Wireless DJ Headphones Without Lag! Get yours here!
This AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 review is brought to you by David Michael of Passionate DJ.
Introduction
It’s a bit crazy, when you think about it: you never really see wireless DJ headphones in the booth.
If you’ve ever turned your head to talk to someone and had your headphones go flying off, you know what I’m talking about.
But the issue with wireless protocols (e.g. the Bluetooth SBC codec) is almost always latency, or “lag”. In other words, the time it takes for you to hear something after you do something (like push a button).
AlphaTheta’s solution to this is called SonicLink. This protocol is 20 times faster than Bluetooth, bringing the latency down to 9 msec – close to imperceptible.
This means you can monitor, mix, scratch, and cue just as if you were using wired headphones – a game-changer for the DJ booth.
In the box you’ll find a very nice carrying bag and a pair of replacement ear pads.
You can buy the headset itself for $389. But to get it with the SonicLink-capable transmitter costs $499.
Currently, the only device that supports the HDJ-F10 headphones without the transmitter is the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ (it has one built-in).
Features & Usability
The HDJ-F10 headphones offer a similar suite of features that you’d find on upper-end consumer-level cans.
AlphaTheta was smart to not lean all the way into wireless DJ headphones. Today’s users want today’s features, and they are basically found here.
By sliding a small switch on the left cup, you can easily decide whether you’re using SonicLink or Bluetooth.
SonicLink Features
- Max Transmission Distance: About 15m (unobstructed)
- Playback Time: About 9 hr *
- Frequency Band: 2.4 GHz
- Latency: 9 msec
- Pairs With: HDJ-F10-TX transmitter (or XDJ-AZ) only
Bluetooth Features
- Max Transmission Distance: About 10m (unobstructed)
- Playback Time: About 30 hr *
- Frequency Band: 2.4 GHz
- Latency: 180 msec
- Pairs With: Any Bluetooth-capable device
* see Battery Life section below – it may surprise you!
Thanks to the built-in mic, the HDJ-F10 is capable of handling phone calls when paired to your phone in Bluetooth mode.
With all this in mind, the HDJ-F10 can be used anywhere outside the DJ booth. Using the included cable, you can even use them as traditional wired headphones.
Noise Cancellation & Transparency
The onboard mic isn’t just for taking phone calls. Like other modern headsets, you can use Active Noise Cancellation to filter out incoming noise.
Or, you might enable Transparency mode to let external sounds in. This lets you continue having conversations with people around you while listening to music.
You enable or disable these functions using a dedicated button on the right cup.
These features only work in Bluetooth mode.
The quality of these features is worlds apart from my AirPods Pro, or any other high-end headphones. I didn’t find myself impressed, here.
The physical sound isolation of the headphones is very good, so thankfully, this isn’t a dealbreaker.
General Use
The appropriately-named Multifunction Button is used to do several things, depending on when (and for how long) you push it.
Hold it for about 2 seconds, and the headset turns on. Hold it just a little longer, and it turns off.
Use a long-press (about 5 seconds) and it will enter pairing mode.
Once the headset is in pairing mode, you can do a similar long-press on your transmitter’s button. They will both flash, indicating they are paired together. The process is similar whether using Bluetooth or SonicLink.
Currently, the only other device that supports the SonicLink protocol is the Wave-Eight wireless speaker. However, it does not pair to the HDJ-F10 stuff, nor to the XDJ-AZ (which has its own transmitter).
I tried some failure tests with these wireless DJ headphones, and it fared quite well. When stepping outside of range, it would drop, but then immediately reconnect to the transmitter as soon as I came back.
Their claimed 15m range (on SonicLink) seems fairly accurate. As expected, the more obstructions and Wi-Fi signals you have nearby, the worse your range will be.
There’s a small onboard LED to indicate connection status, as well as three dots indicating battery level. Volume controls are also included.
Latency
Bluetooth SBC audio latency is approximately 180 msec… an eternity when it comes to describing audio lag. It can be better or worse than this, depending on the level of post-processing (by noise cancellation, for example).
SonicLink reduces this time to 9 msec, which is fast enough to make it unnoticeable.
This means that actions like hot cueing, scratching, or scrubbing tracks sound just like they would if you were wearing wired headphones.
See demos of this in action in the video above.
Comfort & Wearability
I found the HDJ-F10 headset to be reasonably comfortable for long-term use. Though at 356g (or 0.8 lbs) you will feel the weight after a while.
Adjustability is good – the headband is angled slightly rearward, and both sides have a nice ratcheting action when setting the height.
The cups swivel, but only slightly. They are perfect for the “one cup on, one cup off” thing, but less ideal if you do the “hold the headphones upside-down and listen to one side” thing.
With both cups on, they fit over the ear and don’t make me sore quickly like on-ear ones do. I was able to clock in a few hours before feeling like I needed a break.
Generally speaking, the headset is comfortable, if not a touch heavy.
Physical sound isolation of the HDJ-F10 headphones is quite exceptional. The ear cups formed a nice seal against my head, providing great volume and bass response at all times.
Battery Life
SonicLink has a performance implication: AlphaTheta claims 9 hours of battery life on SonicLink, vs. 30 hours on Bluetooth.
However…
I tested this myself, and the headset didn’t stop for 32 hours when using the SonicLink protocol. Color me shocked.
The transmitter itself lasted for almost 11 hours before needing to be plugged into 5V USB-C, at which time it continued sending music.
I’m not sure what accounts for these results. 32 hours is almost 4X what AlphaTheta claims these will do on their proprietary protocol.
Who knows what it will actually do with Bluetooth?!
While the headset itself can’t be used while charging, it can be used as standard wired headphones by using the included cable (just steal it from the transmitter).
I’ve never had to DJ for 32 hours, or even 9 hours straight… so the battery life of these headphones seems more than sufficient for my needs.
I’m not saying you should expect these results: many things could decrease battery life, such as increased volume, the presence of other 2.4 GHz signals, or the age of your battery. But, you should expect AlphaTheta’s claims to be conservative.
The headphones take about 2.5 hours to reach full charge (and about 4 hours for the transmitter).
Sound Quality
- Headphones Type: Closed, dynamic
- Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 30 kHz
- Impedance: 32 Ω
- Output SPL: 105 dB
The HDJ-F10 headphones will get as loud as you want them to get. Whether used wirelessly, or with the included cable, I had no trouble getting these things to bump.
The audio itself sounds quite lovely. Audio reproduction quality is good, and bass is emphasized (as you might expect – and want – from DJ headphones).
With the cups covering my ear and forming a gentle seal against my head, the isolation was sufficient to make it sound like I’m in a quiet room, even without active noise cancellation on.
Higher-end sounds are produced with clarity (and without harshness), while all the midrange is still present when listening to music made by humans and instruments.
Like other Pioneer DJ audio gear I’ve reviewed, you can find a little bit of hiss if you really listen for it. I never found it to be distracting.
To be clear, these are not meant to compete with audiophile-grade headphones, and will not blow your mind in this regard. But they do sound very good, and they get loud in loud environments (perhaps the most important thing in DJ headphones).
I tested making phone calls with the headset on, and everything sounded crisp and clear on both ends.
Final Thoughts
The AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 seeks to solve a real problem in the DJ booth. Having a wire tethering your face to a mixer feels really archaic in 2025.
If you’re an early adopter type, this is a great time to pony up and show the company you want low-latency wireless tech in the DJ booth.
If you’re not, AlphaTheta has future-proofed the headset by making it work with standard Bluetooth protocols, as well as with a hard wire. In the absolute worst case scenario, these will always still be really good headphones.
But whether the market will support this shift into a new wireless DJ headphones technology remains to be seen.
That said, I’m happy that someone is addressing this latency issue, and this is a company well-poised to introduce this new tech.
At the end of the day, the HDJ-F10 is a comfortable wireless headset with incredible battery life and very good sound quality. It just so happens that you can supercharge its performance using a SonicLink transmitter.