[ab initio]

Yes, you read the title correctly. I searched for a HD 280 appreciate thread about  4 years ago and I'm really sad that one still has never been created. I'm fixing that.
 
I have a pair of HD-280s. I've had them for about 5 years and have logged hundreds and hundreds of hours listening to them. I think they are fantastic. The sound isolation is great for listening in noisy environments, or for concentrating on details without getting distracted by room noise, computer fans, appliance noise, roommate's watching TV, etc. I don't have a dedicated listening room, but with the HD 280's, I can be just about anywhere and hear the quite details in the music while still listening at comfortable, moderate volume levels.
 
They are sensitive enough that they don't need an amp--I drive them easily from phones, tablets, computers, AV receivers, etc.. Did I mention the isolation? The sensitivity plus the isolation means that you hear EVERYTHING, especially if you have a noisy headphone output! I bought a Modi+Magni because the noisy headphone output of my laptop was driving me crazy. You will appreciate a quality headphone amplifier and DAC with these phones, because you'll know if your equipment is noisy or dead silent (Mine is dead silent).
 
They seal great on my head, and I don't mind wearing them all day long (and all night!). I work with wind tunnels that can be quite loud, and I will use the HD 280s with or without music to block out the noise.
 
I like their frequency response. I like the tightness of the bass (compared to AKG 240s, which sound bloated and boomy across the mid and upper bass) and the low end extension. The mids and highs seem pretty accurate to me, and the highs extend higher than I can hear.
 
When I bought them, they were light years a head in fidelity compared to anything I had heard prior --- all low-level Sony, Koss, etc.---junky stuff you might find from Walmart or Best Buy---or the consumer AV receivers and bookshelf speaker systems I've had. The HD 280s are responsible for getting me into Hi Fi and Head-Fi. Before them, I didn't know the difference between 128kbit/s mp3 and CD.
 
I've replaced the ear pads on them once in 5 years. I will continue to keep them in good shape. They're like a trusty old friend---always good company.
 
Am I the only one here who thinks these are some nifty little <$100 headphones?
 
 
Cheers

 

[Hellbishop]

Am a big fan of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro since getting them about two years ago at the now gone Guitar Center inside Best Buy. They provide excellent isolation from my sometimes noisy environment in a small thin wood floor studio apartment. Am easily distracted by outside sounds so the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro are great when am not in the mood to crank up the bookshelf speakers to keep out noise and want to immerse myself with a good movie and music or a computer game.
 
They have a very natural full bodied quality with just the right amount of warm bass to allow the treble to keep things detailed. They are part of my monthly headphone rotation alongside the HiFiMan-HE 400 and the Audio Technica ATH AD700 with my other headphones slowly going into storage as I hardly use them.
 
Am a bit of a treble head but the HD 280 have made me appreciate that full balanced warm sound I used to get when I had floor standing speakers.
 
Construction is nice and sturdy with a firm feel that is built to last. My only complaint is I wish the coiled cord was longer even with my receiver only a feet away.
 
One of the few headphones I don't have to equalize to fully enjoy from my Onkyo TX-8555 stereo receiver. Which is another plus since it means I can just put them on and not worry about fiddling with the equalizer or raising the volume higher then normal like the HiFiMan-HE 400. Great all around headphone that does it all without breaking the bank and keeping the guilt away when enjoying the audio candy deep into the night without bothering the neighbors.
 
Thanks for the thread ab initio

 

[metal571]

Cool, nice thread. I've had my 280s for a couple months now and since then have also acquired a K240S, MDR-7506, and SRH440.
 
Having those to compare to, the 280s have a broad low mid-mid peak that makes them sound a little boxy, but their extremely deep subbass is a blast and the upper mids are some of the most easygoing I've heard on headphones. They are awesome in that when you turn them up a lot they never really get harsh until you're blasting your ears apart, which I feel is absolutely ideal for tracking.
 
I make metal guitar videos, and they are my tracking cans, where I use the 7506s and SRH440s for adjusting amp tone before putting on the 280s to lay down the track. Good stuff, best isolation from closed cans I've experienced yet and actually pretty comfortable to me despite the tight fit because they go completely around your ears.
 
Great cans, every studio should have a couple of these floating around for tracking. Their bleed is near-zero and the isolation is nuts.

 

[ab initio]

Thanks guys, I'm glad I'm not the only one who like these headphones!
 
I agree that the low end extension is great. These things can go lower than I can hear! My subwoofer bottoms out at 30 Hz, I hear these things get down to 20 Hz or so. I feel them go even lower, but I'm scared to leave them on my head, lest I blow out my ears with infrasonic sound.
 
As for the coiled chord, I wear these things in my lab and sometimes forget I'm even wearing them. I'll get up to adjust a setting on a piece of equipment, only to get halfway there before I run out of chord and realize I'm still attached to my computer!
 
Cheers

 

[CybDev]

Yeah I'm also a fan of the HD280Pro for entry level cans.

I have a rotation of Bose QC3/Shure SE-535/Sennheiser HD280Pro for whenever I'm mobile, depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going.

The passive noise isolation is better than any other headphone I've tried, and they leak very little sound as well

No idea how long I've had them, probably over 10 years now, the last 5 years I used them at work as they provide excellent isolation, don't leak much sound, and are way faster/more convenient to remove/put back on than my IEM's are. (this is an issue for me since I get constantly interrupted)

Granted, they have a pretty strong clamp, but compared to most hearing protection they are a very comfortable fit, and I can easily do 4-5 hour uninterrupted listening sessions with these.

The difference between SE-535/SR-009/HD800 is less than any of them compared to the HD280Pro, but then again those are all in very different price ranges as well.
Compared to most other entry level cans I think the HD280Pro is fairly neutral, maybe with a little too much subbass (but at least it's pretty controlled).

My pads and headband are nearly worn out, so I'm going to have to get those replaced. I was actually looking at maybe get the HD380 since my local dealers don't carry the Hd280Pro any more, but that's a completely different headphone. Not an upgrade at all imho.

 

[RoganisP]

I love those can, but not to actually listen to music. When I want to enjoy some, I use my PX-95 or my Shure 750DJ that get more spatialization and "feelings". If I use those outside ('cause the isolation's pretty darn good) I put some equalizing and spatialization, and it gets good enough to please me. They are a good example of headphones that bears pretty well equalizing, as, for instance, the bass remain really clear when making them more boomy.
 
I actually love those to record/master my music production. The thing is that the spatialization is narrow enough to be almost the same as using monitoring speakers, and the flat response makes you listen to what you record, not what you wanna hear. And it helped me A LOT to get better mixes, and those mixes sound AWESOME when I listen to them on audiophile headphones! For the bucks I never found better.

That's quite a different appreciation, considering I'm posting in an audiophile forum, but those are my true feelings on it, as an audiophile and as a music producer!

 

[imackler]

Can one of you HD280 owners do me a favor? Can you wrap a string around the width of the headband but not the padded part (or use a cloth tape measure, etc.) and see what the circumference is? I'm trying to figure out if that little HD280 pad could be used with my SRH1840 which is pad light. Thanks, to anyone who is willing to humor me! 

 

[ab initio]

Can one of you HD280 owners do me a favor? Can you wrap a string around the width of the headband but not the padded part (or use a cloth tape measure, etc.) and see what the circumference is? I'm trying to figure out if that little HD280 pad could be used with my SRH1840 which is pad light. Thanks, to anyone who is willing to humor me! 

I can try and measure it tomorrow at work.

Cheers

 

[imackler]

I can try and measure it tomorrow at work.

Cheers

Thanks! I'd appreciate that! 

 

[ab initio]

I can try and measure it tomorrow at work.

Cheers

 
I measured the circumference of the the headband using a twist-tie and a digital calipers. The headband is about 85 mm in circumference, give or take 3 mm for measurement uncertainty. I took the padding off and tried measuring it as well and got about 85mm again.
 
Cheers

 

[ab initio]

I was looking at replacing the fraying pad on my headband (it's 5 years old!) and treating myself to brand new earcups, but the cost is nearly half the price of a new pair! These headphones are $84 on amazon right now! When I bought them 5 years ago for $120, I thought they were already really really good for the price. As far as head-fi goes, I think these are really one of the very best values for quality sounding headphones.
 
Maybe I ought to stock up on 3 or 4 of these

.... I could keep one at home, keep one at the office, and keep one in the lab.
 
Cheers

 

[Boochie]

I picked up a used pair of HD 280s for $50 but it was missing the headband pad.  I didn't realize it at the time.  I tried to order a new headband pad from Sennheiser USA but the stupid thing has been on backorder for months and Sennheiser has no idea when they will get some more.  
 
Anyone know where I can get a replacement headband pad?  Or, are there any aftermarket headband pads that work (and look) just as well as OEM pads?

 

[imackler]

  I picked up a used pair of HD 280s for $50 but it was missing the headband pad.  I didn't realize it at the time.  I tried to order a new headband pad from Sennheiser USA but the stupid thing has been on backorder for months and Sennheiser has no idea when they will get some more.  
 
Anyone know where I can get a replacement headband pad?  Or, are there any aftermarket headband pads that work (and look) just as well as OEM pads?

 
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/413000.html

 

[Mad Max]

Stick some open-cell 4mm acoustic foam in the rear chamber and the soundstaging becomes much more 3D!  You will sacrifice some bass thump, however, and if you add too much or squish the foam, you sacrifice bass altogether.
I've also made the cable detachable.  Where the strain relief used to be, glue in a Lumberg 3.5mm chassis jack.  I melted out a pair of notches on the jack's plastic half so that the epoxy I use gets the best grip on the jack.
 
 

... Am I the only one here who thinks these are some nifty little <$100 headphones?
...

 
No.  =]

 

[preferred user]

I like my 280's fine  cans for the  money good bass extension reasonably tight well controlled bass smooth slightly rolled off treble  balanced midrange decent soundstage for closed cans 
They have  the Sennheiser signature sound , a slight evidence of the notorious "sennheiser veil " not much though , some like it some don't  Senns has been making phones probably longer than almost anybody and seem to have a complete product line and in the case of the 280HD a well made phone at this price . I have some 380pro HD's coming will let you all know how that goes. 
 
. I have some KRK KNS 8400  they are lifeless,harsh and and shrill by comparison