Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Studio Headphones

Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Studio Headphones

The Sennheiser HD 380 Pro is a closed-back monitoring headphone built for studio, broadcast and location work, where you need to hear a recording accurately while the room around you stays out of it. Its closed circumaural earcups provide passive attenuation of ambient noise of up to 32 dB, the extended frequency response runs from 8 Hz to 27,000 Hz, and the design folds flat and travels in the included carrying case. Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement (E.A.R.) technology angles the transducers to channel sound directly into the ears, and the single-sided coiled cable, replaceable parts and 110 dB sound pressure level make it a practical tool for engineers who use their headphones hard, every day.

Key features

• Closed-back circumaural monitoring design with passive attenuation up to 32 dB
• Extended frequency response of 8 to 27,000 Hz for accurate monitoring
• 110 dB sound pressure level (1 kHz, 1 Vrms) for demanding monitoring use
• 54 ohm nominal impedance, driven well by interfaces, consoles and portable recorders
• E.A.R. (Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement) driver angling for direct sound delivery
• Folding design with carrying case included for engineers on the move
• Replaceable single-sided coiled cable, 1 m extending to 3 m, with 3.5 mm plug and screw-type 6.3 mm adapter
• Replaceable parts for a long service life, 220 g without cable

Monitoring accuracy with real isolation

A tracking and monitoring headphone has two jobs at once: reproduce the signal honestly, and keep the click track, cue mix and backing music from leaking into a live microphone. The HD 380 Pro addresses both. Its closed circumaural cups seal around the ears and attenuate ambient noise by up to 32 dB, which also means you can monitor at sensible levels in a noisy control room, a live venue or a location shoot without pushing the volume to compete with the room. The frequency response extends well beyond the audible extremes at both ends, distortion stays below 0.1 percent at 1 kHz and 100 dB SPL, and the maximum power handling of 500 mW gives the headphone headroom for loud cue mixes.

Built for work, designed to fold

The HD 380 Pro folds down for transport and ships with a carrying case, which matters for location recordists, broadcast engineers and musicians carrying their own monitoring between sessions. At 220 g without the cable it stays comfortable through long tracking and editing sessions, with large earcups that sit around the ears. Sennheiser designed the headphone so its wear parts can be replaced, including the cable and ear pads, extending its working life well beyond that of a sealed consumer headphone.

Cable and connections

The single-sided coiled cable keeps the lead on one side of the headphone, out of the way of instruments and console surfaces, and stretches from 1 m coiled to a full 3 m when you need to move around a control room or drum kit. It connects with a straight 3.5 mm plug for interfaces, recorders and portable devices, and a screw-type 6.3 mm adapter is included for consoles, amplifiers and studio headphone outputs. The 54 ohm impedance is an easy load for professional headphone outputs while still working from lower-powered sources.

Who the HD 380 Pro suits

Recording engineers tracking vocals and drums, broadcast and location sound recordists, and musicians who record themselves will get the most from the HD 380 Pro: isolation that protects a take, a response wide and honest enough to judge one, and construction meant to be folded, cased and carried daily. It is equally at home as a focused listening headphone in a noisy office, but its design brief is professional monitoring first.