Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Studio Headphone Review

HD 490s can be easily powered by a laptop integrated sound card, and sufficient volume will only be an issue if you require considerable headroom. Perhaps this is not the very best open-back pair when looking at just efficiency, but it should be enough to cover most setups not using a dedicated audio interface.

It’s evident that Sennheiser with the HD 490 Pro, aims to maximize comfort for long sessions. Usually, that means that the build must rely on plastic parts to keep the weight down, as is the case here. While at first the heavy use of polymers may give a bit of a cheap impression, the very premium-feeling velour earpads and headband cushions elevate the overall sense of quality. While the unit is well put together and doesn’t emit any noise when handled, in terms of robustness, it’s a level below the all-metal Neumann NDH 30, but a noticeable improvement over the HD 650.

While the hard plastic parts don’t inspire confidence in terms of long-term reliability, if the unit is handled with reasonable care (that means no throwing into a backpack full of other gear), they should last many years. The fact that consumables like cable, ear pads, and headband cushions are easily replaceable adds to the potential longevity. If you plan to transport them regularly, choose the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus package with included hard case for a piece of mind.

Sennheiser says that the earpads are washable. While we didn’t test it ourselves, there is a risk that after washing, the earpads get deformed enough to alter the headphone’s frequency response.

Another minute detail worth mentioning—the single-sided mini-XLR cable can be attached to either of the cups. That design choice not only makes sense from a convenience perspective, but also makes both ear cups a perfect mirror-image of the other one, eliminating one potential culprit for differing frequency response between left and right channels.

Sennheiser HD 490 Pros come with two pairs of ear pads that offer slightly different frequency responses. The velour Production pads offer more of an entertaining curve with increased bass and high response, while the fabric Mixing pads go for an analytical and neutral response. Usually, the velour pads are the flatter option, but it’s not the case here. The fabric pads offer amazing mid neutrality, but unfortunately fall short when it comes to treble if compared to the benchmark HD 650. While it’s a slight disappointment that HD 490 Pro isn’t an improvement over HD 650 in every way possible, it’s still near the best performers when it comes to flat sound out of the box. Once calibrated by SoundID Reference, this model rises above the rest, but more on that later.

Newer models tend to have better channel balance than the premium models of the past. HD 490 Pro is no exception and delivers perfectly matched bass across the 3 pairs we measured. There are a few discrepancies in the high mids, but they stay within 2dB, which is a very good result, beating the Neumann NDH 30 but not reaching the perfection of the Sony MDR-MV1.

There’s a great urge to compare the HD 490 Pro with our long-time favorite Sennheiser HD 650. Despite the weight being the same, HD 490 Pro feels considerably lighter when worn, thanks to a more relaxed clamping force applied to the head and very evenly distributed pressure. All four long-time HD 650 users from our team unanimously chose HD 490 Pro as the more comfortable Sennheiser model and ranked it among the very best headphone models in this regard.

The super plush headband cushions and the Producing earpads are covered in gentle velour, while the Mixing pads are a bit firmer and indeed deliver more neutral frequency response. Both pads are great for long sessions, and within our team, there wasn’t a clear favorite.

Comfort, of course, is subjective, so take this with a grain of salt, but within our team, HD 490 Pro is a clear winner in its class.

At the time of writing, they are priced at €360, which slots them in around the middle among the competition. A bit more expensive than HD 650 and Austrian Audio Hi-X65, yet more affordable than Sony MDR-MV1 or Neumann NDH 30. Given their supreme comfort and outstanding sound once calibrated, that price can be justified.