Having spent many years wondering through the foggy audio wasteland of home hifi loudspeakers, you can imagine just how Dolbyfied my life became when I finally got a pair of proper studio monitors. And I suspect that many of you reading this will still be linking your expensive DJ setup to some crappy 80s MIDI system, but blaming the resulting muffled mess on your mixer right? Go on... treat yourself to a pair of real monitors, like these S-DJ05s from Pioneer. Your ears will thanks you for it. Once again, Andrew Unsworth steps into the breach and offers his opinions.
It probably goes without saying that these are all about audio fidelity rather than filling a large room full of intestine rupturing bass. And while the S-DJ05s do offer a degree of audio adjustment, but you still have to make sure that what goes into them is still good.
Anyway, here's the review.
REVIEW UPDATE: The hiss issue Andrew has highlighted is being proactively investigated by Pioneer. It is though to be isolated to the review units supplied to us and not the norm. Pioneer will obviously update us in due course as to whether we have identified something of concern, of if as suspected the review units will be humanely destroyed for their own good. Respect due to Pioneer for not throwing their considerable weight around and demanding that the review be taken down. Transparency is important with such things.
Ratings
Build Quality
Built like a Bentley and just as sleek.
Sound quality
Crystal clear and loud enough for a home studio. Only 'problem' is a conspicuous hiss when nothing is playing through them.
Features and Implementation
There are plenty of inputs, EQs and informative LEDs on each monitor. Also worthy of praise is the cleverly designed remote control.
Value for Money
You're going to pay a premium for the Pioneer logo, but when the product is this good, why not?
Bottom Line
Not only are the S-DJ05s exceptionally pretty, they possess a build quality and feature set that is at once luxurious and practical. The sound quality – to my ears – is first-rate. There are plenty of inputs and the remote control makes using the S-DJ05s a joy. £500 is a lot of cash, but you get your money's worth.