jazz976's Full Review: Sennheiser HD 280 Professional Headphones
I bought my HD-280s a while ago after reading great reviews about all the headphones in the Sennheiser line. These cans continue their tradition of incredible sound and great design.
Physical stuff
Make no mistake, these are full size headphones, meant for studio use. I use them for much more than that (I even sometimes walk around with them looking like a doofus), but you should know that they are quite large, especially around the headband - if you don't have a lot of hair to cover up the band, prepare to look really strange. But that's the only bad thing about these. Other physical stuff: the earpads are thick and cushy, quite comfortable to wear for hours on end (though not without the usual sweat that is to be expected from closed cans). There is a small amount of padding on the headband, but I don't notice any discomfort; worry not. The cord is single-sided (left side) and is coiled. One thing about that: this coil isn't like a phone cord that is incredibly elastic. That's a good thing - if you walk away from your source, you won't pull it off the desk. The plug is 1/8", and it comes with an adapter that screws on (not one you can buy at RadioShack, it actually screws into the plug) to plug into 1/4" sources. The earphones swivel, allowing you to lie them flat on a table or in a suitcase, and the entire unit folds up into something a little bigger than a grapefruit.
Sound
Obviously, the most important factor in headphones is the sound quality. To put it simply, the sound quality in the 280s is wonderful. You hear so much more by listening on these. For instance, I was listening to Cannonball Adderly Sextet Live at the Village Vanguard, and I could hear bits and pieces of conversations going on at tables in the jazz club. Which reminds me, most of the listening I do is jazz, so that's what I recommend these for. I also listen to a bit of classic rock, but nothing really bass intensive, so I couldn't tell you how well these fare in that category. However jazz has a lot of background bass, and I can hear that kind of stuff perfectly. Another issue with sound is the fact that these cancel a TON of noise. I can be listening to music at a relatively low volume and still not hear people walk into the room, or even people shouting at me. These are comparable to the Bose QuietComfort Headsets in the amount of noise they cancel, only the Bose are $200 more expensive and require batteries. I have worn these on airplanes and almost completely shut out the engine noise, allowing me to sleep (yes, they're comfortable enough to sleep in).
Burn-in
After reading that these sound much better after "burning them in" so many times, I decided to do that. I didn't actually listen to them beforehand, so I can't really tell you if there's a difference. All I know is that I burned them in for about 3 days straight and now I have incredible sound. Since it's not too much trouble to put them under a pillow and pump up the volume in a stereo, and leave, I suggest doing this. Breaking in works for boots, why wouldn't it work for headphones?
In general, I would recommend these to anyone who's looking for a pair of phones with really good value. I got mine for $80, while Sony sells comparable models for more than double that. Great sound, comfortable, and noise canceling. Just make sure you don't walk around too much with them.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.