Ever since I heard the newest headphones from Beyerdynamic, I was dying to listen to them alongside a number of other comparable headphones. Well, after three months of patiently waiting their arrival, the new Beyerdynamic DT 240 headphones are here for comparison. Today I’ll do a side-by-side test between them and the ever-popular Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones. So how do these two similarly priced headphones perform against each other? Today I’ll find out with this Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro vs Sennheiser HD 280 Pro comparison review.

Inexpensive Professional Headphones – Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro vs Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Comparison Review

In the Box

Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro

DT 240 Pro Headphones

Coiled cable (1.25 m stretched to 3 m cable)

3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro

HD 280 Pro headphones

3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter

Design

Headband Comparison

Both the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have flexible headbands. They have padding on the underside to make them more comfortable. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro fits tighter, although the DT 240 Pro is snug as well. As a result, both headphones, but especially the HD 280 Pro, have great sound isolation. Lastly, both headbands are made of plastic although the DT 240 Pro is reinforced with a strip of metal, making it more durable than the HD 280 Pro.

Earcup Comparison

Both headphones have lightweight, plastic earcups. However, their shapes and sizes vary greatly. The Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro has compact, circular earcups. They are made to fit over the ears, but some folks with larger ears might find them to be too small. Conversely, the HD 280 Pro’s earcups are larger and oval shaped. They are bulky, but will fit over larger ears better. Both headphones’ earcups swivel in their yolks, yielding a more comfortable fit for different head shapes.

Earpad Comparison

The earpad designs follow the ear cup designs. As a result, the Beyerdynamic DT 240 pro has small, circular earpads and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro has thicker, oval-shaped earpads. Both pads are coated in pleather, although the material is softer and more comfortable on the DT 240 Pro.

Cable Comparison

The cables of both headphones feature a coiled design. They differ because the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro’s cable is thick and bulky while the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro’s cable is slim and manageable.

Sound

Lows

The low frequencies of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro feature a boost at 40Hz. As a result, the sound signature is subby and the low end sounds great for EDM and pop music. On the other hand, the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro has a boost at 100Hz, but has a punchier sound with clearer low frequency transients. Both headphones feel thick in the low end and have good bass extension, although the HD 280 Pro’s low end is cloudier overall.

Mids

The midranges of these headphones sound very different from each other. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro has an understand high-mid response and a more emphasized low-mid response. It has a cut at 150 Hz and a boost at 400Hz. Additionally, and most notabley, it has a high-midrange cut from 3kHz to 6kHz. As a result, the headphones sound good with synthy pop music and EDM, but feels a bit lackluster on everything else, but especially music that requires a detailed midrange like orchestral music, jazz, and punk or hardcore music. On the other hand, the Beyerdyanmic DT 240 has a full midrange with boosts at both 300Hz and 5kHz. As a result, it performs well for a wider array of genres and sounds more exciting overall.

Highs

The Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro seems to have a flatter high frequency response than the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. The HD 280 Pro has a boost around 9kHz, and as a result, high-hats in particular sound louder in the mix than they should. And while the DT 240 is less hyped in the high frequencies, it has good high frequency extension, especially for the price. They’re quite impressive here.

Soundstage

Both the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro have relatively wide left-to-right imaging, which is especially impressive because of their intense sound isolations. Additionally, they both have a good sense of height, although the HD 280 Pro reaches further down than the DT 240 Pro and the DT 240 Pro reaches taller than the HD 280 Pro. Lastly, the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro doesn’t have much depth at all. The hear some subtle depth in the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro, particularly in the low-mid frequencies.

Overview

Overall, my favorite of the two headphones is the Beyerdyanmic DT 240 Pro. While the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro has a subbier bass, the DT 240 Pro is more versatile. I also like its lack of bulkiness in both the headphone design and the cable design. If you’re looking for a great sounding headphone for a relatively cheap price, the DT 240 Pro is a great choice! However, if you’re more interested in having lots of sub-frequency goodness, you may be more interested in the HD 280 Pro. Additionally, if you have larger ears than most, you may find the HD 280 Pro to be more comfortable.

Both headphones are available for the best price here:

Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro at Audio 46

Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro on Amazon
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro on Amazon

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Specifications