Sennheiser HD 280 Pro.......why the hate?

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FWIR, it's a great studio phone, and you should be able to power it without an amp. These are some of the problems:

Clamping -- a lot of it; but you have a small head (like me), and the cushioning seems to be enough to make them comfortable.

Cracking headband -- the plastic can crack (because of the clamping and people with bigger heads tend to make this process faster).

Lack of bass -- it's not like it is not there, it's just not enough for "bass-heavy" applications. Again, it's a studio headphone, so it's pretty flat in terms of the frequency range.

I have the V6's (because they were on sale in my area a while back), and they're great. The cups are a little to shallow, but it's quite comfortable. :)

Problem with the V6 is that it needs a little power to push right. A sansa and cowon does fine, but straight from a bad source, they lack in higher volumes.

HD280 were pretty horrible. The clamping force made them break, bass and less detail

The HD280s seem at first to lack bass, but they actually do sub-bass very well. The problem is their lack of midbass, which can make them seem somewhat anemic when unamped.

I have owned mine for almost two years, and there are no cracks whatsoever in the headband. I have a large head (I have to extend the headband fully), but they are among some of the more comfortable closed cans I've used.

I used them without an amp for the first year that I owned them. They do like to be amped, but they won't sound terrible straight out of an iPod.

Also, they are a great buy if you can find them for under $100. I bought a refurbished pair from amazon for around $70.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatboy42 

See this is what I mean some people think their great and yes if it comes true I might be able to get a pair under $50! I'm not much of a bass-addict so I guess that doesn't worry me that much but i'm sure it still has more that my 202's.

 

They would be a steal under $50. If you can, try out a pair before you buy (or sell them on Head-fi if you don't like them). That's the only way you'll really know. But yes, they will sound MUCH better than the HD202s.

They sound fine and they are not uncomfortable for me. For sure not for fun or colour-added type of cans. If you look for refined treble and lush mid, move on these are  not for you. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatboy42 

I don't even know what refined treble or lust mid means lol

Just move on.

On the second thought, go listen to some mid-end gear by Adcom and Rotel . After doing so come back and tell me your feedback then we start to converse.

No hate from me, I have had my pair of HD280 Pros for something like 5 years and for 4 of those years they were my main headphone. To be honest, K haven't touched them since I got my ATH-M50s which is clearly superior in pretty much every way but at anything under $100 I still consider the HD280 Pro a good choice.