When I first started out DJing some years back I was a student on an incredibly tight budget; I made sure I bought myself a decent pair of decks that would last a good few years, this therefore meant that I had to compromise in other areas however. When looking for a cheap pair of headphones there are quite a few models out there on the market from various different companies; Numark's HF125 headphones were the ones that caught my eye however and this is a budget pair of entry-level headphones still being bought by many today. When I bought my pair I believe they cost a price of roughly £12, today however they can be picked up from Amazon.co.uk for the mere price of £7.99; an absolute bargain in my opinion and absolutely perfect if you're just starting out as a DJ and looking to purchase a cheap pair of headphones. These are not the best headphones that money can buy, they are however extremely cheap and for £7.99 you can't really go far wrong.


- The Appearance -

The headphones are black and silver in colour and come with adjustable padded ear cups also; quite similar in appearance to many headphones out there on the market and for their price extremely aesthetically pleasing. When I first bought these headphones there were a few other entry-level options to choose from, Numark's HF125 model was the most pleasing on the eye however and that's how I came to own these headphones.


- Quality of Sound -

In terms of sound quality the headphones could be better, they're okay and they do their job; the sound isn't exactly crisp however and if you're working with bass heavy dance music then they're often a little prone to the slight element of distortion. Regardless of what you're listening to with them on the bass is always quite heavy in its sound; this can therefore sometimes weaken the impact of the mid and top notes and spoil the overall sound output. These headphones are bearable to DJ with though and as long as the volume isn't put up too high then the sound output is generally of a reasonable enough standard and the bass element of the music is not too overpowering.


- Length of Cable -

The Numark HF125 headphones feature a 2 metre long tangle-resistant cable, the wire is of an excellent length but I'm not too pleased with the 'resistance' of the cable getting tangled it must be said. Over the years my cable has been tangled on many occasions, it's not too much of a problem really but given that the cable is marketed as being 'tangle-resistant' it doesn't really live up to its name too well. As I say though; the 2 metre length of the cable is ample, there are headphones out there with longer cables than this, then again though you can sometimes pay a lot more than the £7.99 asking price for these headphones and receive a lot less in the way of cable length. The headphones come complete with a 6.3mm (1/4") jack adapter and I have to say that I've been more than impressed with the length and durability of the cable over the years.


- What They're Like To Wear -

My main complaint with these headphones is the comfort of wearing them; in short spells they're fine, when wearing them for longer however then they do start cutting into the ear cartilage a little. I'd say you can wear these headphones for a couple of hour tops, after this though they do start cutting into the ear and this can actually become incredibly painful making the headphones unbearable to wear for any longer. If you're intending to use these headphones for some long DJing sessions then I'd suggest you think again, they're not at all good for long periods of wear and although fine in short spurts; over longer periods of time they will cause great pain to the wearer.

The headphones actually adjust to seven different positions to suit the head size of the individual that is wearing them; they're quite good in this respect, once adjusted they remain in position fairly well and for this I really can't fault them. The adjustable headband has been strongly constructed here, they may not be particularly comfortable but at least they're open to adjustment.


- Problems With the Headphones -

Something I personally experienced with Numark's HF125 headphones was that after around a year I started having problems with the right headphone cutting out; the left earphone has always worked fine but the right earphone has now long since stopped working. For around a further year or so a bit of twiddling and eventually the right earphone would work just fine, obviously the wiring isn't too great with these headphones however and whilst the left headphone lives on the right earphone has long been dead. I still find use for these headphones from time to time, they're definitely not my first choice of headphones any more but it certainly provides for quite an interesting listening experience only hearing the music through one ear.

So the two problems I've noticed with these headphones are their comfort and also their life. They're very cheap, don't expect them to last for too many years to come however as due to their low price the quality of build is therefore a little lacking. The comfort factor is a definite downside also, they're fine in short spells but certainly be aware of the discomfort that can be caused through using these headphones over long periods of time.


- Final Thoughts -

If you're looking for top of the range sound quality then that's really not something you're going to receive with a £7.99 pair of headphones, if however you're looking for a fairly decent cheap pair of headphones then Numark's HF125s could well be absolutely perfect for you. Even if they do cause you a few problems after a year or two; at this price it's hard to knock these headphones and for the price you certainly can't find a better quality pair of headphones than these. They're not perfect, they're definitely cheap though and if you're gong to wear them for purely short periods of time then I'd definitely recommend investing in Numark's HF125s. If you're looking for a pair of headphones that you'll be wearing for prolonged periods of time though then these HF125s just wont cut it, after a couple of hours they become incredibly uncomfortable and therefore are fairly unsuitable for wearing for too long at a time. So, depending on what you'd be using these headphones for would definitely decipher as to whether or not Nukark's HF125s would be suitable for you; a perfect pair of headphones for wearing over short periods, but not such a great pair if you're intending to be DJing/watching movies etc. for absolute hours on end.


Current Price: £7.99 (Amazon.co.uk including free shipping)