Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Customer Review: So far, an excellent product.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't write reviews unless I am exceptionally impressed, for the good or the bad. I am pleased to be writing this review.
The Sennheiser HD-280 Pros arrived and after the first couple of weeks I am quite impressed with both the quality and design. I was concerned when reading several comments on the snug fit, stating it was designed for a narrow head. I wear a size 7 3/8 hat and I find the set fits very well. It is snug but no more than is necessary for a proper fit. My other concern was wondering if these would measure up and if I should be looking for something in the 500 series. I decided to stay with a closed-back and these fit the bill nicely.
These are my first headphone purchased "blind" and I have to admit I was concerned. I am a "try before you buy" guy. I stepped outside my comfort zone and gave it a shot. I was not disappointed.
These have a much clearer sound with deeper lows and crisper highs than my Audio-Technica headphones. I recently listened to a recording of J.D. Sumner, best known as the bass singer for the Stamps Quartet and having toured with Elvis Presley. He is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for his solo recording of the hymn "Blessed Assurance". According to Guinness, the song contained the lowest recorded note ever produced by a human voice, a "double low" C.
I was anxious to hear his bass voice on my new headset and it did him every bit of justice. I heard vocal depths I had not before heard. It was as if somebody turned on the light switch.
I have always used, as my audio unit of measure, the sounds of the acoustic piano and the vocal accoutrements of a good Southern Gospel quartet singing a cappella. It is how I have chosen which electronic keyboards were quality and is the audio track I take with me when buying equipment and speakers. The HD-280's produce a clear tone in the lower, middle and upper registers without muddying or blurring the tones, neither does it produce sounds too sharp.
Whether you are listening to Béla Bartók or Ol' Blue Eyes, Southern Gospel or Jazz, Classical or Country or anything in between, these can handle the acoustics for even the most discerning ear.
And yes, just as it makes the good notes sing, those sour notes will land with an echoless thud.
The around-the-ear design is comfortable and the pads are quite sufficient. The speaker placement within each cup provides a sound that is set back from the ear enough so as not to have that in-the-ear sensation one gets from earbuds and even many headsets. The sound surrounds rather than attacks.
A feature I particularly enjoy about these headphones is the included 1/4" plug adapter. It doesn't just plug on (which we all know will eventually begin falling off over the years). Sennheiser has adapted a screw-on feature to keep it securely attached. A minor feature but appreciated none the less.
Don't forget these offer user-replaceable components making them that much less disposable.
Comfort and quality. I recommend this product with a 4 1/2 stars (nothing is perfect).
Customer Review: Excellent sound for a low price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought these a year ago, and wanted to give them some long term use before I wrote a review.
Everything others have written about the high quality sound is right on. I have noticed bits in songs that I couldn't hear before I got these. The sound is just fantastic, everything comes through nice and clear. I use these headphones for 2 things: playing games and listening to music on my computer, and listening to my portable cd player, and they work very well for both. One thing that I've noticed is that I can actually tell the difference between sound quality on winamp vs my cd player, and I didn't really notice it that much with my old 'phones.
A few other things:
Comfort: The headphones are a little snug when you first get them. A tiny bit tight even, I thought. But once I got used to them (about a week or so, I think), I had no problem at all wearing them for extended periods - 6+ hours at a stretch. They are not the least bit uncomfortable to me. The padding on the ear cups and headband is very soft and comfortable. I do have a hearing aid, and I was a little concerned when I saw the padding on the ear cups. The space your ear fits into looks a bit small. But I've had no problems there, they fit great and don't interfere with my hearing aid in any way.
Durability: I've had absolutely no problems with the plastic band cracking as a few others have reported. Granted, I try not to abuse them, but I do put them in a bag and take them to work, so they get bumped about a little bit. And after a year, they still look and sound like new.
Burning in: I noticed that they started to sound a lot better after they were "burned in" for a couple days. I've no idea what the principle behind this is, but there you go. They sounded ok when I first got them, but after about a week I started getting this amazingly clear and crisp sound from them. So burning them in definitely helps.
Noise blocking: I've listened to these at work where there's a huge amount of noise from the machinery, and I can still hear the music really well. They don't completely block out all sound, but I have no trouble hearing the music standing next to loud machinery (so loud that we're normally required to wear ear plugs).
One minor little quibble: I wish there was a volume control on the cord like I had on the last pair of headphones I owned. Then again, that was the first thing that went bad on the last pair so maybe those cord volume controls are susceptible to problems or something.
Summary: I listen to a wide variety of music: folk, pop, metal,
classical, etc, and everything I've listened to sounds really nice. These Sennheiser headphones are a great high quality product, especially for the price and I'd recommend them to anyone. I paid $80 for mine (new) on some online auction site, and you just can't get better sound for under $100. Even if they were $200, they'd still be worth it in my opinion.
Customer Review: Excellent quality at this price point
Summary: 5 Stars
I was originally going to rate these as 4-stars, since the sound is definitely a bit worse than my higher-end cans (Sennheiser HD-570). However, I then realized that I got the HD-280 Pros for around $70, which is really an absolute steal considering the sound quality and portability (the latter of which my other cans really lack). Here are the main features:
(1) Solid sound quality. The bass is tight and punchy (so if you like booming hip-hop bass, these might not be for you, but they are outstanding for funk/fusion with big, yet clear, bass). Frequencies seem to be pretty well distributed. Some of the upper mids seem a little tinny, but that's only by comparison to my 570s, which are specifically designed to sound good in that range, and I suspect that this will also get better with some more burn-in. 4/5
(2) Noise Isolation. This was a big selling point for me, and these cans definitely deliver the goods in this arena. While listening to music even at low volumes, I can't really hear much of anything outside of me (my typing, for instance, is eerily silent) and, no one next to me can hear any sound bleeding out of my headphones (which is really nice since I often work in a small, quiet office with my fellow grad students). 5/5
(3) Comfort. The headband adjusts well, and the plether-ish earcups feel very nice over my ears, so no complaints there. They are also quite lightweight for enclosed headphones. As with all solidly-enclosed headphones, these cause a slight sensation of pressure on one's ears while listening to music (at least, my ears always react that way) but it's quite slight and really not that big of a deal. 4/5
(4) Portability. One of the major selling points of the HD-280 Pro for me was the fact that it can fold up for transportation. Now, it should be said that, even when folded these cans are pretty bulky, but at least the headband does a good job of protecting the earcups. You can fold them into a rather lumpy ball, or you can rotate the earcups so the entire thing is quite flat--kudos to Sennheiser for engineering that kind of flexibility. 4/5
(5) Other cool things. I love the old-school curly cord (some people might find it annoying, but I really like it) and I also love the fact that the 1/4" adapter actually screws on to the input plug--clever design.
Bottom line: At this price point, you'd be hard pressed to find other cans that perform as well as these do. Due to their portability and noise-isolating capabilities, they should be excellent for traveling and for listening in environments where one should be quiet (i.e. libraries). And, of course, all the portability in the world isn't worth anything if the sound quality isn't there, but these deliver a nice, tight, clear sound. Considering the price: 5/5
Customer Review: Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Headphones
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a 58 year old male who usually DOES NOT write reviews. However, I felt the desire to write one about the aforementioned cans. Simply put, they are OUTSTANDING! I have been involved with music as a guitar player & "Blues" and "NON-commercial Rock & Roll" lover since the age of 13, and very much like "Metal". QUALITY reproduction is a MUST for me. Not just volume, but spatial headroom & tonal quality. These cans do this very well! I have used cheaper cans just because I HATE ear buds. While they worked, they were not quality cans. At Christmas-time 2010, my wife asked me what I wanted for a gift from her & I said a new set of good headphones. As she is not into electronics, she told me to pick a pair. I went on-line & researched them, as well as going to the store to listen to them. At the time, I was certain I wanted Bose. Of course! Their commercials say they are the best... that must be what I needed! I went to Best Buy & listened to a higher end set & thought "Something is missing! While the price says they are the best, what I am hearing says otherwise." So I emailed them, asking for frequency responses & was told they don't publish them as they are not that important! Hmmm... while I agree that what you hear IS more important than numbers, I still want the numbers! Then I listened to a set of Senheisers. Night & day difference! Went on line to Amazon.com (because I trust them) & ordered a set of HD 280 Pro's.
What you hook them up to & the quality of the recording you are listening to DOES MATTER! After all, they "reproduce sound", they DO NOT "Generate sound"! They will sound better wired to a quality home audio system playing vinyl (or yes... even a CD!) than when connected to an iPOD playing a MP3! (For many reasons, which are not the topic of this review!) The headroom from this set of cans is OUTSTANDING! The low-end frequencies are quality... not muddy and not distorted. Mids for voice and most instruments are clean & clear and the highs are very crisp and clean... not painful as with some cans. You can pick out vocals on Pink Floyd mixes that you have neaver heard before! And Gilmore's leads... WOW! THD is, for all intents and purposes, non-existant! Seperation is as good as the recording will allow. Noise is as quiet as is your system... and if there is any on your system, you will hear it! This set of cans is not made for noise-reduction (noise-cancelling), but as they are "closed cans", they do a good job. I could only rate them as 3 stars for longevity, simply because I have only had them a short time. However I will say, they seem "quality" in materials. Are they the best headphones for my use? HELL NO, because I can't afford $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 for "the best"! But if I could, they would be marked "Sennheiser", and I would buy them through Amazon.com! For what I CAN afford to pay, I LOVE THEM!
Customer Review: Snug Excellence
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought these headphones over a year ago and use them almost everyday. I had read every review I could find because I knew how much I'd be using them and needed quality without breaking the bank. I couldn't be happier.
As many reviews state they are snug, but comfortably so. I forget I'm wearing them, a lot. I'll notice I still have them on after I've listened to whatever it was. I'll be checking my emails having been done listening 20 minutes ago and notice I'm still wearing them. The padding is comfortable and when the sound is finished, outside noise is soo quiet I forget they're on my head.
The sound quality - What more could you ask for??? Pristine. Well rounded. Well balanced. Full. You would have to be a real headphone snob to be anything but impressed with the sound! I am a recording musician with my own recording studio and can recognize good/bad sound quality. I listen to all kinds of music and they all sound great. These will pull sound out of songs you've heard a thousand times and never noticed before. Still, every time I watch a movie on my laptop and slip these headphones on it almost makes me laugh when the movie starts because the sound is truly amazing; it's like wrapping the movie around you and you are center stage. I'm not kidding. I've heard that high end headphones need a break-in period before the true richness of the sound quality comes out... mm, ok. I don't know about all that but these sounded great right out of the box and still sound amazing. The sound might have gotten better but it sure has not lessened. Still clean, crisp and powerful at all levels like the day I bought them with zero hint of sound degradation.
Material Quality - I treat these headphones like they are important to me but I don't baby them either. I take care of them but use them constantly. They are sturdy. The plastic is not flimsy. I was a little worried at first with the pivot points from the headband to the cups as that seemed to be the weakest spot. Really, the only way you're going to break these is by doing something stupid. They are built very strong and ready for heavy use. The only thing that has happened is the lining on the padding of the cups are beginning to undo from the inner cup area where it connects to the plastic. It affects nothing and doesn't bother me; I use the heck out of these things and contribute it to wear and tear, not manufacturer design fault. Again, I use these almost every day and sometimes hours at a time. They show no signs of breaking at all (and I've probably put a normal three years of use on them).
My bottom line... Best headphones for the money. If they somehow disappeared, I'd come right back here and buy them again.