Owing to its collapsible ear-pieces, the HD-280 Pro is highly compact when it comes to transportation. And all parts that are subject to wear and tear--such as earpads, headband padding, and the audio cord--are easily replaceable, ensuring long life. The headphone's 9-foot cord is detachable, so if it wears out you have only to replace the cord, not the headphone itself. The cord is made of oxygen-free copper for pure, long-lasting audio transmission.

Product Description
The Sennheiser HD 280 headphones are designed for the professional who requires outstanding communication in their daily audio work. Regardless of the very noisy conditions you might be in, the HD 280 headphones help you get the job done by offering you excellent insulation from ambient noise with a linear, precise reproduction of the audio material. Comfort is also taken into consideration with the HD 280's. Soft, circumaural ear pads guarantee comfort over long periods of use. You can even replace all wearing parts if needed - single-sided coiled cable, ear pads & headband padding.

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.


GRADE: B+   March 22, 2006
 242 out of 267 found this review helpful

BEWARE: These headphones are a much tighter fit than your average pair. If comfort is high on your list, these might not be the phones for you. But customers looking for noise attenuation who don't mind some extra pressure around the ears should consider them. They do a good job of keeping unwanted (external) sound out of the music listening experience and also of keeping sound inside the cups so that other people are not subjected to whatever you are listening to. These are not the kind of phones people usually wear in public because of their size, but they do a superb job of keeping out traffic and city noises. As for build quality, they are plastic but very well made (in Ireland.) I've had these phones for two years now, yet they appear brand new. In any case, the final and most important factor for me after the noise attenuation is sound quality relative to price, and that's where the 280 shines. To put my comments into proper perspective you should know that I'm using a headphone amp as well as a decent system, although my comments apply just as well to the un-amped phones (as long as you're using a good headphone jack that will give them enough power; you won't be able to get the volume up too high on your average walkman).

Initially, I didn't hear that much of a difference between the 280 and my old twenty dollar pair, but gradually my opinion changed as I switched back and forth between them. Because some of the Amazon reviews led me to believe that the bass on these phones was less than adequate, I was concerned the 280 would sound excessively bright, tinny, or anemic. The bass is actually rich and clear, although the 280 is definitely on the bright side (as opposed to "dark" sounding phones). The bass is punchy without being boomy. Because they are on the trebly end of the spectrum, playing them too loud can be killer on the ears.

Instruments often sound distinct and well articulated. I started perceiving how pure--if a little analytical on some tracks--the music sounded compared to all the headphones I'd used in the past. As I switched back and forth between my old pairs and the 280, I noticed that, without adjusting the volume, the volume level on all my old pairs seemed significantly diminished when I put them on directly after listening to the 280. One reason for this speaks to the benefit of closed headphones. A great advantage of the 280 became clear to me: with the sealed 280 I could listen to music at a much lower volume and still catch every detail, which protects me from the potential hearing damage that results from listening at high volumes. When you listen to open phones, you tend to crank them up to drown out whatever noise there might be in your environment (and even inconsequential noise can make you do this). At any rate, the sound is just more vibrant on the 280 than on any of my cheaper phones. I'm amazed at how well I can hear the music right now considering that the phones are about fifteen feet away. They sound almost like mini shelf speakers. Even at this distance, I can hear details distinctly, and the music sounds strong and robust. This is what finally convinced me--at this distance, at the same volume, I cannot hear the same amount of detail from any of my other headphones (I checked). Also, the 280s are really EXCELLENT at reproducing the human voice.

The soundstage on the 280 is compressed. Rather than breadth, you get an intimate, cozy soundstage with decent depth.

In short, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Incidentally, I read somewhere that it can take as long as one hundred hours of playing time for these headphones to fully blossom, which may just mean before you get used to them. (Although I think it's true that sometimes the diaphragm on headphones needs to loosen up to sound their best.) I recommend you use them during the breaking-in period; don't just leave them playing by themselves because you might have to adapt to these phones--mostly to wean yourself off of the artificially boosted sound of the more common earphones.

Over time, some idiosyncrasies have become apparent, nothing that changes my recommendation, but just certain minor quirks you might want to know about. The cable is a mixed blessing. It comes out only from the left side and, when you move away from your source (if it's stationary), you can feel tension pulling on the left earcup. The cable also hangs awkwardly and heavily when you walk around, and swings back and forth like a pendulum. The cable sometimes causes contact noise. While external noise IS attenuated quite nicely, the cable is pretty sensitive, which in one way is very good, but in another it's a small drawback. Whenever the cable (which is curled like a telephone cord but with both ends straightened out) rubs or hits something you hear it inside the phones. For instance, if you rub the cable with your finger, you hear it. It just sounds like a low rub and doesn't distort the music at all. I don't want to overemphasize this because it really isn't that big of a deal, but it is something you should keep in mind if you tend to move around a lot while listening to music. These are definitely NOT dancing phones (although moderate movement is no problem). If you are going to be bouncing around or walking a lot, you probably would be better served by another model. Partly, it seems to be a function of the closed design, which makes any tapping or rubbing anywhere on the phones, not just on the cable, reverberate in the earpiece. It's a trade-off if you want to attenuate outside noise.

Since writing this review I've had the chance to compare these 280s to the Sony MDR-V700s which sell for about the same price. The 280s beat the V700s in just about every category, including sound. The Sony is more portable and will probably be a better choice for djs who play deep bass music. Otherwise, it only confirmed my honest belief that the 280 offers good sound for the price. And if you ask me the 280, despite its tightness, is more comfortable than the V700, which has shallow earpads that crush your ears. The 280 has deep cups; the pinnae of your ears don't get squashed as they do with many phones. The 280 puts pressure AROUND your ears, but not right on them. However, because of its noise attenuation, the Sennheiser 280 does have a "suction cup" effect that produces some slight discomfort. But again, this is part of the trade off if you want good noise attenuation without sound-masking technology.

But not all music sounds great on the 280. The following is a list of things that sounded really incredible and stuff that sounded not so amazing. I add this just so that you can have an idea of what works well with the Sennheiser 280 and what doesn't. I like all the music I'm about to list. My criticism has to do with how it sounds on these phones:

SOUNDS GOOD:

--Alexander Scriabin. Le Poeme de l'extase. Pierre Boulez. Deutsche Grammophon. Orchestra sounds great, but a bit cramped because of the limited soundstage. For classical I prefer the Sennheiser HD 650, which I purchased a few months after writing this review. Because of the sealed nature of the 280, some of the bloom of orchestral instruments is lost. When I put on the 280 after the 650, the instruments sound miniaturized, as if they have been shrunk to fit the reduced soundstage.
--Johnny Cash. At Folsom Prison. The audience plays a big role in this recording, but up till now they had just been amorphously in the background. On the 280s they step forward to play a much bigger part and I can hear what they are calling out to Cash. I can almost make out snatches of conversation! Johnny Cash and June Carter sound amazing. If I closed my eyes I could easily imagine I was hearing them live. Good live recordings really come to life on these phones.
--David Bowie. "It's No Game (Part 1)." Michi Hirota's voice sounds unbelievable. (She's the Japanese lady who does the voice-over: "Shirueto ya kage ga kakumei o miteiru . . .")
--The Weavers. Reunion Concert at Carnegie hall, 1963. Another live recording. The Weavers are an old folk band known for their beautiful vocal harmonies. Listening to them on the 280s I wasn't only AT the concert, I was actually ON STAGE with them. Wow! A very happy time.
--Kraftwerk. "The Hall of Mirrors." Another spine-tingling experience on these phones. Atmospheric. Totally envelopes you.
--All my old Billie Holiday recordings sound wonderful. The 280s emphasize the crudity of the older recordings, but also bring out Billie's voice in the most astonishing way.
--The Creatures. HAI!. This is a percussion-intensive recording and every cymbal, every thwack, every slap of the bongo drums is lovingly recorded. The recording is much more layered than I realized.
--Roxy Music. Siren. I have heard this recording dozens of times, but when I listened to it this time around it was as though I were encountering it for the first time.
--Prince. "Sign O the Times." Bass sounds tight and punchy but not boomy. Crisp-sounding and makes you want to get up and dance.

MUSIC THAT DOESN'T SOUND SO GOOD ON THE 280s:

--Rock/punk is hit or miss on these phones. The Ramones's ROAD TO RUIN sounded excellent, especially with the bass cranked way up on my receiver (although doing this did reveal a limit at which bass starts to distort on these phones). The Ramones have never sounded better to me. But, strangely, The Damned's "Damned Damned Damned" album, which is classic British punk, didn't sound so hot. It's as though these phones were too polite for these guys. Magazine's "Secondhand Daylight" also didn't sound so hot on the 280s. The recording sounded too analytical as though the phones were dissecting the music. All the instruments were very well articulated, but this made the music sound deconstructed. The instruments somehow didn't cohere. In short, some rock has never sounded better to me than on these phones, but some just falls flat. Probably it has to do with how the music is recorded and also because these phones are kind of analytical and polite and also don't artificially enhance the music. The 280s are very detailed and so emphasize all the defects of a recording. Things sound pristine and clear on the 280s, which works very well for some types of music but for a lot of rock you want that gritty, grungy, rough, half-baked sound. If all you listen to is gritty rock (a la Iggy and the Stooges's "Raw Power," which sounded awful on these phones) you might want to shop around some more. I have read that rock sounds great on Grado phones, but Grados are supra-aural, so they sit right on your ear unless you upgrade the earpad or something. I believe Grado does not make any phones that would keep noise in and out the way the 280s do. I much prefer circumaural phones like the 280s that cup your ears; they are simply more comfortable. If you listen to all kinds of music like I do, then I recommend these Sennheiser 280s as long as you have a pair of back-up headphones for your more grungy rock recordings. In general, the smoother the rock recording, the better it sounds on these phones. For instance, I was never a big fan of Television's offering from 1992--I always considered it too slick and polished for its own good. But the CD sounded great on these phones. I finally heard how good it really is.

So far I have written about music, but the 280s have, among several applications, TV studio monitoring, and this might just be what they do best. About a year ago I purchased a CD box set entitled "The White House Tapes" of live White House recordings made by presidents from FDR to Reagan. I tried listening to these CDs a few times, but always put them away. The recordings were just too poor. Well, I started listening to the recordings on the 280s and I could make out MUCH more of the conversations. Taking my cue from this I attached my HeadRoom Micro Amp to my VCR and DVD players (by way of a Straitwire cable) and listened to sports and other live events that I had recorded, including news conferences, and much previously burried detail was suddenly revealed; every little rustle, every half-uttered phrase and background detail on the recording was seemed like it was gloriously amplified. The 280s offer super-fine sensitivity that will be of great use to people who want to hear everything there is to hear in a recording. I'm not saying it magnifies, but it does transmit what is there with clarity.

WARNING: After mailing my headphones to Sennheiser for repair, I was called and told there was a problem because they were not purchased from an authorized dealer. I purchased them brand new here at Amazon from ELECTRONICA DIRECT, a seller often featured by Amazon right on the product page. Sennheiser told me that I probably purchased stolen phones. Shoppers who want the warranty honored SHOULD NOT BUY FROM ELECTRONICA DIRECT or any unauthorized dealer. Verify that the seller you are buying from is recognized by Sennheiser. After I complained up the chain, Sennheiser was nice enough to repair (actually, they replaced) my phones, but it was a hassle.


All I can say is, WOW   June 19, 2003
 153 out of 158 found this review helpful

These cans are currently being offered well below MSRP -- no, they aren't in danger of being retired any time soon (confirmed with Sennheiser customer service) -- and are truly the best bang for the buck. Despite the very positive reviews, I had two reservations about purchasing the 280s: 1) the tight, uncomfortable fit; and 2) cracking in the plastic headband that some have commented on. I have a big ol' head where adjustable ball caps barely fit me. The 280s aren't tight at all, but rather comfortably snug -- what do you expect from a closed design? Shooting range ear protection/muffs are 3 times more tighter than these. Secondly Sennheiser claims to never having heard about the cracking issue but will repair/replace your unit with no questions asked under their 2 year warranty.

Although plastic in design, the product has a solid, quality construction (made in Ireland if you care). An advantage, as you may already know, is that most of the components are designed to be replaced due to wear or damage. I like the folding convenience of the 280s, but don't expect them to fit in your coat pocket.

After burning these puppies in for 24 hours, the audio quality truly impresses with details I've never noticed before in my Definitive Technology and Aperion Audio home theatre/stero systems. Initially I thought the bass was a *little* lacking, but the cans have developed a fuller, richer sound with burn-in. I'm tempted to buy a second pair so I don't have to carry mine from home to work all the time.


Just what I needed   February 10, 2003
 47 out of 52 found this review helpful

I regret to say that I can't write about the sound quality of these head phones - I'm not an audiophile, I really can't tell the difference between these and something that you could get for 40 dollars or so.

But I can tell you that these had everything I wanted in a new pair of headphones. I'm a college student and I share a tiny room with 3 other people. When I listen to music, I want to 1) not be able to hear my roommates or anything other than my music, and 2) i don't want to disturb them with my music. These headphones work perfectly for this. When you have them on, you can hear almost nothing other than what you are playing - people talking in the room won't disturb you any more. Also, when they are on, almost no sound leaks from them. You can listen to music as loud as you want and those nearby won't be able to hear it.

I also need to walk around a lot when wearing headphones. This pair of headphones also worked well for that - the wire connects to only one ear, and can stretch to about 8 feet, long enough for me to go anywhere in the room.

Lastly, I needed a pair of headphones that would last me a long time, and survive a lot of beatings from the people who come in and out of the room on a daily basis. These are perfect for that as well. They are very well built, and, if, by chance, you do break them, you can replace almost any part of them yourself. The last pair of headphones I had were a 30 dollar pair of sonys and they broke pretty quickly with all the abuse they get here, but I'm confident these Sennheisers will last me well past graduation.

********** EDIT **********

after only a month or so of use, the headband has small cracks and chips in it. i use these headphones with great care, and don't stretch it beyond normal, so this is highly unexpected. as another reviewer said, this is the only non-replacable part of the headphones. while i don't expect the cracks to become much worse, it is a possibility, and would probably render an 80 dollar set of headphones completely useless. so consider this before you purchase them...


Great Headphones, after burning them in   January 2, 2003
 32 out of 33 found this review helpful

These are, overall amazing headphones. They sound great, are comfortable, and easily driven by portable players. However, when I first bought them, and eagerly unwrapped the packaging and tried them out, I was bitterly dissapointed. Where had my money gone, I wondered. They sounded tin canny, and the bass had no punch. I nearly returned them. But, taking the advice of many reviewers, I plugged them into my computer and left the music playing loudly for nearly a week straight. And it paid off.

After nearly a month's use, these headphones sound GREAT. I have fallen in love witht eh tight, clear treble and amazingly accurate bass that the HD-280s provide. Jazz and classical fans (and rockers too but to a lesser extent) will love these headphones. I could go on and on and on about the sound quality, but you would find your self reading needless repition of the words "great," "amazing," etcetc.

The design is a little big, but very comfy. I can wear these for several hours at a time and my ears will feel fine. The way that they fold up is also very useful for the frequent traveler, and the stretchy wire design is also very handy, keeping the wire out of the way yet providing you nearly 3 meters worth of wire (if stretched to the max)

I would also just like to note that, after several airplane trips, the noise reduction in these headphones is also wonderful, and the HD-280 Pros make airplane flights that much more enjoyable.

In conclusion, wait at LEAST two weeks, preferably more before judging these headphones, because the more you use them, the better they sound. And after a month's worth of use, they sound great. And they also fit great, and are extremely comfortable. The price too, isn't too bad, and I found them at ... for [$$$], including shipping from the states to taiwan.

Do your ears a favor, and buy a pair of HD 280s.