jwhitakr's Full Review: Sennheiser HD 280 Professional Headphones
Background
I have used these headphones for almost 2 years now. They are currently plugged into my home PC, where they are used primarily for listening to MP3’s and playing games. I have also used them to watch movies by connecting them to my home theater receiver. I have not taken them with me on any trips or tried to use them as portable headphones, although they are collapsible. I did quite a bit of research prior to purchasing these headphones and also listened to a number of headphones in stores and at friend’s houses. The decision came down to the Sennheiser HD-280 versus a pair of Grado SR125’s. I decided on the Sennheiser’s based on my sample listening, all of the positive reviews I had read, and the fact that they were not as expensive.
Basic info on the Headphones
These headphones are part of the Sennheiser DJ/Studio line, which basically just means they have a closed-back design that helps to block out external noise. They are rated by the manufacturer to reduce up to 32 dB of external noise. They fall into the mid-range in terms of the overall line of Sennheiser headphones, fitting between less expensive offerings (such as the HD-202 and HD-212) and more expensive offerings (such as the HD-580). They have a coiled 3m (9.84 feet) cable that attaches to the base of the left-side ear cup. They are rated up to 102 dB sound pressure level.
They are black in color with padded ear cups and a pad on the top of the band that goes across the top of your head. The ear cups are padded and made of some sort of fake leather material. The total weight of the headphones, without the cable, is 220 g (7.76 ounces).
All of the parts of the headphones that are subject to wear and tear, which include the ear cups, headband padding and coiled cord, are replaceable in the case that they should wear out or break altogether.
The headband can be adjusted to fit the size of your head. They can also be folded up to allow them to be transported, or to just save storage space when not in use.
Included in the Box
1) Headphones
2) .25" adapter (for plugging into your stereo or other non-mini jacks)
3) Instruction manual
My Use of the Headphones:
Sound Quality -
Sound quality is the most important headphones characteristic for me, and that is the reason I was willing to pay a little more than the average price for headphones. Initially, these headphones took 3-4 days of a break-in period before they really started to shine. I left them running at about 1/2 volume for 3 days straight. After that, boy oh boy did they sound nice! The clarity of the music and sound effects is superb, with smooth response across all bass, mid’s and high’s. I was most impressed by the bass produced by these headphones – no muddiness or boominess at all. The bass is clean and pronounced without being overstated. Mid’s and high’s are also very smooth without sounding harsh or artificial. I would say that these headphones were on par with the other high-end headphones I listened to (I would say the sound quality is quite similar to the Grado SR60’s that I listened to at a friend’s house).
Listening to some my favorite CD’s and MP3’s - Seether, Three Days Grace, Linkin Park, Audioslave, Breaking Benjamin and Beastie Boys (to name a few) - all sounded better than my previous pair of Sony headphones (an older pair, I am not sure of the model number). The music sounded richer and more detailed with the Sennheisers.
These headphones also excel when using them to watch movies. I have connected them to my home theater receiver and watched movies – Swingers and Snatch to name a couple examples. The experience is quite different than watching a movie with 5.1 surround sound, but I was still able to clearly hear the depth of the musical tracks and the small ambient sounds of the movies. If you are happy with watching movies at a distance of 10 ft. or less, these headphones work very well for watching movies late at night when you can’t crank up the 5.1 sound.
Comfort -
I have found the HD280’s to be quite comfortable, even for long sessions of use. They are definitely heavier than most other headphones, but I do not notice the weight when I am wearing them. The padded ear cups are soft and don’t put a whole lot of pressure on your ears, although they do put more pressure than most open-back design headphones. The pressure is evenly distributed around the cups, so there are no “pressure points” that cause discomfort during long sessions of use. The padded headband does help to keep the headphones fitting comfortably on my head, but it does have a tendency to mess up my hair. Luckily, this is not a big concern of mine. :-)
Updated: 11/14/2005
The HD280’s fit around your ears – so the cups are big enough that they are meant to fit around your ears instead of sitting directly on them. I think that this helps contribute to the comfort, as there is no direct pressure on your ears. However, if you have large ears like I do, the top part of your ear does come in contact with the cups. I find that after about 90 minutes of continuous use, they get uncomfortable and I need to take a break and take off the headphones. I rarely use the headphones for that length of time without taking a break, so this is not an issue for me.
Blocking Out External Sound -
These headphones generally do a very good job of blocking out external sound. Just putting them on, with no sound being played through them, requires a person next to you to nearly shout in order to hear and understand them. If you start playing music, almost all household sounds become inaudible. This is nice for really focusing on the music or the sounds coming through the headphones, and it really allows you to become engrossed in whatever game, music or movie you are experiencing through the headphones.
Conclusion
Overall, these headphones have been outstanding and I am very happy with them. They have gotten many hours of use over the last 2 years, and they have been completely reliable with no degradation in sound quality or comfort. They are a bit pricier than other headphones, but are worth the investment if you plan to do a lot of listening at home and enjoy the higher level of sound quality that a good pair of headphones can provide.
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