HD 490 PRO Open-Back Professional Headphone

This headphone is my first I believe hi-res headphone, so I would first focus on the physical aspect: weight, comfort, design etc. 1. Weight: This headphone is light and I am able to wear it 8 hours straight without any issue. 2. Comfort: Very Very comfortable and it does not feel tight to my head. Because the ear cups are flexible and twistable, it covered my ear perfectly. 3. Design: Very simplistic (which I really like). Although 490 pro is very light, when I hold it, it feel very sturdy, the headband doesn't feel cheap and the adjustable part feel easy to adjust while also hold it position fairly tightly. Notable mention: The cushion is not leather like surface, so no need to worry about the surface get peeled off one day and stuck to your hair. So in terms of the physical aspect of headphone itself, it is 5/5. Now comes to sound quality: - please note: I am not any music creator or professional musical listener. I am just a normal consumer and this is my first time step into this territory. The sound is crisp compared to my previous gaming headphone and it is further enhance if you do some EQ. It is ok if you don't do any EQ but I still feel like do some adjustment is better as after I did some EQ, without it feel a bit plain. But again, the sound itself is very clear and crisp. Very good! New user friendliness: Although the product state it is "Professional Headphone", I feel like it is still very friendly for new user, and here is my reason- no need a bunch of setup for it to work. HD 490 pro has a low enough resistance and fairly high sensitivity to plug directly into your pc and drive using your motherboard. Compare to some other high resistance and/or low sensitivity headphones which needs dedicated amp and/or DAC, HD 490 pro doesn't need you to pay a fortune for it to work. I feel like it is a pretty good entry point for new users who just into music and want to enjoy more on music (like me). You can just get this headphone first to feel the sound enhancement, then after you can by those frontend and get other headphones which needs dedicated frontend. Worth every single penny for this headphone.

Comfort: Absolutely, the most comfortable headset Ive ever worn with the stock "bassy" earpads. The others are a little scratchy. Sound: Great sound with crisp detail. Sounds like a pair of HD600's with the bass cranked up and a massive soundstage. Sounds are incredibly separated, defined and accurately placed on the stage. With games, I can perfectly track moving targets through walls. Earpads: Velour: Standard "fun" earpads for more bass. Keeps strong presence of mids and highs for having so much bass. Its too much really, but it doesnt muddy anything because of the strong separation of sounds. I can be playing a game and blasting music and still hear voices and footsteps. If you have a DAC thats strong and punchy you're gonna have fun with these. Analytical: Lets all that bass out so you get the real mix of these. The details are more defined and clear. If you professionally mix music or need to strip the nonsense from your games audio and hear those feet, this is the one. They do take away from the comfort... keep that in mind. These are the performance option. Bottom line: Coming from the BD DT 1990 pros these hold their own, which for the love those get is a statement. Ive had the HD 600s and 650s as well as the 590s. I feel like these are somewhere between the 650 with the soundstage of the 590. Though people do directly compare them to the 560s, which Ive owned in the past... I dont understand that one. If you are buying these for gaming youre gonna have a good time. They make most games sound like they are in surround and its very accurate and clear. If you cant afford these, a close second is the HD 590. Those are almost as good for less than half the price.

I bought these on an impulse really. I am not a pro of any kind, I am just looking for the good stuff. So I saw new Sennheiser's actually being marketed to working professionals instead of their usual "cool guy" marketing I decided it give it a go. Reviews on the usual sites like rtings were good too. I have to say these things are fantastic. They are actually MORE comfortable than Hifiman Edition XS. In part because they weigh less than half those weigh. My ears are on the large size and they fit in the cups just fine. And I listen to music all day long while working, and so far these clear 8 hours a day with comfort. Oh and I have a huge head. Like I have to get the largest sizes for hats. They fit me fine, no hot spots. Now onto build. The new adjustment mechanism is very nice, the headband is spring steel, and the earcups and hinges are fiberglass-reinforced polymer. So the stuff they make tools and firearms out of. Sure it doesn't feel all that nice to the touch, its a bit like fine sandpaper, but the stuff is 2nd only to steel in terms of durability. This is a HUGE step up from the usual simple plastics of my other headphones. This gives me hope these headphones will stand up well without physically breaking like a few have over the years. I also really like the standard 4 pin mini-XLR connector. This means these are balanced capable right out of the box. And you can switch sides. Now at present its hard to find these since not many companies offer it for headphones, but it means the cable will be easily replaceable when it inevitably breaks. Speaking of cables, the little coil near the headphones really does eliminate "microphonics" from the cable rubbing your shirt. Now for the big one. Sound. I am no pro, and I don't have a fancy set up. But I can say I really like these. I am using the velour "producer" pads because I enjoy that softer sound profile. First of all these ARE producer/mixer headphones. Meaning they are flat, and rather uncompromising. Despite that, they manage to deliver an enjoyable listening experience directly out of my DAC/amp. I can't say the same for some of the Beyerdymanics or Sony production headphones I've tried. They also are sensitive enough to run off typical audio devices like your laptop without an amp, but they do appreciate an amp. What really shines here? They are bright and detailed on the top end yet extend nicely down to give a rich, full bass. Quite possibly the strongest, best bass you are going to find in open-backed dynamic driver headphones. Its deep, rich, clean, and with a nice bit of thump/punch. I find I notice more high end details in my songs wearing these. All while avoiding the piercing, sibilant nature found in so many production headphones. They manage to keep that characteristic "Sennheiser veil" which makes these easy to use and enjoy. The bass its rich, deep, and full. Bass has always been a weakness of open back headphones. These extend down deep and loud like closed backed headphones. It even honestly thumps when the song was mixed for it. And despite this I have never felt the bass was muddy or distorted. Honestly these sound like quality planar magnetic headphones, all while using dynamic Drivers. These also have amazing sound stage, making both games and music a joy to enjoy with these. This is probably the best spatial audio I have ever heard. In games the location of audio is so good I have to resist instinctively looking over my shoulders, and I have been honestly confused if it was storming outside for real, or it was just the game until I checked the game. I have about 6 different pairs of headphones in the $400 range. These are BY FAR my favorite and the ones I keep going back to. I am not sure I am going to find better headphones unless I am willing to spend double the price they go for. I think we can rest easy that Sennheiser Pro still has their magic.

Amazing quality. Soundstage and imaging is really nice. Decent bass response without muddying anything. Easy to drive, I paired with a Moondrop Dawn Pro. Nice for FPS shooters too. Super light and comfortable. Just get them, they are worth it for sure.

I should start off by saying, I'm not a professional by any means. I don't make music, but have been playing guitar and learning theory for nearly a decade. I'm using the headphones with a Fiio Q3 amp+dac combo. I mainly listen to bands such as: Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Halo Effect, Prototype, Trivium, etc. Lots of metalcore, lots of noise. I'm coming from a pair of Sennheiser HD560s with the same fiio q3, and with the "Mixing Pads", I was immediately reminded of them. The bass that can be described as more heard then felt, incredibly detailed mids, and highs that are perfect. Not overbearing like some may find with some Beyerdynamic headphones. But with the more velvet like producer pads, these become remarkable for just everything. From gaming, listening to music, and making music, these are incredible. Listening to my type of music, the sound stage is incredible. There are no issue pointing out where an instrument is coming from in the mix. Even when I listening to heavy distorted guitars with pianos and entire string sections, such as Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold, all the little details of each instrument can be processed. Obviously the value for money here is a lot less than the HD560s. If you are a casual listener I see almost no reason to spend over double the money for what is a 20% increase in sound clarity and soundstage. The HD560s are already a 8/10, there are an 8.8/10. One complaint I do have, they are not as comfortable FOR ME as the HD560s'. The clamping force is fine, but the top head band does end up pinching my head when wearing it for long periods of time. Maybe its due to the slight increase in weight, or the aluminum headband design, Either way, I prefer the hd560s just slightly. One of my favorite songs is My Own Deception by Prototype and its intro song: "illumination". It includes a 7 string guitar, lots of distorted screaming and clean vocal, as well as clean guitar parts. I can hear everything in this song, every little detail. All the reverb added, all the delay, every kit of drum, all the guitar harmonies and harmonics. It's all so clear to me now lol. It really allows me to appreciate the incredible production aspect of music.

I have tried a multitude of headphones over the last 2 years trying to find something that suits my audio taste, comfort, and features. Some include (all returned for various issues) Air Pods Max, Focals, Audiotechnica, Grado. Many of these are either very heavy, uncomfortable, or power hungry and hard to drive. Some have ergonomics or packaging issues. Some had frankly unreasonable attached cable lengths and comfort issues. Sennheiser has made the best overall design of everything I've tried. Likes: -Reasonably easy to drive on all of my gear including phone, Quedelix 5K, laptop. -Good ergonomics and impressive articulation. The actual driver cups move in every direction and are very cleverly engineered. -Good build quality and materials. -Light weight -The single end output cable is a nice feature and it can be placed on the L or R side, the cable is also nice quality and the coil in the cable is a nice touch. -To me the sound is very clear and well balanced and there is impressive bass when it's present in media. -The fit of these is secure and the cable does not stick down from the driver in an obtrusive way. They feel well proportioned and at times I forget I am wearing them. Dislikes: -The pads are proprietary and although good and there is 2 to choose form in the box, there are no aftermarket options. -Sort of spendy. I did not choose the plus because of its limited usefulness to me however I wish a had the case could not justify the already high prices. I wear headphones for many hours and the most important thing for me is weight and comfort. These are good in that regard and the lower impedance then many in the category is welcome too. I am not hyper critical about sound although I could be. I find that over time I will acclimate unless there is some noticeable issue. The sound is not fatiguing to me and I find them enjoyable. Looking forward to many years of use and I'm glad Sennheiser released something with these features.

I own the Sennheiser HD6XX and they're my favorite headphones in terms of sound quality, but unfortunately, the 6XX are uncomfortable and start to hurt my ears after two hours of usage. I decided to purchase the HD 490 Pro because the reviews raved about how comfortable they were, and I was hoping to find something with a sound signature close to my beloved HD6XX. As far as comfort goes, these are a HUGE upgrade. The velour ear pads are incredibly soft, the clamping force is practically nonexistent (yet the headphones still remain firmly in place), and they're so unobtrusive that you almost forget you're even wearing headphones. I can wear these for hours at a time with no issues. The one negative though are the inlays over the drivers, which feature raised "L" & "R" lettering that can rub against your ear. This can be taken care of by removing the inlays and switching them out with something like a small piece of cloth (or even a napkin). Sound-wise, these are a lot brighter than the HD6XX, with far more clarity, sound separation, and detail. I was able to hear details in the HD 490 Pro that I could not hear in the HD6XX. It's truly incredible listening to a song you know by heart and hearing a musical element in the chorus you never noticed was there before. Furthermore, the HD 490 Pro's just sounded more alive and energetic to my ears, whereas the HD6XX sounded slightly veiled and laid-back by comparison. There is a trade-off here however as the HD 490 Pro's brighter sound signature can occasionally lead to moments of sibilance and ear-piercing treble, whereas the HD6XX's generally sound smooth and non-fatiguing with everything. Also, if you're coming from a background of consumer headphones, the amount of instrument separation you get with the HD 490 Pro's can be distracting and take some time to get used to. I mostly listen to metal (a genre where the bass and drums are not always prominent), and it was a bit weird hearing the bass and drums so upfront in the mix. So are these an improvement over the Sennheiser HD6-Series? In many ways, yes. In some ways, no. If you want a comfortable headphone that allows you to hear every detail, go with the HD 490 Pro. If you want a neutral-sounding headphone that can be listened to safely without any treble spikes, go with the HD6XX.

I've owned a pair of HD600 for more than two decades and always considered them a reference and benchmark for high fidelity listening. I've built my whole music collection (1000+ FLACs of top notch recordings) around them. That said, they've always been quite unforgiving for anything less than perfectly recorded stuff and not so exciting for certain genres of music such as metal, rock and EDM mainly due to limitations in low end department. That's why I've also had a pair of Fidelio X2 that complemented the HD600 perfectly and served as my "daily driver" and gaming headphone for a long time. Expansive soundstage, great bass (for an open can), big sound. But they also missed a bit of overall refinement and resolution that HD600 had. I've tried to bridge that gap with different headphones like HD650, Audeze LCD-2F and, most recently, HD800S. Audeze was great, but didn't offer that much over a lot cheaper Fidelio X2 while being less comfortable, so I sold them. HD650 had a little bit more bass, but sounded muffled compared to HD600, so I returned them pretty quickly. Interestingly, HD800S was the fastest I ever returned a headphone - there was something harsh and unnatural in the way they sounded to my ear. I wasn't ready to spend thousands on super expensive headphones to only maybe get something that might be just as good as my HD600, but still lacking in some other ways. HD600 has some huge shoes to fill indeed. Come HD490 PRO. The reviews have been a bit mixed on those and I feel like they've been largely overlooked by the head-fi community as a sidegrade to HD600 at best and simply not as good as HD650. So I didn't have high expectations. After reading some reviews (rtings have put them 2nd best behind HD800S) and price going lower on Amazon I've decided to give them a shot. And I must say after putting them on for the first time I immediately knew it - this was it! Finally a headphone to bridge the gap between my beloved HD600 and the fun daily driver Fidelio X2. They still have the finesse, clarity and lovely tone of the HD600. And while I feel that the latter is still a little bit smoother with vocals - overall HD490 is 95% there while fixing all the main gripes I had with HD600 over the years - expansive soundstage, great bass, more forgiving and exciting with all genres of music (with producer pads). All while being the most comfortable headphones I've ever had - super lightweight with minimal clamping force. Seriously, give them a try! I honestly think it's the best effort from Sennheiser in a long long time.