Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones by Sennheiser
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Digital camera reviews of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
Digital camera Review: 2 years later
Summary: 4 Stars
Alright, I'm not a heavy user, but I will start off by saying that I have not experienced any of these problems with these headphones as far as breaking or anything like that (my dog actually ate them once, but only did serious damage to one of the earpads, which was easily replaced).
With that out of the way, I'll focus on two major areas: sound and comfort. I'll assume that if you're looking at these, you probably know what you want them for, so I'll skip over portability, looks, etc.
SOUND: After owning my 280s for 2 years now, I can offer a pretty informed insight on this. They are very good, but will probably not blow your mind. I'm no audiophile, but I know that there are certain areas where these cans could use some work. While they offer exceptional performance in the mids and pretty good highs, you'll probably want to put your bass boost setting on with these guys. There's not really any graininess or distortion of the lows, but you definitely get the sense that they could use a little more punch.
As far as noise cancellation goes, while they do not ACTIVELY block out noise, they are closed and as such do a pretty good job of blocking out noise simply by their design.
COMFORT: When it comes to comfort, it's going to be either hit or miss, based on the size of your head. For me, it does seem a little tight, although some may consider it snug and well-fitting. They do have a little bit of heft to them, but it's only noticeable when lying down, when they really seem to fall off (or more accurately, rotate off of my head, as the snug fit keeps the cans themselves in place around the ears.
However, if you have a reasonably sized head, I think you'll really like this product. The ear pads are very soft and I've never had any problems with comfort other than that fit on my large head. The weight is something to take into consideration though. They'll certainly work with your iPod, but between the length of the cord and the weight of the product, you might want to look at open, portable options like the PX100 instead, which I highly recommend.
In conclusion, this is an excellent set of headphones with the following set of pros and cons:
PROS
-great mids and really good highs
-excellent clarity
-very comfortable, especially in the earpads and band, just a little snug
-the long cord is useful for those of you looking to use this set for home theater or perhaps at your computer
CONS
-bass could use a little more punch
-a little snug for those of you with large heads
-some have experienced durability issues, although I have not
-A little big; long cord does not really lend itself to use on the go
IN CONCLUSION
I recommend this set of headphones for people who have reasonably sized heads and might want some cans to use with home theater, games, etc. However, I would not recommend this set for someone looking for portability, open-sound, or a bargain. For that, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Sennheiser PX100. Sennheiser PX 100 Lightweight Collapsible Headphones
Digital camera Review: 4 years and running, still the best cans I've owned
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had a pair of these for over 4 years now, and they remain my go-to set of headphones. The sound quality is amazing for this price range, the portability is fantastic with it's multiple folding angles and I would trust my pair on any trip. Mine has been from L.A. to WA,AZ, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and beyond without breaking a sweat.
I would recommend these to any one of my musician and recording friends if they didn't have a pair in their collection already.
Digital camera Review: 8 YEARS AND GOING - BUYING A 2ND SET
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had these headphones for 8 years now. Gaming. Music. Movies. Travel. Office. Home. Yes a bit of plastic broke here and there. Yes the wrapping over the foam ear piece crumbled off. But 8 years down the line they still clutch my skull like the day I bought them, and deliver the same great sound. Do the math, $100/8 years...cheaper than your $20 headset that lasts a month before breaking. I think I'll buy another set while I'm here. $70 is a steal.Digital camera Review: ===Sound===
Summary: 5 Stars
When recording music you really want to hear your music loud and clear with HQ sound; this is one of the best features I found when using the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro Headphones apart from the price which compared to some of the other high end headphones is way below the expected. Also the bass was more than i expected and really put me in the zone, and for those who live in a noisy city like New York the noise cancellation is great when people come on the subway carts asking for donation. I will definitely recommend them to any one who has a music studio or for simple home use.Digital camera Review: A Recent review for people wondering, is this headset still relevant?
Summary: 4 Stars
When I was looking for a great set of headphones, the first thing i did was go to cnet.com and see what their highest rated headphones were. This pair won the editors choice award back in 2004 and had a 4 star rating from both the experts and consumers.
So next i went and looked here on amazon and looked at the customer reviews. they were very positive for the most part, but the most recent review was two years old. my question was, are these headphones still relevant even though they have been on the market so long?
I just got them in the mail today, and I would have to say yes. Im no audiophile, but i do like a good quality headphone. I have a pair of klipsch s4's and they offer an amazing sound for the 80 dollar price tag. I used to own a pair of bose triport over the ear headphones that put me back 130 bucks, and those lasted me a good 8 years. I wouldnt say i have an extensive knowledge of the market or anything or of high quality headphones, but i am interested in a quality listening experience.
My first impressions were that the headphones seemed like a very sturdy build. I have read about plastic cracking and so on, I will have to keep an eye out for that. Them seem to be high quality and very sturdy. They are fairly large and bulky, although if you are looking at over the ear headphones thats probably not necessarily a concern to you. the cord seems thick and sturdy.
The leather is comfortable, but a little stiff. im sure this will change with use.
a couple things i did not expect is that the headphones did not block out as much sound as i thought they would. When i wore them and turned on music i could hardly hear anything outside of my headphones, but while wearing them without music on i could hear plenty of outside noise. on the other hand, when my wife put them on and she turned on music, there was a lot of music bleeding from the phones. I could very cleary hear what she was listening to, so if that is a concern, these may not be for you.
The audio was very good. Ive heard lots of people say the bass was lacking, and I have to say these had plenty of bass for me. im sure thats all relative to what you listen to and enjoy, but the bass was very good. I did have to turn up the volume a decent amount to really get the bass bumpin though. overall the whole sound of the headphones was very good. Im not sure how they compare to other headsets, but i was very pleased with the sound.
I plugged them into my hd yamaha audio receiver and watched a show. it seemed to work very well. Then i played dead space 2 with them on my ps3. It was doing 5.1 surround sound, and i was seriously getting creeped out. my wife walked up behind me and when she touched my leg (i didnt hear her walk up) i jumped really bad i was so drawn into the experience.
overall they seem like a very good product for the $96 i paid. so heres the rundown on what i thought
Pros:
Great sound, great bass
comfortable
sturdy
when music is playing couldnt hear outside noise
$96
Cons:
bulky
bleeds sound like crazy (people sitting next to you will hear everything)
didnt block outside sound much when silent
you could likely be just as happy with another headset, youll just probably pay more for those
There are much more comfortable headphones out there. these are doable, but after a while my head began to hurt
Do i recommend these? yeah, if you are looking for a decent over the ear headset for less than $100, these may be for you. if you are looking for portability, these are probably not for you. However, I would say that if you can, try out some other headphones and see what you think. I really loved my bose headphones, and those were nice because they had wonderful sound, more portability and a little more stylish. So i would recommend these, but then again i wouldnt say these are the it and all of headphones. if you are on the fence, check out some others. these may not be for you. I like these pretty well but im sure i would have been just as happy with another headset, but those will likely be over $100.