Features:

  • Dynamic, closed-ear headphones with up to 32 dB attenuation of outside sound
  • Lightweight and comfortable, ergonomic design, Cord Length - 3.3 - 9.8 feet Coiled
  • Extended frequency response and warm, natural sound reproduction
  • Around-the-ear design with padded earcups
  • Earpads, headband padding, and audio cord are easily replaceable, ensuring long life
  • Connectivity technology : Wired
  • Dynamic, closed-ear headphones with up to 32 dB attenuation of outside sound
  • Lightweight and comfortable, ergonomic design
  • Extended frequency response and warm, natural sound reproduction
  • Collapsible earpieces for compact transport
  • Earpads, headband padding, and audio cord are easily replaceable, ensuring long life
Great for monitoring while tracking electric guitar: super comfortable, inspiring sound - just the right amount of isolation

These are incredibly comfortable for long periods, and sound terrific. They seem sturdy too. I like the availability of original replacement parts (pads, cushions, cable, etc.). Headphones get lots of wear, so nice to be able to repair rather than replace. I got these for studio monitoring while tracking loud electric guitar. They are perfect for that. I need headphones that block out external sound form my amps, so I can hear the other tracks with which I am playing--without having to turn up the volume to ear-damaging levels. I was impressed by the specs that claim HD280 Pro has great sound isolation. Before the HD280 pros, I had been using an old drummer's trick--industrial earmuffs over ear buds. That worked great to block out the sound, but was uncomfortable for long sessions, and a bit cumbersome for on/off, and did not have the best sound. At first, I was not impressed with the sound isolation from the HD280 Pros. They do attenuate the high frequencies, but the low-mids and lows still get through. Honestly, the sound isolation claims for these headphones are way overblown, so hard hitting drummers or guitarists who play REALLY loud may wish to use specialized isolation headphones in favor of the HD280 Pro, to preserve their hearing. But for my use (loud, but not insane, guitar amps), I found I preferred the amount of leakage in the HD280 Pro over the nearly total isolation of muffs or drummer cans. I felt it kept me more connected to my playing than my previous setup, with which I relied solely on the in-ear monitor feed to hear my own guitar, since all outside sounds were blocked. I do have to turn the level up in the HD280 Pros, a bit louder than when using isolation muffs, to hear the background tracks over my cranked amp--but still not to levels that will damage my hearing. And the HD280 Pro's extreme comfort is a welcome improvement. More importantly, the SOUND quality of the HD280 is far superior to my prior setup. I was surprised to find the superior sound inspires my instrumental performance, and makes me feel and play better. These sounded great with virtually no break in. I imagine they will only improve over time. For really, really loud recording situations (requiring near total isolation), or mixing use (requiring a more neutral frequency response, and more natural soundstage than HD280Pro), I think other, specialized headphones would be a better bet. I highly recommend these to other guitarists for monitoring while recording---they have the perfect combination of features for it. They would also be terrific for vocalists or voice over performers, since the HD280Pros have sufficient isolation to keep the playback from leaking into sensitive vocal microphones. Also good for general listening, when you want to keep much (but not all) of the outside sounds out, or keep your music from being heard by others.

The noise is pretty damn clear for such a good deal

*November 2016* I have had these for almost 2 years now and it has been my daily driver for that time. I have gamed on them constantly, wore them outdoors for my peace and quiet (haha), and I have watched movies on them. The noise is pretty damn clear for such a good deal. I enjoy them greatly, it has plenty of adjustability, more than I could ask for! The bass is deep, the highs and mids are clear. I can hear noises that I haven't been able to distinguish with my $30 headphones. Footsteps in games are amazingly clear now, I can tell where an enemy is within a blink of an eye! But the main thing that brought these headphones to life was the FiiO A3 Portable Headphone Amplifier ! It's an extra $60 but it woke these things up as far as brute power and extra clarity goes! Extra power to give the headset the small boost that I believe it really could use. I have had this amp for over a year and a half and it hasn't let me down! Greatest headset + amp combo for $160 to me. No wear on my headset cushions or anything in 2 years? I'll take it! They sound just as good as they did when I first bought them even with the amp pushing them a little further. Thanks for reading! Cons: Not sure if I have any really, needed an amp to push them a little more? Not much a problem to me imo.

Exactly what I was looking for

I did a lot of research to find headphones that would deliver what I wanted. I'm fairly picky about sound and am very easily bothered if parts of the sound range are artificially boosted or otherwise out of balance. Which describes most of the common headphones that are out there these days with their amplified bass, muddy notes and uneven middles and/or upper notes. Just as a point of comparison, I looked closely at Audio Technica because I had gotten the chance to try two of their models. The sound was a lot better than most, fairly clear and defined overall. Nice. Seemed slightly muddy though on the finer details. And somewhere in the middle range felt a little 'off' to me in ways I don't know how to describe. And parts of the sound profile sounded farther away than other parts. Subtle but it was there. So they were nice in many ways but not quite satisfying for me the longer I listened to them. Additionally, the m50s (the more popular of the two models I tried) had a noticeable amp on the bass which also wasn't quite my speed. Though that's pretty common knowledge about the m50s, so hardly a surprise. I also seriously considered the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. The reviews are tempting but I just can't have open-back headphones in my current living arrangements. I need at least some ability to shut out noise because of bad neighbors, etc. Even though the 280's are not noise reduction headphones, they do an amazing job of dampening outside noise without any fancy technology. Not only is my music nearly unhearable to anyone sitting in the same room with me, but noises in the room around me are partially blocked out even when I'm wearing my 280's without any sound playing in them. Something to do with how closely they fit I think, seems to automatically dampen some of the noise around me. So they fall somewhere inbetween actual "noise reduction" headphones and normal on-ear headphones which block out nothing at all. Seems to be a little more so than other over-ear headphones as well. Overall, that's been nice. I was concerned at first about the 280's since many reviews noted they have a decent clamping fit on the head. I have had huge problems in the past with various on-ear headphones which clamp too hard against my ears and cause physical pain. I knew these were cupping around the ears instead of directly on-ear, but I was still more than a little concerned that this "clamping" might be too tight to be comfortable. Thankfully this has proved to fine. When I first put them on, there was a noticeable sense of "pressure" on the sides of my head, but not bad enough to be outright uncomfortable or anywhere close to painful. Thankfully within the first 12 hours of use, they seem to have relaxed a bit and now are plenty comfortable to wear for long hours without issue. Occasionally if I don't have them adjusted right, one of the ear pads can end up resting slightly onto of the edge of one ear, which can become uncomfortable hours later. But it's simple to adjust them on my head. Usually happens if I was in a hurry in putting them on and since they are comfortable enough I won't notice for awhile that it wasn't on quite perfectly. As for sound, they've been pretty much exactly what I was looking for. The sound is natural, pretty much like real life. No artificial boosts or drops in parts of the range going from high to low. Sound is nicely crisp and defined, no muddy areas. Holds up when listening to a wide range of genres, from rap to classical, pop to country, acoustic to electronic. Watching movies works fine. The lack of bass boosting is more noticeable on genres that overly rely on the bass being boosted and didn't actually balance their music enough without it. So some rap, some dance, some action movies will have a little less 'umph' to them than you might expect or than they seem to have intended. I count that as a mistake on the original mixer's part though and still prefer to hear what is actually there rather than an overly beefed up version of it which a bass boosting amplified headphone would give me. Plenty of rap and dance music holds up though, so it's really down to whether or not the people who mixed it in the studio did their job correctly or if they had cut corners in the production thinking it wouldn't be noticed. I suspect if I had a portable amp to plug them into, I could get the best of both worlds for those songs and movies where production fell a little short. For me, it doesn't really bother enough to sweat it. The sound on these headphones do feel like it comes from the room around me (even though it isn't actually) rather than the pads on my ears or inside of my head. Again, this headphones have a more natural feel to their sound than anything I've tried before. Some say "flat" but I say "real" in a way that feels more true to the sound it should be. There is one minor and subtle thing I did notice with these: sometimes I have to fiddle the volume up or down just a slightest hair to get a song to sound at its best balance-wise. I suspect that this is where the fact that these are only a $99 pair and not something higher grade shows. Still, it really isn't bothersome, only just barely noticeable and more than acceptable for a $99 dollar set of headphones. So for a newbie audiophile, these do the job and keep me satisfied. I am sure I will eventually explore higher grade audiophile headphones at higher price points. But for now these are hands down the most satisfying I have found for around $100 with closed backs. Not for bassheads though. If you love a decent sound but still love a bit of bass amp, you should probably choose the Audio Technica m50 over these. If you like an even and more natural sound at this price point, these Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's are worth it and a solid choice. They are exactly what I was looking for and the only ones in this bracket which don't actively bother me. In fact, I can forget it's through headphones and just focus on what I'm doing instead. So just in case any of this helps anyone else who may be pouring over hundreds of reviews trying to imagine what these vs other headphones would be like, just like I was a few months ago. Best of luck on your quest!

I work in a loud cube-farm environment and I needed something to comfortably block out ambient conversation noise all day long

Up front: why did I buy these? The answer: I work in a loud cube-farm environment and I needed something to comfortably block out ambient conversation noise all day long. Next: did this product work satisfy the purpose for which I bought it? Yes, and then some. One of the reviews marked "Most Helpful" indicates that these wouldn't fit someone with a large head. Let me tell you something. My wife tells me my head looks like the mother alien from that movie, "Alien." I have a huuuuuge head. And these fit great. In addition to a huge head, I have huge ears. And the cups fit over them fine too. In terms of fit, they're perfectly comfortable for the 5+ hours I have them on my head each day. Next up, noise reduction. While these are not active noise-cancelling cans, they form a great seal and I can't even hear my keyboard clacking from 2 feet away when I've got tunes on. I love them. They drown out all my coworkers and let me concentrate on work. Lastly, build quality. These have a nice, thick, coated cord, which I'm told is replaceable as well. The headband is pliant but not brittle, and while the padding material seems dubious, I haven't noticed any problems yet. I'm waiting to see if that foam-like material will start to crack, and if so, I'll come back and update this review. Overall, this is a 5-star product. No drawbacks, all plusses. I'd buy these to give as gifts! Love 'em.

Excellent phones with a killer value

First off, I have a rather large head (larger than most L/XL hat sizes you can buy in a store) and these still adjust comfortably with much more room to spare so I wouldn't worry if you have a larger noggin. Based on some comparisons with family members these seem to be quite comfortable at a range of head sizes so you should be fine regardless. Other reviews mention the tension on this set, but I find them to be exactly the right pressure to hold the cans on your ears without being uncomfortable. I've tested them at various lengths, ranging from 1-2hrs to up to 8hrs at a time and have found them to remain comfortable throughout. I do recommend regular breaks since they're closed back so your ears can breathe a bit but that's normal for this type of headphone. On the noise bleed front, I notice that while they're seated on ears absolutely nothing escapes. Outside noise needs to be pretty directed at you and close by at a high decibel level to actually get through when you're listening to anything. These phones use passive noise cancellation, relying on the pressure of the headset and closed back nature of the cans to isolate you from outside noise. This, in my comparison with active sets, leads to a more true reproduction of music/whatever you're listening to. Sound quality is excellent and really cannot be beat at this price level. For $100 you're getting headphones that can outperform most sets that cost up to $100 more. Really not more needs to be said here. The curve seems to be pretty neutral, but the use of an amp and/or equalizer can drive these to the curve you prefer. The only thing potentially lacking is punch in the lower end, but these aren't intended to rattle your brain out of your ears, they're intended for truer reproduction of the sound. For that purpose they're excellent and I can't recommend them more. In all, these headphones are now my daily drivers and general use for sedentary listening. I would whole heartedly recommend this purchase.

but I can certainly appreciate a nice pair of headphones where you can hear every bit ...

Disclaimer: I don't profess to be an audiophile, but I can certainly appreciate a nice pair of headphones where you can hear every bit of detail in a track that was intended for the listener. When I first got these, they were just OK, the clarity was great and the high end reproduction was very clear, but the low end didn't seem to come through with much 'oomph'. After reading some audio forums it seemed the consensus was that it actually takes around 500 hrs of play time on these for them to really start to shine. I decided to run pink noise into them with the volume at a moderate level for a few nights and I've probably got maybe 50-60 hrs of listening time on them on top of that and I can say that they are starting to sound much richer. The bass is starting sound much fuller and the highs and mids are still crystal clear. One of the best things about this set is the noise isolation. I work in an office area and the lady next to me has no sense of self awareness, but she's super nice so I just bite my tongue. I needed some headphones to drown out her singing along with her music when she has her headphones on, and to drown out her music when she decides to take them off and crank them up to try and use them as loudspeakers. These do the job. I also want to keep the music in so others don't have to listen to my music with me. These do the job. I originally got a pair of V-MODA LP2's, and they sounded great, but leaked sound like a sieve. I returned them and went with these and there is a world of difference in that regard. I expect they will be fantastic on an airplane as well. One thing I have noticed is that in order to get the best bass response you need to keep them sealed against your head. When I wear my glasses with them it breaks that seal slightly and the there is a noticeable difference in the bass response. I am planning on building a headphone amplifier with a variable bass boost to try to remedy that (yes, I know they are commercially available but I am cheap and an electrical engineer). I also am not a huge fan of the hard mounted coiled cord, but I am also going to chop that off and install an inline 3.5mm jack, which should also allow me to buy a cable with iPhone controls on it. Anyways, so far I am very happy with these headphones. UPDATE: I was able to chop off the bulky coiled cord and install a 3.5mm jack to allow me to plug in a smaller audio cord, making it a little more comfortable to listen to. I purchased the following cable and now I have iPhone controls with these headphones: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01149EHSQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 If you decide to try this, just be aware that the conductors inside the insulation are magnet wire, meaning they have a thin coating on them so they are difficult to solder to. You can get rid of it by tinning the wire, but it does make it a little difficult to work with.

Good passive isolation, Great sound. Love them.

***See my update at bottom.*** These are not designed for listening on the go. In the comfort of your home , they're great . I own expensive and cheap pairs. I'm a classical musician that listens to everything. These are good for home passive isolation. You don't need much volume to get lost in your world . Cons: The bass is hard to hear unless you EQ it, and volume is not very high. Also, very bulky and a long heavy coiled chord. I'll keep them for home use with a movie or the stereo when there is noise around. At least until I decide to spend $300 in the Bose Quiet Comfort 20. ( great isolation , but very poor sound and bass response from a $300 headset !) Pros: I record music at home, so a flat signal helps ( hence the Pro name). The sound improved after 3 days of leaving them on the stereo burning them in 24/7. They are great for classical music. Trebles are not harsh, so there is less fatigue after a couple of hours. The even signal is very enjoyable , and the isolation works great . I would enjoy a tiny more bass, but it is there, and the quality makes up for it. Very comfortable. Coiled cable works great to move around your work space, you can tell it's what they were designed for. I love how these sound ! Not muddy at all. These Senheisser HD Pro 280 are great for the price,and probably a neutral signal that works for recording, but you can explore other options, specially for portable listening , both in regards to comfort and getting a lively sound. I hope it helps. ***Update: in a week, these are giving me more bass and are comfortable for hours. I tuck the coiled cable on my side, using my belt, and walk around with them all day. Even on the bus I can hear details without playing music too loud. I don't hear ppl talking to me. Popular music like John Meyer or Dave Mathews Band, Cake, Pantera, pop, Jazz, sounds as good as piano music now. Orchestra and acoustic sound great also. I'm not using the other headphones anymore. Try them and burn them in for a week. Great value: sturdy , and great sound !

Great headphones that would be equally good in either the home or the studio...and at a nice price

I’m totally in shock...these are a steal at $99. I’ve owned both the 580 and 600 models and have learned to love Sennheiser products. Both of those headphones found new homes for one reason or another several years ago. I had a few years when other priorities took control. Systems come and systems go. The last few months have found me building a new one, and as an apartment dweller, a good pair of headphones is often a necessity. For several years, I limped along with an older pair of smaller Senn’s...HD25 SP, that I had bought for use with a portable DVD player. They got me by when things got thin. So time to upgrade. I looked at the reviews of several of the competitors...but gut feeling said stay with Sennheisers. Good choice. These might not quite reach the same level of sound quality as the 580 or 600 models, but the differences will hardly be missed. There’s still a nice level of detail without going over the top. They’re also fairly neutral sounding except for one small chunk of audio spectrum..the lowest octave or so of bass. There seems to be a small rise in response in that area. Not huge but noticeable...and I shouldn’t complain as it’s really not a problem. But no one should be complaining that they’re shy on bass... at least if they’re being well driven. Equipment being used includes a modded Sony NS999ES DVD player that’s SACD compatible, feeding a NAD C 315BEE amp. The amp has no dedicated headphone driver...runs right off the final transistors...so there’s plenty of drive for 64 ohm cans. May not quite have the quality of a nice outboard HP amp, but it works pretty well. This is the kind of upgrade that makes you sit down and start listening to everything all over again. TELARC movie music was awesome, Vangelis soundtrack to Alexander was incredible, Jethro Tull remastered Stand Up was excellent...( any vintage Tull fans really need that one...great sound for 50 year old recording).. Andy Timmons: That Was Then, This Is Now is incredible..some great rock music that’s very well recorded. Only negative experience was with Deutsche Grammophon: Von Karajan: R. Strauss...heavy brass section got a little over the top, but that’s not unheard of for some DG recordings. And this is all with them fresh out of the box...things should get better when they break in a bit. And there’s an HP amp in my future. These cans feel solid on your head, and even though there’s lots of plastic, they don’t feel flimsy. They may not have the same comfort level as the 580 or 600 models, but at this price point, a luxurious fit is a bit much to expect. I think Sennheiser hit the important marks very well and made excellent design decisions for the price point.

Very impressive

I recently picked these up to replace an aging pair of Sony MDR-7506's with warn out earpads. I couldn't be more impressed with the sound quality of the HD 280's. I switched back and forth between these and the MDR-7506 and hands down Sennheiser wins. I can resolve each instrument voice to a noticeably higher degree, and at the same time all the voices feel more in balance compared to my old Sony's. Bass is more present without being overpowering. I find myself getting excited about music I listen to on a regular basis as if it was the first time I was hearing it. The passive noise cancellation is also quite impressive. These feel sturdy and are definitely comfortable to wear. I tend to take good care of my stuff so hopefully won't have the issue with cracking some others have reported. Overall these are extremely impressive for the price point. I'd recommend these hands down over the venerable Sony MDR-7506 any day of the week.

Wonderful cold weather headphnes

A negative experience with low-end Sennheiser's 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 Tannoy's 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.

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