Sennheiser HD-280 Pro

I have never been a headphone fan, nor have ever considered buying Sennheiser, because I couldn't afford the more expensive models.
I have already owned the following headphones:
Audiotechnica ATH-M30x - Nice quality but there was an annoying frequency gap. Probably I have had a faulty unit, because I have listened to the ATH-M20x and they sounded absolutely acceptable.
Audiotechnica ATH-M50x - Nice quality but at that price point I don't expect such a disco sound.
Philips SHP-9500 - so bright that my years almost started bleeding. Don't understand why it is so praised in internet.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm - Amazing quality. The most cute and comfortable headphones I have ever had! Unfortunately, quite demanding towards the source. The high frequencies are a bit sharp to me, especially when the source is poor. Otherwise, a great professional tool!
AKG K171 mkII - very decent headphones. As many AKG headphones, it lacks a bit of low end to me. Not very comfortable but has a very pleasant sound. I enjoyed it a lot!
AKG K240 mkII - It also lacks depth in the low end. Has a bit boomy and echoing sound to me. Material quality is no match with the others, but it is durable and at that price it is a very nice allrounder.
AKG K271 mkII - decent headphones. Sounded to me as a mixture of the above two. Sound wise, the K171 mkII are superior than the K271 and K240, but the last two are more comfortable in my opinion.
I was really tired of headphones with recessed mids (cheap commercial tricks), lack of depth, dryness, frequency gaps, sharp high frequency peaks, impedance issues and etc.
Unfortunately didn't find what I was looking for, so I bought a Sennheiser HD 280 Pro half an year ago from pure curiosity.
I also found them strange looking at first glance as many people do.
Sound wise, the HD 280 Pro is the best headphone I have ever listened to.
Never felt such pleasure from listening to the music, even on decent stereo speakers and much more expensive headphones than the listed above. I often realize that it is 04:00 o'clock in the morning, but never get tired of listening.
Sound is so balanced, full bodied, with natural timbre, warmth and all it's beauty that makes listening to all kinds of music and sources an endless pleasure...
Very universal headphone - sounds great on every source I have connected it to.
In a world where marketing has replaced quality long ago, I didn't really expect to find such a great product.

Having tested all the main competitors (AKG K240 Studio, Audio-Technica ATH-M20x, Audio-Technica ATH-M30x, Audio-Technica ATH-M40x, Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (the old version without the letter “x”), Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 16Ω, Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO 250Ω, Sennheiser HD 25, Sennheiser HD 560S, Sony MDR-7506, and Yamaha HPH-MT5), I settled on the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO as the best in nearly every category.

Build quality: Yes, the HD 280 PRO are made of plastic, but they are made really well. In (stereo)typical German fashion, everything has been thought about: there are ball bearings in the size adjustment mechanism, and the notched size positions help you remember your setting; there are also miniature rubber “bumpers” on the yokes (for those who do not know, yokes are the fork-shaped parts securing the earcups to the headband) that prevent the earcups from hitting the yokes and making an annoying plastic-on-plastic clank (all you can hear is a soft, satisfying thud); the headband has a notch in the middle, which helps prevent a hotspot in the middle of the top of the head, which some people experience after prolonged use; earcups swivel for when you want to look cool and wear them around your neck, or when you simply want to put them in your backpack. Summing up, if HD 280 PRO were a car, they'd be an old Mercedes-Benz, a marvel of engineering where even the sound of shutting the door is oddly satisfying. Although, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I have to admit that when I first saw these headphones, my reaction was similar to that of many people. I thought, “Dear God, this must be the ugliest pair of cans I have ever seen!” However, once I did some research and understood their function-over-form design, I came to appreciate it a lot, and I now even find them rather beautiful... The only criticism I have is that the coiled cable is a little on the heavier side, and it had a couple of kinks due to the way it was packaged. I wish manufacturers would coil the headphone cables instead of folding them... Finally, for those who care about these things, my pair was made in Romania.

Comfort: It is difficult to find a balance between headphones that stay firmly on your head and the ones that you can wear for hours without any discomfort, but HD 280 PRO manage to do both things perfectly. Out of the ones I have tried, they were the most comfortable. The earpads are big and soft and adapt to the shape of my head almost instantly, after which they feel like two fluffy pillows. They are so comfortable to me, that I sometimes wear them without plugging them in! When I was doing my research, I found a few warnings that their supposedly heavy grip might even cause headaches! However, it has not been the case for me personally. For reference I will say that my head is about average, perhaps, a bit on the larger side. In regard to the headband, again, no complaints whatsoever. The only downside to that close pillow-like fit is that my ears warm up a little faster than with some other headphones, but the difference is almost negligible. The only headphones that came close to the HD 280 PRO in terms of comfort were the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700. They fit so lightly that one could easily forget that one was wearing them, but they did not stay put all that well whenever I bent down to pick something up off the ground.

Noise isolation: Nothing came close to the HD 280 PRO! They seem to isolate outside noise even better than the industrial foam earplugs I use for sleeping. I could barely hold a conversation with a person standing next to me! Of course, that might be bad in some cases. It depends on individual preferences.

Sound: Sound is a highly subjective topic because the shape of everybody's ears is a little different, and so are each listener's preferences. Also, one pair of headphones may sound a bit different from another due to the width of the range of tolerances allowed in manufacturing. Having said that, at least to my ears, my HD 280 PRO are mostly “flat”, with a very slight bump in the lower frequencies. I mostly listen to old pop and jazz, and the particular frequency that is ever so slightly boosted, renders the sound of an upright bass especially pleasing. In regard to the upper frequencies, the usefulness of my review will be limited. Being 31 years old, I cannot hear sounds that have a higher than 17 kHz frequency all that well. All I can say is that neither the acoustic guitars nor the cymbals sound harsh, and the sibilance (again, to those who do not know this, it is the annoying hissiness of the letters “s”) is very slight, if any at all. The soundstage (the size of the perceived space, in which the musicians appear to be playing) is not as big as that of the Beyerdynamic DT series headphones, but it is not always a con. I might be in the minority, but in music centered around vocals, I usually prefer a more intimate listening experience, when a singer seems to be just a meter or less in front of me. Julie London's album Love on the Rocks is perfect for that! However, put on some Bill Evans Trio, close your eyes, and you'll be surprised how convincing the experience of sitting in some smoke-filled jazz club in New York is! And here we get to the imaging (the ability to determine the location of each and every musician in that perceived virtual space), which, at this price range especially, is plainly and simply excellent!

Highly recommended!

I am using these headphones while playing on my saxophone. I use it to listen to backing tracks, the metronome, and for tuning. This is the best and most expensive headphones I've ever bought, so keep that in mind.
I am using it with my Samsung phone, and it is able to drive it with an acceptable volume for my preferences.

They provide sufficient noise isolation to feel safe - regarding my hearing - which was a very important factor in choosing this specific model. The detail in the sound is really good. The volume at which I listen to music on it has to be way lower than I thought, cause it feels like it's hurting my ears otherwise. The highs feel sharp. I'd not say there is something wrong with the product in this regard though.

The comfort could be a bit better, the material and the closed nature of the headphones make your ears hot, and it will get sweaty where there is contact with your skin. The ear cups clamp your head with considerable force, which needs some getting used to. It didn't take long for me.
The biggest issue for me is the coiled cable. I would have preferred a straight one, as this just hangs in the air between my neck and whatever I am connected to, pulling on my head. Or pulls the stuff I connect it to. While going over my hands and the saxophone, it is quite cumbersome. It is difficult to see what problem this type of cable is solving.
It does fit very securely on my head though, even with the mentioned issues.

The build quality is cool. All plastic, but the good kind.

All in all, 5 star means "very good product" on this site, and this is definitely a very good product.

I received this headphones few days ago, and I am already very happy about them. I use them with guitar amp and audio interface.

The sound is very clear, little bit of bass also noticeable.

Pros - When it is used, its really difficult to hear sounds from outside, its a pro for me. Sound isolation is perfect and to have little bit of bass is also good in my opinion.

Cons - the only thing is , cable is too heavy.

I would recommend for guitar players, it feels nice and the price is quite affordable in my opinion. There are also other options, but I cannot compare with anything else because this is the only monitor headphones I have ever tried. Hope it will help.

Amazing value.
Really happy with this purchase.

Bass response is very good, deep and "thumpy". Quite impressed.

Mids and Top are very well balanced and don't distort or crack at the higher volumes.

Rather impressed with the clarity and sharpness of the percussive instruments, such as, woodblocks, cowbells, chimes, shakers, hand drums and other hand held instruments, they sound crisp and clear.

After having owned the old HD-205 for well over a decade, I decided to upgrade and get a fresh pair of headphones to use mainly for DJ and production.

Only had these for a few weeks and have zero complaints.
Super comfortable and not too tight at all, wore them for well over an hour and practically forgot I was wearing them, having said this, please note I have a small head 😁😂🤣.

Truly recommend the HD-280 Pro.