Numark HF175

Visual impression and workmanship

For a headphone in this price range, the Numark HF175 make a very impressive showing. After all, the black and red colour mix, including the opulent branding, will certainly stand out on stage. Haptically, too, these headphones do their job. Long listening sessions are supported by the lavish padding on the entire headband and the large oval ear cups.

Depending on the size of your head, the headband can be extended using the pull-out metal struts. I saw seven marked steps on them, but they do not lock into place. Numark also does without the typical swivel joints with which the ear cups can be folded in for safe and space-saving transport. Instead, the capsules tilt 180 degrees in their suspension. In addition, the slightly swivelling screw connection between the capsule suspension and the bracket extension offers some play.

The three-metre cable is fixed on the left and therefore unfortunately not interchangeable.

Wearing comfort

The Numark HF175 are comfortable to wear, partly because of their light weight of 280 grams. However, the earpieces hug the ears; this is where the generous and very soft padding pays off. But the headband is also flexible. This is because its stainless steel headband with a manganese steel frame can almost be bent into a loop – this is particularly advantageous for one-sided monitoring. The design, with its few joints, manages to align the capsules optimally with the ears. The padding of the replaceable earpads surrounds the ears so that these headphones hold their position even when your head nods in time with the beat. The extensions, which are difficult to extend, do not slip, despite the lack of a grid system. This also makes it possible to make individual size adjustments outside the markings. The very long cable, which is routed on one side, unfortunately, tends to get tangled.

Sound of the Numark HF175

I wouldn’t expect headphones in this price range to have a frequency response of 15 to 22,000 hertz. Their low impedance of 35.4 ohms (averaged) makes you sit up and take notice, especially with lower-power headphone outputs.

With this, the bass drum kicks in the truest sense of the word, and can even be listed to at full volume without becoming washed out or clanging. The ear cup housing starts to rattle a little at full power. However, the headphones should not be exposed to full power for too long, as the nominal power of 200 mW and the maximum power handling of 400 mW quickly push the drivers to their limits. In addition to the low bass, the 40-millimetre drivers also pay special attention to the mid and upper bass. The midrange as well as the mid and upper treble show restraint, which makes the sound slightly darker, but didn’t make me feel queasy. In direct comparison with a linear sound image, deficits in transparency are noticeable, so these headphones don’t receive my recommendation for intensive listening. But that’s not what they were designed for. What is important for a DJ is the high-frequency range, the hi-hat nevertheless whips neatly and clearly distinguishes itself from the groove without being exaggerated. The drivers, tested for musical preferences, are particularly suited to electronic and urban sounds. This also corresponds to the repertoire preferred by DJs.

The quite good shielding properties of the closed and ear-enclosing ear cup, which benefit from the fairly direct signal injection through the drivers, also favour use by DJs. Compared to other DJ models, they need more volume to compensate for noise. But for headphones in this price range, the Numark HF175 do a superior job!