Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Headphones Review

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have an all-black, utilitarian aesthetic, so they're easily mistaken for construction site hearing protection. They have a bulky frame that's somewhat collapsible, along with ear cups that swivel to take up less surface area. There's a thick layer of padding on the ear cups and removable padding on the headband.

These over-ears are fairly comfortable. They have large, well-padded ear cups that easily fit around most ears. However, the detachable padding on the headband is relatively thin. The headband is also quite tight on the head, which can create pressure on the top of the head over time. The pads help somewhat mitigate the tight fit but can become uncomfortable, especially during long listening sessions.

These headphones fit very tightly on the head. That, combined with their ear cups that create a good seal around your ears, obstructs airflow, making your ears very warm even after a relatively short listening session. They'll make you sweat more than other closed-back over-ears, so you can expect them to get very hot on the head during a long, hot day in the studio.

The Sennheiser HD280 Pro are somewhat portable but a little bulky. They're on the larger side of over-ear headphones. Fortunately, they fold up into a more compact design, which makes them easier to carry around. However, the cable can't be detached and stowed separately. They will fit comfortably in a backpack but are too cumbersome for pockets even larger jacket pockets.

These headphones feel sturdy and won't get damaged by an occasional drop. The headband and ear cups are made out of dense plastic and can handle a fair amount of physical stress. However, the ear cup joints are the weak points where these headphones are most likely to get damaged. The swivel hinges are also a little thin. The lack of a detachable cable means that you'll either need to replace the headphones when the cable breaks or break out the soldering iron. Fortunately, the rest of these headphones are designed to be modular, so you can easily purchase replacement parts and swap out damaged ones.

These headphones aren't very stable. They easily slide off your ears, which can be an issue if you like to headbang aggressively to your favorite tunes. They maintain a stable fit if you're just sitting at your desk but will slightly move around if you tilt your head. They also don't have a detachable cable, which causes the headphones to be pulled off your head if something hooks the cord.

• Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones
• 1/8" to 1/4" adapter
• Manual

The headphones have a fairly balanced sound profile. The bass range is mostly flat, although the high bass is slightly underemphasized, meaning kicks and basslines have plenty of boom and slam but lack a bit of warmth. The mid-range response is flat and detailed. The treble range is quite veiled, though, so the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments sound a little muffled and distant. Sibilants, like S and T sounds in vocals, also sound dull and lispy.

The frequency response consistency is passable. Their ability to deliver accurate bass is inconsistent, and response will vary quite a bit depending on the size of your head, if you have thick hair, or wear glasses. Similarly, the treble response will vary quite a bit between different listening sessions.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have excellent bass accuracy. The low bass is virtually flat and will ensure there's plenty of rumble and boom in your mixes. There's some underemphasis in the mid and high bass, though, which results in a loss of warmth in basslines.

It's also worth noting that the bass delivery varies noticeably across users and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response, and your experience may vary.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have an outstanding mid-range. The response throughout the range is flat, and instruments and vocals have plenty of detail and clarity. In Billie Holiday's rendition of the jazz standard 'Night and Day,' the vocals sound crisp and are clearly discernable over the accompanying horns and piano.

The treble performance for these headphones is okay. The response is veiled across almost the entire range, meaning the upper harmonics of vocals lack brilliance, and lower-pitched sibilants sound dull and lispy. Your mixes overall will sound a little closed-off and lacking in high-end sparkle. The exception to this is the top of the mid-treble, where the response climbs to a peak. As a result, higher-pitched sibilants, like the bell sound on ride cymbals, sound present and have plenty of attack.

The peaks and dips performance is decent, meaning these headphones generally follow their own sound profile well. There's a peak in the low bass that injects rumble and boom into kicks and basslines, followed by a dip in the mid and high bass that robs these instruments of warmth and definition. There are some small peaks across the low-mid and high-mid ranges, which help accentuate vocals, as well as lead and rhythm instruments. The treble range features some more significant deviations, but this can be related to how higher frequencies are impacted by the shape of your ear. There's a dip in the low-treble that hurts the presence of lower-pitched sibilants, followed by a sharp peak in the mid-treble that brings out a harsher, more metallic quality in higher-pitched sibilants.

The imaging performance is good. Good imaging performance is usually indicative of a manufacturer's good quality control and ergonomics, and Sennheiser have built up a solid reputation in this regard. Group delay falls within good limits, resulting in tight bass and transparent highs. While our unit's L/R drivers are well matched in phase, there are some slight mismatches in frequency and amplitude, particularly in the high-bass and low-mid ranges. This means that these ranges can be more audible in the left channel, even while listening to real-life content. However, imaging tends to vary between units, so your experience may differ.

These headphones have a disappointing soundstage. While their soundstage isn't as small and closed-off sounding as other closed-back headphones, it still sounds unnatural and doesn't create the impression that sound is reaching your ears from speakers placed around your head.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is very good. There's not much perceptible distortion, both at regular and high volume levels, so audio reproduction is generally clean and pure. The exception to this is a slight peak between the low and mid-bass at regular listening volumes. As a result, strong kicks and bass sounds can sound a little distorted.

These are the settings used to test the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's noise isolation performance is disappointing. They provide almost no attenuation against bass-range noise, meaning they won't block out kick drums and bass guitars if you're using them to track a live session. They provide more isolation in the mid-range, though, and quite a bit of attenuation in the treble range. As a result, they can insulate you against sounds like background chatter and fridge hum reasonably well.

The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have a decent leakage performance, as expected from closed-back headphones. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the mid and treble ranges, so escaping audio sounds thin and lacking in body. If you're blasting tunes in a quiet environment, like a home office or library, others can hear the high-end of your music.

These headphones have a simple 1/8" TRS audio cable with no in-line remote/microphone, so they'll only provide audio when connected to PlayStation and Xbox family consoles, as well as PC. The cable is 1.31m (4.31 ft) in length.

You can connect these over-ears to your PC via their audio cable. However, you can't send audio to your PC without purchasing a standalone mic.

These headphones are compatible with PlayStation family consoles, so you can plug them into your controller for audio support. However, you'll need to purchase a standalone mic if you want to communicate with your teammates.

These headphones are compatible with Xbox family consoles, so you can plug them into your Xbox controller to receive audio. However, you'll have to purchase a separate mic if you want to talk with your teammates.