Closer Examination

The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO comes with the cable attached out of the box, which we see uses a single-side balanced mini-XLR connection. This means there is internal wiring from one ear cup to another through the headband assembly. I welcome the use of mini-XLR over the likes of Sennheiser's practically proprietary 2-pin connectors used on some of its other contemporary headphones. This allows for increased compatibility with aftermarket cables if you need something longer or with a different source termination. The mini-XLR connector also clicks in place for an added sense of security; it's not coming loose accidentally. This stock cable is 1.8 m long and presumably uses high-purity copper conductor underneath the durable and slim black plastic sheathing. Note also a short coiled section near the headphones connection, this helps prevent any microphonics being passed to the headphones as well as gives some leeway in case the cable snags on something—very clever given the professional target audience. The source termination is 3.5 mm TRS single-ended, with a 6.35 mm (1/4") adapter included for use with more typical studio equipment such as mixers.


Now we get to the headphones themselves, and no doubt the design language will be reminiscent of many other Sennheiser headphones—this is a good thing, since I don't think saying Sennheiser headphones have lasted the test of time is a wild statement to make, be it in terms of the looks aging well or the headphones physically having very few issues. The HD490 PRO has a plastic chassis, yet it doesn't feel cheap in any way. In fact, I dare say this feels better designed and built than even some multi-thousand dollar headphones. Everything comes together with tight tolerances, there's no squeaking or friction with moving parts in contact with each other, and I am sure you can drop these on the floor with them continuing to work flawlessly—don't do it for the sake of it though! The all-black colorway also works well for a studio set as much as it will at home. At the same time we see some tweaks here compared to say, the HD 600/650, such as the use of a larger stainless steel headband and ear cups that swivel to allow for the headphones to rest flat on a desk. There is Sennheiser branding in the middle of the headband, which in turn has padding on the underside with two foam nuggets, if you will. I do wish these were thicker or filled with denser foam though as I found them going inward a bit too easily on my head. This means they are more likely to need replacing than even the ear pads in my opinion, although Sennheiser does make it easy to purchase spare sets of everything, and the gap in the middle meant to reduce hotpots on the top of the head wasn't working ideally. It's not uncomfortable, but studios can get warm, and you might well feel the headphones there as a result. The headband fits into yokes that have the truncated brand logo on the outside, with the insides having certification logos on one side and the product name + serial number on the other.


Vertical sizing comes via the headband being pulled out of the yokes as seen above, with several discrete sizing steps on each side. These also provide clicky feedback and I feel assured the headband won't loosen over time either. The various steps being marked also makes it easy to line up both sides at the same level. There are plenty of steps on offer to fit heads large or small alike, with my average-sized head going to 4–5 steps from the smallest setting on either side.


The headband assembly is fit into the yokes which in turn are connected to the plastic gimbals securing the ear cups, allowing for the ear cups to swivel in either direction. This allows for the HD 490 PRO to lie flat as seen before, but also provides for more extensive fit options combined with the generous ear cup rotation to accommodate pretty much anyone. You can thus position these headphones in a more flexible manner to get a comfortable and secure fit over the ears while ensuring a good seal all the way around too. I can also see this being handy if you wish to angle the headphones further back on your head, if you wish to quickly go between these headphones and a set of reference studio monitor speakers too.


The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is an open-back set of headphones, which might not seem as the default choice for studio monitoring, although having a wider soundstage and less pressure/heat build-up in the ears can be quite useful for mixing and mastering too. It's not going to replace studio monitors, but there are some cool plugins—such as the dearVR MIX-SE we get included here—which do a tremendous job in replicating a studio environment in open-back headphones to where I can totally see people using these and other open-back sets as a single studio transducer. In fact, Sennheiser has produced open-back sets for pro use before and many mainstream audio brands continue to do so today for this reason. The HD 490 PRO goes for an extremely open design with the grille barely interacting with the soundwaves, thus reducing reflections headed back to the ear. We've seen how there are now unveiled drivers to completely eliminate this, but that would probably never work in a studio environment where lots of things can happen on the fly. Regardless, we get a sneak peek at the dynamic drivers behind as well as noticing how the grilles are slightly curved inward. The ear cups are also oval-shaped to better follow the shape of the human ear. The right ear cup has a protective cover on its own 4-pin mini-XLR port, thus allowing you to easily swap the cable from left to right depending on where your source is positioned, and then cover the unused port accordingly.


In case you were wondering where the channel identifiers are—not that you need them here with the ear cups already pointing forward—Sennheiser has them printed in massive letters in the ear cups. Removing the ear pads shows this is actually on a mesh sheet that doubles up as a dust cover for the driver as well as possible damping material too, which we see is placed over actual damping paper that is part of the driver itself. The ear pads are extremely easy to remove and attach back, using plastic hooks and a friction fit to secure them. This makes it quite simple to swap the ear pads too, as well as take them out and clean them. Sennheiser even markets how you can simply put the ear pads with your laundry to wash them, which is quite handy since these can get funky over time. After all testing was finished, I also decided to get a better look at the drivers used here, as well as the acoustic foam in the back that seems to be either back damping or to help reduce resonance.


The HD 490 PRO comes with two sets of ear pads, with the stock ones made of a soft velvet-like exterior. These are referred to as the Producing Pads by Sennheiser, with the other set called the Mixing Pads. These pads don't have specific L/R units given they are not sculpted/contoured, and the Mixing Pads seem less plump as a result of the tighter denim-like fabric exterior used. We'll discuss more about how these pads sound on the HD 490 PRO on the next page, but do try them both to see what works better for you from a comfort/seal and sound basis. The pads install the exact same way, making it quite easy to swap between them. Once done, attach the cable to the side that works best for you and you are good to go. I imagine more people won't bother with a headphone stand in a studio set but, if you do, get one which allows the HD 490 PRO to be supported off the headband rather than applying pressure on the ear pads for unnecessary wear. A good example of a recommended stand design is seen in the photos above.