[roma101]

Thanks for that little comparo sigmunklaus - I haven't been able to try the HD380 but I have been enjoying my KNS 8400. I lost interest in the 380 but I hope to one day try it for the hell of it. Wonder how the SRH 840 would compare to the 380s. I'm expecting a pair soon so I'll be able to A/B them with the KRKs. Should be interesting. My only gripe with the 8400s (besides the wide headband) is the bit of emphasis on mids and highs. If they were tamed slightly I think vocals and cymbals would sound a little more natural. For the price, they're pretty spectacular though. Detail retrieval, balance, and drum reproduction are great IMO.

 

[Bonavon Vovo]

I'm surprised there are not more reviews and people praising this headphone here on head-fi. Judging by the reviews on amazon these phones punch well above their weight. Does anyone have an opinion of these? Objectively for or against?

 

[suburbanite]

Hi Guys,
 
I auditioned these at the Guitar Center and hated them.
 
My auditioning setup:
1. Samsung GS3
2. 320kbps MP3's
 
The song that sounded really terrible was Heart's "Alone."* The keyboard and vocals were both way too forward, piercing, metallic, shrill and overall just harsh. I tried some other songs which sounded similarly bad.
 
Are you guys using a better source or lossless files? Have you noticed a difference between sources? What about between files?
 
I just can't reconcile my experience with so many of the good reviews I've read about these.

 
 
* Yes, I'm rightfully embarrassed about liking this song.

 

[FiioforMeOh]

The m50 has a better richer sound in my opinion. The 380 have a very well, boring and empty sound. Yes, its detailed, but its not very vibrant and exhilarating like the m50 or the A900X. In the price range the 900 is the better phone.

 

[vale]

I own these, have been testing them for a few hours, being a studio headphone I think they don't clamp too much, not a major issue using them with glasses compared to the HD25 which are a pain after a while. They tend to reproduce exactly what is being played and this is probably the reason for the bad reviews, Senns objective was faithful reproduction and compared to home listening oriented headphones they sound flat (I have a pair of Grados I can compare with).
They provide very good attenuation, fold flat and can be carried in the bag provided. I wish Sennheiser produced a non coil cable, the one provided is very good, but I would have liked the option of a simple cable as an alternative.

 

[webhappy]

I just got some refurbished from VM innovations, plugging directly into a 2012 iMac headphone port, playing music from iTunes Match. I can't believe people would say this is competitive with $200 open headphones. I can immediately tell these are worse than my HD598's. The isolation is not as good as I expected since I can hear light tapping noises coming from ~5 meters away (I bought these for use in an open office setting, so the HD598 would be a no-go with the leakage). I will say that they're quite comfortable, esp over my glasses. I don't feel like I immediately want to take them off. Hopefully the sound quality gets better. Otherwise, I may end up using my HF3 more if I'm at my desk and don't want to be disturbed.

 

[culp4684]

Just saw these at Best Buy on sale for $139.99.  I've been looking for a closed phone that might compare with my Grado Sr 125's and wonder how these will compare.  I might add that I listen to mostly classical and jazz music.

 

[penelope94]

I  just bought them. The sound quality is great but the noise cancelation is not.. I can hear people talking and the sound of the bus and the metro..not at all what i expected..How is it top rated in noise cancelling here? Am i doing something wrong maybe?please help

 

[Intothewreck]

I  just bought them. The sound quality is great but the noise cancelation is not.. I can hear people talking and the sound of the bus and the metro..not at all what i expected..How is it top rated in noise cancelling here? Am i doing something wrong maybe?please help

Yea I've noticed that too, sound cancelation is definitely not up to par, I've frequently been forced to turn the sound up to drown out voices/the sound of the train. If noise cancelation is really important to you I'd recommend buying a phone specified as "noise canceling" and make sure to experiment with it in the store, maybe save the hd380s for home/studio use.

 

[SDBiotek]

The HD 380s are not noise cancelling headphones (no active circuit, no battery). They do provide some isolation, but an IEM generally is better at blocking out external sounds.

 

[signet02]

I'd like to add something here about the HD 380s:  They are my favorite headphone for my Yamaha CP 300 keyboard... It's a studio-grade instrument, and I've tried headphones up to about $700 MSRP, and the HD 380s make the voices sound like they should, as you were expecting them to sound out of a pair of good monitors...
 
I have the 280s, and they sound thin compared to the 380s... I tried the HD 600s with the CP 300 and a headphone amp, and they just didn't cut it... The sound balance just was not there... So, I guess when you review a headphone, it really [really] depends on what equipment you're using...
 
I liked the HD 380s so much, I now have a few pairs on hand...
 
Most 'professional' headphones have a hard time handling some synth voices... Some of them are almost a square wave... But the HD 380s handle anything you throw at them... And you get a full sound... No holes...