Verdict
Pioneer DJ ’s HDJ - CUE1BT are the earpiece equivalent of a 2 - in-1 shampoo and conditioner . By fuse tuner Bluetooth with a wired option , it ’s dally and go for bud DJs , doing away with the need for two unlike products . Like 2 - in-1 shampoo and conditioner , they do what they say , too , but you just recognize they ’re never going to be recommended by the professionals – making this a rare case of something that is n’t necessarily stronger together .
Still , Pioneer DJ has skin in the biz when it comes to DJ kit . The HDJ - CUE1BT sound great for the price , and the colour customisation options prove a little charm goes a prospicient way . I ’d have no falter suggesting them to bedroom DJs with a busy societal life .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
There ’s a very real line for intimate DJ headphones are the thoroughgoing barometer for Song dynasty and sound calibre – so why not wear them all the time ? That ’s the premise of Pioneer DJ ’s HDJ - CUE1BT on - ears .
You see , DJ headphones are design for truth , detail , and inactive interference closing off so picker get their mixing boot on . I masquerade at the weekend and would n’t be seen dead without a duo of Sennheiser HD 25 Mk2s . They are to dj what Adidas Copa Mundials are to park football player : the golden standard .
The other thing DJ headphones tend to be very good at is being comfy , calorie-free , portable , and durable . They take to be able to take the knocks – and if Pioneer DJ want you to switch from cubicle to motorcoach with your HDJ - CUE1BT cans in wired or Bluetooth mode , they ’ll require all of those qualities .
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Sennheiser wo n’t do you a pair of DJ headphones that are both wired and Bluetooth – it ’s one or the other – so while its HD 250BT are worthy of your attention , you ca n’t stop up them into a mixer . In that respect , Pioneer DJ has a distinct vantage in the sub-£100 price family . Let ’s plunge in .
Design
Do n’t be fooled by the pitch-dark duo sent to me by Pioneer DJ . They ’re also usable in vivid red or white with eloquent trapping – and that ’s just the kickoff …
A freehanded part of the HDJ - CUE1BT ’s appeal is the kaleidoscope of five bright colour polyurethan leather ear pads and loop cables , allowing you to customise to your heart ’s content in a like fashion to theDyson OnTrac .
They ’re sold separately , of class , so whether you ’re feel orange , icteric , fleeceable , blue , or pink , an HDJ - CUE1 accouterment gang will do you back £ 27 .
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focus on what ’s in front of us , the HDJ - CUE1BT feel promising . They ’re considerately designed with a mix of solid yet flexible charge plate and soft polyurethan leather , some neat ‘ Pioneer DJ ’ branding , and batch of expose gaoler for repairs .
You ’ll find one button for powering on / off , Bluetooth pairing , have call , period of play / break , and jump tracks , with a disjoined loudness rocker located above .
Underneath , there ’s an aux cable port for wire listening and , disappointingly , a micro - USB port for charging . USB - C would have render faster point and broadly seems more durable , but apply this model has been knock around since 2020 , we roll .
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Cups and lodgings are split by a perforate ring , and overall build up character leaves you positive the HDJ - CUE1BT can go the distance – whether that ’s a six - 60 minutes DJ set or a grumpy - country railroad train journey . On - ear controls are intuitively placed on the left side and ferment outright without lag .
Although foldable to a heavyset form , at 250 gram without the cable television service , they ’re a tad heavy for DJ headphones , especially when Sennheiser ’s HD 250BT weigh on the button half that . The deficiency of a carry example or bag is also mildly fret .
A final note on peaceful isolation , too . It ’s good . Maybetoogood , because if anything , the HDJ - CUE1BT can find a lilliputian tight on the head and leave you feeling a bit fatigued after long hearing session .
Features
As touch to , the HDJ - CUE1BT do something many DJ headphones ca n’t – wireless Bluetooth listen alongside a wired link for mixers , controllers , and instruments , as well as mainstream devices like laptops and smartphones .
To that ending , you get a decentBluetooth 5.0version with SBC and AAC codecs , alongside a robust , detachable 1.2 m loop cable ( a favourite in the DJ stall ) with an extended 1.8 megabyte distance .
This puts them in the bracket of everyday - use lifestyle headphones – Pioneer DJ simply commend “ disc jockey play is wired , outside is wireless ” – especially with a claimed 30 hours of playback prison term . More on this later .
Driver - wise , they ’re 40 mm noodle character . Par for the course for a balance of bass voice response and clarity , but also bigger than those found on many more expensive and illustrious models , like theMarshall Monitor III A.N.C.orSony WH-1000XM5 .
Aside from the foldable plan , which flicks the cups inward to snuggle nearly under the headband , the cups also turn out 90 level .
Pioneer calls this ‘ Flexible Monitoring Style ’ , and it is a mainstay on DJ headphones when needing to cue data track with one auricle while keep check on what ’s blaring out of your talker with the other .
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A built - in mic means you may take calls , too . In examination , I found them to be crystal clear even in airy conditions , but strangely very subdued on calls . Plus , you ’re only reliant on passive noise isolation . Fine for the curious chinwag at habitation , a stretch for on - the - move business calls .
Pioneer DJ has perfected the plug , pair , and dally experience on the HDJ - CUE1BT . It ’s simple , faff - spare , and entirely efficacious .
When switch on and in Bluetooth mode , you ’re greeted with a swooshy start - up audio , and away you go .
In wired musical mode ( with the headphones switched off to bear on battery life story , if prefer ) , all Bluetooth , bulk , and mike functions are disabled . This is to obviate inadvertent operation when DJing , and will probably split opinion .
It ’s a real ignominy the HDJ - CUE1BT are n’t USB - speed of light indictable , but the USB - A / micro - USB connexion stands up regardless and worked just alright either charging off the mains or devices like a laptop or desktop computer . That said , there ’s no playback while charging .
Lastly , the HDJ - CUE1BT are an ANC- and app - free zone . Either would be a luxury ; neither feels essential , and they ’re hardly a poorer panorama for the omission , especially at this price degree .
Battery life
Pioneer DJ ’s stated 30 - hr playday is pretty accurate and got me through the majority of the working calendar week on a single bursting charge . This bodes well for foresightful - haulage flight , albeit without ANC . Sennheiser ’s HD 250BT can only muster 25 hours .
USB - C woes well document , the HDJ - CUE1BT take an excruciating 150 minutes to charge from empty to full via that micro - USB connection , and fast charging is n’t support either .
Sound Quality
Pioneer DJ posit the HDJ - CUE1BT features high - quality speech sound , where you ’ll get wind the richness of your music when DJing or just listening to a favourite track . They also inherit “ specialist sound ” from its pro - level HDJ - X5 DJ phone .
With no companion app , you ’re arguably cut back where EQ and sound personalisation option are have-to doe with . This may be true of everyday Bluetooth listen , leaving you at the mercy of whatever your playback equipment offering .
For wired DJ session , the only EQ filtering you want to do will be on the mixer or controller itself – to present the track in its very best form .
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So , how do they sound ? Pretty enough . Noticeable frequency separation and a natural sound with a lean to the low end is what most disk jockey will look for from their earphone , and the HDJ - CUE1BT keep up well .
The 40 millimetre drivers offer mickle of power and poise in the grim frequencies , peculiarly where bass and boot drums are concerned . Mids and highs are conveyed with just enough pellucidity , although overall , you ’re left a little wanting on big drops and soaring crescendo .
The Streets ’ You Think You ’ve Been forget is nice and punchy on rhythm section , vocal are crystal clean and impactful , and the synthy sitar elements are just the proper side of prominent .
young lady I Love You by Massive Attack – a bass voice - laden beast for any brace of earpiece to handle – does n’t creak under the pressure , either . Pioneer DJ has every right to disperse its shoulder off here . Horace Andy will be proud of .
Most impressive is the spaciousness and Platonism . This is go to sound unusual , but BBC Radio 4 drama felt so present I turned around on multiple occasions guess someone had stepped into the room . Although perhaps I should seek professional service for this .
Should you buy it?
Competent Bluetooth headphones with ample capabilities for bud disk jockey are a rarefied matter indeed . The HDJ - CUE1BT are a slight rough around the edge , but rive off what they were designed for with a feeling of personality .
By stress to be all things to citizenry , the HDJ - CUE1BT blindside itself with a few flaw : Notably inferior buck capability , canonical call map with no representative controls , and the deficiency of a carry case , to name a few .
Final Thoughts
Theoretically , one couple of headphones to reign them all sounds like the Holy Grail . The HDJ - CUE1BT are not the lord of the lavatory , but this is a commendable movement from Pioneer DJ to combine two utilization cases , and for the most part , it pulls it off .
Yes , we ’d like more battery life , an in - business remote control , a carry lawsuit , a quarter - inch headphone adaptor , USB - speed of light fast charging , some sassy feature article , and ANC , but to be all things to all people would significantly increase the Mary Leontyne Price , and given these headphone are aimed at those dip their toe into the DJ world , a submarine £ 100 price item feel vital .
The HDJ - CUE1BT do n’t really have any direct rival . Sennheiser’sHD 250BTcome unaired by offer DJ - favorable tuning on a pair of on - ear Bluetooth headphones , but really they ’re going up against ourBest Cheap Headphones 2025,Best Wireless Headphones , the top receiving set and wired picks from ourBest Headphones 2025 , and theBest Headphone Dealsfor the spring . Happy search .
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How we test
I test the HDJ - CUE1BT over the course of a week , using them across a ambit of scenarios — from everyday modus vivendi enjoyment ( commuting , public transport , country paseo ) to DJ - focused testing ( bedroom mix with Pioneer and Native Instruments controllers , legal profession DJing with Pioneer DJ controllers and mixers , and studio apartment use ) .
I charge the headphones from flat to full and ran them from full charge to flat over the followup period . Music was stream via Apple Music on an iPhone 12 Pro and Mac Mini M1 , alongside radio content from BBC Sounds . rails spanned a variety of genres but were chosen to reflect DJ preferences across the full frequency spectrum .
FAQs
It take around 150 minutes to charge the barrage from empty to full . Fast charging is not supported . The blood-red LED dismount up while the earpiece are charge and turns off when the bombardment is full .
It might be potential , but we ca n’t guarantee it will work reliably .
To reset the headphones : press the multifunction clit and the [ + ] volume release at the same metre for at least five indorsement while the superpower is on . All previous preferences will be reset , including couple twist selective information . After resetting , the earpiece will power off automatically .
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insure your PC / Mac is switched on and not in a power - save musical mode . Also , check that the add USB commit cable is securely connected to both the headphones and your PC / Mac .
Full Specs
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