Home Headphones Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Sennheiser
Released January 2024
The HD 490 PRO are Sennheiser's open-back studio reference headphones for producing, mixing and mastering, with two sets of ear pads that change the sound for each job.
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Type Over-ear
Noise cancelling No
Battery –
With case –
Best codec Wired
Weight 260 g What reviewers say Reviewers agree the sound is neutral and accurate enough to mix on, the headphones stay comfortable through long sessions and the two sets of ear pads are genuinely useful. Views on price differ: Sound On Sound found them keenly priced, MusicRadar expensive. SoundGuys found the pads fiddly to swap and noted they need a quiet room.
From soundonsound.com , musicradar.com and soundguys.com
Sound
Type Over-ear
Noise cancelling No
Driver size 38 mm
Back Open
Impedance 130 ohms
Bluetooth codecs None (wired)
Drivers 38 mm dynamic transducer with neodymium magnet, low-frequency cylinder and Open-frame Architecture; 5 – 36,100 Hz (–10 dB); 105 dB SPL (1 kHz, 1 Vrms), 96 dB SPL (1 kHz, 1 mW); max. SPL 128 dB (1 kHz, 5% THD); THD < 0.2% (1 kHz, 100 dB SPL) Battery
Listening time (maker's claim) No battery (wired) Design
Weight 260 g
Headphone cable Yes
Fit and ear tips Over-ear (circumaural), open-back; producing and mixing ear pads, washable and replaceable; soft zone in the pads for glasses; braille L/R markings
Works with Detachable 1.8 m cable that plugs into the left or right ear cup, 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm connectors; optional balanced cable
In the box HD 490 PRO headphones, producing and mixing ear pads, 1.8 m cable, dearVR MIX-SE licence (the HD 490 PRO Plus adds a 3 m cable, transport case and fabric headband pad) Pros and cons Pros + Two sets of washable ear pads, one for producing and one for mixing+ 130-ohm impedance and 105 dB (1 Vrms) sensitivity suit studio interfaces+ Cable plugs into either ear cupCons − Open back leaks sound and lets outside noise in− Balanced cable and case cost extra (the case comes with the HD 490 PRO Plus)
