HD 490 PRO Open-Back Professional Headphone

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.

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.

Lightweight, comfortable, and perfect sound without any equalisation (production pads). No fatigue wearing for extended periods and music is very enjoyable. I question the price tag but I'm still very happy with the purchase. If you like prefer Sennheiser headphones but want something with flat but engaging these might be the answer. Made in Romania.

I bought these for Sound Design and Audio Engineering and I really am in love. I run these through an Apollo Twin X. My previous headphones were the Beyerdynamic DT 990's and its a noticeable improvement. I will say, I prefer the fabric earpads to the velvet ones. I think the velvet pads sound too muddy for my tastes. The soundstage is super wide too; it makes it so much easier to work with a mix and tweak individual tracks without soloing them out. That packed in with its flat freq. response and outstanding comfort makes these a solid choice for anyone in the audio industry. I will say... if youre looking for a consumer headphone just to listen to music, this probably isnt for you. If you wanna just listen to music, pick up a pair of 6XX's since they sound warmer. For gaming, its a different story! If you wanna be that snob that buys expensive audio equipment to have an advantage during gaming, then this is a good choice as well. The sound stage makes it pretty easy to spot where people are and differentiate sounds around your character. Will they make you better at the game?... probably not. Best headphones in this priceline!!

I absolutely love these headphones. After years of constantly buying mid-tier headsets, I decided to treat myself to something top shelf. Throughout the years, I always heard of the Sennheiser hype, and wasn't sure if I believed it or not. The hype was definitely warranted. The headphones themselves, are super comfortable, and can be worn on top of my head all day without hurting. They are light enough to be insanely comfortable, but also sturdy enough that they feel like they belong at this price point. The actual material of the earpads is a super light and breathable material, that doesn't make my ears sweat whatsoever. That has always been my biggest issue with most headphones, is how I have to take them off to cool my ears down, but these headphones do not have this issue. I know these headphones are marketed towards audiophiles, but as someone who uses them for competitive shooters, and is always listening to music, these are a dream. Pair them with a DAC to get the most value out of them (I personally use the FiiO K11), and enjoy the money you spent on these. They are super durable, while still being lightweight enough for long sessions. Although I do understand the open-back is what allows for the best sound stage, I do wish they had noise-cancellation abilities. However, these headphones support more than enough volume and power to feel like you are in your own little audio-paradise.

I’ve tried other Sennheiser headphones and I really like the sound, but I’ve never been a huge fan of having cables on both sides of my head and also the clamping was a bit too much and just never found them that comfortable. I read reviews on this headphone with different cup shape and super comfortable pads and good build quality and I thought it might be worth it. Although I do find the price too high, I still like what I ended up getting and with the pads, easily replaceable and the headband and replaceable as well as the cable, I plan to have these for many years and they seem like they’ll hold up. sometimes, you have to pay extra for something a bit different. It also seems like the basic extension and mid bass is better than the 560S and 6XX while retaining the high frequency response. I find them to sound really nice and the comfort is just a new bar in my opinion. And comfort is hugely important for headphones that you plan to wear for more than an hour.

Im coming from the 660s and just holy moly. I play a lot of fps and comp games and these headphones are exceptional for the job. Everything the 660s lacked, these have to offer in heaps. Imaging? Sound stage? Bass? its all there and its pin point accurate. The 660s are beutiful headphones, perfect for narrative games and music but they fall flat in fps games especially wehre imaging is important. The 490 pros offer some of the best directionallity I have every experienced. I do think the dt 1990 pro mkiis have better imaging but the 1990s are also twice as heavy, have an exhausting treble, arent balanced, and theyre twice as expensive... I tried both of these headphones side by side and for me, the 490s are the clear all-around winner, with the DT1990s being superior in a few places but far inferior everywhere else. the 490 pros are sooooo comfortable, you will forget that theyre on your head. No battery, good cord options. Get an aftermarket balanced cable. I love these headphones. My survival rate in tarkov has shot up since getting these headphones. Thank gawd.

Easily the most exciting headphone purchase I've made in a very long time! Running these off an RME ADI-2 DAC FS V2 (AK4493) and the synergy is just mind blowing. I've never been one to consider comfort as a priority but these have made a convert out of me. It is THE most comfortable headphone I've ever worn, and I've owned north of 36 pairs from brands like Audeze, ZMF, Fostex, Focal, Denon, Beyerdynamic, Kennerton, Shure, etc. The superb clarity and well-balanced nature of these is just astounding. I also have the closed-back variant, the HD 480 Pros, but these open backs are like a breath of fresh air in comparison. I'm using a custom aftermarket UP-OCC copper cable from Arctic Cables, check them out if you're in need of a more ergonomic cable than stock. I am SO IN LOVE and SO ENAMOURED with this headphone! It brought me out of an almost 2-year headphone dry spell in which I was SO dissatisfied with the sound offerings available. This headphone literally saved my life and I'm never looking back!

Just amazing man. This headphone is so worth the price and I have 3 reasons why: 1. The imaging, oh my gosh the imaging, when I was playing cs2 I was able to hear footsteps in exact space, I could pinpoint that they were in the room above and to the left of me with just utterly alot of clarity. 2. The comfort is truly understated, wow the comfort, I have glasses and with some headphones it gets a bit uncomfortable to wear them for like 3 hours, man I was grinding in games for 4 hours straight without any noticeable fatigue and the velour headband pad really just like sticks to my hair and that means I can have it a bit more loose and still not feel that way. 3. The flexibility, now for most of the review I’ve just been talking about gaming performance, that’s because I think it’s a metric where I can definitely tell the ups and downs of headphones with music on the other hand I dont really have the same sureness, all headphones sound good but they just feel different in a way I cant point out much, it’s still the same story for these but the difference between the pads is actually noticeable and if you’re guessing I’m using the velour(producing pads) most of the time, you’d be wrong! The velour pads to have some body on them but on some songs with some certain beats, the beats feel a bit fatiguing or too much, with the mixing pads I dont feel that and everything feels equally represented on the mixing pads, bass feels in control, the mids breath fine and the treble doesnt feel obtrusive nor really missing so yeah, take my review with a grain of salt cause I certainly know alot of trivia about headphones, I dont necessarily have experience but from a gamer who’s been on the audiophile space for more than 3 years, it’s definitely great.

I'm first going to address the one and only con of this, which would be noise cancellation. Since it is open-back, it shouldn't be a surprise that there is zero noise cancellation, so if you need noise cancellation then this is not for you. Now to the good stuff. When it comes to sound quality, there isn't a headphone that has been as good as this in my life. I listen to music about 6+ hours a day every day, and this headphone has given me the best listening experience without a doubt. Comfort? Superb, I've even worn it for 10 hours straight sometimes without having the feeling of taking it off since it didn't feel annoying to wear and it fits perfectly on my head. It being open-back also allowed me to have very long non-stop sessions with it as my ears didn't sweat from heat build-up that I would experience with closed-back headphones and so I didn't have to take them off. It has a solid basic appearance, nothing flashy. I'd also recommend you to do some research into what your computer's motherboard uses as a soundcard and determine if you do need a DAC or not to get the most from this headphone without facing issues or annoyances. Personally, I did have to buy a DAC to get rid of the garbage electrical/static noise that my motherboard would produce, so make sure to do your research.

Ich war ehrlich gesagt lange auf der Suche nach „mehr Bass“. Mehr Druck / punch, mehr Kick, dieses typische Gefühl, dass die Musik einen richtig anschiebt. Habe viele geschlossene Hörer und auch Bluetooth-Modelle ausprobiert – alles klang erstmal beeindruckend, aber irgendwie auch immer ein bisschen künstlich, aufgeblasen oder auf Dauer anstrengend. Dann kam der HD 490 Pro. Mein erster Eindruck war sogar eher enttäuschend. Ich dachte: „Wo ist der Bass? Warum klingt das so dünn?“ Wenn man von bassbetonten Hörern kommt, wirkt der 490 am Anfang wirklich unspektakulär. Aber, und das ist entscheidend, man muss ihm Zeit geben. Nach ein paar Stunden (oder Tagen) passiert etwas: Das Gehör „kalibriert“ sich neu. Und plötzlich merkt man, dass der Bass gar nicht fehlt. Er ist einfach nicht aufgeblasen. Stattdessen ist er unglaublich präzise, räumlich und „greifbar“. Man hört nicht nur Bass, man versteht ihn. Was mich komplett umgehauen hat, sind die Mitten und Vocals. Stimmen klingen so real, dass man teilweise das Gefühl hat, die Sänger stehen direkt vor einem. Gerade bei emotionalen Tracks (z. B. ruhigere Songs oder auch komplexere Metal-Sachen) ist das einfach Gänsehaut pur. Beim Metal / harsh vocals kann man hören, wann der Sänger False Chords oder Fry nutzt. Man hört ob die Kehle feucht oder trocken ist. Man spürt quasi die Stimmbänder. Auch spannend: Live-Aufnahmen klingen wirklich wie live. Man hört den Raum, die Atmosphäre, die Unterschiede zur Studioaufnahme. Das hatte ich so noch bei keinem Kopfhörer. Die Höhen sind klar und detailliert, aber nie nervig. Ich kann stundenlang hören, ohne dass irgendwas anstrengend wird. Und der Tragekomfort ist für mich einer der besten überhaupt – leicht, luftig, nichts wird heiß. Wichtig zu wissen: Das ist kein „Wow beim ersten Hören“-Kopfhörer. Wer sofort fetten Bass und Effekt sucht, wird ihn am Anfang vielleicht sogar langweilig finden und enttäuscht sein. Aber wenn man sich darauf einlässt, merkt man schnell, wie viel echter und richtiger Musik klingen kann. Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass ich mal sage: Weniger Bass macht mehr Spaß (ich liebe eigentlich eine drückende “Wall of Sound” bei Metal). Aber genau das ist hier passiert. Tatsächlich klingt der HD 490 Pro für mich von Song zu Song sogar voller. Für mich aktuell der beste Kopfhörer, den ich je hatte – nicht weil er spektakulär ist, sondern weil er Musik so wiedergibt, wie sie sein sollte.

Auriculares de muy buena calidad. Buena calidad de sonido y buenos bajos. Buena compra.

After EQ they are awesome probably the best headphones I have at the moment.