worth looking into. Everyone else might be better off with the flatter Rode NTH-50.