HD-280 or something else?

J

jnick

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I currently have a pair of EH-150's and absolutely loved them. Granted their frame is cheap plastic and after 2+ hours of gaming, they'd irritate my ears; the sound was better than any other headphone I owned.

However, I recently bought a digital Grand Piano. Unfortunately, the EH-150's to NOT hold their own and the sound is rather...lacking. Therefore, I was looking into getting a higher quality pair of headphones and pass on my EH-150's to my dad.

However, budget is a concern. I'm not really looking to drop $150 on headphones. I'm mainly looking for headphones that will be better than my EH-150's at both PC and my digital piano.

The HD-280's did look attractive at around $80, seeing as I spent $40+tax on my EH-150's in CC because I forgot to check newegg, where they are half price :(

Thank you in advance!
 
Could you describe the sound characteristics of the EH-150? I'm not really familiar with the EH series. The HD280 is good for isolation, but a lot of people find the sound to be a bit boring and sterile. There's also the infamous headband cracking problem with that model.
 
hmm...I'm really not a hardcore audiophile, but I'll try my best :p.

They pretty much lack bass, the mid's and high's are ok though.

The big turn off though, was it made my $2k digital piano sound like a $100 casio electronic keyboard. There simply was no range at all, AND the volume on the piano needed to be at it's maximum. Without the headphones, I usually leave the volume at 25-35%.

I don't know if it matters, but the speakers (2) in the piano are 20W a piece...

I was thinking about picking up a nice set of cans (around $100) and maybe a lower end headphone amp to use mainly with just my piano?

Below are the tech specs to my head phones. The product page can be found here.

Technical Details

* Transducer Principle: Dynamic, closed
* Frequency Response: 18-18,000 Hz, diffused field equalized
* Nominal Impedance: 32ohm
* Max Spl: 115dB
* Thd: -0.5
* Ear Coupling: Supra-aural
* Connector: 3.5 mm stereo jack with 6.3 mm adapter, 10ft copper OFC cable
* Weight: Approx. 130gwithout cable
 
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I was also eyeing the HD-555 after the last poster gave me his input on th eHD-280's. However, I see that they are open. In this case, how much sound seeps out? Normally I only use headphones when someone else is in the room so I don't bother them...
 
The 280s are good for what you want. The RP-21s probably have more range but need the Beyer pads to really isolate. If you want really good, dynamic sound in a closed headphone the Audio Technica A900 would make you pretty happy.

OR you could get IEMs. Try some $20 JVC Marshmellows at Staples, CC, BB. Pretty decent sound and will give you an idea of what iems bring.
 
I used HD-280 headphones at work for a couple of years and was always annoyed by the coiled cable (I know, it sounds silly, but the thing is heavy and unflexible). The sounds of the HD-280 isn't very good until quite a bit of break-in, and even then it really benefits from some serious equalization (ther frequency response isn't even close to flat). They also have a very tight seal around the head (although this is a benefit in noisy environments...nothing seals out the outside world like these headphones).

I highly recommend the Audio Technica ATH-A900 as an alternative. It costs a bit more, but it sounds much better while still giving you the benefits of closed headphones with none of the drawbacks of the HD-280.
 
Does anyone know about the Sony MDR 7506's? I was comparing the 280s and the 7506s, but I'm not sure which one to go for.
 
I really like my HD280 headphones, so I can heartily recommend them. However, I haven't heard any other headphones in the same price range for comparison.

If you do plan on getting a headphone amp, I'd recommend a different set than the HD280. I've read that they don't benefit much from an amp whereas some headphones benefit a great deal from an amp (I think the HD555 is one of those).
 
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