Sennheiser HD280 headphones - dodgy tonal balance?

M

moley

New member
Hi folks.

I've just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones - and having tried them out - they do indeed have high output and very good isolation, as promised - but the response seems far from flat!!

Compared to the other Sennheiser (open back) phones I've used - they've got too much middle - they sound a bit nasal, and significantly less treble, but more bass. Not such a pleasant, even sound.

I listened to one of the mixes I'm working on over these, it was like "Uh, where's my treble gone? And where'd that bass come from?". I was immediately reaching for the EQ.

So, what's the deal? Has anyone else had a similar experience? Given that the other phones I was using were also Sennheiser, I would imagine they would sound a bit more... consistent!

Is it because the 280s are closed back? Do closed back phones usually have this problem?

Thanks.
 
Yes, I've had the same experience, but in my case they lacked bass too... so they just sounded nasal, ringy... but yeah, fits great and excellent rejection of outside noise.

I was amazed that so many people were recommending them... Anyway, I have Sennheiser HD265 Lineairs, which sound nice, but not lineair. A little hi-fi ish with a bass boost.
I'm thinking about trading them in for a pair of Beyer DT990 Pro's, those sound REALLY real and good.
 
Headphones will sound different for every single person that wears them because of differences in ear canal shape and other factors. It's the same way a set of speakers can sound very different in a different room.

I just bought a pair of the HD280's and haven't really put them through the paces yet. But why are you making EQ adjustments with headphones? They should just be used for critical listening of edits, noise checks and during tracking.
 
I just now now returned my 280s, too. They might be the real deal, helpful for mixing and mastering, but I don't want to hear this rather thin-sounding (yes, nasal) response curve for hours on end. Time for another.

J.
 
Seems like an interesting and repeated occurence with so many headphones. (haven't tried these particular ones yet), but so often, trying out new headphones, I come away with the same general impression -what bizarre sound.
Sticking with the old akg240's and sony MDR 7506 for now.
Later.:)
Wayne
 
Well, I've decided to keep them - because they do have high output, but very little leakage (far far less than any others I've heard) - which is important for tracking vocals, in particular.

In the future I'll get another set of phones - some open back ones that will give me a much flatter, much nicer sound - and use those for other editing, monitoring, and mixing (yes mixing! No, I won't make final mixing decisions on headphones, I know better :D - but they're still useful for intermediate mixing, especially since I live with people who often go to bed earlier than me :)) - and general listening.

Does others do this - use different headphones for recording w/ a mic, than for editing, other monitoring etc. etc.?
 
I think most people do, IF they mix/monitor on cans.

Usually closed back designs are better for tracking, since they have limited leakage, but due to their design, an 'unlineair' frequency response.
One of the best headphones I've heard so far for mixing is the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, an open back design that fits very nice.
And the AKG K240M are also very good, maybe a tad basslight, but they are too loose on the head IMHO.
 
I second Speeddemon's sentiment.
Phones are great for many mixing reference tasks, editing, balance checks, ect.
The AKG's are fairly flat except for catching things in the bass range, and comfortable but leak more.
I still want to hear the 280's. Good for tracking?
Wayne
 
I used the 280s for a session yesterday and I can't complain. They are great for isolation. I don't get the no bass comments though. I had EQ'd a kick drum through the monitors and put on the cans and the bass pressure was immense.

If anything they sound more scooped than nasally to me. Are you guys sure you don't have nasally sounding mixes to begin with? Are you listening to reference CDs through them?

Maybe it is just the subjective quality of headphones.
 
Tex, I used Steely Dan's "Aja", G N' R's "Appetite for Destruction" and Maiden's "Powerslave" to check 'em. Hardly nasal albums, right?

The difference with other Sennheiser cans (270, 250) and the Beyers and AKG's was immense. I was almost thinking that the 280 Pro was defective or something. I have walkman-headphones (in-ear) that sounded more 'pro'...
 
TexRoadkill said:
If anything they sound more scooped than nasally to me. Are you guys sure you don't have nasally sounding mixes to begin with? Are you listening to reference CDs through them?
Click to expand...

It's not the mix - I compared with some Sennheiser HD540s, and they didn't give a nasal sound. I also tried them with my Yamaha P80 digital piano, as well as a CD or two (Jaco Pastorius - Word Of Mouth was one). None of these sound nasal with the 540s, only with the 280s.
 
Yeah, headphone reviews are probably some of the touchiest because of their very subjective nature. I also ran some test CDs (Steely Dan's and Special EFX's latest--both brilliant recordings) through my DAW (Yammie 16g), and nasal or not, the Sennies sounded "thin" to my ears. I've order a few more sets (Sonys, ATs) online so that I can AB them all later this week. I'll let you know what I find.

Interesting discussion, though.

Best,

J.
 
I bought the 280s primarily for tracking vocals and the superior isolation was just the ticket. At the time, I didn't give a pooh if they sounded flat or not. I avoid any mixing or eq'ing with cans anyway, but will use the good isolation of these phones to check for compression artifacts, digital click and pops, etc.

I must say that I've been pretty happy with the sound so far. They sounded a tad scooped to me, so I'm guessing that headphone sound is a very hard subjective judgement from person to person.

In the end, they are still just a tool for tracking for me, but I don't feel compelled to rip them off my head because of poor sound. Get your ears checked! j/k :D
 
I have a pair. They are strictly for tracking though. Good isolation. Good enough bass. Good volume. Probably the most impressive thing is that they go all the way to 10 without sounding overdriven. But I would never trust them to do any kind of mixing on. Not even preliminary levels while tracking.

My opinion, great for tracking and well worth the money for that alone.

Just my opinion

Jason A
 
So, I'm under the impression that the Senn 280 beats the Sony 7506 for use in a vocal booth. That's what I'm looking for. Of course I want good sound for the vocalist but I especially want low or no leakage. Correct me if I'm wrong before I buy the 280 cans. Are there other cans I should be looking at in the $100 price range strickly for use in the booth???
 
I believe the AT M40fs provide decent isolation and can be had for $79.

Maybe a 2nd handed pair of Beyerdynamic DT770Pro. VERY GOOD ISOLATION and pretty good sound, although too smooth and hyped in low-end. (But I'll bet most vocalists will love this...)
 
DigitalDon said:
So, I'm under the impression that the Senn 280 beats the Sony 7506 for use in a vocal booth. That's what I'm looking for. Of course I want good sound for the vocalist but I especially want low or no leakage. Correct me if I'm wrong before I buy the 280 cans. Are there other cans I should be looking at in the $100 price range strickly for use in the booth???
Click to expand...

That is right I have both Sony and the 280 I like 280 better, cos Sony is much brighter and has less isolation. 280 is a real good deal for tracking.
 
Looks like I'll be ordering the 280's. A lot of the work done in the vocal booth will be male vocal love ballads. Quiet stuff so I don't want the leakage. Thanks guys.

DD
 
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