Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-CD280 CD Series Headphones with Self-Adjusting Headband

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not an audiophile par excellence, but I do know a thing or two about comfort. I bought the less expensive Sony MDR-V150 headphones for a song, and returned them after a couple of weeks because the darned things were very tight and uncomfortable. I would say that this MDR-CD280 is about the same in terms of quality, but leaps and bounds better in terms of comfort. I can wear these all day long and not even know they are on. And music sounds great. If you don't want to spend too much, and you want comfort, you've found the right product.

The sound from these headphones is excellent most of the way up the range -- it just falls apart near the top. Bass is comfortable and rich, esp. considering the 30mm drivers. Midrange is fairly well balanced (which is to say, there's not an unnatural amount of it). Everything comes apart at the top of the midrange, though -- somewhere near 1100Hz, the sound gets very bright, and so sharp that it almost felt painful. The sound of a nylon pick on a steel-strung (jazz) guitar was sharp enough to stand out and clash with the strings themselves. Tonal quality was quite warm most of the way up, but got very cold and bright up top. Might be okay for classical, vocal or rock music, but not good for jazz or industrial/EBM.

The fit is light and comfortable, but to my irritation I found that the "self-adjusting" headband kept pulling the earpieces off my ears and up the side of my head. Probably could have been fixed with some adhesive tape, but still. It's a misguided feature I'd rather not put up with at all.

These are no $250 headphones; in fact, they're not even $50 headphones. They don't have fancy Sennheiser foils, or Neodymium magnets. And they are a little bit colored. But that said, they're nice, they're closed, they're comfortable, and they've got 30mm drivers. Bass notes come out as clear tones, not indistinct rumbling or horrible vibrating plastic. They fit on my head nicely, and the cord is more than long enough. If you're looking for something better than those crappy headphones that came with your portable player, but you don't have a lot to spend, give these a try.

Pros:
- In terms of sound quality, it is above-average in its class.
- So very very comfy!

Cons:
- It sounds very weak on portable players. If you want headphones for you're mp3 or CD player, these are NOT a good choice.
- Big
- Yes, they sound good for cheap headphones. But they just don't sound as good as a pair of $100 headphones.

Another thing worth mentioning - the cord is extremely long. This may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you're using it for. Normaly I love long cords, but the cord in this is just ridiculously long.

If you're in the market for computer or media system headphones, and want something you can wear all the time withought you're ears coming off, these are a great choice. If you want some better sounding headphones, and comfort isn't an issue, then I would recommend the Jensen JF25 Stereo Headphones.

These headphone, though by no means audiophile grade, are overall a good buy. Comfortwise, these automatically contour ergonomically to even the largest of noggins. They gently press against your ear with plush, cool padding; unlike many headphones, I can wear these for hours without a hint of pain. In this respect they're superior to $100 studio reference headphones I've used! Soundwise, they are merely what you'd expect for the money, though they do mute loud music quite well - handy for the public computer labs and road trips! If you're going to use headphones on a really regular basis, I'd recommend spending a bit more, but they're fine for casual listeners and great for the money.

If you are looking for a very comfortable closed headphone on a budget, this is a great choice. Serious audiophiles would scoff I'm sure, but for the rest of us this is a bargain. I can wear them for hours without discomfort, and the isolation is excellent. Easily driveable by my computer's soundcard or even my iPod. Too large and too long a cord for portable use however. I just wish the wire seemed sturdier, but at this price it's no big deal to buy another in a couple of years if it gives out on me.

I picked these up several years ago. I use them on my PC mostly and I have had no problems despite the fact that the cord has been rolled over hundreds of times by me and my kids. They are light which is real plus, they are very comfortable on the ears and the sound is good. I like the long cord because I can sit in a chair away from the PC and still listen to my music while watching something TV. The downside is that the cord length is what led to it's demise-my kids did just what I like to do =sit in the chair. The dog ran right through it and the cord ripped out of the
headset. Better that than destroying the jack on my PC. I don't have a 100 bucks for headphones and plan to get another pair of these.

Im sure anyone with little cash and wanting okay headphones will be plenty satisfied with these, but if you are looking for some real cans your going to have to take a jump into the $100's. Anyways, for anyone with some cash to spend and wants a pair of over the head headphones that are durable, comfortable, and with okay sound then the Sony MDR-280 is your set of headphones.

I've had these for about 4 years, used only for PC headphones and I'm glad I picked them up. They've been thrown around and been great with zero issues during that time. I bought purely based on price point and had no idea how good they were. They were roughly $30ish at the time.

It was a chance buy and I struck lucky. They're as light & comfortable as others here say all day long. They provide great sound for the price. I'm sure I'd like some $100-$200 headphones, but until these fail me I can't really justify an upgrade.

I don't know if these headphones were worth the money. Sure, they're comfortable, but bulkly, lacking in power (but it is more crisp than the MDR V200s they replaced). i need some freakin' bass...maybe i'll just buy some REAL studio headphones.