Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Customer Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
I would consider these headphones one of the most worthwhile purchases I've made of anything, ever. This is partly because I listen to music very often, but it's also because this product is damn good at what its supposed to do--which is deliver clear, dynamic audio while eliminating background noise.
I don't care about the aesthetics or size of the 280s, but I could understand complaints of them being on the large/bulky size. Regardless, I find them perfectly comfortable and have had them on for hours without interruption, the only negative result being some sweaty ears (but no discomfort). On to more practical matters, I find the frequency response to be very even, which I prefer. Some people like excessive bass, which these phones could probably do decently enough if driven with the proper source, but that's just not my style. The bass is punchy and well-defined enough that it doesn't need to be loud to make its presence known.
The clarity is amazing. You can easily hear the motion of the lips of the singers, distinguish every tiny cymbal during a drum solo, and hear the faint click of a background metronome during a cello solo in rock music. Rhythm sections sound lively and precise, and melodic interludes soar and sing with these phones.
And lastly, there's the whole noise-cancelling thing. I'll just say that I usually listen to music loudly (though not more so than most people I know) and that it's very rare I ever hear anything from the outside world. If I clap my hardest, I can kind of hear it, but that's mostly because I'm expecting and trying to hear the sound of the clap. If you're on a street, and the guy behind you claps his hardest, you won't hear it. Droning sounds such as airplanes, buses, etc. can be heard through the phones, but only barely. Airplane noise is extremely minimal, meaning even small details in quiet music will not be lost at all. The loudest environment I've listened to music in was on an NYC subway (which is pretty damn loud). I happened to be listening to loud, metalish music and the subway noise was slightly perceivable. With quieter music, I could imagine some small details being lost, but the clarity would definitely still be there. Not many phones can do that, and certainly it's rare to find one that can for under $100.
If you're thiking about buying something like Bose, think again. The HD 280s are cheaper, more sturdily built, cancel noise better, and have a clearer, more even frequency response. The only advantage Bose has is more attractive aesthetics and a lower resistance level (a minor point, really). And just for the record, I've probably put about 400 hours on these phones and they've traveled around a lot.
Customer Review: Great Sound Isolation, Sound & Comfort!
Summary: 5 Stars
After extensive research for headphones offering the best combination passive sound isolation and sound quality, I finally settled on the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones. Having owned the Sennheiser eH 150 headphones for several years, which provides excellent sound for the price value and durability, I was comfortable purchasing another Sennheiser headphone. I have not been disappointed.
SOUND ISOLATION:
Since I work in a noisy cubicle environment, my primary objective was sound isolation and secondarily sound quality. For a passive sound isolation (that is NOT using an active microphone and feedback mechanism for blocking out external sounds), the SD 280's are simply GREAT! I'm completely satisfied and ecstatic that I was able to find a product that could completely block out the sounds of neighboring conversations. Not being used to working in a cubicle environment, I would find the lowest level conversations quite bothersome. Now with my SD 280's, I can't hear any conversations, so I rely on visual cues (phone light or people walking up to my area) to know when I'm being called. With the sound source completely off, external noise is only slightly dampened. However, with a low level of volume, external sounds are almost completely blocked (I can however hear my phone ring, which is a fairly loud high-pitch tone).
SOUND QUALITY:
I'm also quite happy with sound quality. The sound quality is flat (positively speaking) instead of being artificially colored or overly bass driven. Some of you heavy bass fans may not like this, but I find the sound extremely "clean" easy to listen to for hours on end. When I listen to speakers or phones with a heavy bass emphasis, it appeals to me initially but after an hour or so, my ears grow tired of it. As many reviewers have noted, you begin to notice instruments and sounds in your recordings that you never knew existed.
COMFORT:
These are the most comfortable set of headphones I've ever worn. I can wear them for hours on end without any discomfort. My head is probably above average size; my daughter who is only 8 years old and has a small head, can also wear them comfortably. The only draw back with closed, circumaural designs, is that your ears may become warm after hours of wear due to the sealing of the ear pieces. When this occurs, I just take a very brief break from wearing them, and I'm good to go again.
DURABILITY:
Can't comment on this yet since I've only had these a few days. However, based upon my other Sennheiser phones, I expect these to last many years. Also I like the fact that many of the key components (ear pieces and head band cushion) can be easily replaced.
Customer Review: Exquisite
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not the kind of person who just goes out and buys something on a whim. I do plenty of research and thoroughly search through both professional and customer reviews. It was no different when I was looking for a good pair of headphones for my bus rides that I will soon be having (Minor League baseball has plenty lengthy bus rides!). It ended up coming down between the Sony MDR-V700DJ Headphones and the Sennheiser's. Needless to say, I ended up buying the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Headphones.
When the package arrive at my house I was quite anxious to listen to these 100 dollar headphones. Many of the reviews I read said the Sony's would be better for modern music with a more bass heavy setting, while the Sennheiser's simply had good reviews about sound quality in general. My biggest concern was that the Sennheiser's would not have enough bass to satisfy my need for desire. Sure enough, I plugged them in, and there was very little bass. They were amazingly clear, however, and I heard parts in my music that I had not ever heard before. (I listen to mainly rock and grunge style of music with a little country, hip-hop, and 70's music). But I wanted the bass to start kicking in! One review I had read mentioned a "break-in" period for headphones. Of course, I had never heard of anything like that before, but sure enough the next day my headphones had more bass. And the day after that my headphones we fully "broken-in". The bass is very present, though not overpowering. If you are going to listen to rap and hip-hop all the time, I would recommend trying another pair. The bass is sufficient, there is no question about that, but my guess is there is probably another pair of headphones that are more oriented toward stronger bass.
Another one of my concerns was that they were going to be extremely tight on my head. Apparently these headphones are tighter than most (I tried on my dad's Sony MDR-V600 after I got mine, and the 280's are tighter). First of all, it doesn't feel very tight to me anyway, but even if it is going to be a little tighter than the rest, I prefer it because of how much outside noise it blocks out. This means your ears will be protected because you don't have to blare your music in order to hear the whole song. Love that feature.
Hopefully this review helps someone out. Surely there is another person like me out there who sits reading others' reviews before purchasing a product. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Headphones are amazing quality at a terrific price.
Customer Review: Phenomenal
Summary: 5 Stars
I got these headphones for a gift and I am in love with them...I might marry them. I've owned the eh150s and the 202s. I also currently own the pmx680s for when I'm on the go or when I'm yogging. Obviously the HD280s blow all these out of the water.
Construction ***** - Just picking these up off the table can give you the reassurance that these headphones will last a long time. Every bit of them is thick and solid...the headband, the cups and the cord. (the manual will explain how to replace pieces of your headphones if anything ever gets damaged)
Comfortableness ***** - The headphone padding is thick and the ear cups are the perfect thickness. I've worn these for hours and never had any uncomfortable pains. (I have a big head too)
Convenience ***** - The hd280s can fold up in three different methods which can be shown in the manual when you purchase them. They fold up two different ways and they can also lay flat due to the cups rotating 90 degrees.
The Cord ***** - The cord is a very important element to me when purchasing headphones. I prefer to have a coiled cord to avoid lengthy messes. This cord is the perfect length and the thickness will put you at ease if your worried about cord damage. The area where the cord enters the headphones seems to be well constructed. The gold mini jack has a 1/4" adapter that screws on for stereo use.
The Sound ***** - Most importantly is the sound quality. They are loud and they are tight. The fact that they're tight means that ambient noise has trouble getting in. The bass is crisp but not overwhelming. The overall sound is not as dark as the 202s were, which is a good thing. After listening to many songs on my iPod I have noticed that I could hear things that I've never heard before I got these.
Overall the Sennheiser HD280 Pros are the best headphones I have ever owned and I don't plan on ever replacing them until many years from now. Unless you're an audiophile (which I am not) than I don't see the point in spending any more than what these headphones cost. Only a trained ear could be as nit-picky to prefer a more expensive set of headphones. I use these headphones for video recording, whether they're plugged directly into the camera or into my Zoom h4n. They work perfect for field recording as well as in the studio when editing.
I highly recommend the Hd280s. Sometimes I just stare at them and smile.
Customer Review: HD 280 Pro a great buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro was selling for about 80 bucks when i got them. After a couple of months of usage, i have come to the one conclusion : THEY ARE AWESOME! When I first got them, the headphone felt a bit tight but over time, it loosens up a bit and it isn't quite as vice-like as other reviewers say it is.
SOUND QUALITY 5/5
The SQ is great as far as the high and mid range is concerned. However, the bass is a bit lacking at first but to reach the fullest potential, an amplifier is recommended as most mp3 players can't output enough power to perfectly drive them. my iPod Touch paired with some lossless tracks from the Resistance album by Muse came out nice on the headphones. All the instruments sound very accurate and you are able to hear different notes very clearly. When paired with an amp, the drums and the lower frequencies came to life in the headphones. unamped however, the bass is lacking. one last note, these headphones must be burned in for a while (50 hours min) for them to sound good. out of the box they are okay but the sound will open up after some burn in.
COMFORT 4/5
The comfort is okay on these. you certainly sacrifice comfort when you get the great isolation that this set provides. the isolation is definitely not 32db tho. it is maybe around 20db as it doesn't block out everything.for reference, my sennheiser CX300 isolates more. this set can be worn for about 4 hrs before the discomfort becomes painful. a tip for comfort is to increase the # of clicks on the headband so it is a bit bigger, that somehow seems to increase comfort. in conclusion , i will say that these are VERY snug.
NOISE REDUCTION
5/5
For closed headphones, this set is king for isolation. the snug fit isolates lot of sound but in-ear monitors do far better and the isolation is not 32db. is is lesser than that.
DURABILITY
5/5
In the 4 months i've owned these, nothing has happened to them but i have heard that the headband cracks after a year of use but only time will tell if that will happen to my set.
PRICE
5/5
good price for a good product. it is a good set as long as the price is around the 100 dollar mark. any higher and better sets become more viable for the bang for buck value.
CONCLUSION
A great set of headphones that need a lot of burn in and maybe a bit of amping to get to the fullest potential. would i recommend these? YES!