Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Customer Review: Quite Literally Euphoric
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all let me say that I bought these for my mp3 player to get the most out of it. It sounds sort of ridiculous because the mp3 player is like 1/10th the size of the headphones, nonetheless that was my purpose for them. Personally I don't care how big the headphones are within reason and these are definitely within reason. Basically when I listen to my music I want to be getting the most out of it whenever I listen to it. I guess you could call me an audiophile even though I had never even heard of the term until a few months ago. These headphones were bought to replace a cheaper version of some Sennheiser's that worked fine, but were just annoying to wear and were giving me headaches. In any case, let me start with that. I find these to be much more comfortable and better built than the ones I had. The actual size of the head phones changes instead of just the position of the earpieces. Also, the cups completely encompass the ear which not only are more comfortable but create a much richer sound. The padding is definitely more on the professional size and feel.
When you look at these headphones the first thing you notice is they have a professional fit and finish to them. For obvious reasons this happens, these are the pro model. They are more like contortionist headphones than any other I have ever seen. There are something like twelve different positions they can be folded into, which allows for storage because they can be bulky. The cord is very nice and thick and coiled so you don't have to worry about it having to be rolled up. It is also pretty much tangle proof. The piece that covers the head is wide and seems very sturdy. From what I can tell so far they are built to last.
Now to talk about the sound. When you first put them on there is a eureka sense that you get if you have sensitive ears. Its like, "What have I been missing?" sort of feeling. It is as if you were looking through a dirty cracked window before, but now it is crystal clear. All ranges can be heard-lows, mids, and highs. To demystify one thing I noticed in other reviews that have been said about these headphones; they do not have any lack of bass-period. In fact I find the bass to be even better than the other cheaper headphones that are bass oriented. This is because you get more out of the bass. You don't just get booming noises, you get the bass guitar, deep sounds, different voice tones and brilliant music. In other words, I would say the bass is not weak, but multidimensional. One way to describe the sound that comes from these headphones is that when you listen on a pair of normal headphones you hear maybe 2 or 3 dynamic parts of the song (bass, vocals and maybe background instruments) On these when they are tuned correctly you will hear all of them-bass, vocals, acoustics, three dimensional sound, other instruments and clarity. This is what I would call a truly high definition sound and is dynamic.
Just purely listening to the headphones is a great experience, but I use two different equalizers on my computer. This ensures THE best possible sound can be attained in my opinion. Sennheiser went to great lengths to engineer these headphones to be replicators, in the sense that they replicate exactly how the music sounded when heard in real life if not better. Everything is crystal clear and these being my first professional set of headphones I am thoroughly impressed. I would consider myself to be a pretty multi-faceted music listener, so I had a chance to test it with rock music, classical, softer music, vocals and music with just a considerable amount of components. Not once would one think that one single genre sounds better than another and I find the equalizer setup I have excellent with any of the music I listen to. Because these are studio quality headphones you would expect them to block out sound. While listening to music they are pretty much impervious to outside sound. Just using them as noise-blockers however I would say they only block maybe 40-60 decibels of sound.
The only real qualm I have with these headphones is the size. This was taken into account when I went searching for a new pair however. I don't plan on using them while running on a treadmill.
The real question is whether or not you should buy it. If you are an audiophile, a person with sensitive hearing who enjoys quality music, a musician or just a purist, then I really think these are a superb value. With an original price of $200 they have really come down to just an enthusiast's price level. Were you a studio employed sound technician, demanded the best of the best quality or are just plain rich then these would not serve your purpose because of course there are better ones out there which can run into the hundreds and thousands even. On the other hand the majority of people are: iPod/mp3 player owners, can't tell the difference between a $20 pair and a $100 pair, plain old music listeners, not wanting to spend the extra money or dont want a couple of princess Leia headphones attached to their head in the gym or walking around. Unfortunately many will not come to know the sublime sounds of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro because of these very reasons. However, I think that the value is unbeatable. For those who are in that class with me try these out and I doubt you will be dissapointed.
Customer Review: Excellent sound, but . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
the folks at Sennheiser must not have large heads. As with about every pair of headphones that I try on, I had to extend these all the way to fit. After a few months of daily use, the plastic headband began to develop small cracks. Now the cracks are growing and I fear that the whole thing will just snap one day. Unfortunately, that is one of the parts that isn't listed as replaceable.
That said, people who look at this headphone are looking for: a) quality sound synonymous with the name Sennheiser b) excellent noise reduction.
a) The sound from these phones is excellent. The standard criteria are there. The signal is very clean, thanks in part to the oxygen free copper cabling used. Bass is controlled and precise so a timpani doesn't sound muffled. Higher frequencies do not hiss and the phones are able to drive high frequency sounds and pull out details lost by consumer grade headphones. Soundstage is fairly narrow as some have said, but much better than consumer sets that sound like the sound source is inside your head. Of course, a DSP solution for soundstage expansion could help if someone didn't like the soundstage.
What people should realise is that most music is optimised for listening on a stereo system and not headphones. A search for "binaural music" will yield samples that show how music should be sampled for headphones. Anyways, the HD-280 Pros also have 64 Ohms of resistance so an amplifier isn't needed.
b) The biggest impression I got from these phones is silence. Not total silence, since with the headphones on I could still hear outside noise. Once the music starts playing, however, music is much clearer because background noises have been attenuated so effectively.
That was the biggest attraction of these headphones. For my sound processing work, ambient noise from my computer and the outside world are suppressed admirably. 32 decibels is a lot of sound attenuation, far more than the Active Noise Reduction sets from Bose or even Sennheiser. The HD-280 Pros use passive noise attenuation. This means that for the phones to supress outside noise effectively, they have to be tight. They are very tight in fact. Four Newtons of force are applied, a number significantly larger than most headphones. If it weren't for the thoughtful padding, they would feel as uncomfortable as firing range headsets. Passive noise attenuation also means there is no artifacting from electronic noise that is usually the case in Active Noise Reduction sets.
If you have a very large head, a solution is to find in-ear phones (the expensive Etymotics sets have even better sound quality and noise reduction). If you are sensitive to tight headphones, a solution might be the Active Noise Reduction sets (although they aren't as good sonically). If you listen to sound in a very very quiet environment, Grados or some other Sennheisers would probably get you that better soundstage for the money.
If none of these situations applies to you, then these phones will provide better sound through their native excellent quality and their superior noise attenuation. After all, the listening experience with Sennheiser 600's on an Audigy 2 card or a tube amplifier is diminished with that noisy computer fan in the background.
All in all, these phones are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
*** UPDATE, October 20, 2009 ***
Wow, well these headphones are still ticking after over six years and I'm pretty rough with my equipment! Cheap headphones break after six weeks for me because the cable gets pulled or I mess up the speaker so these Sennheisers are pretty solid.
Just as I feared though, the plastic HAS cracked and you can see the thin wires (covered in plastic or rubber) exposed. Now that most of the plastic on the headband has broken off, the fit is quite a bit looser though the headband is still held together by a wide piece of metal. I just wish they would just make a nice metal headband to avoid the plastic cracking issue.
While I like the fact that they aren't so tight, I don't like the fact that richness (low-end midrange and bass) suffers because of it. You can simulate this when listening by pulling the headphones slightly apart. It isn't noticeable on light music though and might not be an issue with newer versions of the HD-280 Pro.
The ear cushions on my 6+ year headphones are worn past the leatherette, past the foam and to the foam backing layer. The top is looking ratty as well. Replacement ear cushions are around $20.00 which isn't cheap. I'll probably skip that in favor of a new pair of HD-280s - especially if they've been redesigned for larger heads as some people are indicating. I'll keep this pair around as beaters until they quit on me. However, now that I've quieted my working area, sound isolation isn't as critical to me as it was before so I might take a look at other Sennheisers.
Customer Review: Excellent Sounding Headphones with Minor Flaws
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, let me say these are the best sounding headphones I have ever used or owned. The sound is very crisp and clear, and the bass sounds like it should, rather than today's popular headphones that artificially increase bass response. The headphones are extremely durable too, and fold up into about the size of a softball perhaps. When I first received the headphones, I attempted to test them out by playing all varieties of frequency ranges from ultra highs to ultra lows, and the extremeties (especially the bass) were a bit flaky and choppy sounding at first, which concerned me, thinking I may have received a defect pair of headphones. However, over time using them (approximately 2 weeks), this choppiness disappeared and the headphones sound excellent in all ranges now. I think this is referred to as the burn-in period.
In terms of sound quality, I initially skipped the iPod and went straight for the headphone jack on the front of my computer to play lossless tracks, only to hear interference. I couldn't figure out what it was at first until I plugged the headphones in directly to the audio jack on my soundcard in the back and it sounded crystal clear. I guess either the cables from my soundcard to the front of my computer were crappy or other components of my computer caused interference. This just shows exactly how crisp these headphones are--I couldn't hear this same interference on any other pair of headphones I owned. Plug them directly into your soundcard for the ultimate experience.
On an iPod, however, the headphones function fine, they can go plenty loud without the aid of an amplifier. I did detect an extremely faint level of static from iPod use with these headphones, but that's to be expected on a device primarily designed for crappy headphones. Either way, you'll want to rip your songs at at least 256 kbps (I usually do 320) to experience the best sound quality from these headphones if you can't do lossless.
As for the sound dampening, I can attest this is 100% accurate. When you put the headphones on without any music, you may initially think the 32 dB claim is bogus, because it really doesn't make that big of a difference not plugged in--I could hear people talk almost normally. However, once you start playing music, even at a low volume, all other outside sounds melt away and you only hear the music. I also own a pair of Sennheiser PXC 300 headphones with active noise cancellation and those can't even compare to these HD 280s.
However, this extreme level of sound cancelling does come at a price. If you have a small head, these headphones will give you no problem. Even for some with large heads, these are fine. However, for me, since these headphones rely on a very tight seal around your ears to achieve the dampening effect, the pressed strongly against the side of my head. This tight seal was not uncomfortable to wear normally under any circumstance, don't get me wrong. However, over time (about 1-2 hours of constant use), I did develop a minor headache-ish throbbing on the sides of my head that disappeared when I removed the headphones. This only came after hours of constant use, but the headache was caused by the tight clamp these headphones have on your head to achieve the seal.
One other flaw I discovered during use is that if the hanging and you happen to bump it or brush against it, the vibrations will travel up the cord all the way to where they plug in to your headphones and cause a very loud bass disturbance. If the cord is loose and lying on the ground they are fine, but a taut cord will transfer vibrations to the cans and cause a loud bass noise. However, pretty much any decent pair of whole-ear headphones will do this. If you want to know what it sounds like when this happens, sitck a finger in your ear and then tap on it with another finger. The bass noise you hear is the same you will get with these headphones should you bump the taut cord.
PROS
Crystal clear sound
Excellent passive noise cancellation
Excellent frequency range
Very durable
Very compact when folded up (about softball size)
Coiled cord can stretch to 6+ feet without coming unplugged
No need for amplifier
CONS
Tightness can cause headaches over time
Bass noise when hitting taut cord
Customer Review: The Best Your Money Can Buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought these about two years ago because my Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones were trashed and needed to be replaced.
An uncle of mine and I were talking music and microphones and I asked him about his opinion of Sennheiser and while he like me is a "SURE" guy he schooled me to the brilliance of their Headphones. Both of us are very passionate about music and are musicians so I took his opinion seriously and started shopping for a good pair of Sennheiser Headphones on Amazon and went with these.
There are a number of reasons to buy these over any other Professional Headphones and will list them:
1. Replaceable Parts and Warranty: Many of the parts of these Headphones can be replaced, unlike Sony, and they have a great warranty making them a long-term investment not a pair of throw-away studio or large personal headphones.
2. Price: Considering #1 the price is exceptional. They are comparable in price to Sony but the reality is the Sony's break and are throwaways. I would say the average life of the Sony's is 1-3 years whereas these will last 10 times longer with care and occasional part replacement. Plus the initial warranty of these exceeds the average life of the Sony headphones alone.
3. Noise Canceling: I review this because because others have. I am not into this as a FEATURE but these headphones are not NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES! Noise Canceling headphones require batteries and a switch to turn the feature on and off.
These are CLOSED headphones (hopefully you know the difference between open and closed) which gives them a quality kind of like ear protection, often called ear muffs used for heavy duty construction or use on a firing range, in that once you put them on they have a 'natural' noise canceling quality to them. I don't like 'noise canceling' as a feature, not even in a high-end Bose headphone but these are great because they have that natural noise canceling along with tremendous sound.
So, while I did not expect them to be as quiet without music on; and I would not wear them in place of construction quality protection in a high noise environment or firing range they do a great job of cutting off the outside world without the 'electronic feature' so many companies try to incorporate into their headphones. In my opinion they are better than any 'Noise Canceling' headphones I have ever tried at canceling noise.
AIRLINE TRAVEL: I have only been on a plane twice since I bought these and it was recently but an inter-island commuter flight only 20 minutes each way. I did use them on the flight with my iPod and they were more than sufficient in keeping outside noise out and the audio in without blowing out my eardrums. Good air travel performance which I know is important to some.
4. SOUND: The most important factor in my opinion. The day I got them I went into my bedroom, got very comfortable and put them on and plugged them into my 160G iPod and proceeded to play my favorite music for about the next 3 hours. I listened to every GENRE of music and did not use any EQ on the iPod or the 'Sound Check' feature. Just the raw sound of the recordings as they were digitally recorded (or remastered) and transferred into my iPod.
The bottom line: I can't think of a single thing in my life I am more passionate about, or ever have been, than music. I have played and sung music my whole life and have an ear for music. I am extremely picky about speakers and headphones and I can honestly say these are perfect with no flaws whatsoever.
You can't get a better headphone AT ANY PRICE except maybe a higher priced pair of Senheisser's!
PS When I bought these the seller was offering the Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones for a little over $20.00 so I bought them too and have used these considerably more. Not because they are better but because they are much more portable. You can see my review of these under the product page.
Customer Review: These Headphone were a steal!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for a decent pair of closed headphones to wear around the house while not traveling around. I use these at my desk and the ambient noise blockage is great, although Shure's line of IEM's does a much better job. At first i did not like the sound of these as much as my E3c's but as I had worn them around and broke them in a bit I found they actually started to sound less thin and more full bodied.
I had been listening to these headphones for a week and was a little disappointed that they did not beat my E3c's in any musical category when driven through my Ipod shuffle. I was expecting much better sound out of these phones than with my Shure's. Anyway i finally plugged these puppies into my Onkyo home theater receiver and was taken back by the sound they produced. Finally the bass reproduction was thick and tight, (not overwhelming, just there)drums pounding in my head, and the mids pulled through carrying the vocals and symbols in and around my head, the trebles were much better than with the E3c's and let the sound of the guitar pick tickling my Tympanic Membrane but not as bright as I would have liked. I'll round up the pros and cons.
Pros:
1: The coiled cable is great for sitting a distance away from your source, such as a receiver.
2: Sound reproduction (flat and even frequency response). Noise blockage is also phenomenal for a closed headphone minus active sound cancellation.
3: I picked these headphones up (refurbished) off of an amazon listed store for $63 after the cost of priority shipping which makes me even happier for the quality they provide.
4: These also are constructed very sturdily and are comfortable to wear for enduring periods of time.
5: Great for all genres i have tested so far. Amazing jazz, heavy metal, rock, rap, dance, techno, reproduction. Incredible for heavy metal rock especially because you can feel the drums and here the guitars shredding solo at the same time with good separation.
Cons:
1: Sometimes a little muddy on the bottom end and a bit light weighted at the upper ranges.
2: plastic body feels brittle and fragile at times, although has not yet been a problem.
3: These take a while to burn in and until then they sound like little tiny speakers. (Best advice... Be Patient!)
4:Ipod/ MP3 players have not been able to drive these phones correctly so far. They feel thin when in such portable sources and probably could benefit from a portable headphone amp despite of their relatively low impedance.
Other than for the few beefs i have with the product, it is great for the price, i don't think any other can on the market can beat this in a performance to price ratio even if the price was higher than what i paid. Got these directly from Buzmart for 63 dollars after priority shipping and could have spent less if i had not puchased priority shipping. For the price, they were steal. This is a five star upgrade I recommend to anyone looking for a great headphone at an astounding price.