Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
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: good sound but with design flaws; downgrade to 2.5 stars
Summary: 4 Stars
I definitely disagree with the previous reviewer who said these aren't musical. They are musical, but there are certainly many "higher end" headphones that are MORE musical. I definitely don't think that the Sony V6 is anywhere in the same league as these Sennheisers, though. I do agree, however, that there is a certain lack of "coherence" to the sound. My guess is that while the entire audible frequency range is present, there are a number of peaks and dips in the response curve which result in it sounding somewhat disjointed.
Why do I say these are "musical" then? Because I think these 'phones do a good job for their intended application(s) and for the (discounted) price. (I think the list price is quite excessive, but I don't think anyone sells these for anywhere near the list price.) First of all, these are intended to be used in environments where there is significant background noise. While the headphones do block an impressive amount of ambient noise, some naturally leaks in. This noise helps to conceal some of the deficits of these 'phones. I think that these phones should be thought of as 'phones for dj-ing, traveling on a plane or train and things like that. If one doesn't have high-end expectations, I think one might be happy with these at home, too. I happen to have the Sennheiser 580's, however, and these certainly don't hold a candle to those (not that I expected them to since they retail for about half the price).
I'll also add that I think what these 'phones provide that many others in their price range do not is a sense of "air". The majority of headphones, particularly less expensive ones, make it sound like everything is coming from inside of one's head. These 'phones have the ability to create somewhat of a soundstage with quite good midrange detail. Many other inexpensive 'phones sound dull in comparison.
Would I use these to listen at home? No. In fact, when I first got them I hooked them up to my home theater/stereo system first. I was quite disappointed because I'm used to the sound of the 580's (as well as a pair of Stax Lambda Pro's). When I hooked these up to a portable, I started noticing their strengths. When I rode on a train with these on, I REALLY enjoyed them.
They definitely aren't small or light but they are still portable. I haven't found them uncomfortable to wear but have only had them on for a couple of hours at a time. Wearing them in public might get you some looks (most people use earbuds or really small headphones), but those people probably value style over substance anyway.
Edit from February 2004:
I am still enjoying these 'phones nearly 1 1/2 years after my initial purchase. I will say, however, that the plastic headband did begin to crack after just a few months. After about a year, there were several significant cracks. After 16 months, the headband was cracked all the way through in one place. Though the 'phones were still functional, I arranged for a repair via Sennheiser's USA website.
Sennheiser opted to send me a brand new pair, at no cost. I know it's a brand new pair because Sennheiser has at some point obviously redesigned these 'phones. They still posess the same sound quality but the shape of the headband is different. It looks as though it was redesigned in response to the cracking issue as the headband appears to have a less severe curve around the head. Time will tell whether these new ones crack, too.
I still highly recommend this product and give 5 stars to Sennheiser's customer service for the speedy and free (under warranty) exchange service.
Edit from October 2005:
The new pair I received as an exchange also began to crack not long after I started using them. Unfortunately what I presumed to be an improvement in the headband design seemed not to be true as these replacement 'phones have cracked more quickly and even more severely than the original pair I had. I'm still using them but there are many pieces of the headband that have completely fallen off because of the cracking. Of course now that the warranty has expired my only option is to continue to use these until the headband is so disintegrated that I have to throw them away.
Customer Review: A Recent review for people wondering, is this headset still relevant?
Summary: 4 Stars
When I was looking for a great set of headphones, the first thing i did was go to cnet.com and see what their highest rated headphones were. This pair won the editors choice award back in 2004 and had a 4 star rating from both the experts and consumers.
So next i went and looked here on amazon and looked at the customer reviews. they were very positive for the most part, but the most recent review was two years old. my question was, are these headphones still relevant even though they have been on the market so long?
I just got them in the mail today, and I would have to say yes. Im no audiophile, but i do like a good quality headphone. I have a pair of klipsch s4's and they offer an amazing sound for the 80 dollar price tag. I used to own a pair of bose triport over the ear headphones that put me back 130 bucks, and those lasted me a good 8 years. I wouldnt say i have an extensive knowledge of the market or anything or of high quality headphones, but i am interested in a quality listening experience.
My first impressions were that the headphones seemed like a very sturdy build. I have read about plastic cracking and so on, I will have to keep an eye out for that. Them seem to be high quality and very sturdy. They are fairly large and bulky, although if you are looking at over the ear headphones thats probably not necessarily a concern to you. the cord seems thick and sturdy.
The leather is comfortable, but a little stiff. im sure this will change with use.
a couple things i did not expect is that the headphones did not block out as much sound as i thought they would. When i wore them and turned on music i could hardly hear anything outside of my headphones, but while wearing them without music on i could hear plenty of outside noise. on the other hand, when my wife put them on and she turned on music, there was a lot of music bleeding from the phones. I could very cleary hear what she was listening to, so if that is a concern, these may not be for you.
The audio was very good. Ive heard lots of people say the bass was lacking, and I have to say these had plenty of bass for me. im sure thats all relative to what you listen to and enjoy, but the bass was very good. I did have to turn up the volume a decent amount to really get the bass bumpin though. overall the whole sound of the headphones was very good. Im not sure how they compare to other headsets, but i was very pleased with the sound.
I plugged them into my hd yamaha audio receiver and watched a show. it seemed to work very well. Then i played dead space 2 with them on my ps3. It was doing 5.1 surround sound, and i was seriously getting creeped out. my wife walked up behind me and when she touched my leg (i didnt hear her walk up) i jumped really bad i was so drawn into the experience.
overall they seem like a very good product for the $96 i paid. so heres the rundown on what i thought
Pros:
Great sound, great bass
comfortable
sturdy
when music is playing couldnt hear outside noise
$96
Cons:
bulky
bleeds sound like crazy (people sitting next to you will hear everything)
didnt block outside sound much when silent
you could likely be just as happy with another headset, youll just probably pay more for those
There are much more comfortable headphones out there. these are doable, but after a while my head began to hurt
Do i recommend these? yeah, if you are looking for a decent over the ear headset for less than $100, these may be for you. if you are looking for portability, these are probably not for you. However, I would say that if you can, try out some other headphones and see what you think. I really loved my bose headphones, and those were nice because they had wonderful sound, more portability and a little more stylish. So i would recommend these, but then again i wouldnt say these are the it and all of headphones. if you are on the fence, check out some others. these may not be for you. I like these pretty well but im sure i would have been just as happy with another headset, but those will likely be over $100.
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: Very clear sound, once broken in. Some comparisons and considerations.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned these for several years now and rarely used them because I hated the sound. I took some really good advice and broke them in. They have really great sound only after being pushed hard for several hours. When you receive these, immediately plug them into a radio, turn up the volume, and let them break in for at least 36 hours. The difference is astounding compared to listening out of the box. Before breaking them in, bass is scratchy and sound is more muddled.
Once broken in, the sound that these make is very crisp and separation is more evident than with most cans. I don't know much technical data about them, but they seem like they have separate drivers for mids, highs, and lows. They have a sound similar to quality speaker cabinets. The range of sound is good, but the highs have a lot more punch. Bass is present, but they don't have the amped-up bass sound that a lot of people seek out for listening to pop music.
I don't have any problem driving these with portable players. They sound great whether they are attached to my home amp or to my tiny ipod nano.
Isolation is good, with little sound leakage at moderate volumes. Even at high volume, sound leakage is minimal. Most external sound blocked.
These are great for any type of music, even classical where many speakers and cans fail to reveal small details. When listening to loud rock, hard driving bass and drums won't drown out vocals and highs.
HD280s are comfortable as full-sized closed cans go, but all closed cans can feel a bit hot after extended listening. They fit completely around the ear, not on the ear. They are somewhat tight compared to lighter weight open portables, but this is necessary for good sound isolation. They aren't light, but aren't uncomfortably heavy either. I have a rather large head and haven't had the fit problems some other reviewers have mentioned. My hat size is 8, so if you are 8 or less, don't worry about the fit. If they feel a bit tight you can store them for a day or two over a box and stretch them out a bit (I did do this). I wouldn't recommend buying any cans before trying them on first if it's an option, but unfortunately it is seldom an option.
In my opinion, they are too large for portable use or travel. They're great for use at home. I also own the HD202s which sound almost as good, but are more travel-friendly The 202s don't have quite the frequency range clarity, and rest on top of the ear so isolation isn't as good. These 280s have a long heavy-duty coiled telephone-style cord which doesn't really have tangle issues. The cord stretches between about 6ft and 10ft, the 202s have a thin super-long portable-style cord which becomes tangled if you don't store it right.
Keep in mind that no closed cans sound as good as open cans in the same price range. I also own a pair of Grado SR80s, which are priced exactly the same as these Sennheisers at most stores. The Grados sound more realistic and are more comfortable IMO, but the open Grados leak tons of sound and provide no isolation. If leaking sound and lack of isolation are an issue these Sennheiser HD280s are the best choice for home use. If leaking sound isn't an issue, seriously consider the USA-made Grado SR80s for their superior comfort, sound, and retro style.