Introduction

If there ever was one company people associate most with audio, it would probably be Sennheiser. It has been around for nearly 80 years now, and has put out some of the most known and used headphones in its rich history. My very first pair of headphones—at least ones that I purchased with my own money ~15 years ago—was the Sennheiser HD 598, and that tan-and-brown unit has been with me across multiple continents and oceans since. In that time, I have also tried the HD 560S/600/650/700/800/820/HE-90/HE-1, amongst others, and even owned the HD 600 and HD 820 for a while. The HD 6XX, a collaboration version of the HD 650 with Drop, remains one of my reference headphones that I pull out all the time to compare against newer releases. It's still amazing how an ancient—in audio timeline—product continues to be so relevant and has also retained its value over the years. This has not stopped Sennheiser from releasing new products though, and today we examine one of its recent releases.


The HD 490 PRO released earlier this year, with Sennheiser targeting studio prosumers and professionals directly. Don't worry about the numbers and how they would fit in the lineup, the HD 490 PRO is best considered separate from the more audiophile/mainstream segment despite, to no surprise, sharing a lot of DNA. This is an open-back over-ear set using Sennheiser's latest 38 mm dynamic drivers, its decades of tuning knowledge, and arguably one of the very best industrial designs regardless of cost. The HD 490 PRO is purpose-built for music mixing/producing/mastering artists, yet I believe it will also interest audiophiles. The headphones come with two sets of ear pads, one of the best cables designed for pro-headphones use, a full version DAW plug-in for mixing in virtual studios, and there is even an HD 490 PRO Plus version with an extra cable, a replacement headband pad, and a handy carry/storage case. I have the base non-Plus version here kindly provided by Sennheiser for review, so let's begin with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications