Sennheiser Professional HD 280 PRO Over-Ear Monitoring Headphones

Equipment used in combination with these headphones: HRT Music Streamer II USB DAC, Schiit Asgard Class A Headphone Amplifier, and Audioquest Forest and Evergreen interconnects. I also own the following headphones: Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm version, Grado SR-80i, and Audio Technica ADH-AD700.

The headphones are a little tight on the ears, no matter how much I adjust the length. The earmuffs seem to cover far more than the ears itself. I like them, however.

These are good sounding headphones, but the closed back means your ears get hot when listening for longer periods of time.

I purchased these headphones about half a year ago, so I could use them to drown out outside noises when I need to focus . They have excellent sound isolation. The audio quality is pretty up there. But its certainly not high end. For comparison, I have the Sennheiser HD 555s and they completely blow the 280s out of the water. Theyre not only not in the same league, the HD 555s are several leagues above. That said, the HD 555s are open ear headphones and thus they dont isolate sound at all, while the HD 280s are some of the best isolating headphones Ive ever come across. So the immersion factor is well done by both headphones, but in different ways. For this reason, Im giving the HD 280s a 5/5, still, because theyre quite decent at audio quality, while being superb and noise-isolation, which is the primary reason why I got them in the first place.

I have the “old model” purchased in 2016. I use these mostly at work since the cord reaches that good old desktop tower with lots more slack than earbuds. They are fairly comfortable for wearing up to about 4-5 hours, but I need a break if it’s all day. The sound quality is fabulous.

A negative experience with low-end Sennheisers when I was young kept me from trying others, and even steered me toward open back phones (AKG, Grado). I use headphones while walking, listening to classical music only. In the last year or so, my area has got louder and louder: modified-exhaust motorcycles, cars, and pickups plus 24/7 noise from US75. Although I walk later and later to avoid the noise, that has proved a temporary solution. Despite the dangers (not hearing traffic at crosswalks), I decided to move to closed-back, noise-attentuating headphones to be able to hear music. These headphones claim up to 32db reduction in ambient noise level. That is as good or better than most ear muffs for shooting. I was skeptical, but I can affirm the claim, if you fit them properly (outer ear entirely inside the headphone cavity). Most would consider this headphone too heavy for walking, but the padding and the tightness of the fit make the headphone comfortable for my 2-hour walks. The extra cable (coiled) is a little annoying, but I shove it into my phone pocket. There is some feedback from the cable if it is rubbing on my coat or vest, but I have been able to adjust cable or coat to eliminate the feedback. The impedance is higher than low-end headphones, but volume level with a Nokia 6 is good at 70-80 percent setting on the Nokia. And, speaking of the sound, I leave the best for last. The sound is transparent, neutral, and engaging. The sound stage is more natural than the eGrado I used for 2 or 3 years. My mobile music is all 320 kbps MP3 but there is no noticeable loss in quality from the same music on CD played on my Onkyo and Tannoy sytem. Of course, the HD280 cannot match the realistic, open sound of Tannoys on orchestra or opera, but it never sounds boxy and it even excels with chamber music and solo instruments. If you listen to acoustic instruments, I urge you to try the HD280PRO before spending more. There is one caveat: this headphone is somewhat warm. In cold weather, this is a blessing, letting me listen to music without freezing my ears. I have not tried it in summer.

Very comfortable and excellent sound.

Works perfect. So happy!

I bought a Bose headset & they sounded great, but were a bit flimsy. I like to use the headphones with my iPod when relaxing in a chair or resting in bed or a sofa. The Sennheiser headphones are built very solid & have a fully integrated line from headphone to iPod, but the Bose had a jack for the iPod end & then the actual headphones, which easily disconnected if you shift in you chair, bed, or sofa & the cord itself is flimsier.

These are amazing does just what I want and that is canceling out sound