Sennheiser HD280 Pro

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CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
Detailed editors' rating

Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 89 reviews
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Product summary

CNET Editors' ChoiceJun 04

The good: Lightweight and comfortable design; sealed ear cups isolate wearer from ambient noise; headphones fold for compact storage.

The bad The bad: Pricey.

The bottom line: Sennheiser's versatile headphones sound great on DVDs and all kinds of music.

Specifications: Product type: Headphones ; Design: Ear-cup ; Color: Black ; See full specs

Price range: $99.95 - $199.95

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 06/22/2004
Released on: 11/01/2001

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.

Sennheiser's ruggedly constructed HD 280 Pro high-performance headphones feature comfortable leatherette ear cushions, a headband, and a foldable design for compact storage. Weighing a relatively lightweight 10 ounces, this $199 model has a 10-foot coiled cable fitted with a 1/8-inch miniplug. Sennheiser also includes a 1/4-inch adapter for use with a home stereo.

Our listening tests started in our living room. The naval battle scenes sprinkled throughout the Master and Commander DVD amply demonstrated the HD 280s' power and glory. These 'phones can play loud, and their bass definition was quite good, though not the equal of Ultrasone's mighty HFI-650s. But this well-recorded DVD sounded crisp and clear on the HD 280 Pros, with the sort of detail you hear only from high-end speakers.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pros also brought out the details in rock-and-roll CDs such as the White Stripes' Elephant. Oh boy, Jack White's buzz-saw guitar sounded gloriously distorted, and Meg White's heavyweight drumming kicked butt. And since the ear cups are sealed, you can crank your music as loud as you want and never disturb other people in the room.

These headphones are a lot of fun yet still have enough suave refinement to sound right with classical music. The delicate interplay of harpsichord and strings on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons CD was utterly beautiful, demonstrating the HD 280 Pros' versatility with all sorts of music--a rare feat.

If you're thinking of using the HD 280 Pros with an iPod, you won't be disappointed. The headphones' resolution came through loud and clear with ours. That said, Sennheiser's HD 555 headphones sounded bigger and richer, so if portable use is a priority, we'd go with them.

See more CNET content tagged:: Sennheiser,; headphones,; music

User reviews

Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 89 reviews
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Showing 3 of 89 user reviewsSee all 89 user reviews
3.5 stars

27 out of 29 people found this review helpful

"OK, depending on your needs"

by martinn--2008 on April 10, 2005

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4.0 stars

15 out of 15 people found this review helpful

"Linear range, lightweight, screw-on adapter"

by gumbyracer on May 6, 2005

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4.5 stars

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful

"Really good cans!"

by maliklund87 on May 17, 2005

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Sennheiser HD280 Pro

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