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Today we have on review professional studio headphones Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and Plus version, let's look at all the features and their sound. It so happens that at least once a year we get some new model of full-size wired headphones from the famous German company Sennheiser in the SoundGale studio. And although the year 2024 is already ending, the next new Sennheiser headphones have already been in our use and testing for the last six months, so it's time to make a review for our readers. We are talking about full-size open headphones HD 490 PRO, which were even released in two versions: Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus. It should be noted at once that the HD 490 PRO Plus version differs from the usual one with an extended package and, accordingly, a different price.
Officially, Sennheiser positions the HD 490 PRO as monitor studio headphones for professional sound production, recording, mixing, and mastering. We have already mentioned that our editorial team works with sound (mixing, mastering, recording, and creating sound effects for clients). Therefore, we will evaluate any headphones first as industry professionals as well as listeners-audiophiles. In addition, full-size open-back headphones are among our favorite types of headphones. Accordingly, the new product from Sennheiser could not fail to interest us.
We got acquainted exactly with the extended version of HD 490 PRO Plus. Before that, we used the legendary Sennheiser HD 650 for a long time, so there is something to compare! But before we'll look at all the features, let's start our Sennheiser HD 490 PRO review, as usual, with the specifications of the device.
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Best Price on Sennheiser HD 490 PRO (Plus)
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO (Plus) headphones are a testament to Sennheiser's commitment to quality, performance and sound accuracy. |
Pro Plus Package
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The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones differ from the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus version only in terms of packaging. The HD 490 PRO Plus includes an extra 3m cable, extra textile headband pad, and a storage-transport case.
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones come in a cardboard box. The box's colors are a mixture of black, gray, and blue, the so-called corporate colors inherent to Sennheiser products. On the front of the box, there is a photo of the headphones, the model index, and the company logo: Professional Reference Studio Headphones, indicating the HD 490 PRO's professional orientation.
Inside the HD 490 PRO Plus box is a zippered hard case with a padded carrying handle. The case is lined in gray fabric with an embossed logo and has two compartments and separate zippered pockets. The case holds the headphones and accessories, which include: two 1.5m and 3.0m unbalanced cables (a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter is also included); an optional headband pad ( Velcro-attached cloth pad); and an optional pair of Mixing Pads. The velour ear cushions that come directly with the headphones are called Producing Pads.
The package also includes a paper certificate with a code - an official license for Dear Reality's innovative dearVR MIX-SE plug-in, which simulates the carefully tuned acoustics of a professional mixing studio and creates all the conditions necessary for a precise, balanced mix. That's what the certificate says.
The standard version of the HD 490 PRO does not include a 3m cable, a branded case or an additional headband cover. To what extent the extended accessories are worth the overpayment is up to you. However, the case is not only reliable and pleasant to the touch but also functional. You can even put a some little accessory or thing in case (there's a little space in it). Plus, the 3-meter cable can come in handy when listening to headphones from a stationary system at home.
Looking at the index of the new HD 490 PRO model, you might think that the design of these headphones would have been a continuation of the previous HD 400 PRO. However, Sennheiser has gone in the opposite direction, bringing the design of the HD 490 PRO much closer to Sennheiser's 600 series. The main color of the headphones is black, and the headband uses an unpainted metal earcup.
The HD 490 PROs have oval cups that are covered on the outside with a fine mesh that allows the inner construction to be seen. The bowls rotate 180 degrees, allowing the earcups to take a flat position. Each of the bowls has a 4-pin mini XLR connector for cable attachment. The cable can be attached to either the left or right cup. The R and L shells are marked in large letters in the center of the fabric covering the speakers.
The headband is sliding (positions are fixed) and is made of metal and plastic. Underneath the headband are soft and comfortable velour pads; the HD 490 PRO Plus version comes with additional fabric pads. The ear pads that come with the headphones are made of black velour (both versions come with additional fabric ear pads).
The design of the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is well-balanced and fully justifies the prefix "PRO". Thanks to the velour ear pads and headband, the relatively low weight and the open design, the headphones do not cause any discomfort during extended use. Even the developers at Sennheiser describe the ergonomics of the headphones as "all-day comfort", and it is hard to disagree.
We've reached the main section of our Sennheiser HD 490 PRO review. In terms of design and sound, the new Sennheiser HD 490 PRO/Plus have not much in common with the HD 400 PRO. On the box, the sound of the headphones is described as "exceptional fidelity". We understand that the headphones are designed for professional studio use, but literally from the first moment, the HD 490 PROs hit us with their sound.
The HD 490 PRO combines seemingly incompatible sonic characteristics. The sound of the headphones is balanced, neutral and at the same time not lacking in emotion. The sound is detailed, delineated, and at the same time smooth and "warm". The stage is detailed, close to the listener, and well-developed in depth, which has not always been the case with other Sennheiser headphones. Even though these are PRO series headphones, we just wanted to listen to music in them.
Let's say right away that this is not an audiophile model, there's no over-saturation in the harmonics, and there shouldn't be. Let's imagine a situation where you have bought or borrowed the HD 490 PRO for a test listening and you don't like the way they sound. Most probably the problem is not the headphones, but the track itself, which is very poorly mixed/mastered.
Low frequencies are palpable, their transmission is qualitative & textural. The bass is rich, not the fastest / whiplash. The midrange is characterized by fleshiness and realism. Sometimes the vocals come forward a bit without losing attention to the other instruments (most likely in the track we listened to, the vocals were mixed in this way). The headphones are not capable of tracking micro-details in the mid-range or, frankly, forcing dynamics. The high frequencies of the HD 490 PRO/Plus may satisfy listeners who find the treble of other Sennheiser models too accentuated and bright. While still informative, the HD 490 PRO/Plus treble range is not harsh or overemphasized. So, if we had to choose two words to describe the sound of the HD 490 PRO/Plus, we would choose these: balance, integrity, and accuracy. And that's roughly how the velour ear pads sound.
In addition to the velour ear pads (Producing Pads), the headphones also come with fabric Mixing Pads. The official Sennheiser website even provides separate Frequency Response graphs for each ear-cushion option. The sound with the cloth ear pads changes a bit and is defined on the Sennheiser website as maximally smooth and completely neutral. We had the feeling that the bass frequencies were pushed into the background. Quantitatively, the low frequencies become smaller, while they become more concentrated. With this change, the lows, mids, and highs also change and become brighter. The result is a sense of transparency and detail by reducing the body and naturalness of these areas. For listening to music, we definitely preferred the default result, i.e. with velour ear pads. However, the ability to customize the sound by changing the ear cushions is an added benefit of the HD 490 PRO and HD 490 PRO Plus that will undoubtedly translate into better performance in your professional activities.
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones respond well to changes in the sound source. The headphones' technical characteristics allow them to be used with both fixed and portable equipment. We listened with a FiiO K9Pro ESS desktop audiophile amplifier and Apollo Twin MkII audio interface. We saw that the HD 490 PRO managed to capture the difference in sound between these two sources - the detailed, neutral and even "drier" presentation of the K9Pro and the natural, energetic, technical sound of the studio audio interface. The responsiveness of the headphones to source changes is a positive thing for us and an indication of their widespread use. In addition, we would like to have the possibility to connect the HD 490 PRO headphones in balanced mode for listening to music, but we realize that this is not so relevant for professional work with sound.
SoundGale.com CEO's CommentaryThe creative process of writing a track can be divided into several stages: composing, recording, mixing, mastering. Having worked as a sound engineer for a long time I would not recommend you to use headphones for mixing and mastering stages, even if your headphones are positioned as monitor headphones. At the mastering stage using headphones is the most crazy idea (my personal opinion, of course, in your home studio you can do anything you want and you can even get a good result at the output). But to use monitor headphones at the mixing stage you will need long hours of practice: compared to monitor speakers, you will find it much harder to understand stereo panning of instruments and other aspects of mixing (monitor speakers will give you a clearer “picture” anyway).
For example, it often happens that you mix a track through headphones, and when you listen to it through the monitor speakers, some of the instruments or vocals stand out (the result can be unpredictable). So after some time you will understand the behavior of your headphones compared to studio monitors. I would recommend using monitor headphones such as Sennheiser HD 490 PRO at the stage of initial composition of your track, jamming, sketching or demo recording. Undoubtedly, using headphones is an excellent solution because it allows you to work at night without disturbing your households or neighbors.
We've selected a few full-size open models from Sennheiser for comparison. Unfortunately, we are not going to do an in-depth comparison and fully dissect all the features of each headphone model. We'll just make a few suggestions. We have used all of the headphones we compared, so we can give a brief summary.
Sennheiser HD 560S. This model is characterized by a monitor-like, linear sound. With the new Sennheiser HD 490 PRO/Plus, the soundstage is more accessible and has more depth; the midrange and treble are more fleshed out and natural.
Sennheiser HD 400 PRO. Although both models belong to the 400 series, their sound is noticeably different. The sound of the HD 400 PRO is closer to that of the HD 560S. As a result, the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones are more balanced and realistic than the HD 400 PRO.
In terms of ergonomics, the new HD 490 PRO/Plus is superior to both the HD 400 PRO and the HD 560S. We also have a separate great review on the Sennheiser HD 400 PRO where we also compare them to the HD 560S model.
Sennheiser HD 600. A well-known model for working with sound. The differences in sound are not difficult to notice, as they are clearly audible. In general, the HD 600s give a more "dry" and detailed sound. Bass is less present in the HD 600s but is crisp and punchy. The HD 600's midrange is more focused on micro-detail than the HD 490 PRO/Plus, which favors integrity and body. The HD 600's treble is brighter and more informative. The high frequencies of the HD 490 PRO/Plus seem a bit softer. For audio work, the HD 600 is probably the best choice, especially when analyzing mids and highs. As a more versatile option, including the ability to listen to music, we would choose the new HD 490 PRO. Of course, this is a subjective opinion.
Here we are at the end of our Sennheiser HD 490 PRO review, time to summarize the results. The new Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones and their extended version HD 490 PRO Plus undoubtedly deserve the attention of both sound engineers and music lovers/audiophiles. For the former, the headphones have the necessary features that will be useful in the studio, namely - comfortable ergonomics for long sessions, interchangeable cable and the ability to attach it to different bowls, an option for some sound tuning thanks to two sets of ear pads (Producing Pads and Mixing Pads), as well as a license for the innovative dearVR MIX-SE plug-in, which can come in handy when working with sound. Audiophiles will be interested in the HD 490 PRO headphones for their balanced, coherent and detailed sound, as well as their ability to work with most of today's portable sources.
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and HD 490 PRO Plus are the kind of headphones to which we can apply the phrase "Recommended!".
We hope you enjoyed our review of the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO headphones. Please feel free to leave your comments, questions, and suggestions in the section below. We will be happy to answer them all as soon as possible. If you already own an Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and have used it for a while, don't forget to share your impressions and tell us what you liked or disliked about this masterpiece headphones.
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