Excellent, but niche - Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Review 

Bro you are so friendly, i have these headphones i was only looking for opinions and reactions. great review bro good luck

Thanks for the solid review, easy to understand and honest. I plan to get a pair for use doing voiceovers and this just confirmed my choice 👍.

Thanks for this great review! Awesome video and very clear concise description. Cheers!

Thanks very much, nice informative review. Just bought one pair of these and waiting for the delivery! For a home studio (music prod).

I went from only ever using cheap headphones and knowing nothing about high end audio...to a pair of 280's many years ago...and I was super blown away. I'd never experienced anything like it before and I loved it. And you talk about how it isn't overly bassy, but for me the bass was insane. Going from cheap headphones to these was a massive jump...just mind blowing! It's been years now since I've had a decent pair of headphones...and the new version of these is at the top of my list.

Great video man. Love the concrete details. Using mine while i play on the edrums.

thank you for this review bro, helped me a lot !!!

This guy radiates so much confidence.

Great review bro, thank you!

Well worded review. Very informative!

Good morning. Thanx for such a accurate review.❤️

Entertaining to listen to. I've had mine for well over a decade now. I was working in the industry when I bought them, for use with a Korg Triton; and kept them, instead of upgrading all these years. You can get replacement pads and headband on Amazon for less than $25 presently in 2020.

Great vid man ! Helped a lot , thanks !

had mine for about 4 or more years. just replaced the ear cushions and i still love em.

Listened to your review with my HD 280 Pro, which I've had since March 2004. They haven't been used frequently tho. I've changed the pads once. Great review, thanks!

Awesome review, thank you!

Thanks for this objective and in-depth review

Good info, thanks. Got them on way.

The Best Precise Review i was hunting for.

I have these for over 10 years, replaced the ear pads some years ago. I love these!

Bro, thank you sound much! So useful... A big hug from Chile! Have a nice day!!

watching this with my new 280 pros in lahore, pakistan! just clear sound and very comfortable compared to bose, razer and a few sony's that i have tried. with EQ enabled on your platform, the sound can be customized to sound like a beats solo or even something higher end. very happy with the purchase!

Excellent video, it is refreshing to hear a thoughtful review that distinguishes casual from professional applications. For $100 you really can't get a better set of studio headphones. You're right on with the glasses (in my case it was wearing hats) breaking the seal and losing bass. I kept mixing way too much bass into tracks until I realized this myself. Keep up the good work!

You helped me so much thank you so much!

Solid review. Thanks!

Fantastic review!

Thank you, direct to the point.

Thank you for putting this into perspective for me. I am not very familiar with audio and the specs of things. I just like or dislike what I hear. I've been using the HD280s for over four years now and I've loved them and felt like most other headphones sounded "wrong" and artificial by comparison, but I thought that may just be me. So this review really helped with understanding that better, thanks!

I’m a musician just getting into setting up a personal studio. who wants to plug them into my amps and effects stations for privacy and for mixing music. Thanks for the vid. Answers what I needed to know probably going to get myself a pair of these as sound equipment is very expensive And these will give me the right sound for the right price.

thank you for the review

Great video. I own over 20 headphones of all prices. Once I heard the 280 pro I bought 3 pairs of these one for each audio room I have. These are my best and used headphones I own but I do prefere closed headphones more then open. With some music it's like having sub-woofers on my ears without sacrificing much other frequencies. Just so amazing and enjoyable.

Great to find an intelligent, cogent thinker. Excellent discussion. I have the HD380 phones. I think they’ve been discontinued now, but I’m not sure why. Reviews from ~2012 say the 380s are more comfortable and come with a case and a removable cord. Other than that, they apparently have comparable sound to the 280s. Maybe Sennheiser just decided the two products were indistinguishable sonically and the 380s cost them more to produce?

You should make more videos. You are likeable, accurate and relateable. All without sacrificing some tech for those looking for it.

Great video man, thanks

An excellent no nonsense review.

While I was suffering (i.e. replacing my 280pro ears and headband) I decided to surf...and saw your review. I am NOT a "phile" as it were, but I picked these up over a decade ago, and still prefer the sound they output to just about anything I've purchased since. I LOVE the HD280Pro. Enjoyed the review as well. Also the headband replacement is an absolute nightmare without heating that stupid thing up to stretch it. 😀

The solid build quality is what drew me into these. The only downside is after a ton of wear the ear cups often lose their material. I've gone through one set and the replacements are going to need to be re-replaced. I use them for gaming and watching random RU-vid videos and I don't really know what else I'd get if these ones eventually fail.

Great review bro

Great video dude you should definitely upload more im interested in how these compare to sony's MDR 7506

Great detail made me a sub

Love the honesty here.. just the same I cant help but wonder if they sound just great with a few tweaks of the bass and treble on a good quality amp or receiver. And the older 2 channel Yamaha receiver I am using in my office next to the PC, just for headphones, has a variable loudness knob that i find is good to tweak the two sets of headphones I do use. I may give a set a try can always send them back if not great. Nice review and good points about glasses..I can relate.

great review

Great Job!!!

Lol. It is so funny that you don't recommend this pair at the end👏. When you mentioned you probably would review another pair of earphones, -ish, I checked your video list right away. Nope, they are still not there as of today😂

Good review, and spot on with these cans!

great review, thank you. Tell me what microphone you used to record the sound? It's rare to hear such good voice quality. Well done!

Love my 280s

Thanks for the review! And what are the other headphones you recommend? Could you provide links or names at least?

Thanks, I really enjoyed your review. The daughter likes my 380s but I want them back so we are researching a pair for her. The main criteria is durability. Replaceable cable is a big plus. The 280s boast 'durable construction', but can you suggest any other over ear headphones around the same price that are more durable. She's purely into music enjoyment, but she's happy with the 380s flatness.

had the same pair for 15 years, just replaced the ear cups after one foam covering tore a little. I would recommend sennheiser's, the other aftermarkets are a little cheaper, missing an extra inner foam that extend the cups out another 1/8" from the ears. There are for mixing, goal of being neutral

There is a difference between the older and the newer, mainly in the low end to me but they both have very similar results. Also the movement capabilities I've noticed it's not too bad you can walk and mow in them if really desired but other than that I can agree with this review

Well said!

Idk why but I find these headphones so clean n cool looking

Your voice is so calming lmao

Hi Stephen, great review. What microphone did you use to make this review?

Hey bro, awesome review. I've only one question before I go ahead with my purchase- does the tightness of the headphones diminish over time? A big problem with my HD 206's is that they become loose pretty quickly and start falling off my head, and I'd worry that anything made of plastic would do the same

I got the new ones and I had the old ones, there is some Sonic difference, a little bit more bottom end to make them a little more neutral than...anemic. and a little wider overall they sound livelier and seem like they executed the sound signature they we're going for the neutrality and to my ears have a little bit of stage just sounding a little more open and and less in your face

Hey! Thank you for the detailed review! I'm currently looking for getting a pair of headphones for my Yamaha digital piano and I'm considering the AKG 361/371 the Sennheisers hd280 pro or the Beyerdynamics 770s 80ohm or the Yamaha mt5. I would like to be able to use them for video editing as well.. I would love to hear your recommendations! 🙏

Tkxx a lot!!!!

I am going to be using these for Music Producing. Mainly using FL Studio. I have a Macbook Pro. I figured I would need an extension. Do you know what kind and also do you think they will work well with the Mac?

Thank u bro

I listened to a review by somebody who owned the old ones and the new ones, and they said the new version is a massive improvement since they bought Newman (so?) and it seems maybe they’ve swapped a few ideas and added a few tweaks to the new 280s

nice video, i like your voice

This is my 2nd pair and only thing i dislike is the heavy and coild cable.

I might buy it for gaming And sometimes monitor my violin playing.

My ears got hot and sweaty in five minutes. Replaced with Brainwavz hybrid ear pads. Velour and perforated foam on the inside, pleather on the outside. Much better and more thick cushioning. I use them for my home studio and really like the sound for monitoring.

I have a relatively small head, and after trying the ATH m40x for a day, which caused me a migraine due to total lack of clamp force by the pads thus 100 percent possible force by the headband. After doing some research online I found that sennheiser HD series, in particular this model, the 280, can handle a small head quite well compared with others, so I just might have no other choice but to go with those. I'm a casual listener, but do enjoy a good clear sound, when I listen to music, I really listen, and not just make myself a background noise while doing other things, as most people do. I use Bandcamp for lossless flac files, and can distinguish easily from those ones, to a general youtube music clip. I was also considering buying the HD 350bt, but people tell me they wouldn't sound as good as monitor headphones. What's your ideas? By the way, genre wise, I like all kinds of music, anything I can find that sound good to me. I loved the sound of the ATH m40x, but sadly those will be returned. These are the prices where I am(Taiwan): Sennheiser HD 280 - 158usd (official importer) Sennheiser HD 598 - 218usd (not official importer) ATH m40x - 105usd (to be returned) Sennheiser 350BT - 140usd (official importer) Sony mdr7506 - 137 usd By the way, I also searched for the beyer770, they should be slightly better for smaller heads, but some people still report the same issue with them. Sony mdr7506 might also be a good solution. Cheers.

I'm trying to find good headphones for tracking vocalists so that the click track/backing track doesn't leak into the mic. I'm stuck between these and the dt150's. Any suggestions?

Trying to decide between these and the AT ATH-M50x. I'll be using them strictly for podcasting and doing all the post and mixing on my Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs. Most curious about the comfort between the two, but would obviously like to know the difference in sound quality as well. Thanks in advance.

Hi Stephen, as a fellow Korg piano learner - except, at 79 yrs old I am much closer to the grave than you. A month ago my wife threw out my ancient, 12 yrs old but lovely Sennheiser on ear 'phones HD20 I think. She overheard me complaining they were broken - (I meant the cable was broken and I was going to order a new one) I have apologised for her mistake and we are speaking again. I'm now agonising over which replacement headphones to buy. Limited choices here in Vietnam, Audio Technica ATH M40x, Sennheiser HD280 Pro or Sony MDR 7506. The reviews of the Beyer Dynamic DT 770 Pro sound wonderful but that is certainly the top end of my budget. My main purpose is piano practice, and perhaps swapping piano recordings with my daughter in Norway. We both started our piano journey together 4 years ago. Except now I am 79 she is 13 yrs old. Any advice from an experience player such as yourself would be so appreciated. Kind regards, John MacMillan

I do have yamaha clp-745 piano I use Sony MDR7506. i did switch to Audio-Technica m50 make big difference sound just beautiful make me play piano more. just want to say it maybe help some out there.

Do you recommend it for piano sounds for digital pianos or keyboards?

i play on electronic drums and i am wondering which will be better Sennhaiser hd 280 pro or Audio Technica ath m40x

Senn Hd280 vs Sony 7506 vs audio technica m40x ? Whats your choice?

So these are not recommended for basic plug into a sound source listening enjoyment? What would you recommend for general listening?

Q1- what about the sennheiser HD 599 special edition, will they sound better than these? Q2- is the sennheiser 280 pros are good for listening music apart form only monitoring?

Is there any sound difference between new and old model?

are these the new model 2017/18 release of the 280pros ?

I'm not sure I'm happy with my new 280s. The clarity for mixing is beautiful but the actual monitoring during recording has not been efficient in the least bit. Same gain staging, same mic position and presence. Idk I'm still adjusting.

I should have watched this before wasting my money on these :( I miss my M40x so much now :(

I watched Z's video on the new ones, apparently much better sound quality

A great job on the video, nicely done, very well spoken, very clear. That all said.. Please don't take offense at the next, I mean only constructive criticism here. It is obvious from your analysis of the headset that these are either your first real pro headset, or maybe you haven't been in sound\music long as an engineer or "mixer". ears get warm and sweaty after a few hours... ...No shinola. You have air moving in that little pocket around your ear at 20-20000 hz, there's going to be some friction, and the longer you wear them, the more heat from your body builds up in there as well; not to mention that this is an electrical device that moves a plate to push the air. Short version, you have at least 3 principles where you will find out that heat is going to build up, and 2 of them you can learn from either 6th or 9th grade physics. The third you learn in the robotics club. I'm not trying to offend you, but to make a blanket statement that "your ears will heat up after a few hours" isn't just stating the obvious, you are also stating the result of very bad practice. First, the physics of the device, if you know the physics of sound, of body heat, or of electronics, provide the basis for some heat buildup. Second, if you mix a lot of sound, or have studied it at all, you know that spending more than an hour on any mix or practice puts you in a state where your ears quickly begin to lose their effectiveness. Now on to the design... Did you check the website at all? Did you look online for earlier models to compare the construction? I know you checked for the later versions, well done. But, there's a lot more to them than the next iteration. I have used several models, all with similar resulting sound quality before my own changes (surgical procedures to make repairs), and of course, I now have these, which have taken a beating but the sound quality is still awesome. I have read up on each set I have used, so I would know what to expect in their construction, what to listen for to make sure they were functioning properly, and where they might fall short so I can adjust to that. Here is a short bit on these: True that these were "originally" designed as a studio headphone, but soon after the initial design which is a much older build without solid state tech, the need to be more mobile-friendly took Sennheiser back to the drawing board. They devised a set that could be folded. Then they continued with adjustments to the outer frame as space saving became more and more a common request. Today, they not only fold, but the pads can spin flat or flip over for one ear listening. You can adjust to fit a space that is wider in one dimension or another, but unfortunately, not both. However, by leaving out the dual adjustment of fold and flat, they were able to limit the hanging wire to one side only, with full phase correction electrically. Using a board with smaller components keeps the outer muffs flatter, allowing more space for the cushion (thicker and more comfort while allowing more air space for wider sound response capability), all while widening the pad so it should fit just over most ears easily. These have a vocal response curve, but in the base tones, while not flat with the rest of the response curve, they are tapered almost flat until 18hz where they drop very quickly. At the top end, they are relatively flat for a response curve, showing their taper at 18khz only slightly, and holding a very consistent taper (from my own tests with several microphones, including ref mics) up to 47khz. I then skipped upward to 70khz and continued to 140, the curve did show some erratic points with some mics, but not all, at 112khz and 123khz, otherwise, they were round\flat and predictable. I would suspect that they would respond well at even higher quality sound impulse rates, but much higher than 192khz you risk damaging the cones from vibration, so I wouldn't recommend it. On to best practices: I have used these myself. I'm wearing them right now to watch your video. Good job on the video. Not so much on the information. Please don't encourage such damaging practices like wearing these for several hours straight. I had another headset, different brand, but similar style, and quality. I won't name them and won't shame them. They worked well. But I was taking a course in audio engineering for music, and I spent a little too long in the lab. I didn't remove them enough, and didn't wipe them down. I ended up with an ear infection. The pain was constant and debilitating, just short of unbearable. I had to toss the headset. I didn't want to spread the infection. That was what was recommended by the doctor. Here's some best practices to avoid painful consequences. 1. Keep your sets to 1 song, and don't leave the headset on for more than an hour. ----This one is pretty easy. Playing through one song, then taking them off is a great way to maintain your comfort and your hearing. 2. Wipe down your ears and your pads with a sanitizing wipe. -----Again, this one is easy. I keep dry\damp wipes all over the mixing room, and I wipe down everything after I turn it all off. This prevents oils from skin from building up along with other refuse. Wiping down my headset and my ears keeps the sweat from causing ear infections (it can actually pull dust and dirt into the ear canal, or other refuse that fell on the pads). This also helps let you know when you are building up wax. 3. Listen at a low or medium volume -----If you listen too loud for a long period, you will build up ear wax, which is a defense mechanism your body uses for blocking damage, and for sealing over damaged areas. Ear wax indicates you either have caused irritation or damage, you are about to cause it, or that you have some refuse or other material possibly causing havoc on your ear canal. Best to wipe it all down, clear the wax and lower the volume. 4. If you feel your ears heating up after only a short time, check your sample rate first, then check how you are plugged in, then try to place your hand on the pad and playback again to determine where the heat is coming from. ------If you are incorrectly connected, you can get voltage problems, so check with your connector on your playback device to make sure it supports your OHM count. IF the volume is too high coming off the playback, but too low in the headset, you may have a ground problem somewhere, so check each device, and if in the headset, get it repaired, it can be dangerous. If you place your hand on the pad and play some sound back, feeling the pad heat up, you should immediately contact the manufacturer and return the headset for repairs or replacement. It may also mean that you got a "Bootleg headset" which is just a headset designed to look like the name brand, but built by somebody in their garage with parts that don't really work. This happens a lot with ebay, and has occurred several times from amazon, thanks to their inability to control overseas "stores" on their sites. 5. DO NOT BUY YOUR PRO GEAR ON AMAZON OR EBAY ------Again, you may get bootlegs, even if the site shows the shipping from a local warehouse, you have no way of knowing where that warehouse is stocked from. Buy from the music equipment stores. They check a lot of their merchandise as it hits their stockroom, and when there is a problem, they will usually make it right with you.

Mmm would these be a good choice for e drum practicing?

I cannot for the life of me find anyone reviewing the newer model. I've heard the newer model looks likes weird on your head, and I overall want to see someone wear the difference, but no video or pics compare them. :(

They seem to heat up pretty fast, is there any way to fix this?

Old video nevertheless a good review

Nice voice.

I want a headphone ONLY for piano under $110.....is it BEST?

Would you recommend these for djing?

You're so dope

Thanks bro I thought they were bland, confirmed

A lot of people can attest to the robustness of this pair.

Consumers want Beats, or Skullcandys. Sennheisers are what you buy for the flat response, duh.

Here’s er uh lookin at you kid 😜

The new version has better soundstage

cross eyed?

Great review!