SENNHEISER HD 380 PRO Headphones,Black

Well, I'd say the glowing reviews on here say it all, and they do, but, even so, I just wanted to add my top ratings for these AWESOME headphones! Highlights: GREAT sound, portable design, noise blocking, GREAT sound, and did I mention, GREAT sound??? :) I have a set of Bose AE2's, nothing spectacular in the Bose line up, although Bose would say otherwise. They are more pricey than these and carry the supposedly famed Bose name, but, since first receiving them, I was disappointed in them -- not to mention that one side began cutting out after about a dozen uses. Even when working, the sound stage seemed narrow and flat, and, overall, they were just a let down. I mean, I know they're not top of the line Bose, but I expected even entry level Bose to be more amazing than a set of over the ears you can pick up at the drug store for twenty bucks. Since I was SUPER impressed with some ear bud style ones from Sennheiser, I decided to go with the Sennheiser name once again, especially after reading the glowing reviews for these, here and elsewhere, saying that, like the famed Sony MDR 7506's, these are in the class of "the ones to have" as nearly an industry standard, in terms of headphones. What swayed me away from the Sony's was some concern that they can be hit or miss a bit in quality, where these, all around, just have very solid reviews anywhere you look, really. On a side note, the earbud Sennheisers I have are the MX580's (which even sound better than the Bose AE2's, I might add!). Sadly, the MX580's are now discontinued, which is a shame since they are about the only ones of reliable high quality that had the "old style" ear bud which I highly prefer over the "jam these in your ears" type that everyone sells now. Luckily I found a vendor with a few left, and ordered a spare set, which I'll save in case mine ever die. Yes, I like them that much! :) Anyway, so, Sennheiser certainly impressed me with their earbuds, so it seemed logical to give them a try for a set of "cans" as I see them referred to, meaning, for me as a layman, the big kind that go over your ears. :) I did have a specific wishlist I was looking for: * Great sound quality, without selling my car. * Noise blocking, without sacrificing sound quality, which is the problem with "noise cancelling" headphones -- meaning I needed headphones that could accomplish blocking out noise through design, rather than through electronic means (something that I didn't find very successful anyway in "noise cancelling" headphones owned previously). * Comfort, for long hours of listening bliss. * A solid quantity of reviews for reliability and performance, for a product that will last. * A great "listening" experience. I know sound quality is pretty subjective, because people all prefer different things, but I didn't want something leaning heavy on bass, which results in muddled tones, or something flat or "tinny" sounding. I wanted a wide, deep sound stage, on which any range of music can be enjoyed, even in a noisier environment or while traveling. Do these fill the bill? YES, on ALL counts! They FAR exceed the AE2's and, while seeming a bit of a large fit at first, coming from the smaller Bose, I immediately understood the closed back, fully over ear construction -- these block out noise GREAT! Much more effective than any "noise cancelling" ones I've tried in the past. My first thought was to go with Sennheiser's very well reviewed HD 280 Pro's, but I'm glad I saw these, which were reviewed to be superior in comfort and sound, over the 280's. Since folks loved the 280's, it seemed a no brainer to get the improved version of those, in the 380's and, while I can't compare the two, I can say these are an absolute joy to use. Although seeming heavier (if just by visual bulk) than the Bose, they fit "lighter" and are more comfortable. The sound stage is even better than I'd hoped, and connecting them with a NuForce MMP (headphone amp) just makes them rock that much more, although they are fine without it -- it's just even better with the amp, a cool item to have that I discovered in researching the purchase of these. I have absolutely nothing negative to say -- it is a bigger headphone, with the thicker style "curled cord," so you may feel a little "retro" but I'm not wearing these to impress others with a brand or a "hip" look (although they look great anyway), I'm using them to get what they provide, which is amazing sound in an affordable package. They are also much more portable than the Bose, coming with an awesome hard shell case, in which the headphones fold flat and, with the cord, fit very nicely and are well protected for travel. A slim design case, it takes up about as much space as a hardback book. The cord is also replaceable, if it ever wears out, and the ear pads are replaceable as well. Cap that off with a two year warranty, and, for this price, it's certainly an impressive package that really delivers. I'm no sound expert, like some reviewers who really know their audio, but I do love my music, and if you're looking for something affordable, portable, noise-blocking, without sound bleed for those around you, and that sound amazing, then look no further than the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro's! I highly recommend!!!!

Let me start off by saying that I am not an audiophile, but someone who wanted a high quality pair of headphones without spending a fortune. Now I had been looking on the internet relentlessly trying to find the ideal set of headphones, by going through Amazon reviews, reviews on various websites, posts on head-fi.org (which I definitely recommend, as they had audiophiles FAR more knowledgeable than me) and was looking for a pair of closed headphones, that had a fantastic sound for almost any kind of music, had a detachable cable, were well built enough that I wouldn't have to worry about buying a new set of headphones for at least 5 years, didn't make my ears painful/tender after an hour or so, and had an impedance low enough that I could I use them well with my Nexus 5. Now I had it boiled down to 2 different headphones after all of my research, the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro's and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X's. I can't testify on the M50X's because I didn't buy them (but I know the internet has a massive hard on for the M50 line), but I went with the Sennheisers because I had previously owned the Audio-Technica ATH-M30's, and while they were very clear sounding, they were remarkably quiet, the long cable was a royal pain in the ass and after an hour or so, I couldn't use them because my ears hurt tremendously using them, all of these factors made me less than willing to go back to Audio-Technica. In comes the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro and it sounds like a dream come true, it was almost 50 dollars cheaper than the M50X's and audiophiles swore that I would appreciate the better sound and build quality. So I made the plunge and bought them, and as soon as they arrived I put them through a variety of different music types to determine if they lived up to the hype that I was hearing (I will post the test music I used at the end of this review) and I will tell you these headphones are absolutely PHENOMENAL to listen to whatever genre I threw at them, I was hearing details in background instruments that I just couldn't hear on my earbuds, highs sounded crisp and detailed and female vocalists came to life, mids were absolutely fantastic with male vocalists sounding just as fantastic as the girls, and for bass testing I went for pounding electronica and rap, real simple and these headphones may not be a basshead's dream, but the bass sounded perfectly balanced for me and more than managed to rock my skull. And they managed to get to a volume level that I was happy with, and could even go WAY beyond that if I so chose. One thing I did not expect, these things block at sound surprisingly well, if I have music playing while I walk, I won't be able to hear a car 15 yards away from me, but if a noise is loud enough, you will hear it. As far as comfort goes, these are an absolute dream to wear I think because the earpads go around my giant ears and sit with a very nice cushiony earpad to sit on your skull, I've worn these for over 5 hours at a time and they've never bothered me once, I will admit, the folding mechanism was a little strange to me at first with its flat fold and when I opened them up for the first time, I wondered how I would get them on my head, because they don't come together like most other headphones do (they'll get kinda close to each other, but don't try and force them together), but they actually work quite nicely and have a good fit on my noggin. The case in comes in is a very nice hard case that sure as hell beat the leather drawbag I saw most other headphones in this price range come with (it doesn't fit the coiled cable particularly well inside, but I was able to make it work). Overall, an A+ to Sennheiser on the build quality of these headphones. My one major drawback however is the coiled cable, while it is very well built and fits into the HD 380 Pro's nicely, Sennheiser made it a 2.5mm input and made the cable fits in with a very proprietary lock and I didn't find it very pleasant for mobile use because it's heavy and it swings around a lot while I move. However after looking at a forum post on head-fi, I found that the cable from the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones fits into the HD 380 Pro's, so I ordered it from their parts store (it was only like 11 bucks with shipping and taxes), and while it's a task to fit them all the way inside the headphones, it gives me a lighter, straight cable that works perfectly for mobile use and I use the coiled cable when I'm on my PC. Overall, these are a fantastic set of headphones and they were good enough for me to make my first amazon review and if you are in the 100 dollar headphone range, I thoroughly encourage you to spend the extra money and get the HD 380 Pro's, you won't regret it! Test music I used: Concerning Hobbits - The Lord Of The Rings Soundtrack Air On The G String - Johann Sebastian Bach I Dreamed A Dream - Christina Grimmie Cover Nights - Ellie Goulding Top Of The World - Karen Carpenter Bonfire - Knife Party Ghost's n Stuff - Deadmau5 Freaks And Geeks - Childish Gambino Gangster's Paradise - Coolio No. 5 - Hollywood Undead Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock n Roll) - AC/DC Walk This Way - Aerosmith Runnin With The Devil - Van Halen Mirrors - Justin Timberlake Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra

I am not an audio professional. I didn't purchase these for mixing. I mainly purchased them for listing to music in the office. My goal was to find a pair of headphones that sounded good to very good (for a non professional), that were comfortable (with glasses) and blocked out all of the office chatter. I read over dozens of reviews on headphones from $80 to $300. After reading all of these review I decide on these headphones. In my initial use I was somewhat disappointed. Many of the reviews for Sennheiser headphones seemed to say that you couldn't hear anything with these on. I was at home when I put them on. One of my kids came in and I didn't have any problem hearing them talking with the headphones on (no music on). Give all that I read I was expecting to either not be able to hear them at all, or have it very muffled. Part of the problem is I had a pair of Sony x10 headphones and I was expecting the Sennheisers to be MUCH better. I then did a bunch of side by side comparison between the two. I finally determined that the Sennheisers were better at blocking the sound, but only a little better. On the other hand after all of the review I read and the research I did I have now concluded that this is about the best sound isolation I am going to get without paying a LOT more money than I want to. The Sennheiser headphones are the only pair that actually states the amount of isolation they produce. The 280s have over a thousand reviews. Almost half of the review are positive about the noise reduction of the headphones. Given that the 380s are one up and rated at the same amount of isolation I figure they are about as good as I am going to get. The next test I did was with my kids stereo playing. I had them playing it at a moderately high level. It was loud enough that you would have to raise your voice to having a conversation, but not at party level. At that level I tried both the Sonys and the Sennheisers. With both pairs I was able to listen to my music at a medium-low level and enjoyable hear my music. I could still hear the kids music but it was muffled enough to not be an issue. If I turned up my music to more of a medium level I couldn't hear the kids' music at all. As I said both headphones worked for this test. I think the the Sennheisers were a bit better. What finally sold me on the Sennheisers was the quality of build, comfort and ease of use. The Sonys are nice headphones but the Sennheisers seem quite a bit heavier duty. They just feel really solid. The Sony's don't seem cheap, but the Sennheiser feel more sturdy. The Sennheiser, for me, seemed more comfortable. Now I should point out I am comparing a pair of over ear (the Sennheiser) headphones to a pair of on ear headphones and I prefer over ear. The Sony headphones were more comfortable at first. They are almost pillow soft, but after having them on even for 10 or 15 minutes they start to hurt my ears. The Sennheisers are not pillow soft, in fact they feel rather tight. But they don't change even after over an hour of listening they still seem about the same. Finally was the ease of use. I know that sounds like an odd thing to speak of in respect to headphones, but the Sennheisers are easier to use. By that I am referring to putting them on. The Sonys you put them on and then have to adjust them. You need to kind of get them positioned so that they sit on your ears correctly. The Sennheiser you just plop on. They have a very large opening, so there is no need to position them. The build quilt also comes in here. The Sennheisers seems solid, so I have no problem grabbing them and putting them on. The Sonys seems a bit more fragile, so I tend to be "careful" when I am using them. In concluding I want to say that the Sonys do sound great and I actually liked the sound of the Sonys a bit better. But over all the Sennheisers were more of what I needed.

I will preface this with the fact that I've only used Apple's earbuds, since having my iPhone's. I finally started to make some beats, using different DAW's, and wanted something better since the earbuds were not accurate in their depiction of what was going on in the song. So, I researched, as every other member on amazon, what a decent set of cans might be. Since there was no place that carries higher end headphones, close by, I had to go off of research/reviews/etc. Well, I settled on this pair, based on lots of factors (price, details, detachable cord, case, comfort, sound, replaceable parts, etc). I received them a few days ago, and have been breaking them in, with all sorts of different types of music, from different genre's, and the sound stage/reproduction is very nice. I compared them, directly, to a coworkers' pair of AT - MTH 150's, and these, in my opinion are much better sounding to my ear. The bass response, the highs, the mids, all much better sounding, to me, than the AT's. After a period of breaking in (say 20+ hours), the sound just seems consistent, if not better, with songs that I've been listening to (Sound Garden - Black hole sun, Depeche Mode - Going Backwards, Sean Paul - Lately, Poison - Every rose has it's thorn, Eminem - Guts over fear, my own creations using Logic Pro X (soundcloud.com/krystal-clear-records if you'd like to hear them (shameless plug!), etc.). I have a very diverse musical palette, and I can say that I enjoy what I'm listening to at any given point. The cans are comfortable for long periods of time. I wear glasses, so, I thought they might be tight and annoying, but, so far, they don't cause any issues once the phones are seated correctly and don't compress my head, which is nice. Yes, the phones drown out some noise, but, not everything...so, for those that sing, or are looking for complete quiet, these might not isolate noise as much as you like. But, I'm not well versed in that area to provide expert feedback, so, I'm just going off of my ears. The build quality is decent and I hope the plastic holds up to the heat here in Florida, over time (same with the head band and ear pads). Ear pads and head band are very comfortable, just hope that they hold up over time, as well. The coiled cable, yes, it is long, and slightly heavy/annoying. However, it's a quality cable that should last a while if not abused I would think. The packaging and delivery were on time, as expected, so can't say much more about that. I've sat and listened to music during work, at a nominal volume level, and have had little to no ear fatigue, which is important. The last thing I want is a headache after listening to music. Sounds ranging from electronic, to bass, to drum kicks, to cymbals, vocals, seem to come to life, and as I keep using the phones, they seem to get a bit better each time (maybe just me, I don't know). All in all, if you have never (like me) been in the high-end head phone game, these will be more than satisfactory for sure. I've had no remorse with my purchase, and my music thanks me for it. :)

I am a live sound engineer who mixes shows of all sizes, genres and volume levels. I don't do this for a hobby - I actually do it almost every day and when I'm not I'm thinking about ways to do it better. The Sennheiser HD280 Pro has become the venerable standard in the pro live sound world of late, so when I saw these here at $79.00 (holy crap, what a steal!) for factory refurbs it seemed like a no-brainer. As of this week I've used them on almost a daily basis for 3 solid months in 'mercenary sound' conditions (you pro guys know what I'm talking about). The slim carry case fits right in the front of my laptop bag and the detachable - and replaceable - coiled cord has a nice 2 foot straight drop from the headset so the cord doesn't tangle in glasses, laminates, etc. (still no luck finding a factory straight cable for this headset). I believe the overall sound quality to be a good step up from the HD280s, especially in the clarity of their generous bass response. The isolation is crucial for engineers involved in large outdoor events and loud rock shows in general as these can double as hearing protection. They are also a huge step up in comfort and collapsibility (sorry, DJs, the smooth outer shells make them a poor choice for one ear wear). They feel a good bit lighter and more out of the way than the HD280s and seem to disappear after long use. I think these are more representative of a true audio standard than the HD280s, especially in the realm of vocals and acoustic instruments. To the audiophiles - I don't know what to tell you, go look elsewhere for your perfect sound, these phones are not meant to be deployed for you. My disclaimer here as far as the recorded music I personally listen to (and play back in my live venue) is that I am in the process of replacing my aging MP3 collection with FLAC files, so if you like to listen to 192Kkz MP3 or AAC files you'll hate these headphones - they will faithfully reproduce every artifact, harmonic dissonance and dynamic watering down of your crappy music collection. Earbuds or maybe a frontal lobotomy night be more your style. On the other hand, I can personally attest that FLAC files and wave files of all genres of music are reproduced with stunning accuracy on these headsets. I am certainly not convinced that these are poor headphones for listening to classical music - I listen to classical on these phones all the time, although I may not be as discerning of musical tastes or acute of hearing as some of our audiophile companions on here (I am a live sound engineer, after all!). In summary, the isolation, the clarity at full range and volume, the portability (cool case!) and the replaceability of parts makes perfect sense for a touring engineer or resident A1 engineer such as myself that is in the business of reproducing actual live music with real musicians in the room. I listen to every genre of music imaginable, both live and recorded, for hours a day on these cans. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to come home from a live show and listen to what I just recorded on these and hear it exactly the way I mixed it. If you are a live touring or resident A1 sound engineer, and already enjoy the HD280s, I can't recommend the Sennheiser HD 380 Pros highly enough.

Got my Sennheiser HD-380 headphones today. I love Amazon Prime shipping...free, and they got here in two days. :) Okay, first...the case. Awesome soft case to protect them. Has hubs around which the actual cups sit, so they're not just floating around in there unless you do something wrong. Very nice added value and protection for my investment. Now, the headphones... First headphones I've had from Sennheiser that collapse. Took me some gental prying to realise they only have one ratchet click outwards from collapsed to expanded. They look like they won't "fit" when expanded, but they do. They do -not- grip your head like a vice. That said, they're very snug, which I -really- like, compared to ones that just sort of float around on your ears and always feel like they'll fall off if you make a sudden movement. The cups entirely encompass your ears. I haven't tested against my Yeti mic to see, but I presume this will minimise any leakage outwards, just as well as it isolates you from sounds coming inwards. There's no active cancellation, but as far as isolation, yes, they do a good job of separating the outside world and your sound stage, as it were. The sound...can I just say, "Phenomenal?!" "Phenomenal!" As mentioned, I have HD-201s and HD-439. The 201s are nice and flat, but comparatively, they are also very "non-present". You get a feel for the flatness of the mix on HD-201s, but you feel like you're getting the presentation from...outside the venue, as it were, if that makes any sense. It's like an objective third-party view, but they just don't have the presence to put you in the middle of the mix. The HD-439, as mentioned, are intentionally bass-emphasising, so they'd make horrible mixing headphones. The HD-380 are the perfect compromise of every Sennheiser I've heard. The treble is not piercing. The mids are not overly peaked (no bell-curve frequency response, that I've heard on all too many other headphones [although none of them are Sennheisers]). The bass is present, and in force, but -not- overly-emphasised. Having listened to the seven or so tracks I've tried (four of mine, and two by ShockOne) on multiple setups (my Boston Accoustics mm226 with the subwoofer that God built with the sub turned all the way up, my HD-439, my stock Toyotal Corolla sound system [those have -excellent- stock sound systems]), earbuds, etc., I'm very familiar with the songs I've listened to on these. The bass was definitely represented very well, but not boosted like the mm226 or HD-439 would do. It's there, it's powerful, but it's accurate. There are things I've never heard in headphones, as I've never had Pro headphones before. I'm not going to double-quote Pro, since they're marketed as Pro. I'm taking it at face value. And they act like it, honestly. There were things I've never felt from headphones before. One is how it seems to put you...I don't know a way to phrase it except "inside the mix", as opposed to just listening to the mix. Most headphones I have, even some really expensive Koss ones from the 70s that weighed a tonne, you put them on, and you can crank them as loud as they'll tolerate, but you feel like you're still listening to it sort of in a detached manner. Sort of like listening to a play or opening act on-stage. The PA might be perfectly clear and audible, but as you know, most opening acts don't get the -full- audio that the main band will have, even when they're loud. These put you more akin to listening to the main act, and being in the middle of all the speakers and musicians. If I'd ever had 5.1 surround, I might be able to more accurately judge if my comparison is right, but I'd say it comes down to feeling like the sound is surrounding you, rather than just being present to hear. The other thing that surprised me was how much these make you -feel- the music. It wasn't just the bass, although that's a prime candidate for being noticed. But usually I'll hear the sound, however loud I have it, and I'm just hearing it. It's like listening to Rush on CD vs being in the venue, with the stacks and subs vibrating everything. These things actually seem to not just faithfully reproduce the sound, but actually let you -feel- the sound. They seem to actually move some air. And the space between the actual speakers and your ears is such that there's actually room for the air to move. I've never had headphones that conveyed a sense of the actual vibration of the subs before...even the HD-439 do not make you feel it like that...those sound great, but they're not like this. And that actually will help me get more of the experience of it than just "hearing" it alone would do. No amount of fidelity can actually replace that sort of feeling. In that respect, these are just absolutely frakkin' fantastic! Also, the impedence issues I had while using the HD-201s in the aforementioned signal chain? Gone. I had to crank Windows to 50%-ish to get a level I felt was comfortably loud, yet not going to be overdriven or risk damaging them. These, I can keep it down at 16% and they're comfortably loud, zero distortions, zero problems, not really any desire to crank them up, other than maybe to see how much they could take. That comfortably loud is possibly overly-loud, considering my ears actuall work at about 60% and 80% efficiency most of the time, due to some sinus and pluggage issues with my ears on and off for the last few years. Nothing permanent as far as I know, they fluctuate and such, but my ears do have some blockage and volume reduction issues going on. So what I could hear at my volume levels, others would be able to hear even louder and clearer at the same levels. As far as fidelity goes, I was actually looking like crazy for issues with my four tracks that I remastered. I didn't spot anything major (maybe a couple harmonic issues on the earliest of them, partly due to patch timbres). Any issues were minor. What surprised me was hearing a couple tiny glitches I've never heard before in ShockOne's "Singularity", right at the beginning. Tiny, tiny things you'd probably not notice on anything else. I never have. But I caught a few things that were very subtle "defects", as far as I can tell. Nothing deal-breaking for his music...I was just surprised to hear it there! Also, the actual separation of frequencies...while listening to "Chaos Theory" especially, there were actually places where I could pick out individual notes, or at least articulation variations within the notes (could have been LFO-driven), where you could clearly hear what was going on and hear it as discrete events and hear how it was meant to be heard, where on all my other gear, it's not that defined...it's slightly "blurred", even when it sounds clear. It seems like these present the frequencies more individually than your run-of-the-mill headphones...even my good HD-439 set. Comfort-wise... I like snug. I -hate- it when it feels like something will fall off my head. I love the way these cup the ears, and I like the snugness and security they have. That said, there's no vice grip like I've heard people complain about. I was wearing my glasses, and about the only thing I noticed was that I managed to shift the back of one temple forward a bit when I adjusted them, because the cup rings are actually in back of your ear, not pressing your ear against the temples. So it's in contact with the temple, if it goes back that far for you. No deal-breaker, and it wasn't even really annoying to me - and I'm very picky about how my glasses fit/are adjusted. All in all, without having another Pro set of anything to compare against, I can only go by the highest quality anything I've ever heard, from concert venues, to my car stereo, to the best of headphones and speakers I've ever gotten to use. These are the best I've ever had, and I've zero hesitation in recommending them. The way they seem to move air and let you feel the vibrations, rather than just let you hear the sound...that alone is worth the price of admission. All done while (AFAICT) accurately representing the sound in a way that I personally would not have a problem saying is suitable for use in mixing. I will never single-source my mixing again, but since I've never had professional monitors, and these are the absolute best experience I've ever had with any audio gear, I would have zero hesitation about my mixes being off on these. Barring grabbing a set of monitors (which I'd still like to do, even though I can't treat my room), I would consider these a perfectly suitable primary source. I've mixed my final mixes on far lesser quality headphones, and those same mixes held up here. So did material by another artist who mixes insanely well compared to me. I have this incredible, burning desire to dig out Billy Thorpe's "Children of the Sun" and "West of Eden's Gate" and listen to them on these for the first time. That's sure to be mind-bending. :) Overall, worth every last cent, and then some, IMHO. VERY pleased with the purchase!!!

Originally, I planned to burn them in to see if the sound improves. Still, after literally just an hour of listening - back they went. I guess, I'm just not a fan of closed back phones. These were my first closed backs, and I'm fairly certain they may be my last ones - at least the last ones I'm buying online w/o auditioning first. I was originally going to replace HD598 with these for the office use, but 598s are just in another class - even if they leak sound. "Old" Review: Initial impressions: build quality is nice, they fold neatly and the transportation won't be an issue, as it seems. clamping force is, ah, noticeable :); the isolation seems to be pretty decent. Not sure for how long I'd be able to wear them comfortably, though. Lower bass is pronounced, no shortage of it.. Mids sound slightly boring, highs - okay-ish, but nothing worth writing home about. The sound is definitely less "airy" than with open back phones, but that's to be expected. Some might say "the soundstage is narrow". Overall - not too impressed right now. At the early stage, they don't provide something that I could call a "balanced sound". Unexpected issue - cable noise! I haven't had that sort of issue with over-the-ear phones so far. Maybe it's a Sennheiser thing (their in-ear MM70i's also didn't shine in this aspect), maybe it's just the general thing with closed back phones. Either way, these aren't suited for outdoor environment with wind and all. I will leave them for the burn-in for a day or two to see if the sound improves, but so far it's definitely the case of getting what you're paying for. And I'm not going to throw out the packaging just yet, it might come handy for the return. 3 stars for now - there's work to do before the rating could be cranked up to 4 :)

I previously had a Sennheiser PC 350 SE headset but wanted to see what the fuss was about with 'real' headphones. I was looking for a bit more bass and something with a good sound stage for games. Basically, something that's great for everything I plan to use it for - gaming, music and movies. After trying these out for a week, they have definitely impressed me. Comfort - 5/5. These aren't tight on my head like some reviews have said, but that all depends on how big/small your head is. Regardless, they adjust easily and the cushions on the ears and on the headband are very soft. However, for me, it heats up my ears a little which some reviewers have pointed out. However, as of this review it's the middle of summer and has been 80 - 90 degrees for over a month and the ambient in my room is about 70-75. No doubt in winter these will be great and I'm not going to drop points on Comfort just because it happens to be hot this time of year. Sound - 5/5. Compared to the 350 SE which had little bass, these 380's have more. Note that I've run both of these through a Creative Sound Blaster Z sound card and using its amp which, after testing, is responsible for the added bass on the 380's.. It's not overpowering, however you can feel it thump and it's very clean. Aside from that, I don't notice a difference from the 350 SEs which isn't exactly a bad thing since the 350 SE's are a great headset. For gaming, they have a slightly smaller soundstage than the 350 SE which is no surprise since those are specifically made for gaming. If you are playing FPS games competitively I highly recommend those since they have less bass and a wide sound stage for the sole purpose of hearing sounds that matter most - footsteps and the ability to tell where and how far away a target is without thumps from explosions drowning it out. If you don't play competitively or don't play FPS, these 380's are great. It really makes games more immersive which is what I wanted. For music and movies, I believe other reviewers have already covered this. They sound fantastic. It's important to make sure you're running these with a capable sound card. As I said before, I'm using a Sound Blaster Z and using its amp. You also should find equalizer settings that suit you. Don't just leave it flat and blame the headphones for sounding bad - find the EQ settings you like and use it. Build Quality - 5/5. It doesn't feel cheap and doesn't feel like it will break easily. That's what matters. These headphones are very flexible and the ear cups can actually rotate so they can fit your head without putting too much stress on any part of the headphones. They can even fold for portability. Cons - Really, the only con is the cable. It's heavy. Far heavier than the headphones themselves. If you're using it on a PC like myself and have to run the cables to the back to the sound card, expect the cables to pull a bit if your PC is on the floor like mine is. Also, I'm not sure what it's called, but when the cables pull a bit, you can actually hear it. It's like a squeaking you'd hear when you're rubbing a window. It's very distracting, and for these reasons I replaced them with these - ( Genuine Replacement Cable for SENNHEISER HD570 HD590 HD500 HD200 HD210 HD270 HD490Live HD490 - search for that on amazon ). They're expensive, but worth it. Now, not everyone has problems with the cables and honestly I'm not going to drop a star because of it. The pros far outweigh the cons. Overall, great headphones.

Eccellente prodotto per prezzo/qualità. Mettendo da parte le implicazioni esclusivamente personali, di scegliere una cuffia chiusa o aperta, a questo prezzo non credo il mercato possa comunque offrire di meglio al momento. Musicalità ed equilibrio tonale, incredibili fin dal primo ascolto. I bassi non invadenti, sono presenti, profondi e veloci allo stesso tempo senza riverberi aggiunti, i medi evidenziano le voci e gli strumenti con la giusta presenza in tutta la loro estensione senza essere mai invasi e restituendone il loro naturale calore e colore. La gamma alta è ben presente, definita, mai affaticante rendendo il suono complessivo limpido e dettagliato. Il palcoscenico musicale è ampio e ben posizionato nonostante la struttura chiusa della cuffia. La costruzione non da certo spazio a leziosi esercizi di stile, ma pratica, solida, "di teutonica" precisione. Il meglio lo esprimono certamente se collegate ad un'amplificazione aggiuntiva che nè incrementa la dinamica esaltandone la spazialità. La musica viene restituita in tutti i suoi dettagli ma in modo musicale, naturalmente la qualità delle tracce audio e l'apparecchiatura interposta tra il brano e la cuffie ne può cambiare il carattere, restituendo o l'analiticità di un suono da studio o la musicalità di una sala da concerto. Dall'appossionato di musica al tecnico del suono in erba credo non debba mancare nella vostra dotazione. Consigliatissima.

I've had these now for a couple days and they are definitely worth the money. The only other higher quality headphones I've had is a Tritton AX 180, so that's all I really have to compare to. My Tritton's still work fine but the ear cup cushions aren't soft anymore and my ears are rubbing on the inside and getting irritated, which is why I went looking for something else. These Sennheiser's have no issues when it comes to comfort. The cushioning on both the ear cups and the headband are super soft. The ear cups are extra large so it gives you plenty of room for your ears. The insides are also slanted outwards so the chances of your ears touching the inside are pretty slim. But when it comes to a set of headphones it's all about the sound quality and these don't disappoint. Out of the box you will find them to be kind of pathetic and wonder if you just wasted your money. They definitely need some form of amplifier to get decent sound out of them. My set of Tritton's has a sort of amp built into the inline volume control, so I've just been running them through that. I do have plans to get a dedicated headphone amp at some point though. With them hooked up through an amp, they sound pretty amazing. The highs are really high and stay clear with no distortion at all, while the lows can go really low thanks to the 8hz frequency. The Tritton's are only capable of 20hz and the Senn's totally destroy them when it comes to bass. The only complaint I have with the sound is the mids seem to be lacking slightly; but that could be because I'm used to the Tritton's which are a gaming headset and are a bit bass heavy. The build quality of them is really good. They don't have that cheap plastic feeling like most other headphones do. They feel solid in your hands and aren't creaking and snapping when you move them. They have metal hinges holding the ear cups on so there's no worry of swiveling them back and forth and having them break. The headband seems to be made of plastic but it feels strong so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some metal reinforcement in there as well. The best part though is basically all the parts are replaceable in case something does break or wear out. It comes with a carrying case if you ever feel like taking them somewhere. Also comes in handy to put them in there when not in use to keep them dust free and stuff. The cable is detachable. Lots of maneuverability. Does a great job of blocking out outside sound. Overall, this is an amazing set of headphones, as long as you have an amp to run them through.

Me encanta probar auriculares y tengo y he tenido ya unos cuantos para reconocer casi de inmediato si merecen o no la pena. Y es que eso del "burn in" casi nunca funciona, sinceramente, pocas veces he comprobado que un modelo determinado ganara "solera"... Puede ocurrir, por supuesto, pero yo creo que es más bien que el usuario se adecua a cómo suenan, más que otra cosa. El caso es que con estos Sennheiser ha habido flechazo, he de admitirlo, y eso también es algo que me sucede en contadas ocasiones. No he podido resistirme a estos 380 Pro. Ya desde la primera escucha tuve que obligarme a cerrar la mandíbula preguntándome cómo pueden sonar tan bien y tener el precio que tienen. He tenido en mis orejas auriculares dos y tres veces más caros y algunos les da tal paliza (y revolcón) que dudo que pudieran levantarse de nuevo... Por qué no se hablan más de estos Senn? Cosas del marketing, supongo. Nunca he sido demasiado fan de Sennheiser, su sonido siempre me parecía bastante "velado", hasta que unos Amperior cayeron en mis manos y la historia cambió. Y eso que son unos auriculares con bastante "caracter", sonido en V no muy apto para todos los gustos, pero a fecha de hoy intenta quitármelos de las manos y tendremos más que palabras. Y por eso, después de mucho investigar y leer aquí y allá buscando algo neutro pero sin demasiada falta de graves (que es de lo que suelen adolecer estos modelos "lineales"), di con este modelo con el que los usuarios,estaban más que encantados casi al 90%. Y eso es mucho. Así que me he lanzado y no voy a volver la vista atrás... Ni falta que me hace. Los Sennheiser 380 Pro son todo lo que esperaba y más: claridad supina hasta el infinito y más allá (es sorprendente lo que se puede llegar a escuchar en una grabación bien hecha), pero al mismo tiempo unos graves muy buenos, no quizás para los basshead, pero más que satisfactorios para el resto de los mortales que preferimos un buen "thump-thump" a un mal "boom-boom" (Beats trademark). Y además, para ser cerrados y aislar bastante, tienen una estupenda escena sonora, no al nivel de unos auriculares abiertos (tampoco vamos a pedir milagros), pero sí que me parece que mucho más que otros modelos (y no estoy mirando a nadie, Audio Technica ath-m50... Shame on you!). Yo creo que por poco más de 100€ no es que no les tengamos que pedir más, sino que habría que pedírselo a esos modelos de 300€ que en comparación suenan como un truño. Y para colmo, son comodísimos y se pliegan (traen una funda rígida bien maja para pasearlos all over the world en caso de que seas un poco Willy Fogg). Alguien da más? Yo creo que no. Fidelidad supina para salir a la calle o para olvidarse del mundo lo que dura tu disco preferido... Yo, de momento, me planto.

This is my first ever review of a product but felt the need to help anyone needing a similar recommendation such as myself when looking to pay reasonable money for a good pair headphones to last. Purchased these after a lengthy look at others' reviews on Amazon, t'internet and also the YouTube videos. After the time I spent looking, I hope you won't need to much longer, save your time and just buy a pair. I found the other reviews to be on the whole very accurate, these Sennheiser HD380 Pro are excellent headphones at a relatively reasonable price. Received in good time from Amazon as always, they were well packaged and supplied with their own decent quality padded case which is more than capable of protecting from being dropped. The phones are supplied with quite a long cable but recommend buying an extension if you find the coiled cable not enough. They fold up in the case quickly (in seconds) neatly with the cable and do look as though designed well for being folded and handled. Ok the sound, well my hearing is good and to me the sound is better than listening to monitor quality speakers eg Rogers LS3/5A connected to the same amplifier, that is how good they are. These produce what I would call very good, accurate monitor quality sound. They are extremely accurate, good dynamic range even at low sound levels, not tiring to listen to for long periods. The highs are very consistant, the bass is extremely rich and these but not boomy or excessive (with a good amplifier), vocals and mid range are very clean indeed, so can be used for any music or just listening to the TV or radio in peace. Your ears don't get particularly hot, they fit any size head and ear and stay in position without being uncomfortable. They work as well at very low volumes allowing you to hear only louder background noises to high volumes. The frequency response is 8 to 27000 Hertz (Look at Sennheiser website for supplied accessories and specifications) so the bass you hear is likely to be deeper and richer than your home speakers including monitors which don't always respond well below even 15 Herts or car stereos around 60hertz. These do have a removeable/ replaceable lead (pulls out sideways) and replaceable foams and also very rugged build. The headphone lead drops out of the left side headphone and hangs away so not to be nuisance, the lead runs straight for about 20 inches from headphone, then coiled, and straight 8 inches running into the jack plug, the cable hangs around 4 1/2 foot unstretched. If you want a good pair of headphones where you can enjoy the sound everytime you use them -they won't get any better than these for the price. If you are looking to use an extension lead, you can buy any standard 3.5mm (or 6.3mm) socket to 3.5mm (or 6.3mm)jack extension cable but don't forget its for stereo. Good with any device from (especially Ipods/ laptops) your TV to Amplifiers. Also would consider using these for long flights to remove unwanted noise even if not listening to anything... they are that comfortable..so from listening to radio/ TV/ Nickelback to Lacuna Coil or Lara Fabian happy listening =:--) [...]

Habe den Sennheiser HD380 pro an einem Sjöström QRV-07 Kopfhörerverstärker, einem Sony W715 Handy, wie auch an einer Intel Soundkarte getestet und u.a. mit einem Sony MDR-XB700 und einem Shure SRH750 DJ verglichen, auf den ich zwecks eines Vergleichs näher eingehen werde. Ich war positiv überrascht darüber, dass man ihn mit seinen großen Muscheln so gut für den Transport falten kann. Ich glaube, da passt wirklich jedes Ohr komplett hinein. Ebenfalls positiv ist das Transport-Case, welches versteift ist. Das austauschbare und dem SRH750DJ gegenüber etwas längere und qualitativ bessere Spiralkabel macht ebenfalls einen sehr strapazierfähigen Eindruck. Beim Auseinanderfalten fiel mir dann auch noch auf, dass die Drehgelenke der Muscheln aus Metall sind. Also fix aufgesetzt und gleich mal ihren bekanntesten Nachteil am eigenen Leibe erlebt: Ich weiß nicht, was die von Sennheiser sich dabei gedacht haben aber der Kopfhörer sitzt definitiv zu stramm - das erzeugt erstmal ein beklemmendes Gefühl. Glücklicherweise können die angenehmen austauschbaren Polster die gefühlten 20kg gleichmäßig verteilen. Angenehmer wäre ein Polsterbezug aus einem weichen Textil aber der aus einem dünnen Kunstleder hält dafür die Feuchtigkeit fern. Was die Klangleistung angeht, so präsentiert er sich sehr ausgewogen und angenehm. Verglichen mit meinem (offenen) Sony MDR-SA3000 löst er die Höhen bei weitem nicht so gut auf aber er klingt nicht dumpf: die Höhen und Mitten sind präzise. Gegenüber dem SA3000 kann er dafür mit seiner hohen Dynamik punkten. Verglichen mit dem Shure SRH750 DJ, welchen ich bei Amazon ebenfalls bewertet habe, klingt der HD380 pro ausgeglichener und nicht so mittenlastig. Die Bässe gehen schön tief runter und dröhnen nicht. Was ich mit verschiedenen Basstests heraushören konnte: Während sich beim Shure unterhalb von 70Hz schon kaum etwas wahrnehmen lässt, hört man den Bass beim Sennheiser bis runter auf 40Hz ordentlich heraus. Selbst bei 10 Hz fühlt man noch den Schalldruck. Mehr Bass bringt selbst der weniger präzise Sony MDR-XB700 nicht, der bei gleichem Eingangspegel dafür aber enorm viel lauter ist. Das Raumgefühl, welches der HD380pro als geschlossener Kopfhörer bietet, kommt an das des offenen SA3000 nicht heran aber es ist deutlich besser als beim SRH750DJ. Mit seinem Klangbild kann er gerade bei elektronischer basslastiger Musik, wie Trance, Dance und Dubstep deutlich punkten und klingt selbst bei Metal und Rock sehr klar und nicht dumpf, was auch ein längeres Hören möglich macht, welches mir mit dem aggressiveren Shure schwer gefallen ist. Aber auch Chillout und 80er POP hört sich angenehm warm an. Mein persönliches Fazit zum Sennheiser HD380 pro (vs. Shure SRH750 DJ): o Weniger starke Mitten (kann pos. oder neg. sein) + Ausgeglichener und angenehmerer Klang + Bessere Bässe (selbst tiefste Bässe werden gut wiedergegeben) + Besseres Raumgefühl (beim Shure quasi nicht vorhanden) + Umschließen auch sehr große Ohren (bis ca. 8cm) - Zu hoher Anpressdruck aber tun nicht weh, da + angenehmere Polster (insbesondere Bügel) - Keine Zusatzohrpolster + Bessere Transportfähigkeit, da faltbar + Stabileres Transport-Case statt Tragetasche Die Entscheidung viel daher auf den Sennheiser HD380 pro. Ich habe mir überlegt, ob ich einen Stern Abzug wegen des hohen Anpressdrucks geben soll, doch das habe ich nicht, weil mir auch nach langem Hören nichts weh tut und der Vorteil davon ist, dass der Kopfhörer wirklich perfekt abschließt und auch dann nicht gleich vom Kopf fällt, wenn man etwas stärker am Spiralkabel zieht, um es zu verlängern.