Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
by Sennheiser
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List Price: Our Price: $99.94 You Save: $50.01 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $55.00 (click here) Category: Speakers See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Customer Review: Best headphones I have ever used for... anything!
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided to use this product after reading hundreds of reviews on numerous websites, including the 144 reviews at the time on Amazon. Most of the issues pointed out in most of the 1 star reviews I didn't care about, like the "lacking bass" (I found it didn't), and the "tight fit" (small head). This is a very versatile headphone, but I do agree it needs "burning in" for 24 hours. I can't figure out why it works, but it does.
After burning in my new headphones as recommended by many reviewers, I set it to a test on my lousy computer sound card. It sounded incredible. Ringo Starr's drums were clear and non-muddled, and John Lennon sounded very clear and succinct. This made me very happy, and tested it with "Rhapsody in Blue" next, in which I was suprised to find a cello in it, showing the detail these headphones bring out.
That weekend, I went on a trip, and took my laptop, and watched "Tommy". Not only was the diologue clear, but the music of The Who was phenominal, not only because the music was good, but because the headphones bring out so much.
The noise canceling/lowering abilities of these headphones don't work too well without music playing. However, with music playing, the noise is greatly lessened, and often I was looking at the person next to me talking but I could not hear a word they were saying.
About the tightness issue described by many reviewers, I have a small head, and I did not find it unbearably tight. However, it is a bit snug, but has excellent padding both around the ears and on the bottom of the headband. I did find it a bit uncomfortable since I have glasses, and it pushed the glasses into my skull, which was a bit annoying but not too annoying.
I didn't see too much information about the cord, so here it is. The cord is a 3 foot long cord, coiled in the middle for about 2 of those 3 feet, much like a telephone cord. I thought it would be annoying, but it really wasn't. If your iPod or such falls, or something of that nature, the headphones or plug aren't ripped off, but rather the cord stretches, which I found handy.
If you use this with your iPod, you do not need a headphone amp to go with it. I found the signal and volume to be just fine. The only thing I found a tad odd was that the cord comes off the left earpiece.
Overall, highly recommended for all uses (except jogging), and the sound is incredible! You won't be disappointed!
Customer Review: Completely Satisfied
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded to these headphones from the Sennheiser HD 205 headphones. The HD 205's were an impressive set of headphones; however, they did not live up to my expections for headphones that I would be using for any extended period of time.
The major difference between the 205's and the 280's is of course the bass. The 205's didn't fare well in the bass department. I don't expect a lot of bass. If I did, I would've bought those Sony Mega Bass headphones which look like they might fit over elephant ears.
But, with the 205's, the bass just wasn't there. Again, there was a huge and very noticeable difference when I upgraded to the 280's. The 280's don't produce Mega Bass, and again I'm not looking for Mega Bass. Regardless, it's nice to hear a nicely articulated and prominent bassline.
Phish has great one-of-a-kind basslines, every note of which I do really enjoy hearing. I also enjoy listening to my Primus albums every so often. For a band like Primus, the bass guitar is the driving force behind much of its musc. In which case, it doesn't hurt one bit to have those low notes really shine through.
But, make no mistake: These are not "bassy" headphones. They're just "bassy" when compared to the HD 205's, and that in it of itself was almost the sole justification for spending twice the money to upgrade.
And, as you might expect, the highs are undoubtedly more detailed, and the imaging more spacious. While wearing the HD 280's, I find it very easy to be able to close my eyes and drift into another dimension when listening to my favorite albums.
But, in spite of what others have said, I have noticed that the HD 280's do come across as being somewhat underpowered when plugged into a portable player. In fact, in my opinion, they sound quite terrible when used in that manner. In that respect, I would go with the 205's, as they seemed to be performing their best even when receiving a signal from a modestly powered source. That is, I could not tell the difference in dynamic sound attributes from the 205's when they were plugged into my Marantz receiver or, say, an MP3 player.
The same cannot be said about the 280's. It is like night and day when switching to a home theater receiver from a portable device. And when they are in fact hooked up to a receiver, the 280's do nothing short of come alive.
Customer Review: High quality German headphones for a reasonable price
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned various Sony and Pioneer DJ headphones. These are the most comfortable to wear, so far. A word of caution, these headphones faithfully reproduce the music. Meaning the frequency is flat - which is great! There is no discoloration, no unnecessary highs and lows. Why is this important? It will help you evaluate the real quality of your muisc source. You do your own adjustment by adding the necessary equalization setting.Sidenote: if you're looking for headphones to compliment your portable music equipment, then get the excellent Sony DJ or Bose Triport headphones which will give you colored music reproduction - extra/artificial bass and treble response. I have nothing against them, I think they are great for those needs. The only problem is that their ear pads are uncomfortable for extended use.
These Senn headphones require a little bit more power to drive the speakers, so they are actualy best used for connecting to home systems that have amplification and equalization settings. I still use this for my Sony CD walkman, although I would have to crank up the volume.
The plus side, parts are easily replaceable - ear pads, head pads and cord. You don't have to be afraid in using and abusing them. The German-engineered speakers (the reason you are purchasing the Sennheisers in the first place) will last.
I have to warn you that the headphones will feel tight and sound bland when you first use them right out of the box. Use them constantly for a week or two and it will feel comfortable to your head. There is nothing rubbing against your ears to make you want to take it out. The environment attenuation is so great that you should NOT use it if you expect to be disturbed - phone call, door bell, etc.
Why 4 stars? Better design and material should be used to make it look and feel more classy, than plastic.
These are still made in Europe, so the price you are paying for is very reasonable especially when purchased from Amazon with the free shipping and tax.
One last word of advice, no matter what we all say the final decision will be at the hands (or heads) of the listener. So try all the brands at your local electronics store and don't be pressured into getting one without uisng them for an extended period. Your head, ears and pocket will thank you later.
Customer Review: addressing reviewers' concerns - great value headphones
Summary: 5 Stars
Having owned Pioneer flagship model headphones(open air design) from mid '80's and the Sennheiser HDR 65 wireless headphones (open design)(both of which I still use and work as in perfect condition), and pump out great 'pure', true to audio source sound, I thought I would try a closed design for my Yepp and ipod nano (especially for noisy environments).
Though subjectively these do not sound quite as good as my old Pioneer phones (and my other Sennheisers), the HDR 280s are great sound for the price (but only if you but them from the US. I'm from Australia, and Sennheiser distributors here are charging nearly $400 AUD (about $320 USD) for the same model (a rip off). I got these for $89 USD (without delivery) from Electronica Direct on Amazon marketplace.
Addressing some concerns in reviews - yes I wear glasses, but you can comfortably wear glasses with the HDR 280's with no problems (a little sound leakage at worst). I have a 'big head' (60cm) but the phones fit well and are not too tight - I can wear them all day quite comfortably. I have owned these for a month, and yes they sound better with more use, and I have no issues with cracking/breaking etc. As far as the 30Db noise cancelling claims - what consumer measures that? - it greatly reduces external noise, maybe not quite 30Db, but I can't hear people speak to me even when listening to moderate levels of volume - so pretty good noise filtering properties.
In a nutshell, while the HDR 280's are quite heavy but not uncomfortable(and arguably not the best looking headphones for wearing in public, as well as being made from plastic giving them a cheapy look and feel (and may therefore not be the most durable if you don't look after them - but hey - my HDR 65's are made from plastic and velour and they've lasted me many years, and still in good nick), they are nevertheless a good to great instrument of reflecting true sound (though marginally not as good as open air design) from your audio source (unlike Sony's distorted high bass/treble response with no mid-range) (and let's be fairdinkum - that's what most people really want)and great value sound if you pay a reasonable price. Makes great sound from nano 3G and itouch, and Samsung Yepp, and computer.
Regards.
Customer Review: Just to reiterate what other reviewers have said...
Summary: 2 Stars
I wish I would have paid closer attention to other reviews first, but here are some reasons that I ended up sending my HD-280's back. My use case is perhaps different than others. I am not a professional musician. I am a programmer by trade and I sit for 8+ hours a day. Music and noise isolation are important to me, but so are comfort and sound quality. I have a cheap pair of Sennheiser PX 100's that I use at my desk for the majority of the time and they work and sound and feel great. I wanted something a little better sounding and that would cancel out airplane engine noise for my infrequent flying for work. While the HD-280's did a pretty good job at isolating me from the airplane engine noise, the negatives I found far outweigh that positive.
Comfort. Or rather, lack thereof. At least on my head, these headphones really squeeze tightly, to the point that they were giving me headaches. I guess this is important to keep outside noise out, but it was too much for me. In addition, they really made my ears hot and sweaty, and during summer, I could not use them, even in an air-conditioned room.
Bulk. These are HUGE. Like, HUUUGE. No, really, they're big. And heavy. They take up a whole lot of room, and this is important to me, since one of my reasons for buying them was to use on airplane flights. But they're so big that taking them on airplane trips is just not practical. Also, the long cord, while I'm sure it's awesome for professional musicians or someone working at a sound board, is really big and bulky and heavy and kept getting in the way while I was on the plane and sitting at my desk.
Sound quality. I was expecting that for $100, the sound quality was going to be amazing. But it really wasn't. Other reviewers commented on the lack of a lower end, and it's really true. It's not just a lack of bass punch, but really anything lower in the audio spectrum sounded like it was just lacking. I'm no audiophile, but my cheap open Sennheiser PX-100's sound better. =:(
Anyway, I was disappointed with these and I returned them. I still don't have a good solution for my next airplane trip, but these weren't a viable option for me.