 The nice folks at HeadRoom Corporation sent me a large box of headphones to review. After giving my ears a good workout, I chose my favorite. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Ear-cup Headphones get my vote for sound quality as well as the most bang for the buck.
These are closed, circumaural, headphones. For you headphone novices: Closed means that there is no opening in the back for the sound to escape. This feature gives you sound isolation and allows you to use the headphones without disturbing others. Circumaural means the ear pad go over and around the entire ear. When wearing these headphones, the outside word becomes oblivious. So, all you men had better remove them when your wives are speaking to you.
These headphones are tight fitting but comfortable. The ear pads have very soft cushions. The included 10’ cable is coiled providing even further expansion. While this was a great feature, the tangling of the cable often aggravated me. This, however, was the only real negative that I found when using these headphones.
Sound quality was excellent. The bass was deep, with no boomy sound, the midrange was clear, and the highs were crisp. I find that sound quality is a very individual matter, so folks who like that booming bass sound may not be enamored of these headphones. But for my taste, they were perfect. The sound was clear, rich, and well balanced.
After reading that the headphones needed to be burned-in by playing at a fairly loud volume for 48 hours, I went through the burn-in process and found the headphones emitted a slightly richer sound after burn-in. Sound details are especially clear making these headphones quite suitable for gaming and watching movies. These headphones don't provide as much sound isolation as more expensive headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Noise Canceling headphones, but they provide the most I've heard at their cheaper price.
The 280’s are well built and sturdy. Like most headphones of this type, they are a bit bulky, but they do fold up for easier carrying. The earphones also swivel to allow the headphones to lie flat for storage in a drawer or transport in a briefcase. These headphones beg for a case that could be used for travel but, as far as I know, there is not one available.
Sennheiser stands behind their products with a two-year warranty. All of the parts of the headphone that are subject to wear and tear are easily replaceable. This includes the ear pads, headband padding, and the audio cable. This ensures a long life cycle that eludes many of today’s products.
For all of you who are real headphone addicts, frequency response and other technical information can be found at the HeadRoom and Sennheiser Web sites. These headphones have a middle-of-the-road price tag. You can certainly buy more expensive headphones. You can also find many less expensive ones. But, if you are in the market for headphones, the Sennheiser HD 280-Pros give you great sound at a reasonable price.
Manufacturer: HeadRoom Corporation
Price: $99
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