Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Closed-back Professional Monitor Headphones Reviews

After having a set of Sennheiser HD 25 I upgraded to the HD 380. They are very comfortable to wear and eliminate out side noise when I record and mix in my studio. Highly recommended

I have the HD 280 as well as these. Both are fantastic and you can't really go wrong with either. Very good at blocking out external sounds. These are better quality overall as well.

Very satisfied, hard to see how they could be much better.

I use headphones quite a bit and actually have two other pairs that I am very satisfied with. I have always had a pari of Sennheisers around and upped my game a bit when I saw that they were quite affordable. They are everything I've come to love about Sennheiser phones-and more. Great sound, very comfortable and priced reasonably. I like the fact that they fold up so small and have a carrying case. That allows me to use them in the field-which I do a lot. I use them to monitor when I'm doing video work and actually use them for mixing as well. You can't go wrong with a pair of these.

These phones feel great on your head, they are extremely comfortable, and spacious. It really improves the overall felling of head room. Frequency response is perfect, great bass and high end. But what I like best is the feeling that I'm listening in a room rather than a set of headphones. Most of the phones I've used feel as if the sound is being crammed into your ears, but not these. The price was a little scary at first, ( I've never spent that much on headphones before ) but now it doesn't seem high at all. I would recommend them to anyone for monitor work or just listening pleasure. Great headphones.

I Can here every detail with these headphones.. . Sad most speakers can't reproduce. . . .

So, let me begin with: There are not enough reviews available for cans to use for live mixing. I do keep a pair of in-ears at my console with me; but they are hard to sit right in your ear and constantly shift or fall out a bit, screwing with the sound and isolation. Not ideal.

When looking at different options, I considered these, the Samson Z55, the Shure SRH840, and the AT M50x. Almost immediately I knocked the M50x off my list considering what I have heard with other local mixing engineers and relevant reviews. The Z55 was then knocked off because I read there was an issue with sound leakage; and I figured that if it'll let sound out, it'll let sound in. From what I read and know about Shure, the SRH840 would have been a solid choice, but there wasn't a lot of information available regarding how well they isolate or if they're good for live use side stage.

When I looked at the HD 380, there was a lot of praise regarding how well they isolate, and how well they sounded... and I knew our FoH uses a pair of Senns, but didn't know until after I had gotten these that they were also the HD 380. I have fallen in love with these cans.

Pros:
Extremely accurate sound/Neutral tone
Passive Isolation that is pretty flippin' impressive.

Cons:
Needs blue and red LR markings for use in dark areas side stage
Cable connection to ear cup.

Notes:
While the cable connection at the ear cup definitely helps to keep you from ripping the cord out, it's also a pain in the butthole. It'll come out part way that isn't very noticeable... not until you put them back on and it sounds like your lead vocalist's mic has dropped it's signal and you're standing there confused because you can hear him through his wedges fine, just not at your board. I've gotten to wear I immediately check it, but whew... just give me a simple screw in design; why this silliness?

They don't feel like the most durable things in the world, and they aren't. They are very flexible, and I'm sure they'll withstand the heavy and sometimes abusive live use. The hard case means they won't get damaged while properly stored, and the again, impressive isolation and low resistance means I don't need to listen to these at max levels even in oppressively loud environments.

The pads will wear out, and the pads will then be replaced. No problems there.

That's it. Enjoy them, they are a worthwhile investment for an engineer who wants a good pair of cans for live use.

It won't let me type my musical background in for some reason, maybe Chrome; but I am a Monitor Engineer.

These headphones have allowed me to hear so many mistakes in my compositions and recordings.

Some people say sound is subjective, but these headphones are simply amazing! It is an item you must try to judge. They feel very comfortable and I love the fact you can detach the cable and walk around with them on.

I bought these back in 2012 I think for about $300 bucks. Now before I get to quality let me explain that the headphones pay for the self in my opinion. I have used them for love and studio recording. In the car, into my phone and even once working as a painter. They just don't give up. Never a shortage, everything folds and bends where it should still and no fade from he color or writing on them. I went through plenty of lower $100 dollar range head phones and with in a year all them breaking or needing new wires. Also the cool way the 8th inch turns into a micro 16th inch is awesome. With the plastic molding around it, once you plug it into the headphones it's pretty hard to rip out by mistake or damage the male cable. The over backs cancels a great deal of noise also. NOW THE SOUND!!!! One word "HONEST". I can defer between each sound very well, The stereo sound is almost real life and the volume can reach pretty high without distorting. The highs are crisp without being piercing or too sharp, the mid high is direct and aggressive, the mid low is tight and warm in a comforting but noticeable in the mix way and the lows are separated perfectly. All my gear I have upgraded once or twice since I bought these head phones and the 380 HD Pro is the only gear I haven't had to upgrade. I'm sure this will be with me forever. Overall, worth more than asked for.

I'v used AT, Sony, AKG and they are all well and good but the sound quality, comfort and sound isolation I get from these HD 380s' is just great.
When tracking vocals with high quality mics or trying to hear isolated channels when mixing live, the audio bleed is minimal. The sound is detailed and even. I have a pair of the 280s' as well and they are also very good but the 380s' are a step above and come with a nice compact carrying case. At this price point they are hard to beat.

These are great phones. Nice bass response....

Being on a tight budget, I wanted to get the best for the lowest. In my opinion, the HD380 was just what I was looking for. Whether plugged into my board, DAW or directly from the keyboard, the sound is quite good. I exclusively do studio work (no live performance) and have not had any issues with these phones. They are sturdy and comfortable and have great sound - better than I expected. Quality made. With the case that they fold into, it is easy to carry them where I go. I'm overall very impressed with them.

I will first say that this an awesome pair of headphones! Great for mixing AND tracking! I started looking for a pair of headphones when I was dog sitting for my sister while she was away and I was not able to get to my studio. I honestly wasn't expecting to find something as good as this especially after I started doing a lot of research. I didn't have a lot of money to blow and seeing article after article about how you shouldn't get closed back headphones for mixing but you cant use open back headphones for tracking I started to think I wasn't going to get what I needed at my budget.

I read a seemly never ending amount of reviews and articles on headphones for mixing and tracking and to be completely honest I bought these because they were the best rated that the local Best Buy carried (I was inpatient). Though thank God they carried these because I could not be happier with them!

SUMMARY:
Overall they sound awesome, are incredibly comfortable for hours of use, the noise cancellation is just as good as anything else I have ever tried (including the crazy expensive Bose headphones) and they come with a great case. The only downside is the 1/8" to 1/4" jack is a screw on jack so you cant use just any jack, so just don't loose it.

The BEST part of all though is they are awesome for mixing! They do not color any sound at all which is something I was worried about though I end up with mixes that translate perfectly and only need a little touching up in my studio. These are a perfect solution for someone on a budget who wants to get accurate mixes and also use these for tracking. I am sure there are better headphones out there but certainly not at this price point, these are awesome!

It's been a while, and Sennheiser I still have to tell you nothing, and I mean nothing comes close to the 380 Pro's for On Air Pro's in the Studio! I Love my 380Pro's:)

These headphones, HD-380 Pro, are professional in every aspect. They deliver astounding detail and clarity, and because of that I am depending on these phones to monitor the playback tracks as I multitrack and mixdown. The large speaker assemblies I used to use for mixdown & tracking are taking 2nd place now. These headphones are well worth the price.

I've never heard my keyboard sound so good. More than twice as good as my headphones that cost half as much. Thanks for the suggestion from Bob Mondok, Sweetwater Sales Engineer.

These are simply the BEST cans for studio usage, period. Whether it's for the artist tracking or me referencing a mix, they're extremely lightweight and comfortable and offer the isolation of the 280's in a more comfortable device. Minimal bleed is critical while tracking and these offer excellent attenuation. Worth every single penny.

As a live engineer in a club that frequently has bands that insist on average stage volume hovering around 110 dB (flat) I have frequently worn my Westone earplugs under my headphones while mixing monitors. No More! While the isolation of the 280s is great, the 380s isolation plus accuracy of reproduction makes these the perfect live monitor cue phones. I tried them in my studio as well on a recent demo and was blown away by the detail. Musical, light and well constructed and the case and foldability make these easy to put in your backpack without worry. You can even unplug the nice coiled cable and wear the phones as stand alone ear protection. I highly recommend these phones!

why the five star now? it is one of my versitile and most used headphone. I choose these for my daily use for my galaxy s2 phone. the really surprising thing to me is how loud it gets and very defined in sound compare to my 840 and 940 especially using my galaxy s2 phone. It has to be the design that goes in to these. never give you the sense of bulkyness on your head or wanna remove it because its just inspires you to keep listening to you favorite musics . its just right on. well, the resistance # on these are higher compares to 840 and 940 but they don't really show at all. perfect for all gangre of music. noise rejection on these are just right on.
Am very pleased and really what can i say- it my go to cans. wow just never poring listen to these and love the fact that i don't need and H-amp at all. excellant cans...if your looking to get a pro studio headphone that also won't irritate or struggle on your smartphone/laptop then these are it.

Clarity is unmatched. When normal headphones distort during a very demanding section of song all remains clear. You have to have high quality audio to appreciate them and a sufficient power source. Portable device just dont cut it, Im getting a headpone amp right away. Totally brings the music to life. You will pick up on details and changes you never knew were there.

great price and the sound quality is amazing! Really clear sounds!!

Pure clarity And Bass

I'm not going to get all crazy about this and that about these headphones, but I will say this for working as an On Air-Personality I have been nothing but Happy about my Sennheiser 380 Pro's, they are just what the Dr ordered, if your a on Air DJ, don't mess around with all the other headphones, just do it right the first time and buy the Sennheiser 380 Pro's:)

I am in my 40's and have a huge music collection & bought the IE7 ear buds w/ are very nice , but the HD380's are hands down for the money very impressive. The detail of each individual instrument is comes w/ a clairity I've never heard. Listening to many of my old favorites sound like they were recoreded w/ today's technology. The comfort is very nice & the weight is very light and easy to wear for long periods of time.

Just what you would expect from Sennheiser! Well balanced frequency response with very low distortion and execllent articulation. Comfortable to wear for hours and excellent isolation from ambient noise.

Switched to these from a pair of HD 280 pro's, which I loved, and love these even more. Highly recommended.

This HD 380 Pro has open a new view of RECORDING for me. And i think AFRICA mass Run for this PRODUCT. (AFRICA, OUR MUSIC SPIRIT IS NOW HERE) I LOVE SENNHEISER!!!

I'm a big guy, 6'2'' 230lb, & these adjust to fit very comfortable. The first time I test drove these I could not believe how natural the sound was. I listened to a number of tracks I am very familiar with, like Sgt. Pepper, and tunes that I've herd on every stereo since that album came out (yes I bought it when it first was released) had a clarity I've rarely herd even on some rather high end systems. Great buy, beyond excellent service, I'm hooked on Sweetwater

The HD380 Pro is the best set of tracking cans bar none!!!
Snug fit, rich deep bass, best in class isolation to prevent bleed into the mic - just what the vocalist needs. Also perfect for drummers, loud guitarists, bass and synth players too. Their low impedance makes them an ideal match for the variety of tracking headphone systems on the market. They do have a bit of color to their sound so I do not recommend these for studio mix monitoring. Their snug fit gets a bit uncomfortable so wearing them for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a crack may cause discomfort to some. I also highly recommend these for live FOH and on the stage Monitor Mixing Board. DJ's, you'll love 'em too!

Have to put in kudos for my sales engineer, Bob Furlong, for being there when I needed to exchange Audio Technicas for the Sennheiser HD380. The ATs had great flat sound but just did not fit comfortably--a personal thing but very important with hours in the studio. No problem, no hassle from Sweetwater, and the new Senns arrived here on the west coast in less than 3 days.

I've had Sennheisers for more than 20 years, last pair of HD250s were running on second replacement can, finally buzzed out the left side. Thought the ATs would be worth a try, but again, not comfortable after 30 minutes use. I've already noticed the HD380 difference for my head--YMMV. The 380s have great mids and highs, okay lows, and I can eq the lows if I really need to.

Sometimes Sweetwater prices aren't the lowest, but for peace of mind, real care, and that extra satisfaction knowing you're dealing with pros, the Sweetwater people can't be beat. I'll pay the extra bucks every time to get service like this. This experience paid for itself.

The only reason I did not give these headphones a full 5 stars...is I was not blown-away! I have used Sennheiser headphones for years, and expect nothing less then the sound quality they produce.
Two thumbs up!

I have an older pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones that I use for live monitoring theater and sound cue editing. These HD 380 Pro headphones sound more clear, but are harder to hang around your neck (while wearing a headset). I would stick to the 280s for live monitoring, and use the 380s to build my sound cues and general music and monitoring. (note: my 280s are "worn in")

They come with a nice case, and I love the screw on 1/4" adapter.

I purchased these along with the Kat Kt4 electronic drum kit (review on that soon) to use as a source to play, practice and jam to in private. They are great for that due to the sound isolation that they provide and the nice clear balance sound they have. So no regrets there, but where they shine even more brightly is listening to music itself. They have a great clarity and frequency response that really opens up and makes even the most listened to songs feel new and fresh!! Highly recommended!!

I was amazed with the sounds I heard.

These are the best headphones I have ever heard for mixing the clarity they have is amazing you can hear every little detail.

I have a pair of HD 280's so I decided to give the HD 380's a try. I was instantly sold. All of the positive things about the 280's but more comfortable. A much better better bass response and unbeatable stereo imaging. The low end is smooth and powerful and the high end is quite clear with out being harsh or tinny. Give these headphones a shot! I think you will be pleased.

no need amps... loud enough for your mini mac. much better and improved from my 280. Just perfect for what I'm gonna use for(tracking, live mixing) and listening to music on my Mac.
yep! will agree that the bass and mids do stick out which is not a surprise for close cans. these cans basically a much improved version of the HD 280 overall just what I expected.

These headphones are great for exactly what I needed them for. The drummers I have been recording are always complaining about not being able to hear the mix in their headphones in the room, due to the loudness of the drum kit and the quietness of my (previous) headphones. These did the trick... great noise reduction and VERY comfortable to wear headphones, everything that I was needing. Plus they compact down into a very tiny little carry case (provided) for travel or storage, which is welcome as I'm a bit ocd when it comes to cleanliness.

Received a pair of Sennheiser HD 380s for my birthday, and what a nice present! Music sounds so rich and warm, and they really do a great job of blocking out unwanted external noises. I wear them when I practice bass, too, and they sound wonderful.

You can spend a lot more on headphones, but I don't know why you'd ever need to--these are very high-quality headphones without paying an outrageous price.

Highly recommended.

These are comfortable but I'm not sure the sound is as good as it could be. They are flat across the sound spectrum with a slight bump right where I usually place the kick drum, so they are not 100% accurate. I have them plugged directly into my laptop. Maybe they would sound better trough a receiver or headphone amp. They may be designed to drive them more than I do. They are good but I have heard better in this price range.

Bought these cans over the holidays and put them to use right away. I got them because I needed a set of cans that did a good job of sound isolation when recording in my home studio. I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50s, so I have a comparable set to do a side by side test. The 380's sound very open and the stereo spectrum seem wider than the M50 cans. This is due to the 380 drivers being further from your ears than the M50s. The noise attenuation is quite good, especially when recording acoustic guitar. When recording loud amps, they are better than the M50s at keeping sound out but there is still bleed. I'll also note that they are comfortable to wear and light weight. I think they compare well to my M50s though the sound experience is quite different.

Just an extra note, they 380 Pro drivers flaked out after one week of limited use, but cudos to Sweetwater for getting me a new pair quickly with no hassle what so ever. Everyone I spoke to said this was very unusual, even the folks at Guitar Center. That made me feel confident about replacing them with a new pair.

Sennheiser HD-380 Headphones

I already own 2 pair of Sony 7506’s, 2 pair of AKG K-271’s, a set of AKG K-701’s, a set of IEMs from Shure: the SE-215s, a set of Grado SR-80’s (the originals) and a set of Koss Porta Pros., and a set of focal Spirit Pros. With all of us with varying degrees of hearing, finding a set of headphones when unable to audition all the offerings is impossible.

I needed a set of headphones that were somewhat brighter sounding than my Focal Spirit Pros. At my age of 69, I need something that has much less of a HF roll off. I love my AKG K-271’s which are, to me the perfect vocalist/tracking headphones and sound great with an excellent balance between the highs and lows. The same holds true of the AKG K-701s which are my go to cans for just listening.

The Sennheiser HD-380’s also fall into this category as a great set of cans for listening. Excellent HF extension, accurate, not hard sounding, and superb bass that is tight and extended. One of the best set of cans I’ve heard for $150 by far and a great buy. The Sennheiser HD-380’s are super lightweight and comfortable. The only caveat of the 380s is that when singing and tracking there is some resonance that enters the housing of the ear pieces that I don’t get with using either the AKG K-271s or my older Sony 7506s. It appears to come from contact of my jaw bone and from contact around the ear pieces. The Sony’s don’t do this, but they tend to push the vocalist more forward in the mix, but have their place in my home studio where a vocalist wants to hear more of themselves when tracking. I am also using the softer velour ear pads on both the Sony’s and the AKG K-271’s and don’t know if that might be the difference of the added ear-cup resonance, but it is there.

I still highly recommend the HD-380s as a super set of headphones and would mark them as a best buy at $150 if accuracy is a must for you. I much prefer them and my AKG K-271’s/ K701s over the Focal Spirit Pros. Highly recommended.

First off, I'd like to say these are great headphones, as one would expect from Sennheiser. If you have some of their open models, (HD 515, 555, 595, etc.) you'll notice that they sound a lot different. The HD 380 Pros use similar drivers, but since they are closed, they respond differently. Overall, they are very accurate, and produce a flat sound. (good for studios, for music, etc, not so much, unless you have an eq settings to your likings, solution is an equalizer) I use these with an old Denon DRA-545R stereo reciever, and with this, I can adjust the bass/treble levels, variable loudness, etc. These headphones work alright with an ipod, because they are 54 ohm, instead of the 150+ ohm HD500 series headphones. You don't need a headphone amp, but they will definitely sound better if you have one.

Comfort: Very tight right out of the box, but after a week or two of frequent use, they'll loosen up a bit. Not very heavy, but not the lightest pair of headphones in the world. The earpads go around my ears, which is very comfortable, and cancels noise well. No heat issues with my ears, either. Standard wrinkled pleather, which might start to flake after a few years of use, but Sennheiser sells replacement ear pads. Very flexible, as the video here demonstrates.

Sound: Flat, but an eq can make up for it. Bass response is good, thumping if you turn it up on an eq, highs are crisp. A little lacking in the mids, but you can just bump them up with an eq to compensate. Better than many headphones, but not the best, of course. It's all personal taste.

Looks: Who cares about looks, but if you happen to, these are one of the nicest looking headphones I've seen. Sleek black=awesome!

Durability: They are plastic. Not the strongest thing in the world, but it is by no means cheap-o plastic. These could probably be thrown around with no problems. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of them, as anything can break if you're irresponsible. Hinges are metal, as well as the adjustable head band.

Compatibality: Has lots of uses. I use it on my PC with a Denon DRA-545R reciever-sounds great. I truck these headphones around with my ipod, and again, sounds great. I've plugged them into my xbox with an adapter, sounds great. Plugged them into my guitar amplifier, sounds great. Do yourself a favor, and don't plug these directly into your PC, unless you use an amplified sound card. Directly into your PC is not the best sounding thing in the world...

Other features: Comes with a screw on 1/4th inch adapter, a nice hard carrying case, removable coiled cable. The headphones are pretty small, and flat when collapsed. All connections are gold plated.

My goal was to upgrade from my AKG K81DJ on ear headphones to a higher performance over the ear headphones which would be more comfortable over longer listening periods. I also wanted more volume so I chose this HD380 for use with my computer and mostly my MP3. Overall the sound was pretty good but not what I thought should be $150 better than my AKG's These Sennheisers are comfortable and lightweight. I had to add bass boost to my MP3 to get a balanced sound from bass to high freq. Perhaps these are better suited to recording and refernce monitoring, I don't know. I like them but I was hoping for much better sound quality over the AKG's and I just didn't get it. Maybe I need to learn more about headphones.

The HD380 pro's have low distortion and at first seem to give great mid-range clarity. They have a nice flat, extended low bass from 25 Hz to 75 HZ but then have a 3dB mid-bass dip from 80 to 200 HZ. They have a slow rise from 315 Hz to about 5Hx peaking at about +8dB near 2Kz which really "hypes" the upper middle register. Great for hearing mid-range detail, but not good for balancing a mix. General sound is bright and slightly bass thin. They are fairly comfortable and have a real-world isolation of 15 to 18dB. The 32dB Sennheiser spec. is totally unrealistic. They do fold very flat and come in a nice semi-hard case. For a flatter response, and smoother mid-range try the Sony 7509's.

The headphones are great. The sound is fantastic and I can wear them for hours with no discomfort whatsoever but if you don't like coiled headphone wires, you will not like these headphones. The coiled cord made them very annoying to use with my keyboard which has it's headphone jack in the rear. When coiled, the cord is only about 4 feet long and the spring strength of the cord is pretty strong so when I used them out of the box when playing the keyboard, my left arm kept running into the cord which was stretched, over the keys, between the left end of my keyboard and my left ear. I bought a 10 foot headphone extension which solved the problem of the cord hitting my arm but the coiled wire was still very heavy and pulled noticeably on the left side of my head even when I draped the coiled cord over my left shoulder and down my back. Fortunately, the Sennheiser HD 380 is designed so that the headphone lead plugs into the headphones for easy replacement. I found a 3 meter uncoiled replacement headphone lead for the HD 380 headphones on Ebay which is very light. For my keyboard, I still found even the 3 meter length to be a bit short but the combination of the 3 meter uncoiled replacement lead and the headphone extension cord solved that problem so now I can enjoy the fantastic sound of these headphones without the annoyance and weight of a coiled headphone lead. The headphones themselves are great but without the uncoiled lead and the extension they would be very annoying to use at a keyboard. Great headphones for the price but if you don't like the idea of a heavy coiled lead constantly pulling one side of your head downward, be prepared to spend another $50 to $75 on an extension and an uncoiled replacement lead.

I have had these around a year and a half, there is a bass boost and a lot of mid range. I would not recommend these to any professional. I have heard better things about the 280. Also, after using these the ear piece is tearing. I am disappointed about the sound quality and reliability. I would recommend trying out another headphones, I am sure sennheiser makes some fine products this is not one of them. Save a hundred bucks and go with sony. I wish I did.

I've had these for about 7 years now, and I've come to realize that these headphones are quite disappointing. If you have an at all bigger-than-average head, these headphones will be wildly uncomfortable for you – no amount of soft foam can take away the feeling of having a clamp on your head, which only gets worse the longer you wear them. They definitely do not "loosen up" over time.

I've gone through 2 sets of foam pads, which all started spontaneously cracking and flaking all over the place. If you enjoy drinking a beverage while listening to music through these, expect to one day find little black flecks of foam pad coating in your drink. It's surprisingly difficult to find replacement parts for these headphones now too (I once ordered them through Sennheiser's website – if that's still possible, it's utterly buried now).

The sound is almost unbearably mids and highs focused, with almost no low-end to speak of. This leads to a harsh and tinny sound. If you try mixing with them, you will end up with outrageously overbearing bass to compensate for the weak low-end response on these headphones. It's possible the drivers in my set are starting to wear out, but the sound has pretty much always been like this since the day I got them.

Sure, the passive noise isolation has been sorta nice when it's worked, but given the choice again, I'd skip these.