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: Tips on the right headphone
Summary: 4 Stars
If you are reading my review to know exactly which headphone you are going to buy, thats a bad idea. There are really only 2 steps to buy a phone that you love.
1. Know What Sound You Like. There are basically 3 types of sounds. A natural sound, colorful/vibrant sound(no so much artificial),and an artificial sound that is very bassy. The first step is find out which of these sounds you like most.
2. Match the headphones to your audio source. If you would use a portable device then make sure you get a low impedance (25-35) headphone. There are also the professional type for studio monitoring. These have higher impedance (60's)
Don't ever go by what somone else says because everyone has very different taste. Make sure you listen to the headphones before making sure they're the ones for you. If you have no clue which headphones to start with to find out what sound you really like I can give you some ideas. If you think you would like natural sound and use headphones for a portable device try out the Sennheiser HD 497. If you like natural soud and you listen to music through a reciever or a high powered audio source try the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. For colorful sound try the Sony MDR-V6; try the Sony MDR-V600 which are the replacements for the V6. I found the Sonys to be kind of and exception. They are good for both high powered audio sources and mp3 players. They will sound bettter on a high powered source, but they don't sound too shabby on a mp3 player. For plain bassy and artificial sound(ideal for techno) try the Sennheiser HD 212 Pro(portable devices). If you like portability I believe that the Sennheiser PXC 100 have the best sound and are the most convienient to travel with.REMEMBER: Never buy your headphones because of others opinion. The HD 280 Pro are NOT good for portable devices in my opinion. But if you listen to music through a reciever or watch tv with headphones, go for it. These headphones in my opinion are the most natural sounding headphones on the market. Sennheisers I find are the best value for what you get, including the warranty. My biggest complaint with the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is that it is very uncomfortable.
Customer Review: Just what I needed
Summary: 4 Stars
I regret to say that I can't write about the sound quality of these head phones - I'm not an audiophile, I really can't tell the difference between these and something that you could get for 40 dollars or so.But I can tell you that these had everything I wanted in a new pair of headphones. I'm a college student and I share a tiny room with 3 other people. When I listen to music, I want to 1) not be able to hear my roommates or anything other than my music, and 2) i don't want to disturb them with my music. These headphones work perfectly for this. When you have them on, you can hear almost nothing other than what you are playing - people talking in the room won't disturb you any more. Also, when they are on, almost no sound leaks from them. You can listen to music as loud as you want and those nearby won't be able to hear it.
I also need to walk around a lot when wearing headphones. This pair of headphones also worked well for that - the wire connects to only one ear, and can stretch to about 8 feet, long enough for me to go anywhere in the room.
Lastly, I needed a pair of headphones that would last me a long time, and survive a lot of beatings from the people who come in and out of the room on a daily basis. These are perfect for that as well. They are very well built, and, if, by chance, you do break them, you can replace almost any part of them yourself. The last pair of headphones I had were a 30 dollar pair of sonys and they broke pretty quickly with all the abuse they get here, but I'm confident these Sennheisers will last me well past EDIT only a month or so of use, the headband has small cracks and chips in it. i use these headphones with great care, and don't stretch it beyond normal, so this is highly unexpected. as another reviewer said, this is the only non-replacable part of the headphones. while i don't expect the cracks to become much worse, it is a possibility, and would probably render an 80 dollar set of headphones completely useless. so consider this before you purchase them...
Customer Review: They take me back to a simpler time...
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't pass judgement on these headphones until you have owned them for a few
days. I highly recommend the burn-in: let them run overnight at a volume level
that is the max you would listen to (without distortion). Mine really opened
up after doing this. On the tightness issue: yes, they are a bit toight, but I
found a trick that seems counterintuitive, but works for me. I have a big
noggin, and usually wear headphones with the headband almost completely
extended. With these, ouch! Like my head was in a vice. I found that if I
push the band in to almost the shortest setting and let the weight rest mostly
on the crown of my head, they are quite comfortable! They sit a bit higher on
my ears than I would usually like, but I got used to that pretty quick.
I bought these after my Grado SR-80s died, and after seeing them recommended by
goodcans.com. I never really loved the open 'supra-aural' design of the
Grados, especially when my wife complained about always hearing my music - she
don't like Rush. I wanted something that hearkened back to those big, fat,
RadioShack Optimus cans I had in high school (mid '80s). These do that in
spades, and of course, are much better. I feel completely 'inside' them, which
is, IMHO, what the headphone experience should be like. If you've been
considering noise-cancelling headphones but don't like the price and the fact
that they need batteries, give these a try.
On the down side, these are wicked ugly. They look like something off the the
1979 Buck Rogers set (Princess Ardala was HOT!). But they are built solid, and
made in Ireland, which is refreshing. Also, the first language in the
instruction manual is German, Oooo...
So, if you're looking for some substantial cans that take you back to your
pre-digital youth, and don't want to spend more than a Ben Franklin, look no
further. Dig out the Queen, Zeppelin, Floyd, etc, and enjoy!
Customer Review: Learned a lesson...
Summary: 3 Stars
For someone who has spent years chasing the best equipment for the price, I really should have known better than to order headphones based on brand name, attractive pricing and some positive reviews. Headphones are very PERSONAL...no one can decide what you like and as with all audio equipment, specifications don't tell the story.I have no doubt that these headphones meet the advertised specifications. They have solid bass, an adequate midrange and decent treble. That being said, they are not "musical"; they present sound across the audible spectrum but are not really coherent or involving in any way. They might improve with some burn in but I don't feel the basics are really there to improve.
Physically, these headphones are MUCH LARGER than I expected...the ear cups are large with a lot of interior space that seems excessive and contributes to an unfocused quality of musical image. They are also much heavier than expected. Finally, they do not fold up very small, in spite of what the advertising says. These headphones are not really practical to carry around with a portable.
My reference headphones, the Sony MDR-V6's, which I've had for at least 15 years, sound WAY better than the Senn 280's, are much smaller, fold up very small and are much more comfortable. They are also very well made and have stood up well over the years. I was expecting some metal construction in the 280's but alas they are entirely made of plastic, which [suprises me]...
The Sony V6's have been reissued as model 7506 and are a very good all around headphone. For something significantly better, check out Denon. The AHD-210's are incredible for the money, as are the 350's and 550's. There is nothing flashy or trendy about these phones but they are extremely well made, comfortable and MUSICAL. Each model in the line is musical and generally the more you spend, the more refinement and nuance you get. I'll be turning in the Senn 280's for the Denon AHD-950's which I don't think can be surpassed for all types of music, comfort and quality...
Customer Review: Perfect for me
Summary: 4 Stars
I went through a lot of headphones in my life, from electrostatic to Sonys and AKGs. I mainly used them for listening to my own mixes (i. e. monitoring) but also for just the "normal" everyday listening.
I now own these for about three years, buying them after "A/B-ing" them with some KOSS and AKGs in a local store - I'm not buying speakers or headphones without listening to them first.
The 280s are in my opinion the most transparent of those I had - maybe except for my long-gone STAX electrostats. True, their low end is not the thickest on the planet, but I can adapt with my Behringer headphone amp. Generally not too much correction is needed with good recordings, it's much more the recording quality of modern CDs that varies drastically.
The 280 are very faithful with small acoustic settings, female voices (Katie Melua), Jazz and classical ensembles (string quartets) are intense, sometimes even spectacular; rock music (provided a good recording) might need some equilization, bad recordings and sloppy mp3s are hopeless anyway. Heavier stuff, like Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan don't work too well with the 280s, oh well! You wouldn't listen over headphones at these volumes anyway - please, don't!
Compared to my set of B&W speakers, the 280s produce an ok depth and a wide enough stereo base - they also seem to lift the music off your ear somewhat rather than playing it inside. Difficult to quantify...
I'm 58, so my high-frequency hearing might be impaired already. I heard people describing the 280s as harsh, I can't confirm that.
The comfort is so-and-so - the reason for kicking off one star. After an hour or so they tend to become a bit "tight" and a short break helps taking some of the discomfort off. After some years they became a bit more comfortable, it seems - or I just got used to them.
In this price range, I could not find anything better for me. The next level might be some higher end Grados, Beyers or Sennheisers. Right now I'm happy!