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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x vs Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Dec 06, 2024 08:55 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Oct 29, 2024 08:53 PM

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Amazon.com
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Audio-Technica
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Sennheiser

Variants

  • ATH-M40x (Black)
  • HD 280 Pro 2016 (Black)

Our Verdict

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016

The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 are both closed-back headphones with reasonably balanced sound profiles. The Audio-Technica are more comfortable, which makes them better suited for long listening sessions. Still, their exaggerated bass and treble ranges can sound quite boomy and even piercing at times. However, they deliver audio more consistently, with less deviation in the bass and treble ranges between listening sessions. The Sennheiser have a much more balanced bass and smoother overall sound but aren't as comfortable.

0

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Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.5
7.7

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.2
8.5

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.0
6.8

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Design Picture 2
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
6.5

Comfort Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Comfort Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.55 lbs
0.63 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.1 lbs
1.61 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Controls Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No

Breathability 
 

6.2
4.7

Breathability After Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Breathability After Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.5 °C
9.5 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

5.9
5.9

Portability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Portability Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Portability Picture

 

5.1" (13.0 cm)
5.5" (14.0 cm)

 

6.5" (16.5 cm)
7.1" (18.0 cm)

 

3.5" (9.0 cm)
3.2" (8.0 cm)

Volume  

111.20 in³ (1,822.23 cm³)
123.07 in³ (2,016.75 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

6.5
0.0

Case Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Case Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Build Quality Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
5.0

Stability Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Stability Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Angled Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Side Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Front Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Rear Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Top Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x In The Box Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

0.33 dB
-0.23 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.15 dB
-3.09 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.0
6.2

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.62 dB
0.84 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.2
8.5

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

4.35 dB
2.19 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

16.82 Hz
14.77 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

1.61 dB
-0.26 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

4.54 dB
-2.41 dB

High-Bass 
 

6.09 dB
-2.87 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
9.1

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.15 dB
1.25 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.4 dB
1.27 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.69 dB
0.05 dB

High-Mid 
 

3.13 dB
-1.04 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.0
6.8

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.97 dB
4.74 dB

Low-Treble 
 

1.42 dB
-4.84 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

2.67 dB
-1.95 dB

High-Treble 
 

0.32 dB
-12 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.3
7.3

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.67 dB
1.74 dB

Dips 
 

1.44 dB
1.25 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.9
7.6

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.33
0.31

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.27
5.08

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.76
2.14

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.17
2.57

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.0
5.6

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.56 dB
1.79 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

4.72 dB
3.52 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

7.21 dB
10.4 dB

Openness 
 

5.6
5.3

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

4.2
3.4

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Virtual Soundstage
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

6.9
7.8

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.300
0.273

WHD @ 100 
 

0.542
0.111

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

4.2
4.6

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.21 dB
-12.36 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.09 dB
1.49 dB

Mid 
 

-9.09 dB
-10.31 dB

Treble 
 

-25.22 dB
-29.3 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

6.4
7.0

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

43.12 dB
39.43 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Microphone Frequency Response
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

SpNR  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x SpNR
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 SpNR

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x App Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

9.5
9.0

Cable Picture  

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Cable Picture
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
No

Length  

10.11 ft (3.08 m)
4.31 ft (1.31 m)

Connection 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms
0 ms

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Check Price

Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
ATH-M40x
SEE PRICE
B&H
Black
HD 280 Pro 2016
BestBuy.com

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016

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Audio-Technica ATH-M40x vs Sennheiser HD 280 Pro 2016: Main Discussion

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