Price Paid:  $72.00 from Musicians Friend

Summary:
Clear, detailed and natural sounding mid and upper mid range. Bass is remarkably deficient. Being a tuba player, I am very familiar with what one should hear in a recording. I listened to a recording I know to have a fairly prominent tuba, and it was almost completely absent when heard with the HD280. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the graph on headphones.com says it all. The deficiency is easily corrected with equalization with the result being enjoyable.

I listened to some private, good recordings of pipe organ and orchestra. I know what the recordings sound like, and these confirmed the lack of bass in the HD 280. However, the bass fall-off is smooth and easy to address with just a simple one octave equalizer. After the quick equalizer fix, the sound is reasonably accurate and natural and easy to listen to for a long time without fatigue.

I have to wonder if the padding on the ear cups is so thick that the transducers are sitting too far from the ears. If there is significant manufacturing variation in the thickness of the padding, that might explain why some people say the low bass is fine and others say it is lacking.

Strengths:
They do a reasonably good job of blocking external noise. I think the 32 db specification might be a little overstated. Efficiency is good, not the highest I've heard, but good. They are comfortable; I had no trouble listening for two hours.

Weaknesses:
The fall-off in bass response is completely unacceptable. They absolutely must be used with an equalizer.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I am not an audio expert by any means - these are my first decent set of headphones - but I can confirm what people say about these
- they block out the noise well
- they are a bit tight on the head but comfortable
- the sound seems "honest" across the range while being a bit lacking in the lows and highs
- the sound is very, very good - to me! Like I said, they're the first I've owned but it's been a revelation. I just don't want to take them off! Thanks to the other reviewers for your comments, it really helped in the choice making..

Price Paid:  $145.00 from eBay

Summary:
So, you have been to the local store to get some headphones. Having been though the El-cheapo $ 9.99 models you are looking for something better, something that will make you feel good about your purchase. You think you're an audiophile, but, really, you just want to hear a sound that in your untrained ears will give you decent satisfaction. You skip the $ 49.99 headphones, under the assumption they are probably just a bit better or some overpriced version of worthless cans anyway - welcome to the Sennheiser Isle.

I have used Sennheisers for the last 10 years. My first ones were open models, not sure which, the second ones were the HD 265, which I have used for 5 years, but due to the severe and extensive use I have subjected them to, the padded headthingos started to tear and they now look really crappy. Realising that the replacement (of just the head-pads!) would cost me over $100 on eBay, I decided it was time to get a new set of cans.

These headphones, in one word, absolutely, RULE for the type of user that I am. Let me explain. What I do is constantly listen to MP3/OGG music while I work, enjoy the occasional game and now and again use the cans on a CD player. These cans give me a very pleasurable experience. Excellent reproduction, no hiss, and did I mention, excellent, totally perfect isolation. The 265's claim to be closed headphones, but really - once you have tried the 280s the word "closed" begets a whole new meaning.

Taking these off is like switching worlds.

My guesstimate would be that they exclude about 80% of outside noise. I work here on a Dual Opteron with 2 (fanned) Video cards, 4 hard disks, and with headphones off the usual person would say - "Damn dude your PC is loud". Its not VERY loud, but absolutely noticeable. With headphones on, its over. Finished. A gentle fan in the distance, a small humm that is hardly distracting. Look - if you're a lover of classical music and want it absolutely silent - it wont be that. But then you wouldnt be sitting behind (such) a PC anyway...

So to summarize I would say to you - if you are looking for good, no questions asked headphones or use behind the computer while you work or play a game, but you do want the sound to be decent, loud and dont want to hear your overclocked jet engine spoil the music - mate, by the time you finish reading this sentence you should have pressed Buy-It-Now or be standing with your coat on ready to race to your local audio store.

You know how you always read reviews and then at the end you read something like "for this price... its a great item" which makes you think hmmm ok maybe its NOT the best choice... well - at ANY price (spare for the price of diamond-coated goldplated Mick Jagger-signed headphones ;) these are a GOOD buy. They are definitely better or equal to HD 265's and cost (at least here ) 40% less.

Strengths:
Great sound, PERFECT sound isolation (much better than the HD265) Good volume due to the relatively low impedance, overall an excellent headphone for the type of user like me that just wants good, decent sound behind the computer.

Weaknesses:
The only thing I think may go wrong over time is the oldfashioned phonelike cable. I imagine if you stretch it a lot it may at one point start to look a bit shabby. Also, if you have a very sensitive head, you may find the pressure on your head a little bit too much. But that's a matter of opinion.

I have the cable simply lying on my desk and its not stretching, so I am hoping this will ensure it wont go south on me, but this remains to be seen.

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser HD 265

Price Paid:  $83.00 from Digital1234.com

Summary:
My intent in purchasing the Sennheiser 280 Silver was to be able to have great sound and sound isolation at a great value for use with my computer (creative x-fi, xtreme music soundcard-highly recommended by the way) and for use with an mp3 player while playing poker. After reading literally hundreds of various headphone reviews, I am very, very pleased with the Sennheiser sound. Prior to my purchase, I had also listened to other poker players headphones, including the Bose Tri-Port, and both Sony and Phillips noise cancelling. The Senn 280's are far superior to both.

I listen to a wide variety of music:rock, pop, alternative, classical, jazz, blues, folk, flemenco guitar...and the 280's perform very well accross a variety of musical styles.

To my ears, the Senn 280's have a generally warm, balanced sound, with very good detail. The true audiophiles can give you more descriptive explanations, but the last month of rediscovering great sound as been a true pleasure for me.

I just ordered the Senn 555's as well and will probably order Grado 60's or 80's for at home use as well.

Strengths:
Very, very good for a closed headphone with good isolation characteristics. I might as well be a deaf guy at the poker table and I think I'm getting better at reading body language and lip reading as a result. On my computer via my great soundcard, I can turn these up as loud as I can possibly tolerate and a don't sense any distortion. Powered by my Samsung YP-U2 Digital Media (MP3) Player at a very solid level.

Weaknesses:
I have an average to slighly below average head size, and yes, these headphones do fit tightly and can be moderately uncomfortable, nonetheless, I can and do wear these for six or seven hours straight with occassional breaks and or adjustments.

Similar Products Used:
Bose TriPort (mediocre for the price), Phillips noise cancelling, Sony noise cancelling, UltraSone Pro 750(comparable to the Senn 280's, maybe a little better, but not $150 better)

Price Paid:  $99.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
Professional grade and performance phones.

Strengths:
Pro quality and very detailed bottom to top. Matches the live session.

Weaknesses:
Pro gear set is not for the masses, jogging, or fashion.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing currently available.