[destinyx]

Although I'd read a large number of positive reviews on the HD280s, I decided not to buy them because of a lot of complaints that comfort wasn't great due to a tight fit, especially if worn for a long period.

However I've been coming across some reviews which have suggested that the later HD280s might have a larger headband width. Can anyone please verify this?

Also... since a lot of the reviews I read were really quite old, do people still recommend this headphone anymore?

 

[tpc41]

as a one time owner of the 280s, i can confirm that they are quite uncomfortable and only recommended if you really need isolation. For about the same price i would recommend the Denon D1001. They sound much better and are a little more compact and less bulky. Isolation is there downfall as they let a lot of outside noise in.

also, the headband on the 280s can be stretched to loosen up the fit. If you open the headphones over an object like a box and leave them there for a few days, the death grip will be less uncomfortable.

 

[destinyx]

Thanks!

A number of reviews have also mentioned that the headband cracks easily... have a lot of people come across this problem? Is the headband likely to snap if it was stretched too much =s

Unfortunately I am looking for headphones that don't let in too much outside sound so from your description I probably won't be going for the Denon D1001. However comfort is a key thing I need since I'll be using the headphones for study purposes... which is why I'm still wondering about the HD280s >_>

 

[Gurck]

The headband -will- crack with even light-moderate use. I baby mine and it happened to me anyway.

That being said, they're nice sounding headphones, and given time they do loosen up, which you can hasten with the suggestion in the post above mine. But if I could go back I'd probably have gone with the AT 500s.

 

[Meloncoly]

I didn't have any confort issues when I had them, actually was one of the more comfortable headphones I wore. I wear a 7 1/4 size hat for comparison. I had it for two years, before I got mugged, and I never had the headband crack on me, and I abused them a lot. Even when I got mugged, the only thing that broke was the wire that connected the other driver since it was a single ended cable, and the headphone was yanked sideways, which is an ideal situation to have the headband cracked. I got a Sennheiser refurb for free, great customer service, and I sold it to fund for a new headphone. Sound was kind of boring for me, but it was great for electronica.

 

[catscratch]

I bought one for a friend, and the headband cracked within two months. He babied it and treated it about as well as he possibly could have. Reading through reviews, I see that headband cracking is a very common occurrence in these headphones, and I've stopped recommending them because of it.

If there was a change in headband width in later models, it would probably be to address the cracking issue.

Sound wasn't bad, but was very deficient in bass. The mids and highs are nice and clear, but you need to EQ the hell out of the lows before they come out.

I actually found the comfort to be just fine, and the clamping force didn't bother me. These headphones are designed to have very high isolation, and the clamping is necessary to create a good seal with the earpads.