The Pioneer SE-MX7 headphones will be music to the ears of EDM fans

The Pioneer SE-MX7 delivers in offering a high quality experience to the average clubber without sending you broke.

The Pioneer SE-MX7 headphones. Courtesy Pioneer

Electronic dance music lovers are usually left behind in the headphones race. Hip-hop fans are more than satisfied with the bass-heavy offerings of the mega-selling Beats by Dre line, while those looking for nuance and clear sonic distillation can refer to any of the recent offerings from Bose or the Quincy Jones signature series with manufacturer AKG.

EDM fans, on the other hand, have to splash out big cash on top-of-the-line, studio-quality headphones for a decent, casual-listening experience. Now, Pioneer has stepped in to fill that gap with its latest release, the SE-MX7.

The tech stuff

The on-ear headphones boast 40mm drivers per cup that look after bass and mid-range tones. The left cup is also home to an Advanced Bass Level Control dial where – from left to right – you can manipulate bass levels from standard to almost head-shaking heaviness. Included in the sturdy box are an extra two-metre cable, in-flight adapter and 6.3 millimetre jack adapter. Best part of all: the cables come with two notches protruding from each side, ensuring it won’t easily slip out in case of unexpected movement.

Test drive

I chose to test on tracks its customer base would surely have on their playlists. Listening to Hardwell's Eclipse was a banging affair with the Advance Bass Level Control at mid-level. Take it to its extreme and the music becomes a totally immersive experience, especially as all workplace chatter is promptly shut out. However, the extra focus on delivering a mammoth dance thump proved a problem with Tiesto's Red Lights: the central electric guitar riffs were nearly drowned out once the dance beats crashed through after the 30-second mark. Wanting to see how the product performs in a non-speciality field, I then spun the extremely low-fi-recorded The Rooster Moans from alt-country artist Iron & Wine. The additional bass option definitely helped to highlight the percussive riffs of the banjo.

Final note

The only downside is having to occasionally adjust bass-level controls to find your optimal level of dance heaven, but that doesn’t take away from the fact the SE-MX7 affords the average clubber an experience that’s as high quality as it is ­inexpensive.

• The Pioneer SE-MX7 comes in four colours (white, black, blue and matt orange); available for Dh250 from www.amazon.com