The Lowdown
You may not have thought you needed a headphones bag, but just maybe, you do! Turns out this is a highly practical product, and if you’re one of for the types of DJ we mention in our conclusion, it would indeed likely be a great addition to your gig kit.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
It is a bag from the Magma Riot range, which translates as “pro”. With waterproof materials, fully sealed zips, and a general overall feel of quality, this is a nice item, period. It’s lined in a red felt-type material, with a variety of fitted mesh pockets and zipped compartments suitable for keeping headphones, USB drives (including the larger Corsair type), SD cards, business cards, pens, leads/cables, travel documents and so on safe and sound.
The front flap fits an iPad, or would be good for travel documents and the like, and there’s also a zipped compartment at the back, which would be good for stashing a slim wallet, cash etc. to keep it safely close to your body. This would also be a good place for timecode CDs. The nylon/PVC handles offer one way of carrying it, the sturdy, detachable gun metal and nylon shoulder/body strap giving you two more. All the zippers have got tie-around black nylon string loops on them to make operating them easier.
In Use
I used this bag for a few weeks both as a DJ bag and as a general “take to work” bag for my trips to and from the Digital DJ Tips studio, and I really liked it. The bag holds its shape well even with things stuffed inside it, it feels roomy, and I carried variously my headphones, video camera, business cards, journal, iPhone, travel documents/cash, USB drives and several leads and other bits and pieces, with room for more.
The variety of zipped compartments means you can keep everything organised (and more importantly, safe), and it was nice to have the option of carrying it by hand or with a shoulder strap, although you may want to fold and tuck away the shoulder strap to stop it getting in the way if you find yourself preferring more often than not to carry it by hand.
Conclusion
This bag is going to be suitable for a number of types of DJ. If you are a controller DJ who carries his or her controller around in a bag that fits that and nothing else, having a second bag for all your accessories plus your headphones is a must, and the Magma Riot Headphone Bag Pro fits the bill perfectly.
Likewise, if you DJ from USB on venue-fitted CDJs and so don’t really need to carry any gear apart from your headphones and maybe the odd lead or two, this bag means you can also empty all your pockets of everything else you take to gigs with you and keep all your stuff in one place, keeping yourself stay better organised when travelling (aways a good thing). At a push, you could even fit timecode CDs and an audio interface such as the small Denon DS1 in here, if that´’s how you play.
Finally, you may just find yourself using it – as I did – for more general purpose duties too, such as going to and from work, for a bit of that “cool DJ feel” while you’re away from your night-time job. Never a bad thing!
