It's a familiar experience: You arrive to DJ, only to find a mangled pair of headphones that look like something the cat's dragged in. Better to bring your own set, or perhaps one of Stanton's 101 series of bespoke DJ cans. Rob Green examines the options...

One of the top makes of professional DJ styli and accessories, the name of Stanton is synonymous with innovation, durability and sound quality. And it is in this tradition that they have created their new range of pro DJ monitor headphones — the 101 series.

It's about time that someone brought us a range like this, specifically designed for the DJ's whims. After all, how many DJs do you know who keep both cans glued to their ears?... Exactly. So why waste your time manhandling them from side to side, or hacking a standard pair to bits?

The new range comes in three versions - the Shoulder Rest, the Hand-Held Stick and the Head Band. After all, everyone is different. The Shoulder Rest (101/SR) is simply a single headphone designed to be held, switchboard operator style sandwiched between your shoulder and your earhole!

The Stick (101/STK — a model that I happen to use), is hand-held for quick and easy use — perfect for those scarier, death-defying moments! The large, cushioned earpiece clamps comfortably onto your ear whenever needed, leaving the other ear free for house monitoring. This style of use will be attractive to some, but others may prefer something that doesn't tie up one of your hands.

If you like something a bit more stationary, then the Head Band (101/HB) will be right up your street. It allows the user the same handy single earphone monitoring as the Stick and the Shoulder Rest, but with the added comfort and security of a pair of conventional headphones. With an earphone on one side of the band and a soft pad on the other, they comfortably leave one ear free for easy mixing.

The earphones and cable are exactly the same on all three, and the phone is loud, bassy and ready to do battle with the baddest of club systems. The earphone on all three is removeable, and they come with a 12" coiled cord attached to a ¼" phono plug.