Sennheiser HD 280 Pro

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

For Christmas this year I got a pair of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro ( http://en-us.sennheiser.com/professional-dj-headphones-noise-cancelling-hd-280-pro ). This will be sort of an ongoing review because I haven't let them burn in that much quite yet.

 

My Audio History

 

I am by no means an audiophile. I just wanted a good pair of headphones for my PC I am building by New Years hopefully. I have normally just owned regular earbuds from companies like Skullcandy. Before these headphones, I had a pair of Beats (Solo's) and they were falling apart and bad quality sound. I just wanted some decent sound quality

 

First 24 hours

 

I immediately went to my laptop and used them to listen to some youtube videos and straight music. One of my first impressions was how deep the basses were. They were like rocking my skull. Even while the bass sounded amazing, the miss and highs weren't shorted out either. These are very balanced headphones and sound great. I was using a 4 year old Toshiba laptop (using an i3-340) and they sound was the best I have ever heard. I assume the onboard audio on this laptop is terrible, yet these headphones sounded great. Also, because these are low impedance headphones (64Ω). Also, songs that have audio "move" sound very good. Also, I played songs I thought I knew exactly, and I heard parts I had never heard. They are also very padded and comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They have thick ear cups and headband padding. Also both are removable and replaceable. I wore them for about 5 hours straight after I got them and there was not discomfort. The cable is also VERY long. It is 1m coiled and can about 3-4m stretched out. This can sometimes be annoying but you can just twisty tie it if you need to. They also fold up but are kind of difficult to figure out how to fold them up. I had to look at the manual to figure it out. In the box came the manual and a converter to a 1/4 in jack.

 

First 48 hours

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my first update was  that they and turn horizontally out 90 degrees while they turn in about 25 -30 degrees. They can flip 180 degrees vertically also. One thing that has started to bug me is that the cable is beginning to stretch out. I tried my friends $300 pair of Bose noise-cancelling on-ear headphones and I thought they won. The sound isolation was superior and they fit much better. The Bose would just slip off. Until now, I am still amazed and love them. Will post once more in a week.

 

First Week

 

I really haven't found anything else worth noting. These are still great headphones and will recommend them to anyone

 

I will be posting updates at 48 hours and 1 week.

[Vitalius]

Just so we are clear...

Burning in headphones is a myth.  

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

Just so we are clear...

Burning in headphones is a myth.  

Oh...well you never know. I could find some other things in a week

[Vitalius]

Oh...well you never know. I could find some other things in a week

Yeah. Looking forward to it.

[mr moose]

Just so we are clear...

Burning in headphones is a myth.  

I beg to differ, Because drivers are so different with materials, design and environment, Some will have a noticeable burn in while other may just be a placebo.  Measurements show that after 33 hours there is a definite change in the drivers FR.

 

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break

[mr moose]

For Christmas this year I got a pair of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro ( http://en-us.sennheiser.com/professional-dj-headphones-noise-cancelling-hd-280-pro ). This will be sort of an ongoing review because I haven't let them burn in that much quite yet.

 

My Audio History

 

I am by no means an audiophile. I just wanted a good pair of headphones for my PC I am building by New Years hopefully. I have normally just owned regular earbuds from companies like Skullcandy. Before these headphones, I had a pair of Beats (Solo's) and they were falling apart and bad quality sound. I just wanted some decent sound quality

 

First 24 hours

 

I immediately went to my laptop and used them to listen to some youtube videos and straight music. One of my first impressions was how deep the basses were. They were like rocking my skull. Even while the bass sounded amazing, the miss and highs weren't shorted out either. These are very balanced headphones and sound great. I was using a 4 year old Toshiba laptop (using an i3-340) and they sound was the best I have ever heard. I assume the onboard audio on this laptop is terrible, yet these headphones sounded great. Also, because these are low impedance headphones (64Ω). Also, songs that have audio "move" sound very good. Also, I played songs I thought I knew exactly, and I heard parts I had never heard. They are also very padded and comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They have thick ear cups and headband padding. Also both are removable and replaceable. I wore them for about 5 hours straight after I got them and there was not discomfort. The cable is also VERY long. It is 1m coiled and can about 3-4m stretched out. This can sometimes be annoying but you can just twisty tie it if you need to. They also fold up but are kind of difficult to figure out how to fold them up. I had to look at the manual to figure it out. In the box came the manual and a converter to a 1/4 in jack.

 

 

I will be posting updates at 48 hours and 1 week.

 

 

They are a good headphone, one of my mainstays at the moment (probably change again soon).  How do you find the isolation? 

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

They are a good headphone, one of my mainstays at the moment (probably change again soon).  How do you find the isolation? 

Isolation as in noise-cancelling. They are very good. I am at @Worth house and he keeps trying to talk to me and I can't here him. I have seen a bunch of hate of them on High-fi, but that is because all of them have like $1500 headphones.

[mr moose]

Isolation as in noise-cancelling. They are very good. I am at @Worth house and he keeps trying to talk to me and I can't here him. I have seen a bunch of hate of them on High-fi, but that is because all of them have like $1500 headphones.

 

Isolation is simple blocking of sound, noise cancelling is a different beast.  Ignore the wankers on head fi, they determine what sounds good by price,  were as we like to use our ears and understand that it is different for everyone.

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

Isolation is simple blocking of sound, noise cancelling is a different beast.  Ignore the wankers on head fi, they determine what sounds good by price,  were as we like to use our ears and understand that it is different for everyone.

Ah, yes they are very good.

[Advent]

I have a pair of HD 280 Pros. Great set of cans. They reproduce sounds very faithfully without embellishing it much.

[Vitalius]

I beg to differ, Because drivers are so different with materials, design and environment, Some will have a noticeable burn in while other may just be a placebo.  Measurements show that after 33 hours there is a definite change in the drivers FR.

 

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break

The last line in that article:

 

 

The miracle is in your head ... not in the headphones.

That article basically says "Hey, none of my data says it exists." 

Not sure what you are talking about then?

Oh, and btw, that article is talking about a test over 331 hours. Not 33 hours.

[mr moose]

The last line in that article:

 

That article basically says "Hey, none of my data says it exists." 

Not sure what you are talking about then?

Oh, and btw, that article is talking about a test over 331 hours. Not 33 hours.

33 -> 331  just a typo

 

 

In both cases this ridge gradually and subtly reduces over time. To me, this looks like it might have some relation to break-in as it's not "breathing," it's moving in the same direction over time, and it's happening on both channels. The problem is that this is a very small amplitude change ... so small, that I doubt it would be audible at all.

 

 

As I said, the results are varied to the point of placebo however it is measurable.  With that in mind I believe it occurs but won't insist that burn in will yield a certain result.

[Vitalius]

33 -> 331  just a typo

As I said, the results are varied to the point of placebo however it is measurable.  With that in mind I believe it occurs but won't insist that burn in will yield a certain result.

I feel those results are within margin of error. But to each his own.

[mr moose]

I feel those results are within margin of error. But to each his own.

And they are restricted to one headphone only.  So the sample is tiny.

[Andrew0472]

interesting you say the deep basses. I found that the headphones were very very flat which is what they are designed for considering they are a studio monitor. However when i used them for tracking guitars/ recording boy did they sound fantastic. They isolate sound very well but can get a little uncomfortable. imo fantastic headphones for musicians and all sorts of recording etc otherwise there is probably some better options. 

[MdX MaxX]

Good choice!

 

I've had these for, wow, four years now, and they're fantastic.  At first I felt they were a little clampy but over time they've become so comfortable.

 

I agree with Andrew that the bass is more on the mild side, which I do like.  Though I'm into EDM I still prefer a nice flat EQ.  And for the tiny bit of music production I do, they're awesome, all the little details shine through very well.

 

I'll likely go for a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro for a bigger soundstage and punchier lows, but for more detailed listening and on-the-go listening I'll definitely be sticking with my 280 Pro.

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

interesting you say the deep basses. I found that the headphones were very very flat which is what they are designed for considering they are a studio monitor. However when i used them for tracking guitars/ recording boy did they sound fantastic. They isolate sound very well but can get a little uncomfortable. imo fantastic headphones for musicians and all sorts of recording etc otherwise there is probably some better options. 

 

Good choice!

 

I've had these for, wow, four years now, and they're fantastic.  At first I felt they were a little clampy but over time they've become so comfortable.

 

I agree with Andrew that the bass is more on the mild side, which I do like.  Though I'm into EDM I still prefer a nice flat EQ.  And for the tiny bit of music production I do, they're awesome, all the little details shine through very well.

 

I'll likely go for a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro for a bigger soundstage and punchier lows, but for more detailed listening and on-the-go listening I'll definitely be sticking with my 280 Pro.

They aren't the deepest bass, but for a all around pair of headphones, they surprisingly deep bass. I am used to beats which are crap and I am just awing over the sound of the basses.

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

OP updated with the 48 hour review

[mr moose]

The thing about the bass is that it can sound different depending on the amp you use, With a low impedance amp the extension is low and very well controlled for me. But when I use an amp with high output impedance the  bass becomes more pronounced and boomy.  

 

The best thing about these headphones are that they are great through the range and aren't restricted to just great mids or great bass but do both very well.  They also can handle being eq'd, they don't mind being pushed around a bit to get a prefered sound out of them.

[elkenrod]

 

 

 I was using a 4 year old Toshiba laptop (using an i3-340) and they sound was the best I have ever heard. I assume the onboard audio on this laptop is terrible, yet these headphones sounded great. Also, because these are low impedance headphones (64Ω). Also, songs that have audio "move" sound very good. Also, I played songs I thought I knew exactly, and I heard parts I had never heard. They are also very padded and comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Have you tried the headphones with a higher quality audio source?  If not, I recommend doing that and listening to the same audio track from a variety of different sources.  It should give you a better idea of the range/quality of the headphones.

 

I just purchased my second pair of these last week.  They were on sale at BB for $75.  The first pair I owned for 5 years.  The sound does in fact change over time, if you want to call it burn-in or by any other name,  it does occur with these particular pair of headphones.  Further, the old documentation from Sennheiser on this model had usage instructions to "burn them in".

[Andrew0472]

They aren't the deepest bass, but for a all around pair of headphones, they surprisingly deep bass. I am used to beats which are crap and I am just awing over the sound of the basses.

maybe you are running through a souncard or dac because these headphones through a phone have hardly any bass but the bass is accurate. Probably due to the 64ohms

[zxcvbnmmssdh]

maybe you are running through a souncard or dac because these headphones through a phone have hardly any bass but the bass is accurate. Probably due to the 64ohms

Well that is from a phone. It is just onboard

[Fadewood]

I love my HD 280's, I have had them for a couple years now, however the only thing that bugs me about them now is that after wearing them for long periods of time really hurt the outsides of my ear lobes. Have to take them off and stretch the ears.

[Michael McAllister]

I love my HD 280's, I have had them for a couple years now, however the only thing that bugs me about them now is that after wearing them for long periods of time really hurt the outsides of my ear lobes. Have to take them off and stretch the ears.

 

I've noticed the same problem!