Unboxing and Review: Technics 1250 Headphones

After years of gigging, my faithful Sennheisers really began to go on me. The cups are shredded more than ever ,the headband is 75% electrical tape, and to keep gigging with them would send them to an ugly death. I retired them to studio and guitar use, and ultimately decided to shop around a bit.

I’ve had my eye on the Technics 1250’s for quite a while. Veteran and rookie DJs alike know that the Technics brand is synonymous with the art of DJing itself – the 1200 turntables are still the industry standard for vinyl DJing, period. They have been discontinued for years now, but resale prices on eBay are still sky high, edging into the thousands for a used pair. When Panasonic bought the Technics brand, they released the 1250 headphones to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the iconic turntable, and DJs were snatching them up left and right.

Luckily, I got my pair on Amazon for $104. The price varies between $100 and $125, but it’s still the best deal I’ve seen to date – just keep your eyes peeled and check the website every couple of days until the price drops! Get them here.

Unboxing

The Technics’ box leaves a strong first impression. The packaging is elegant but modern, employing a simple black background with a picture of the headphones and the Technics logo.  The manufacturer makes a point of indicating that the headphones were made in Japan – definitely a plus as far as quality goes. The back of the box gives a visual rundown of the components inside.

The inside of the box follows the same concept. The headphones speak for themselves, dominating the overall layout. An iPhone – compatible cord, a coiled DJ cable, and a small pouch are tucked away beneath another Technics logo. The folks at Panasonic really leave nothing to the imagination.

The coiled cable is long and springy, and includes a screw-on  gold 1/4″ adapter on a right-end p
lug (I’m a huge fan of angled plugs, they’re so much more versatile!). The phone cord has an inline  iPhone remote. It’s perfect for keeping in your DJ bag for those long trips to gigs! Within 24 hours, I had already lost the pouch (and yes, I’m still upset about it). I’ve since replaced it with this case from Amazon.

How do they perform?

I’m personally not a fan of testing headphones in big club environments. When you have earplugs in your ears because of a loud environment, it’s almost expected to just crank the headphone output on a controller so you can focus on the mix at hand. Thankfully, the day after I unboxed the Tech’s I was at Fiesta En La 8 for a guest set and interview. The small studio environment was a perfect time to see exactly how well the headphones perform.

They definitely exceeded expectations. The headphones felt snug and firm, and didn’t hurt or squeeze after a few hours of continuous use. One feature I loved was the freedom of motion on the cups: they’re almost fully free to rotate and swing, to ensure a perfect fit on your head that suits your DJ style. The drivers in the headphones themselves were responsive, and the bass really kicked without having to push the headphone output too loud. I actually heard more from these headphones than I did from my Sennheisers! Melodies became clearer than ever and I really felt like I was on top of my game. It was very surreal.

Panasonic has really outdone themselves. The DJ industry can be very “you get what you pay for” at times, but the Technics 1250 have really stood out. At a price point where shoddy headphones can be fairly common, these are truly a diamond in the rough.
What are your go-to headphones? Let me know in the comments!

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