Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Closed Back Dynamic Headphones for Composing, Gaming, Mixing, Mastering, Video or Audio Production, Performing 3M coiled cable w 1’8” stereo connector and 1/4” adapto
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
Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphone
Overview
These rugged, comfortable headphones are designed for professional monitoring applications.
The HD 280 Pro is Sennheiser’s most significant closed, around-the-ear headphone to be introduced in years. Designed 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 the necessary in the field. The unique collapsible design, combined with swivelling ear cups, offers maximum flexibility in any application.
| Weight: | 285 g |
| Dimensions: | 24.49 x 18.69 x 8.38 cm; 285 Grams |
| Model: | HD280PRO |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. |
| Colour: | Black |
Long overdue time to replace an old set of Koss Pro’s, and always wanted a set of Sennheisers…should have done this years ago! These headphones are fabulous for the money…sound quality is wonderful! A true delight and refreshing satisfaction to renew my long time love of music! No matter what volume you like, these hold true! If you’re looking for bassy headphones though, these may not be what you’re looking for! These to me, are more of an audiophile enthusiast product with great ranges from highs, mids and lows! I am SO very happy with them!
This headset is the most comfortable I’ve had yet. No problem using it for several hours. Much more comfortable compared to the Shure 840 and the NAD50 I owned previously.
The sound is good but maybe a bit to clinical for some.
the issue with them is the high clamping force which would give you a headache after extended usage.another small issue is the cable as there isnt enough slack from the headphone to the coiled part of the cable which makes the headphones feel heavier.
I use this to connect to my Guitar Amplifier while practicing my Guitar and it works just fine.
These are good sounding headphones, but the closed back means your ears get hot when listening for longer periods of time.
I was only going to spend 100-130 on a set of cans. after a fair amount of research, i went for these. i’m no audiophile, but i want music to sound good. these are solid in that department. noise cancellation works well enough. especially when music is playing. the only complaint i have is, they are a bit bulky, and if you knock them (if you go to scratch your head or something…) the noise from touching them transfers right into your ears, and it’s loud (and annoying). Other than that, quality set. worth your bucks if you’re on a budget.
I’ve used various Sennheiser headphones over the years in radio and recording studios, but this is the first pair that I bought for myself. So far I am really happy with these “cans”. They are over ear and do a great job of isolating sounds. They are not noise cancelling, but external noise is minimal when fitted properly.
My only reservation about these headphones is that the coiled cord seems quite short. They stretch quite far but there’s a lot of resistance. I worry about my small, light, audio interface being pulled off the desk if I move too far. I wish that the cord were removable or replaceable as is possible with some other similar brands/models. I may invest in a ” extension cable.
Just when you take it out from the box and put it over your ears, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Super Noise Cancellation! Even your own voice will sound muffled. I have used HD180 and HD200 earlier, and they are satisfactory headphones. Then I switched to cx275s earphones for listening and they are the best sounding earphones in the range of <2k, with the widest range of frequency from 15-23k hz. Although a monitoring headphone and an earphone doesn't have a competition, still I thought I should compare both, the HD280 Pro and CX275s, and boy, "Zameen aasmaan ka antar"!! The CX275s sounded like a cheap earphone in front of HD280 Pro. The sound is crystal clear, and damn accurate!
The weight of the headphone is just cherry on top. It's miraculously light.
The length of the cable is fairly long, more than 1 meter normally and the coiled cable can stretch upto 3+ meters easily. Strong cable, although not very rough and tough. Handle carefully because you don't want such a good pair of headphones to go waste just because your cable broke.
The only drawback in it is that the cable isn't detachable. Which may cause a fault later on.
You also get a TRS adapter pin with the headphone to connect it to an audio interface or an amplifier.
Best headphones you can expect under 10,000 for sound production. Superb Noise cancellation, superb clarity and extremely comfortable. Would have loved if I could detach the cable, other than that, no complaints.
I purchased these for my daughter’s electronic drum set so she can play at any time of day and not bother anyone.
I paired them with a FiiO A3 headphone amplifier and listened to some FLAC audio files on my PC and I was impressed. They aren’t going to make any audiophiles drool, but for those of us who aren’t, these do the job and do it very well. I played some very heavy drum tracks and was quite happy with the range. These will do fine and they’ll do even better with a decent amplifier.
They aren’t designed to be noise canceling and lots of noise came in through them when I wasn’t blasting music. It was quite shocking how well I could hear outside of them compared to my ATH-M50X headphones that I personally use. Honestly, this isn’t a problem though, and I wouldn’t take off stars.
I can’t comment on the comfort. I only wore them for an hour and they never felt uncomfortable or hurt during that time, but who knows with prolonged use.
Easy to use
Chrystal clear sound great noise cancellation &comfortable to wear for hours
Audio quality compares to studio headphones 3x the price.
Comfort is way better than the old model HD 280 Pro, but will get warm after a few hours, i find myself needing to take them off every 2-3 hours.
SO, I got sick and tired of my plugs, so I ordered these to have a better and more comfortable sound experience.
I listen to music while I work from home and it serves me so that I don’t get distracted by other things, therefore enhancing the quality of my work.
I literally just got them and plugged them in and I am beyond amazed.
The sound quality is so amazing, I had to turn it DOWN and adjust my equalizer to take a lil bass OUT!!!
I feel like I am in a coccoon of sound and music and vocals and everything washes over me from all kinds of different angles!!!! The outside world simply vanished. AWESOME!!!
It’s been a long time since I was able to enjoy music like this. It gives me goosebumps all over!!!!
FANTASTIC PRODUCT!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!
I love the curly cord on it, good quality sound
I was recommended to buy this product from a youtube video. This was for my son when he practices drums. It was always a concern to his listening while playing drums so I end up decided to buy a good headset to use also could protect himself from the big noise. Everything I have heard from him back so far is positive. I will update if anything that he doesn’t like or gone bad.
For the price the sound quality of these headphones is great, what you compromise in looks you gain in back in cost savings and sound quality. Because these are monitoring headphones by Sennheiser means lots of artists use these to create their music which in turn results in an accurate and clean music listening experience. If you’re not planning on using these headphones for general music listening then I can still recommend them for just monitoring as the ear pads cover the entire ear in a thick layer of foam while still remaining comfortable which results in outside sounds being reduced heavily and you being able to wear the headphones for long periods of time without irritation. These headphones are also great because they work with just about any headphone amp from a weak smartphone’s amp to a Schitt Asgard 2 amp. Also for anybody who likes listening to music while I dunno snowplowing then you’ll be glad to know that these work as a decent pair of earmuffs as well as being great headphones!
Insane noise isolation, very comfortable, the sound is unequalled. Only complaints I can give is they are a bit fragile (the plastic headband and the simili leather on earpads). This is my second pair, they are amazing. I use them for music and gaming on PC.
I bought these for tracking/mixing in my very low budget “home studio”
I like that they seem pretty neutral first of all. The bass is punchy, but not booming and overpowering like a pair of Beats or similarly styled headphones (I had a pair of Razers that were very bass and treble heavy). They do seem slightly midrangey, but perhaps it’s actually the speakers I’m used to that are scooped in the mids.
They’re about as comfortable as over the ear headphones can be, they just get hot as you would expect.
Now the only weird thing. The ear and head padding really gets sweaty/greasy fast. I have to wipe them off every time I use them. And I’m not some 500lb greasy dude, I’m very thin, don’t sweat a lot, and have always had sort of dry skin. Doesn’t matter if I’ve just showered and put nothing in my hair, they just look like someone’s dipped them in coconut oil after like one minute of use. Never had a pair of headphones do that before.
At first I was like: how am I gonna connect this headphone to my laptop and Ipad because of how huge the connector port is. But then after some reading I found out it has two ports, smaller one and bigger one. I just have to untwist the bigger one off then all good.
Very comfortable. I cant wait to get my microphone and start using them for my music cover hahah. Highly recommended
Product came promptly, within a day of purchase. Upon putting them on, it already cancels out noise. By the time you play music/video, you can’t hear someone speaking in front – and that’s not even when volume’s at full capacity. For the price, they’re phenomenal.
The Sennheiser HD280PRO are a solid pair of plastic headphones with very good (not great) sound, the cable is kinda bulky and can get in the way when I’m at my desk but its manageable.
Own Audio-Technica m40x , superlux 668sb , and these place 3rd overall…I love Sennheiser as a product but the 280 pro font stand up too the other 2 products
I bought these to replace my 10+ year old pair (earlier version of this same model; the cushions were getting ratty). What a great surprise to plug these in and listen! I’ve always been impressed with the articulation of my old pair, and these seem even better. They are circumaural, with the cushions sealing firmly around the outside of the ear. I had an EQ dialed in for the old pair that spiked the bass a bit, and attenuated some of the bands above 2K, which I used as a start for these. I was pleased that I could reduce my departures from a flat EQ at both high and lows ends. Dynamic range is great. Distortion low. But these phones really take the day for articulation. I have a few “standard” subjective sources I use to test clarity/articulation, and these phones just shine. I listen to a wide range of music, from drone/electronica to metal to classical. Everything sounds great on these phones!
They are fairly light, fold up compactly, and are comfortable. They come with a good length coiled cord (not detachable), with a 1/4″ standard plug, with a 1/8″ adapter included (screws on, so it won’t get lost or left behind–kind of a nice touch). I’ve always found that all headphones/earbuds drive me nuts after a long wear, and these clamp down pretty firmly to seal, so I have to take breaks. Worth it.
Outside sound attenuation is good (passively provided by that circumaural seal/cushions).
I had an older pair of HD 280 PRO’s that I acquired around 2009. Bought a new pair in 2017. I have to say, something must have changed. My 2009 pair is still going strong (lost a bit of material around the headband, otherwise fine). My 2017 pair is already losing material off the padding for the ears. My pattern of usage has not changed, if anything the 2017 pair has been used less (since I’ve kept it mostly at home).
Some things have not changed: the sound quality is still amazing, better than anything else I’ve ever seen at this price point (and better than some substantially more expensive headphones I’ve tried). Overall build quality is still good. It’s just the long-term durability seems to have suffered somehow.
I will probably buy another pair since they’re so cheap, but I’m keeping my eye out now to see if I should consider other options, whereas last time the choice was a slam dunk.
My mom is hard of hearing, so when she watches TV in the same room with me she turns it up. However, I can put these on and block it out — at least as well as when I turn on the sound cancelling in my Bose QC25’s. If you want to isolate yourself for work, play, gaming, or other activities, these are a reasonably priced alternative to other noice cancelling headphones.
If you want a drop dead great pair of headphones for the price, get these. You get the Sennheiser brand, with Neumann engineering (Sennheiser purchased Neumann). The 90% who just want to enjoy music without all the additional cost of DAC, preamps, etc., you will definitely appreciate these headphones. If you ARE an audiophile, I’m betting you’ll like these as a great backup pair (or even your main).
The box they come in is not the best, but you are not paying for the packaging, you’re after what’s inside.
When I initially put them on, they were quite snug, which makes wearing them for long times a little tedious. So I’m currently working on loosening them up a bit.
It has a 1/8″ jack and a 1/4″ adapter for larger plugs. I’ve not tried them with the larger jack.
If you want a great listening experience, need some noise cancellation, and don’t want to spend half your paycheck on a set of headphones, I definitely recommend them.
I wanted a set of closed-back headphones that presented a neutral sound. These fit the bill exactly. Compared to many other closed-back headphones (like the Audio Technical ATH-M50x, or the Shure SRH840), these are more mid-forward in their sound and softer in the high-end. If you’re switching between headsets rapidly, the differences are stark. But after about 5 minutes of listening, I settled in to the new sound signature and actually prefer it for long listening sessions. The noise suppression (not cancellation) is great. For the price, this is a very good performing headphone that rivals ones I own that are significantly more expensive.
These are the first pair of reference headphones I’ve ever used, and I am not using them for professional use. My reason for buying them is the sound isolation. I needed headphones that do not leak sound and disturb my sleeping wife.
After some research, these headphones were my best choice. They indeed isolate sound. I have a pair of ballistic ear cups rated to reduce 27 decibels, and they are built for shooting guns. These are quite comparable, meaning they keep in a similar amount of sound.
I’m not even going to rate the sound quality, because I’m not using any professional equipment. I will say that it seems as close to true sound as my equipment will allow. The hdr output from one of my video games gives me a much better idea of where other players are in 3D space.
As for comfort, these are quite nice. The only thing that causes discomfort is actually the cable. It is too heavy. My neck gets stiff from the subtle tilt the heavy cable induces.
Which brings me to the main criticism I have of this product. The cable is a heavy duty cable with straight sections on both ends. It cannot be removed, or I would have removed it on day one. However, on day three I had to go to Amazon and buy a male to female audio cable (extender). While both ends of the cable are engineered to be quite strong, even the strongest cables will wear out with that amount of stress. The coiled section of this cable is far too heavy for its short length. Without the extender attached, these headphones are unusable due to discomfort and concern for damaging the product. So add $8-15 to the price unless you have such a cable.
ow i’m comparing these to several great in ear buds, bose noise cancelling bus, and cheaper full size headsets, but this sound blows them away. i use them for backing music when i’m playing my electronic drums. the cancelling of the stick hits, the mix of drums and music is perfect. also, i hear instruments and details in these i’ve never heard before.
I received my headphones today and hoped that they would be what I needed to be able to listen to Old Time Radio Programmes on a small USB MP3 Player. The plug for the cable fit perfectly! I love how I just had to unscrew it from the showing larger plug. It also fit into my lap top, and a Dr. J Portable DVD/CD Player that I purchased from Amazon as well.
The sound is good. They are NOT noise cancelling. I have Sennheiser HDR170 wireless headphones that are supposed to be noise cancelling and closed back, as the HD280 Pros are supposed to be, and they are not also.
I read that people mentioned that when they moved the cable, it made noise in the reception. I don’t hear any kind of static, but when I touch the headphones or the cable, I hear a deep noise which is invasive, but they are not wireless, so I expected to sit in place when I listened with them.
The old radio broadcasts I planned to take with me and listen to while riding the bus, or sitting in the park. I know, this makes me sound very old. My only fear of using the headphones is some unscrupulous person admiring them, and think that I should make a present of them to them. Not to worry. I just looked at them and the Sennheiser name is not printed on them like my other pair.
I hope that they do not break as some other buyers said it happened to them, or that one or both headphones go out. One thing I found with my wireless headphones is that when the sound goes out on one of them, the battery is loose. I just push it back in and it works.
Over all, tonight, I like them. I hope as long as I have liked listening with my wireless headphones for the last, possibly five years.
Me encant la calidad del sonido, la verdad tuve que probar diversas canciones para ver todo su potencial porque me quede sorprendido. Lo que no me gusta es que el cable no se puede desmontar (est unido permanentemente) entonces al daase este, habr que comprar otros audfonos. De momento me siento muy satisfecho con la compra. Realmente el uso fuerte que le doy es para practicar guitarra y edicin de audio. Ya veremos como se comporta con el paso del tiempo.
These headphones are studio monitors, so they have a very flat response. I like them for home use, I can add any “sweetening” to the sound myself. Although they are not noise suppressing as such, the degree of isolation is very impressive.
They are very lightweight but still sturdy. My last Sennheisers lasted 40 years, I think these will do the same.
If you’re like me and you’re used to earbuds or just cheap cans, these are whole new experience. The difference is immediately noticeable. I’m a drummer and I use these to practice with, and they’re just excellent. I’m not an expert in this area by any means, but these are by far the best headphones I’ve personally ever encountered.
They are my go to headphones for audio engineering, live sound and DJing. Very versatile and great sound. Best bang for the buck
I play the drums so all I have to do is put them on and practice my favourite tunes!
Soy streamer de videojuegos y estos audfonos don superiores a cualquier marca de gaming del mercado. Todas las frecuencias de sonido se perciben.
Very pleased with product . My partner uses it daily and loves the quality
Can’t judge just used a day seems durable and has wide frequency response, love flat sound details
This product.
I admire the power of sound, and in doing so i found different headsets are good for different applications. i have a set for gaming (razer tiamat (buy them it’s like being able to see through walls)) i have an alienware for general wear and tear, but as i inched forward to a career in AV i found myself needing a solid middle of the road headset that was also comfortable enough to do work in. this has hit the marks for quality and versatility as well as remaining comfortable on the head for extended periods.
its cheap but doesn’t compromise. the bass isn’t blown out like in the beats and the treble is clear and crisp which i appreciate. if you are doing on location work it isolates enough for live monitoring for boom or condenser mics as well as being fold-up-able to fit in our already overstuffed audio bag. its a great essentials piece for your budding kit if you are looking for something that does this job.
I have several of these for recording. So far these seem to have the best combination of festures for the price. Be aware that ones ears tend to get a bit sweaty using them. Otherwise good sound quality, better theb the similarly priced competitors I’ve tried so far for sound isolation.
Esta nueva versin cambi muy poco su diseo, pero es mucho mas cmoda de usar que la versin anterior, lo nico que no me gusto fue el cable, a mi parecer es de una calidad inferior que el de la versin anterior, la espiral es un poco mas pequea y el largo tambin lo siento un poco menos extensible. En cuanto a la calidad del sonido es EXCELENTE, yo compongo msica con Cubase e instrumentos virtuales y los uso para mezcla y se escuchan fabulosos, pero en comparacin con la versin anterior, la calidad de audio es la misma, no cambi en absoluto, se escuchan idnticos para mi Excelente calidad a muy bajo precio.
Holy shmoly! This is the best VFM headsets. I own a Sony MDR 7506 also. I play the drums. This is super nice detail wise. Nothing sounds washed.
Needed something as pro as I could get, on a fairly tight budget, and these were a great find!
Cannot complain, both for mixing audio as much as listening to music, they’re the best cans I’ve owned so far and the noise cancelling is pretty impressive. Would definately recommend.
Sound quality is perfect for mixing and video editing—even on the go. These are flat monitors that have significant noise reduction. I’ve trusted them for 10 years and this is my second pair. The first broke because I jammed it in a camera bag EXTREMELY tightly against some gear, and it split in half at the top revealing a somewhat thin structural metal inside. I was by no means disappointed though to buy a replacement set, even after looking at comparable products. Though the model hasn’t changed much over the years, the newer 280 Pro has slightly more comfortable head cushion due to its cleaved cutout design that seemingly hugs my head tighter and somewhat more evenly. The one downside has always been the sound of the cord as it drags across your body or desk, which is most audible in the left side. But they’re still as loud as ever, flat and packing significant clarity, with heavy noise dampening that allows you to drop in and easily get to work in a professional way—virtually anywhere.
A great inexpensive studio quality set of headphones. I’ve never been disappointed with any Sennheiser product.
Los he estado usando por un ao para escuchar el metrnomo mientras grabo, y para monitoreo, son accesibles, por si necesitas unos buenos audfonos cerrados, a buen precio, los Sennheiser HD 280 te encantarn.
Excelentes audfonos de referencia lineal, los uso para mezclar y la vdd si da un sonido excelente, solo los bajos si se amplifican un poco y que son cerrados, los combin con unos audfonos abiertos y el resultado es espectacular realmente los recomiendo
By far the best headphones I have owned. The audio quality is fantastic, they do an excellent job blocking outside noise, and they are comfortable even for long periods of time. My only gripe with the design is the curled cord, which can be inconvenient until it relaxes from regular use. I have to plug them into the back of my desktop to prevent static from electrical interference, so the tension on the cord was somewhat concerning for me. However, I imagine most people will prefer it to a straight cord.
My first pair lasted several years before they started occasionally losing sound in the right side. Gently tapping them on my desk fixed the issue, but it got annoying after some time, so I ordered a new pair. Prior to that, I had no issues with durability. Despite my occasional bad treatment, nothing ever broke or cracked (as has happened with so many other headphones).
Definitely recommend buying these rather than wasting money every year or two on cheaper headphones.
My only concern is that the frequency range is definitely not comparable to something like my Audio Technica m50x’s, although, it does make the mid-range slightly easier to focus on and mix with these. My overall opinion is that these are great starter headphones or extra headphone monitors, but I would not suggest these for your go-to, top of the line headphones monitors.
After a lot of research I bought these and I am happy I did. Great for playing drums. Excellent sound, noise reduction and price.
he sound features and specs were as advertised. very satisfied-comfortable fit-i m rarely disappointed when listening to music using sennheiser phones-durable too as these replaced my old sennheiser phones which were around too long-30 yrs- and still refusing to die.
So I first tried a pair of Sony “noise cancelling” headphones which were decent phones musically, but blocked intrusive sounds very poorly. Continuing to suffer under the aural assault of “Foghorn Leghorn”, I continued to read reviews in search of a true noise-blocking phones. What I learned was that true noise CANCELLING headphones have a white noise generator which masks sounds. This is great for users who need to block out mechanical sounds from engines, machinery, etc. but not so great for office loudmouths and chatter. For that you need a headphone which uses an over-the-ear cushion, similar to the industrial hearing protectors. That’s just what these phones have, coupled with excellent sound quality. When I use these phones at work and have music playing, ol’ Foghorn Leghorn is just a whisper.
In addition, these headphones are very well made with quality materials, are easy to adjust, and bring ne2 life to your music.
Purchased this to use with my Bass Guitar effects box so I can practice without shaking the house. I wanted something with a long, but light cord, to allow for plenty of movement. These are fantastic.
Both the headphones themselves, and the thin cord, are very light so the neck muscles do not get tired, yet the cord is very long. It fits very comfortably over the ears and reduces surrounding noise.
Initially I thought the ear pieces angled too much with the crosspiece centered on my head, but soon realized it was fine, so give them some time to grow on you.
I use them every night and doubly on weekends for hours without them becoming burdensome.
Now for the sound, fantastic low end so even a 5-string bass comes through cleanly. In fact, it was so good I started using them with my PC instead of the wireless non-cupping type. After that I started using them with my mobile as well, sticking extra cord in pockets. The sound is clear well up until the high frequencies.
They even double for use with my recording/mixing setup as monitors where the reduction in background noise is a big plus.
Not the best noise canceling feature on the market but it does it’s job for my needs, when in my home office.
In short – Do buy these for comfort, noise isolation, and clarity
Don’t buy these for an audiophile bass heavy experience.
Great sound as expected from Sennheiser. I have a large head and its not quite as comfortable as I hoped. The material on the cups wore away and exposed the foam. Will be replacing them with better than oem. The top two pads dig into my head and leave impressions in my short hair and even scalp.
Oh god I’d just received my headphone and OooO amazing sound , so pure, the isolation is quite significant as well, it’s just a little tight around my head that’s why I gave it 4* , it’s not that comfort expected
sound is great, noise cancelling works wonderfully. only slight issue I had was took quite a while to stretch out and stop squeezing my skull but might just be a me issue, anyways 4.2/5 one of the best pair I own and that say a lot considering the low price. good purchase.
After leaving it on a mannequin head for a month, its the proper size for me. The sound quality is superior as always from Sennheise
Auerdem kann man im Internet auch nahezu alle Ersatzteile finden, sollte nach vielen Jahren der intensiven Nutzung mal etwas ausfallen.
Bassi profondi, alta qualit.
Mi sarebbe piaciuto il cavo pi leggero e che si stacca dalla cuffia
I loved them the moment I wore them. I hear what I want to hear (everything) and it’s comftorble. Only downside, you don’t look that cool wearing them in public hahaha
For the price, they are quite nice. Purchased for my GF to use while gaming. I’ve also used them that, and they work well. Clamping pressure isn’t too much, and they fit nicely for her small noggin and my big one. Sound profile is pretty neutral, which is expected from monitors. I’ll likely swap out the cable for a detachable straight cable, but there isn’t anything wrong with the regular cable…just personal preference.
The hubs loves these headphones. He’s been listening to music nonstop now since Christmas. So maybe avoid these if you have major household projects for him, as they will definitely not get done before your parents visit.
UPDATE: Two years later…
I just received my third pair of these headphones (needed another set for a YouTube studio project). That might offer a good indicator of their value both on the day of unboxing and over the long haul. I’m very satisfied with these headphones!
Original review follows…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I got these because I hate Canada’s CBC Radio. My landlord has it on constantly and it drives me crazy. It’s smug, Leftist Propaganda 24/7. But it’s not my house and I love the old man, and I’m not about to demand he turn off his beloved radio station, so instead I ordered these headphones to use when I’m at home. -In an effort to cut the noise and also so that I might listen to my own choice of music and podcasts, etc.
As a sound blocker, they sort of work; if the radio is set to a low volume, then I can mostly tune out the CBC blather. If I have my own audio playing through this headset, then it effectively blocks out everything, placing me in my own audio sound scape.
Thing is.., I don’t always want to be listening to something. I like it just to be quiet sometimes. So I might just have to get some proper hearing protection ear muffs. -It’s too bad that they don’t make a set of hearing protection muffs with a wired audio connection! (All you can get are ones with radios in them. Not useful.)
On the plus side…
These headphones have an excellent sound far superior to all other consumer grade sets I’ve used. They are snug and comfortable and they do block out noise enough to take the edge off an annoying environment.
On the con side…
There’s not much to complain about, but I will note:
The input cable is attached to the base of one ear cup, and like a stethoscope, every bump the wire makes against a desk, and every brush against your pants leg, is transmitted to your ear. So even without an electronic audio signal, it can make noise. It can be annoying if you don’t manage the cables properly, and there’s not much you can do about it other than try to ignore it, -or play something over it, in which case, the issue vanishes.
Over time, this issue has vanished from my awareness. Like I said; it’s a small issue and will likely affect any wired headset.
great sound quality, didn’t like how it looks but im using it at home so that didnt bother me at all
I produce music and am a recording artist. These are a great set of headphones for the price and have very accurate and detailed response.
Good sound,a bit tigh on the head but adjustable,”phone” cord a bit annoying but overall,a good headset for a Sennheiser for this price.Recommend.
Nice sonic isolation very comfortable and cord ia the right length. Audio quality is good but not amazing.
Buena calidad de audio y comodidad, no me quedan quejas al respecto
Love the audio, a little tight for 8 hours of wear.. but I think it just needs to be worn a bit more.
Works great, wonderful sound, but unfortunately there’s a problem with the cord in the right earphone which prevents it from working, and it happened after only 6 months of regular studio use. Quite a shame. Not a good design to have such a flimsy little rubber cord be exposed on the outside AND be twisting around with the headphones (since they’re flexible and can move a lot.) Should’ve made the cord a bit more reinforced and sturdy instead of this flimsy little thing that broke.
I play bass guitar with a church praise team; I have used these headphones for a number of months now. I prefer over-ear headphones to the in-ear monitors, namely because of enhanced bass frequencies, and also comfort. These headphones deliver very well for both sound and comfort. They are on the larger side, but if your primary concern is sonic quality, these are a very good choice. They fold up easily to fit in a case. I plan to hold on this pair for a long time.
Headphones definitely have a lot of clamping force, but not so much that they are “painful” as others have stated (and I have a somewhat large head).
I used the Wicked Cushions made for my ATH-M50X’S on here and it made them WAY more comfortable than the stock cushions. Highly recommend those pads.
These headphones have a nice flat sound, and listening to them on my Fiio X1 with EQ off they sound fantastic.
Very happy with this purchase, can’t wait for them to be broken in.
Well built. Sound accurate to me .. though given my overall audio acuity, take that with a grain of salt.
These headphones have a dynamic range, and from a flat signal have good clarity and plentiful bass. They are very heavy and slip off of your head easily. It’s very strange to me how these headphones can reproduce the highest of high frequencies and yet have trouble reproducing ambient and reverb sounds such as echoes in music and movies . I would almost compare this to listening to a cassette tape with the Dolby noise reduction system turned on on the tape deck.
Great sound for the money but they are heavy and that probably comes with the territory to get such good sound. I had to stretch them with a book between overnight as the company said. My wife did not find the phones uncomfortable but i felt it was tight and my head is small to med mens. I won’t buy a different choice cause the sound is so good. The cord is way stronger than the 202s old ones i loved that broke cords a lot.
Absolutely perfect for me, and probably for you too! New job with lots of video production and wanted to choose a great pair for myself, and not on the budget of the company, and perfect choice I might say!
Pros: sound is so well rounded it’s unbelievable!
Extremely comfortable
Great at noise cancellation
Cons: might get a little hot around the ears after a while, but I’m not gonna really consider that a con – especially if you really need to get concentrating.
Do I recommend them? You bet! Also opted for the CASEBUDi carrying case. Nice and soft interior.
Pretty good headphones. Comfortable & blocks out a reasonable amount of noise. My one complaint (and it’s a big one) is the lack of bass output. I don’t need my eardrums to thump, but the amount of bass output is comical. It’s also not a case of “Yeah but this is how the engineer &/or producer wanted the song to sound like” because every single other pair of headphones I own (regardless of price) puts put more bass. I have to adjust the EQ on my phone to get an acceptable amount of bass thru these. Then if I use different headphones later, I have to adjust it back down. The highs & mids are emphasized & the bass is largely forgotten.
With that being said, with proper EQ adjustment these do sound really nice. For around $100 these are a very good buy. I still recommend them, but if you like a little more bass (not even “bass head” level, but just a normal to slightly above normal amount) then keep that in mind before you buy.
To be clear, I did read all of the reviews so I was aware of the lack of bass. I went ahead and pulled the trigger anyway, because I did not expect it to be this deficient. Even my slim JVC over ear headphones have vastly superior bass output.
I still give these 4 stars due to the noise isolation & comfort of the pads. Increase the bass output on the next revision & I’ll give ya 5 stars.
I got these for studio monitoring while tracking loud electric guitar. They are perfect for that. I need headphones that block out external sound form my amps, so I can hear the other tracks with which I am playing–without having to turn up the volume to ear-damaging levels. I was impressed by the specs that claim HD280 Pro has great sound isolation. Before the HD280 pros, I had been using an old drummer’s trick–industrial earmuffs over ear buds. That worked great to block out the sound, but was uncomfortable for long sessions, and a bit cumbersome for on/off, and did not have the best sound.
At first, I was not impressed with the sound isolation from the HD280 Pros. They do attenuate the high frequencies, but the low-mids and lows still get through. Honestly, the sound isolation claims for these headphones are way overblown, so hard hitting drummers or guitarists who play REALLY loud may wish to use specialized isolation headphones in favor of the HD280 Pro, to preserve their hearing. But for my use (loud, but not insane, guitar amps), I found I preferred the amount of leakage in the HD280 Pro over the nearly total isolation of muffs or drummer cans. I felt it kept me more connected to my playing than my previous setup, with which I relied solely on the in-ear monitor feed to hear my own guitar, since all outside sounds were blocked.
I do have to turn the level up in the HD280 Pros, a bit louder than when using isolation muffs, to hear the background tracks over my cranked amp–but still not to levels that will damage my hearing. And the HD280 Pro’s extreme comfort is a welcome improvement. More importantly, the SOUND quality of the HD280 is far superior to my prior setup. I was surprised to find the superior sound inspires my instrumental performance, and makes me feel and play better. These sounded great with virtually no break in. I imagine they will only improve over time.
For really, really loud recording situations (requiring near total isolation), or mixing use (requiring a more neutral frequency response, and more natural soundstage than HD280Pro), I think other, specialized headphones would be a better bet.
I highly recommend these to other guitarists for monitoring while recording—they have the perfect combination of features for it. They would also be terrific for vocalists or voice over performers, since the HD280Pros have sufficient isolation to keep the playback from leaking into sensitive vocal microphones. Also good for general listening, when you want to keep much (but not all) of the outside sounds out, or keep your music from being heard by others.
Very good phones. Comfortable and excellent range and reproduction. For a good price. Noise cancelling adds to the reproduction… quite noticeable.
One thing to be aware of, which I’ve seen on other reviews where ratings were lowered, is the cord. This is a vintage style, coiled cord, with a 3.5 mm male that has a 1/4 adapter that screws on. If you think that the coil will be getting in the way as some have stated, get yourself an extension cable of maybe 10 feet or so to make up for the stretch. Also, the cord is not something that can be unplugged from the headphone and replaced. It’s hard wired into the earpiece. Still, not something that a few extra dollars can’t fix by buying an extension for them. The sound you get from this product for the price you pay is way too good to be writing them off because of a coiled cord.
In some other reviews they’ve been labeled as flat and without vibrancy, and granted that’s not what you’re buying them for. But the sound they put out is pure and simple, you hear every instrument and every note. Don’t expect a driving bass that will thump you out of your chair. And don’t expect the high trills to shatter your glasses (or ear drums). I can’t wait to get them on the mixer and see what they’re capable of! Once I do, I’ll be back to update this review. But until then, they’re 5 stars all the way!
These are wonderful headphones. Powerful and bold. Very clear sound. Jumping into water in games like subnautica is booming and awesome. BUUUUT!!!!!
1- SOUND ACCURACY- *good but not perfect*
Deep bass on these- which you generally won’t hear too often, is not very accurately reproduced. It will sound weak on these, yet on surround speaker or car speaker sets will be booming.
There are other kinds of sounds that can have the opposite issue- sounding powerful on these but weak on your speaker sets.
One of the big reasons I got these, was how many tech sites said they are about the most accurate set of cans. I haven’t used enough sets to know for sure if this really is as good as it gets, I just know when writing music I have to use my speakers sometimes to make adjustments because the headphones are not quite accurate enough. They ARE accurate for what the sounds are, just not the volume levels of various instruments.
2- HEAVY DUTY CORD BENDS THE PLUG!
The CORD- It was praised in reviews but I disagree.
It’s a wound up spiral cord like a telephone has. This gives you great range if you stretch it out, but stretching out will likely just unplug it with all the added force tugging on the ends, so it isn’t that useful a design anyways. The worst part is how much weight it has in a small area because it’s a very long cord but wound up. And oddly enough it actually bent the plug that goes into the speakers after the cord was hanging down constantly- pulling on the plug. After a while my plug was in a c shape. After carefully bending it back to being straight it works okay, but now I have to make sure the cord is supported up so it doesn’t happen again. If you buy this headset make sure you understand what I mean by this and plan for this. It’s a soft metal they used here and it bends easy plus the cord is very heavy. The cord is annoying to hold on my lap as it inserts into the left can which is also another design flaw. Everyone on their computers will be plugging these into the RIGHT speaker, to your RIGHT, so the cord should insert into the RIGHT headset can- so the cord doesn’t have to lay across your lap and get in the way.
CONCLUSION
Those few problems are enough to get me to drop it to 4 stars. While I have only ever used a dozen or so headsets in my lifetime and these are the best- it just isn’t comfy to wear these for long hard hours. They clamp down on your head pretty hard, and are not a relaxed fit like my old THOR-X which I end up preferring over these for the comfort alone. Still wonderful quality of sound, definitely better then my thor-x, but I generally only need these where I feel I really need that extra powerful sound.
The one downside is that the cord has been awkward. It’s heavy and coiled, but it’s short enough that I’m always needing to stretch it, which is uncomfortable if not problematic when I need to move around. A straight cord or a longer cord would have worked a lot better in my setup.
Great value! Sennheiser is my go-to for quality headphones at a reasonable price. I use mine with my band to monitor our practices. Great for on the floor recordings and live monitoring.
I bought these sennheiser headphones thinking i was going to get a mediocre audio experience when I first tried these headphones I was Shocked the audio quality was amazing no crackling at high volume and crystal clear audio in my opinion better than my Bose quite comfort 35s
Pros
-Great Sound Quality
-Good Build Quality
-Well Packaged
-Strong coiled cable
Cons
– big bulky desig