Sennheiser Professional HD 280 PRO Over-Ear Monitoring Headphones,Black
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From the manufacturer
For those with a vision. For those with a mission. For those getting the job done. In the studio. On stage. In the mix. Always there.
HD 280 PRO Professional Monitoring Headphone – Features
- High ambient noise attenuation
- Accurate, linear sound reproduction
- Soft earpads for a comfortable fit
- Folding and rotating earcups for space-saving transport
- Tough, single-sided cable
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Headphones for the prosDesigned to exceed the demands of the professional environment, the HD 280 Pro boasts extremely robust construction combined with the sound quality, modular design and aggressive noise isolation that is necessary in the field. The unique collapsible design, combined with swiveling ear cups, offers maximum flexibility in any application. |
Accurate sound representationEloquent lows, a distinct midrange and clear-cut highs are what define the HD 280 PRO’s, making them the perfect companion for recording and mixing sessions. And thanks to their comfort, all those hours spent in front of a screen won’t tire your ears nearly as much as it will your eyes. |
A modern classicYour search for studio headphones begins and ends with HD 280 PRO. Released in 2003, these headphones have stood the test of time. In a day and age where technology renders itself useless in a just a few years, Sennheiser is still selling hundreds of thousands of these headphones every year. |
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| HD 200 PRO | HD 280 PRO | HD 300 PRO | HD 300 PRotect | HMD 300-XQ-2 | |
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| Application Scenarios | Home Studio // Live Mixing | Home Studio // Live Mixing | Home Studio // Live Mixing | Home Studio // Live Mixing | Broadcast // Live Theater |
| Ear Coupling | Circumaural | Circumaural | Circumaural | Circumaural | Circumaural |
| Acoustic Principle | Dynamic // Closed | Dynamic // Closed | Dynamic // Closed | Dynamic // Closed | Dynamic // Closed |
| Frequency Response | 20 – 20,000 Hz | 8 – 25,000 Hz | 6 – 25,000 Hz | 6 – 25,000 Hz | 6 – 25,000 Hz |
| Active Gard (protects hearing for sound pressure levels above 110 dB) | No Active Gard | No Active Gard | No Active Gard | ✓ |
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| Maximum SPL | 108 dB | 113 dB | 123 dB | 110 dB SPL (Active Gard ON) | 110 dB SPL (Active Gard ON) |
| Impedence | 32 Ω | 64 Ω | 64 Ω | 64 Ω | 64 Ω |
| Microphone | No Microphone | No Microphone | No Microphone | No Microphone | BMD 404 |
Specification: Sennheiser Professional HD 280 PRO Over-Ear Monitoring Headphones,Black
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10 reviews for Sennheiser Professional HD 280 PRO Over-Ear Monitoring Headphones,Black
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$99.92
J. Penrose –
I’ve had a pair of these beasts for more than two years now and I’ve never had a better set of ‘phones sonically.Like a number of other people, I find the plastic cover of the headband is cracking and shedding pieces to the point now where it looks like I use the headphones to drive nails.Apparently the outer shell just does not flex enough and I do have a somewhat larger than average head. It’s annoying and looks awful but until they actually fall apart I’ll keep using them and then will probably buy another set.Sonically, they are simply incredible. I use a small portable CD player and it drives them just fine, even on battery power.The noise isolation is wonderful, I use these on airplane trips and most of the noise just vanishes, at home, I often don’t hear the telephone ringing on the end table next to me and I don’t listen to particularly loud music. I can enjoy quiet music while my wife watches TV 6’ away and barely register that it is on.Every time I play a CD for the first time using these ‘phones, I am usually astounded, especially if I’ve heard the music before on lesser systems. It’s like hearing it for the first time. The depth and clarity simply delight me and I am constantly hearing new things or nuances in the music, even on discs I have heard a hundred times before.The bass is full and rich without sounding like you’ve plugged your speakers directly into a 60hz AC outlet. (Which seems to be a popular thing to do judging from what some people call “bass” but which is more like the sound made when a brontosauraus has really bad gas.) Highs are crisp and clear without sounding tinny or ringing and the soundstage is just right at least for me.I use these primarily for classical, jazz and new age/ambient with occasional excursions into classic rock and they just simply work. I can’t comment on how they sound with “rap” or similar noise as I only use these to listen to real music, not someone screaming vulgar words while thumping on a bass drum, but I digress.If you want quality sound with great isolation, buy these, just don’t wear them while bicycling or driving, OK? You won’t hear the semi-truck coming through your windshield.;)Update: In late 2007 I bought another pair of these. I think they may have solved the cracking headband issue. I use them almost daily often for two or three hours at a time and the new set does not seem to be showing any signs of the older pair’s issues. Sound quality is still the best I’ve heard, especially for the money. They are heavy and a bit hot and the cups could be a bit deeper…they press on my ears a bit after long wear but I’ve yet to find anything else I like as much.Update to the update: July 2009. Still use them heavily almost every day. Headband is fine, no noticeable wear, cracking or other issues. I think Sennheiser listened to people.Buy these ‘phones! I’ve used them now with almost every decent portable music player around, my PC and my stereo. They just sound good and they keep sounding good.Update cubed – Late May 2011 Still using the same ‘phones. No cracking of headband, no loss of quality. Only noticeable degradation is that the ear cushions have gotten a bit squishy. I think they are user replaceable. I wear these things a good ten hours a week. I really cannot say enough good things about this product. There are still companies that know how to make a quality product and offer it at a fair price.Update the 4th – Late in 2012, the ear cushions pretty much gave up the ghost and these things became very uncomfortable to wear.I was going to pitch them and get something newer when I ran a cross a “how to” video from Sennheiser on how to replace the ear cushions. Turns out to be reasonably easy…watch the video a couple of times as the tech kind of gets his hands in the way in a critical shot or two. You don’t need any tools, just some patience and a willingness to stretch the cushions farther than you think they will stretch.So, I located a (non-Amazom, they didn’t have them) source, ordered a set of cushions and once I got them installed (maybe ten minutes work and some cursing as this kind of manual dexterity has never been my long suit), I now have a practically new set of phones that just keep on working. The headband cushion could use replacing but it’s not critical so I am not going to bother. Cost of the ear cushions was in the mid $20 range, so if they last as long as the original set (and they feel of similar quality, I should be updating this in another four or five years. :0Update the Fifth – End of December. 2015 Replacement ear pads have held up nicely. All aspects of the headphone are fine except the strain relief connection where the cord joins the plug has frayed away and it only hangs on by the actual wiring and I expect that to go sooner rather than later and it is NOT user replaceable.That will end my long and lovely relationship with these ‘phones.I find I rarely use them now as I obtained a gorgeous pair of Phillips Fidelio headphones earlier in 2015 and they just keep growing on me for any use that does not require the solid sound isolation these provide.But I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of the Sennheisers. Highly recommended.
HPvet –
Bought this product for the following applications:1) Playstation 3 GamesPrimarily use these headphones for Rocksmith. Prior to purchase, I was using inexpensive Sony and JVC open headphones which presented two problems. First, the volume was too low when they were directly connected to the Playstation. I could turn up the volume to max on my guitar to hear my own sound but the game music and voice announcements were barely audible. Hooking up the Sennheisers easily doubled the volume, allowing me to turn down the guitar volume which now blends much better with the Rocksmith audios. I also bought an E6 amp which improved the sound slightly but have been usually playing without. Our home is very open with a cathedral loft where I play while my wife reads or watches TV below. The headphones effectively blocked the TV audio.2) iPod 6thGenLike to use my iPod nano and shut out the home noise while listening. These headphones amazed me with their sensitivity and how much volume I could crank out of my teeny nano 6th gen. I have some high frequency hearing loss so I will allow others to comment on the overall performance but I was able to hear things I was missing. For example, Sarah Brightman’s vibrato really jumped out at me. It was there before but I had just missed it in the past. Again, although I used the E6 it was unnecessary. However, I’m going to keep it. If I crank the iPod down and the E6 up it should help me extend listening time.3) LaptopOccasionally, I’ll plugin while working at the computer although after hearing how great the Sennheisers sound I’ll probably be doing it more often. In this application, as well as the above, the coiled cord on these Sennheisers give you nice range and flexibility without the tangles or cords stuck under the desk chair. Volume was acceptable on both laptops I own. Again no need for the E6. However, both PCs have high quality DAC and are marketed as entertainment devices.4) Receiver and CD playerTried both the Sony receiver output and Sony 5 disc player component. Make sure the volume is turned down on the receiver or the Sennheiser’s sensitivity is going to blow your ears out. The disc was another matter and if I used this output I would probably need to use the little E6. Come to think of it, I’ll have to check the manual and remote on the Sony. There may be volume control.5) GuitarTried a direct plug into my electic since the Sennheisers come with a neat little 1/4 inch adapter. Problem – the adapter is stereo and the guitar is mono so you’ll hear only the left channel. Also, the volume isn’t loud enough. But pumping it though my little personal guitar mounted amp the sound was plenty loud, and plenty clear, a big improvement over earbuds or open headphones.6) TVPerfect but I’ll need a 15 foot extension cord for it to be effective.This is not my first set of closed headphones but in previous units the heat buildup was very uncomfortable. Strangely, these were comfortable for me to wear for an entire day of listening on all these devices and the audio was far superior to the previous ancient Koss headphones I chucked several years ago. In addition, I have a wide head. Opticians never carry lens frames wide enough for me to wear in the sample cases. I was concerned by several reviews that indicated this was an issue but these Sennheisers are adjustable both in width and depth. I could actually adjust them to be comfortably loose at my desk or tighten them to grip firmly while standing and moving with the guitar.I was surprised by the overall value and had expected them to be only acceptable in certain environments, perhaps excelling only with a receiver. The ability to use these in every situation makes this an incredible value. Very happy with my purchase!
Jordan F Viray –
the folks at Sennheiser must not have large heads. As with about every pair of headphones that I try on, I had to extend these all the way to fit. After a few months of daily use, the plastic headband began to develop small cracks. Now the cracks are growing and I fear that the whole thing will just snap one day. Unfortunately, that is one of the parts that isn’t listed as replaceable.That said, people who look at this headphone are looking for: a) quality sound synonymous with the name Sennheiser b) excellent noise reduction.a) The sound from these phones is excellent. The standard criteria are there. The signal is very clean, thanks in part to the oxygen free copper cabling used. Bass is controlled and precise so a timpani doesn’t sound muffled. Higher frequencies do not hiss and the phones are able to drive high frequency sounds and pull out details lost by consumer grade headphones. Soundstage is fairly narrow as some have said, but much better than consumer sets that sound like the sound source is inside your head. Of course, a DSP solution for soundstage expansion could help if someone didn’t like the soundstage.What people should realise is that most music is optimised for listening on a stereo system and not headphones. A search for “binaural music” will yield samples that show how music should be sampled for headphones. Anyways, the HD-280 Pros also have 64 Ohms of resistance so an amplifier isn’t needed.b) The biggest impression I got from these phones is silence. Not total silence, since with the headphones on I could still hear outside noise. Once the music starts playing, however, music is much clearer because background noises have been attenuated so effectively.That was the biggest attraction of these headphones. For my sound processing work, ambient noise from my computer and the outside world are suppressed admirably. 32 decibels is a lot of sound attenuation, far more than the Active Noise Reduction sets from Bose or even Sennheiser. The HD-280 Pros use passive noise attenuation. This means that for the phones to supress outside noise effectively, they have to be tight. They are very tight in fact. Four Newtons of force are applied, a number significantly larger than most headphones. If it weren’t for the thoughtful padding, they would feel as uncomfortable as firing range headsets. Passive noise attenuation also means there is no artifacting from electronic noise that is usually the case in Active Noise Reduction sets.If you have a very large head, a solution is to find in-ear phones (the expensive Etymotics sets have even better sound quality and noise reduction). If you are sensitive to tight headphones, a solution might be the Active Noise Reduction sets (although they aren’t as good sonically). If you listen to sound in a very very quiet environment, Grados or some other Sennheisers would probably get you that better soundstage for the money.If none of these situations applies to you, then these phones will provide better sound through their native excellent quality and their superior noise attenuation. After all, the listening experience with Sennheiser 600’s on an Audigy 2 card or a tube amplifier is diminished with that noisy computer fan in the background.All in all, these phones are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.*** UPDATE, October 20, 2009 ***Wow, well these headphones are still ticking after over six years and I’m pretty rough with my equipment! Cheap headphones break after six weeks for me because the cable gets pulled or I mess up the speaker so these Sennheisers are pretty solid.Just as I feared though, the plastic HAS cracked and you can see the thin wires (covered in plastic or rubber) exposed. Now that most of the plastic on the headband has broken off, the fit is quite a bit looser though the headband is still held together by a wide piece of metal. I just wish they would just make a nice metal headband to avoid the plastic cracking issue.While I like the fact that they aren’t so tight, I don’t like the fact that richness (low-end midrange and bass) suffers because of it. You can simulate this when listening by pulling the headphones slightly apart. It isn’t noticeable on light music though and might not be an issue with newer versions of the HD-280 Pro.The ear cushions on my 6+ year headphones are worn past the leatherette, past the foam and to the foam backing layer. The top is looking ratty as well. Replacement ear cushions are around $20.00 which isn’t cheap. I’ll probably skip that in favor of a new pair of HD-280s – especially if they’ve been redesigned for larger heads as some people are indicating. I’ll keep this pair around as beaters until they quit on me. However, now that I’ve quieted my working area, sound isolation isn’t as critical to me as it was before so I might take a look at other Sennheisers.
Rad –
I did a lot of research to find headphones that would deliver what I wanted. I’m fairly picky about sound and am very easily bothered if parts of the sound range are artificially boosted or otherwise out of balance. Which describes most of the common headphones that are out there these days with their amplified bass, muddy notes and uneven middles and/or upper notes.Just as a point of comparison, I looked closely at Audio Technica because I had gotten the chance to try two of their models. The sound was a lot better than most, fairly clear and defined overall. Nice. Seemed slightly muddy though on the finer details. And somewhere in the middle range felt a little ‘off’ to me in ways I don’t know how to describe. And parts of the sound profile sounded farther away than other parts. Subtle but it was there. So they were nice in many ways but not quite satisfying for me the longer I listened to them. Additionally, the m50s (the more popular of the two models I tried) had a noticeable amp on the bass which also wasn’t quite my speed. Though that’s pretty common knowledge about the m50s, so hardly a surprise.I also seriously considered the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. The reviews are tempting but I just can’t have open-back headphones in my current living arrangements. I need at least some ability to shut out noise because of bad neighbors, etc. Even though the 280’s are not noise reduction headphones, they do an amazing job of dampening outside noise without any fancy technology. Not only is my music nearly unhearable to anyone sitting in the same room with me, but noises in the room around me are partially blocked out even when I’m wearing my 280’s without any sound playing in them. Something to do with how closely they fit I think, seems to automatically dampen some of the noise around me. So they fall somewhere inbetween actual “noise reduction” headphones and normal on-ear headphones which block out nothing at all. Seems to be a little more so than other over-ear headphones as well. Overall, that’s been nice.I was concerned at first about the 280’s since many reviews noted they have a decent clamping fit on the head. I have had huge problems in the past with various on-ear headphones which clamp too hard against my ears and cause physical pain. I knew these were cupping around the ears instead of directly on-ear, but I was still more than a little concerned that this “clamping” might be too tight to be comfortable. Thankfully this has proved to fine. When I first put them on, there was a noticeable sense of “pressure” on the sides of my head, but not bad enough to be outright uncomfortable or anywhere close to painful. Thankfully within the first 12 hours of use, they seem to have relaxed a bit and now are plenty comfortable to wear for long hours without issue. Occasionally if I don’t have them adjusted right, one of the ear pads can end up resting slightly onto of the edge of one ear, which can become uncomfortable hours later. But it’s simple to adjust them on my head. Usually happens if I was in a hurry in putting them on and since they are comfortable enough I won’t notice for awhile that it wasn’t on quite perfectly.As for sound, they’ve been pretty much exactly what I was looking for. The sound is natural, pretty much like real life. No artificial boosts or drops in parts of the range going from high to low. Sound is nicely crisp and defined, no muddy areas. Holds up when listening to a wide range of genres, from rap to classical, pop to country, acoustic to electronic. Watching movies works fine. The lack of bass boosting is more noticeable on genres that overly rely on the bass being boosted and didn’t actually balance their music enough without it. So some rap, some dance, some action movies will have a little less ‘umph’ to them than you might expect or than they seem to have intended. I count that as a mistake on the original mixer’s part though and still prefer to hear what is actually there rather than an overly beefed up version of it which a bass boosting amplified headphone would give me. Plenty of rap and dance music holds up though, so it’s really down to whether or not the people who mixed it in the studio did their job correctly or if they had cut corners in the production thinking it wouldn’t be noticed. I suspect if I had a portable amp to plug them into, I could get the best of both worlds for those songs and movies where production fell a little short. For me, it doesn’t really bother enough to sweat it.The sound on these headphones do feel like it comes from the room around me (even though it isn’t actually) rather than the pads on my ears or inside of my head. Again, this headphones have a more natural feel to their sound than anything I’ve tried before. Some say “flat” but I say “real” in a way that feels more true to the sound it should be.There is one minor and subtle thing I did notice with these: sometimes I have to fiddle the volume up or down just a slightest hair to get a song to sound at its best balance-wise. I suspect that this is where the fact that these are only a $99 pair and not something higher grade shows. Still, it really isn’t bothersome, only just barely noticeable and more than acceptable for a $99 dollar set of headphones. So for a newbie audiophile, these do the job and keep me satisfied. I am sure I will eventually explore higher grade audiophile headphones at higher price points. But for now these are hands down the most satisfying I have found for around $100 with closed backs. Not for bassheads though. If you love a decent sound but still love a bit of bass amp, you should probably choose the Audio Technica m50 over these. If you like an even and more natural sound at this price point, these Sennheiser HD 280 Pro’s are worth it and a solid choice. They are exactly what I was looking for and the only ones in this bracket which don’t actively bother me. In fact, I can forget it’s through headphones and just focus on what I’m doing instead. So just in case any of this helps anyone else who may be pouring over hundreds of reviews trying to imagine what these vs other headphones would be like, just like I was a few months ago. Best of luck on your quest!
pk –
I have owned these phones for over a year now, and I love them so much, it has prompted me to write my first Amazon review!As a basis for this review, the following helps set the context:1. I listen to music mostly using Windows Media Player from my computer, with absolutely none of the special effects – no SRS, no equalizer, nothing. Just direct playback.2. I listen approximately 5 hours every day.I have organized this review into various sections that I particularly care for in a set of headphones.1. Channel separation: This hasn’t been mentioned in any of the other reviews, so I am unsure if it is just me. But I have never observed such accurate channel separation in any set of headphones I have tried before (see down the review for a list of my headphones)! It is truly a concert feeling – every distinct note, vocal or beat seems come from a specific place, pure left, pure right, somewhere deep, etc – exactly where it is meant to come from, almost like I was listening to true 5.1 channel music! It is not all bundled up in the center of the head. For instance, listen to “Wish you were here” by Pink Floyd. I never knew before putting these phones on that almost the entire 1st minute of the music (the background tv, the muffled guitaring) is entirely on the right channel, and only the breaths, coughs etc are on both channels! Listen to “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel. The base guitar is on the right channel. The lead guitar starts on the left and slowly moves towards center. It is amazing! I notice this of so many songs, I want to listen to them all over again!2. Fidelity: This is truly a killer. The artist’s breath, every stretch or pluck of the guitar string, every hiss or static in old jazz recordings, pretty much everything can be heard! Some may say why would I want to hear the static/hiss/breath etc? Well, I like to! It makes me feel I am sitting right there where the music is being performed. And if the music contains these sounds, I like it that these headphones can reproduce them faithfully. Artificial noise level is practically absent, even when the volume is turned up.3. Frequency range: These sets do loose a bit of audio detail at both ends – very low and very high. However, it is not significant enough to bother me. The thing that I really like is that the response is even across most of the range. To help explain what I am saying, if you play the entire octave from lower C to higher C with the same intensity, the loudness of each of the notes would be fairly similar. Not just the evenness of the range, the tones across the entire frequency range are accurate. The thing that I didn’t like about the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones is that they seem to artificially boost the amplitude at the lower end, seemingly to compensate for the active noise-cancelling eating away some of the actual audio detail. That made them sound with more “bass effect” than actually present in the music. If I need more bass, I’ll use equalizers, I don’t want my headphones to make that decision.4. Noise suppression: If you want numbers, these sets reduce noise by 32dB without using any active noise-cancellation circuitry! And that is really, really good! I personally have tried noise-cancelling headphones and don’t like them because they some how can’t get the low frequencies right. But try these on and you really understand what noise suppression these have! In office, my door is open and I don’t hear any ambient noise when the music is playing. My colleagues knock and I don’t hear them! Many times they literally have had to come and tap my shoulder! And being sealed headphones, they don’t leak too much music outside the cups, so you can comfortably share the room with someone without disturbing the person.5. Comfort: When I first started using these headphones, they did seem a bit tight around my big head. Every hour or so, I would take them off and rest my head a bit. However, over time they have loosened up a bit. Now I can go for hours without taking them off. And Sennheiser did a wise thing by putting soft and cushy leather pads on the cups, which not only help with comfort, but also help with noise suppression.The best part of these headphones is that they get better over time! This was truly a discovery, and the main reason I was prompted to write this review! I don’t know what it is, but the phones have actually gotten better over time. May be the diaphragms have opened up a bit to reproduce even the finest detail. And maybe the comfort has increased since they have become a bit looser. But after approximately putting 2000 hours on these headphones, they sound better than new!Other things to consider:Portability: Yes these headphones fold, but I wouldn’t classify them as fully portable. If you care for portability, you might be interested in the Etymotic 6 series – slightly pricier than these but similar features (including great passive noise suppression), and they are ear-bud design and hence completely portable.Case: These headphones don’t come with a case. If you plan to move around with them a lot, you would definitely want to invest in a sturdy case for it. I chanced upon the Lowepro Ex 120 Camera Bag, which seems perfect for these. The folded phones fit snugly, and it has a small pouch in front for my pocket pc (which doubles up as my music player). Being a camera bag, it has enough padding on it to protect both the PDA and headphone.To sum it up:At under $100, these headphones simply can’t be beat. I am getting another one for myself for home so that I don’t have to haul my current one around.Other headphones I have tried/own:Bose Quiet Comfort 2 noise-cancelling setSennheiser PXC 250 noise-cancelling setSome Sony stuff not worth mentioning in polite company!
Gary –
This is the second pair of HD 280 Pro headphones I’ve purchased. Bought them as a gift for my son who has been getting heavily into music the past couple of years. If you are looking for excellent sound reproduction, responsive bass (without being intrusive like beats) , clear mids and highs and crystal clear vocals then these are what you are looking for. They are comfortable and sturdy. My last pair were 3 years old when I accidentally left them on a bus during my commute. The wiring was all still perfect. The only sign of wear was the mid cushion on top of my head which was just starting to wear out. Keep in mind, these were used for about 5 hours daily. If I were still commuting, I’d buy myself another pair. They also have good outside sound insulating quality. They aren’t active noise canceling, but they eliminate most outside noise.
Core –
I had another pair of Sennheiser Headphones that I had bought, that lasted for quite awhile, years, and pretty good quality. So I decided to pick up another set and up-scale a bit as far as quality goes. The fact that these were on-sale when my others conked out on me finally helped move my choice along.Anyways I’m not an “audiophile”, bless those individuals hearts.. But I do appreciate comfort and clear sound just like anyone. And these headphones definitely deliver that. I suppose there is a bit of a ‘break in’ period.. when your first wearing them, but after a little usage.. listening to tunes and watching streaming media.. the headphones loosen up a hair, where they start becoming more comfortable.As far as “Over the ear headphones” these do a really good job of cutting out background noise. Especially when your actually listening to something on them. I can sit right next to my TV and have the sound cranked up, and it will sound muffled with these on. Take them off and its like being shouted at though.My setup for these, is directly plugged into my laptop. No special software to tweak the sound, no amp.. nothing like that. Just all the basic stuff and these work really well. I can imagine if you were more of hard core individual when it comes to audio and had a more technical set up, that these headphones would deliver for you.*Update* So I ordered these on “Ordered on April 9, 2015 ” Everything is continuing to hold together, So its been about 3 years. They’ve paid for themselves a few times over now. The only thing is, the padded headband (This is the old model design as far as I can tell that I bought) is starting to flake. Ironically the over ear part, the faux leather is still holding on and in good shape. Surprised at this. Still sound great.*Update* October 30, 2019 So I have had these things for 4 years Now. And they’ve just REALLY started to fall apart. Like the right padding on the headset, just.. kinda *pop* like it was magic.. came lose.So it’s been a good run, but I’ll probably have to buy another pair of these, or something really similar.*Update* June 2020 Not sure why, b/c usage is limited to my pc. And while I listen to music & watch video, frequently, I have been gentle with my new headset ‘The newer design’ anyways, the HD280 Pro just developed a short, in the right speaker for some reason? I’m going to attempt to check it out and see if I can fix it, because I’m past the warranty period since I purchased the new.This is really frustrating. I’ve literally had them less than a year. Since I ordered them in October 2019. If I hadn’t had such good experience with the other headsets of this brand, it would be a bad deal.I’d rate this new headset 1 star out of 5, for this garbage.*Update* SO after some frustration of trying to figure out how the new design was assembled in such a streamlined manner, I got the right speaker out of its cradle, and dissembled the unit, and fiddling with the wire…WHILE LISTENING TO IT, I could get the audio to come back through. I think during themanufacturing process, the way the wire was plumbed in, it got pinched in such a manner, that it was readyto break, and then after usage for awhile, it just broke completely.Even though I’ve had the headset since October 2019 to, today, that’s 9 months, but I may have only used the unitfor 30 days, solid time.The good news is I may be able to fix this. I don’t really want to.*Update* Good news went south real quick. The manufacturing process of the wires, leading to the speaker, are designed in an interesting way.. They have fiber mixed it. The wires, are HORRIBLY small.. like, it’s so little copper, that, well basically I couldn’t fix my Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones (New Design) Also of note, when leaving a review, even though I’m doing this under the “New design” its still registering for the old one.
Austin Womack –
They sound great first of all but the main thing is that I bought these 7 years ago and use them almost daily. The cable is so thick and springy that they’re still going strong today. I love them so much that when all of my gross head oils and constant use wore down the foam I just replaced that which is a simple enough process. The foam itself is so wide and soft that I can wear them for hours at a time and my ears never get sore. They rule.
Sam Bray –
I love love love these headphones! I bought them because I dabble in making music and wanted a reasonably priced pair of studio monitor phones. But I also listen to a ton of music and it’s almost all with these. They sound great! I can’t stand hyped headphones and these fit the bill while still being excellent for listening. For comparison I also have a pair of Sony MDR-V6’s and while they are probably good monitor headphones they don’t sound nearly as good as the Sennheisers for regular listening.The 64 ohm impedance is also great – it’s enough to block low-level noise in your device’s output but not so much that they can’t be powered by a normal phone or laptop (or one of those usbc-3.5mm adapters which is what I’m using now).The ambient sound attenuation is no joke either. They aren’t as good as my 34db atten shooting earmuffs or real noise cancelling but you should be able to hear your music without completely blasting it in all but the noisiest environments. Be warned that you may fail to hear your loved ones even if listening to music at a pretty low volume!For longevity, my first pair of these lasted over five years of heavy use before one of the speakers stopped working. If I knew what I was doing I probably could have fixed them but I don’t so I bought another pair. That one is still going strong; all I’ve had to do is replace the earpads which started to flake after 4 or 5 years.Overall I highly recommend these headphones for music lovers and amateur music-makers. I’m sure there are better headphones out there but they will almost certainly run you a lot more than these and unless you are extremely particular about your sonics they probably won’t seem that much better.
I am trying to help you. –
I am a professional audio engineer in film and music. I was looking for affordable headphones for personal listening while traveling, that could also be used for work in the studio and in the field. I purchased the HD-280’s after several months of research, and I am extremely happy with my purchase… so much so that I will be outfitting the studio with several more pairs.Most of the headphones I own are for “professional” application, and thus require more power to drive the speakers. At 64 ohms, these cans are easily driven by my iPod and sound great without requiring a headphone amp.There are a lot of reviews regarding the sound of these phones, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on audio “flavor.” The HD-280’s are nice and flat –minimal audio coloring, which makes them perfect for a studio tracking situation. There is plenty of bass, but they aren’t bass heavy. After a lot of research, I don’t think there is a pair of headphones out there that can stand up to the “true” audio quality of these phones at this price point. They could be used for mixing in a pinch, though I will always use a higher quality (more expensive) set of headphones for mixing (I rarely mix with headphones, but for reference, when I do I use Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, 250 ohms .For tracking, the HD-280 can’t be beat. And at under one hundred dollars, there is no question that these are the most affordable, quality option for outfitting a studio. However, even if I had unlimited money, I can’t imagine purchasing anything but these in quantity. The attenuation is fantastic (they are tight to the user’s head and leak almost no audio), and I get little to no audio bleed even when tracking super-close vocals. While they *can* take a lot of abuse, at this price, they are practically disposable (even though the ear pads, cord, and headband pad are easily replaced), so I don’t have to get so testy with the jack*ss lead guitar player tossing them on the floor after a session. :-DBecause of this fantastic attenuation, we will also be using these to record audio in the field for film and video applications. I first received these while on vacation, and I was actually using them NOT PLUGGED IN to simply create silence. They are on par with the ANSI ear protection I use while working in the woodshop.The coiled cord will keep the cord alive longer, but it is a little annoying because of its weight. If one is not careful, they will also tangle more easily than a straight cord. I will likely explore options for a straight cord, especially when using these while traveling.The cord is made to be easily changed, and the included instruction manual has clear and specific instructions for how to do this. However, it’s not as easy as simply unscrewing or unplugging the cord (my Beyer-Dynamic DT-150’s simply have a six pin connector); you need to take apart the housing of the left speaker and unplug the cord from the inside. There is no soldering involved (the end of cord plugs into a spot on the inner board), and the entire process should only take a couple of minutes.There seems to be a lot of disagreement as to whether these phones are “comfortable” or not. I chose to ignore the people complaining that they were uncomfortable, even painful, after about an hour of use and decided to take a gamble. Due to the tight compression of the pads against the head, the complainers were right. While I don’t think my ears stick out abnormally far, I do find that the inside of the headphones (the speakers) press up against the top of my ears, so I do need to take a break every once in a while. I would say this is simply the price of such a tight seal against the head (and worth the trade). It’s actually also a good “timing device” to remind the user to take a break every once in a while; when they start to get uncomfortable, it’s probably time to give your eardrums a break anyway.I may eventually have to purchase “personal travelers” that are a little more comfortable (lighter, less pressure on my ear tops) and portable (these are pretty heavy and fairly large), but for now these are making me happy –I just have to give my ears a chance to breathe a little more often. Perhaps the “in-ear” options can never be beat for this reason (weight and comfort).The padding is leatherette (like all of my Beyer-Dynamics) and will likely need to be replaced after a couple of years, but due to the popularity of these headphones the replacement pads are readily available (have been for years, and likely will be for many years to come). The padding for the headband is made of the same material, and also readily available. There is a “Ziploc” type fastening system that runs the length of the entire headband (on top) for easy and secure fastening.I love that the speakers are rotatable 90 degrees. They lay flat on the table when you set them down, and you can solo one side or the other (though they don’t flip 180 degrees as some reviewers have suggested so you have to pull them away from your head a good deal to do this).While they don’t get “tiny,” its nice that these full-size headphones can collapse to about the size of a 750ml bottle of Crown Royal (though I prefer Pappy Van Winkle bourbon).