Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Category: Speakers
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SennheiserBrand: Sennheiser
Edition: Electronics
Model: HD 280 Pro
Color: Black
Publisher: Sennheiser
Studio: Sennheiser
Music Label: Sennheiser
Product features:
- Dynamic, closed-ear headphones with up to 32 dB attenuation of outside sound
- Lightweight and comfortable, ergonomic design
- Extended frequency response and warm, natural sound reproduction
- Collapsible ear-pieces for compact transport
- Earpads, headband padding, and audio cord are easily replaceable, ensuring long life
- Collapsible earpieces for compact transport
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Customer Review: The best headphones I have ever tried.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned these phones for over a year now, and I love them so much, it has prompted me to write my first Amazon review!
As a basis for this review, the following helps set the context:
1. I listen to music mostly using Windows Media Player from my computer, with absolutely none of the special effects - no SRS, no equalizer, nothing. Just direct playback.
2. I listen approximately 5 hours every day.
I have organized this review into various sections that I particularly care for in a set of headphones.
1. Channel separation: This hasn't been mentioned in any of the other reviews, so I am unsure if it is just me. But I have never observed such accurate channel separation in any set of headphones I have tried before (see down the review for a list of my headphones)! It is truly a concert feeling - every distinct note, vocal or beat seems come from a specific place, pure left, pure right, somewhere deep, etc - exactly where it is meant to come from, almost like I was listening to true 5.1 channel music! It is not all bundled up in the center of the head. For instance, listen to "Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd. I never knew before putting these phones on that almost the entire 1st minute of the music (the background tv, the muffled guitaring) is entirely on the right channel, and only the breaths, coughs etc are on both channels! Listen to "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel. The base guitar is on the right channel. The lead guitar starts on the left and slowly moves towards center. It is amazing! I notice this of so many songs, I want to listen to them all over again!
2. Fidelity: This is truly a killer. The artist's breath, every stretch or pluck of the guitar string, every hiss or static in old jazz recordings, pretty much everything can be heard! Some may say why would I want to hear the static/hiss/breath etc? Well, I like to! It makes me feel I am sitting right there where the music is being performed. And if the music contains these sounds, I like it that these headphones can reproduce them faithfully. Artificial noise level is practically absent, even when the volume is turned up.
3. Frequency range: These sets do loose a bit of audio detail at both ends - very low and very high. However, it is not significant enough to bother me. The thing that I really like is that the response is even across most of the range. To help explain what I am saying, if you play the entire octave from lower C to higher C with the same intensity, the loudness of each of the notes would be fairly similar. Not just the evenness of the range, the tones across the entire frequency range are accurate. The thing that I didn't like about the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones is that they seem to artificially boost the amplitude at the lower end, seemingly to compensate for the active noise-cancelling eating away some of the actual audio detail. That made them sound with more "bass effect" than actually present in the music. If I need more bass, I'll use equalizers, I don't want my headphones to make that decision.
4. Noise suppression: If you want numbers, these sets reduce noise by 32dB without using any active noise-cancellation circuitry! And that is really, really good! I personally have tried noise-cancelling headphones and don't like them because they some how can't get the low frequencies right. But try these on and you really understand what noise suppression these have! In office, my door is open and I don't hear any ambient noise when the music is playing. My colleagues knock and I don't hear them! Many times they literally have had to come and tap my shoulder! And being sealed headphones, they don't leak too much music outside the cups, so you can comfortably share the room with someone without disturbing the person.
5. Comfort: When I first started using these headphones, they did seem a bit tight around my big head. Every hour or so, I would take them off and rest my head a bit. However, over time they have loosened up a bit. Now I can go for hours without taking them off. And Sennheiser did a wise thing by putting soft and cushy leather pads on the cups, which not only help with comfort, but also help with noise suppression.
The best part of these headphones is that they get better over time! This was truly a discovery, and the main reason I was prompted to write this review! I don't know what it is, but the phones have actually gotten better over time. May be the diaphragms have opened up a bit to reproduce even the finest detail. And maybe the comfort has increased since they have become a bit looser. But after approximately putting 2000 hours on these headphones, they sound better than new!
Other things to consider:
Portability: Yes these headphones fold, but I wouldn't classify them as fully portable. If you care for portability, you might be interested in the Etymotic 6 series - slightly pricier than these but similar features (including great passive noise suppression), and they are ear-bud design and hence completely portable.
Case: These headphones don't come with a case. If you plan to move around with them a lot, you would definitely want to invest in a sturdy case for it. I chanced upon the Lowepro Ex 120 Camera Bag, which seems perfect for these. The folded phones fit snugly, and it has a small pouch in front for my pocket pc (which doubles up as my music player). Being a camera bag, it has enough padding on it to protect both the PDA and headphone.
To sum it up:
At under $100, these headphones simply can't be beat. I am getting another one for myself for home so that I don't have to haul my current one around.
Other headphones I have tried/own:
Bose Quiet Comfort 2 noise-cancelling set
Sennheiser PXC 250 noise-cancelling set
Some Sony stuff not worth mentioning in polite company!
Description of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
The HD 280 PRO is a pair of closed, dynamic stereo headphones that deliver accurate, linear sound reproduction with up to 32dB of ambient noise attenuation for critical monitoring applications. Optimum impedance ensures universal compatibility, from home listening to studio monitoring. The space-saving design features collapsible, rotating earcups that are very comfortable to wear, even if used for long periods of time.Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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