HD 490 PRO Open-Back Professional Headphone

This headphone is my first I believe hi-res headphone, so I would first focus on the physical aspect: weight, comfort, design etc. 1. Weight: This headphone is light and I am able to wear it 8 hours straight without any issue. 2. Comfort: Very Very comfortable and it does not feel tight to my head. Because the ear cups are flexible and twistable, it covered my ear perfectly. 3. Design: Very simplistic (which I really like). Although 490 pro is very light, when I hold it, it feel very sturdy, the headband doesn't feel cheap and the adjustable part feel easy to adjust while also hold it position fairly tightly. Notable mention: The cushion is not leather like surface, so no need to worry about the surface get peeled off one day and stuck to your hair. So in terms of the physical aspect of headphone itself, it is 5/5. Now comes to sound quality: - please note: I am not any music creator or professional musical listener. I am just a normal consumer and this is my first time step into this territory. The sound is crisp compared to my previous gaming headphone and it is further enhance if you do some EQ. It is ok if you don't do any EQ but I still feel like do some adjustment is better as after I did some EQ, without it feel a bit plain. But again, the sound itself is very clear and crisp. Very good! New user friendliness: Although the product state it is "Professional Headphone", I feel like it is still very friendly for new user, and here is my reason- no need a bunch of setup for it to work. HD 490 pro has a low enough resistance and fairly high sensitivity to plug directly into your pc and drive using your motherboard. Compare to some other high resistance and/or low sensitivity headphones which needs dedicated amp and/or DAC, HD 490 pro doesn't need you to pay a fortune for it to work. I feel like it is a pretty good entry point for new users who just into music and want to enjoy more on music (like me). You can just get this headphone first to feel the sound enhancement, then after you can by those frontend and get other headphones which needs dedicated frontend. Worth every single penny for this headphone.

Very comfortable ear pads a soft terry cloth kind of material. Exceptional sound quality but works best with some kind of headphone amplifier. These aren't driven well with just a standard output source that's non-amplified. These were a good value and they're great for long gaming sessions. The cord is good quality and it doesn't get in the way It's only on one side of the headphones. For the price I paid I would absolutely buy these again. They're lightweight and don't feel too bulky.

I have tried a multitude of headphones over the last 2 years trying to find something that suits my audio taste, comfort, and features. Some include (all returned for various issues) Air Pods Max, Focals, Audiotechnica, Grado. Many of these are either very heavy, uncomfortable, or power hungry and hard to drive. Some have ergonomics or packaging issues. Some had frankly unreasonable attached cable lengths and comfort issues. Sennheiser has made the best overall design of everything I've tried. Likes: -Reasonably easy to drive on all of my gear including phone, Quedelix 5K, laptop. -Good ergonomics and impressive articulation. The actual driver cups move in every direction and are very cleverly engineered. -Good build quality and materials. -Light weight -The single end output cable is a nice feature and it can be placed on the L or R side, the cable is also nice quality and the coil in the cable is a nice touch. -To me the sound is very clear and well balanced and there is impressive bass when it's present in media. -The fit of these is secure and the cable does not stick down from the driver in an obtrusive way. They feel well proportioned and at times I forget I am wearing them. Dislikes: -The pads are proprietary and although good and there is 2 to choose form in the box, there are no aftermarket options. -Sort of spendy. I did not choose the plus because of its limited usefulness to me however I wish a had the case could not justify the already high prices. I wear headphones for many hours and the most important thing for me is weight and comfort. These are good in that regard and the lower impedance then many in the category is welcome too. I am not hyper critical about sound although I could be. I find that over time I will acclimate unless there is some noticeable issue. The sound is not fatiguing to me and I find them enjoyable. Looking forward to many years of use and I'm glad Sennheiser released something with these features.

crazy good headphones, with comfortability to match with subtle looks. Highly recommended

Muito leve, confortável e soa como eu esperava que soasse (baseado na minha experiência prévia com outros fones da Sennheiser). Demorou um pouco para chegar, mas o vendedor foi super atencioso e teve boa comunicação durante o processo.

Ich nutze die Sennheiser HD 490 Pro nun seit einiger Zeit und bin insgesamt wirklich sehr zufrieden. Was mir direkt positiv aufgefallen ist, ist der Klang. Die Höhen sind klar und sauber, ohne unangenehm scharf zu wirken, und die Bässe sind präsent, aber nicht übertrieben. Insgesamt wirkt das Klangbild sehr ausgewogen und detailliert – ideal sowohl für Gaming als auch für längere Sessions mit Musik oder Content. Zum Vergleich: Ich hatte zuvor die Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro. Das sind definitiv keine schlechten Kopfhörer, aber im direkten Vergleich wirken sie für mein Empfinden deutlich extremer abgestimmt. Die Höhen sind dort teilweise zu spitz und auf Dauer anstrengend, während die HD 490 Pro deutlich angenehmer und natürlicher klingen. Gerade bei längerer Nutzung ist das ein spürbarer Unterschied. Ein weiterer großer Pluspunkt ist der Tragekomfort. Ich habe einen eher größeren Kopf und kenne das Problem, dass viele Kopfhörer nach einiger Zeit drücken oder sogar Kopfschmerzen verursachen. Das ist hier überhaupt nicht der Fall. Die HD 490 Pro sitzen angenehm, ohne zu drücken, und auch nach mehreren Stunden bleibt der Komfort erhalten. Die Ohrpolster fühlen sich hochwertig, weich und sehr angenehm an. Besonders gut gefällt mir auch, dass das Kabel abnehmbar und somit problemlos austauschbar ist. Das macht den Kopfhörer langlebiger und flexibler im Alltag. Gleiches gilt für die Polster, die ebenfalls ersetzbar sind – ein klarer Vorteil. Zusätzlich überzeugt die hochwertige Verarbeitung insgesamt. Der Kopfhörer wirkt stabil, sauber verarbeitet und auf langfristige Nutzung ausgelegt. Auch das offene Design sorgt für eine natürliche, räumliche Klangwiedergabe, was gerade beim Gaming und bei Musik einen echten Mehrwert bietet. Fazit: Für mich ein rundum gelungener Kopfhörer mit sehr gutem, ausgewogenem Klang, hohem Tragekomfort und durchdachten Details. Klare Empfehlung – besonders für alle, die von eher „extrem“ abgestimmten Kopfhörern kommen und etwas Angenehmeres suchen.

The HD490pro is really worthy, the Sennheiser sound signature is truly appreciated. The sound is very natural and the bass is smooth and powerful, the spatial audio is extremely good from apple music. #Review after 12,000 minutes on Apple Music Producing Earpads: Music with multiple instruments truly shines here—it’s absolutely GOAT-level. The instrument separation is incredible; every single layer feels distinct and alive. It genuinely made me fall in love with the listening experience all over again. The bass is smooth, deep, and powerful—but never overwhelming. Unlike typical boosted bass (like Sony), this feels natural and immersive, almost melting into the track perfectly. Mixing Earpads: The main difference compared to the producing pads is the warmth. These are more neutral and slightly less warm, focusing purely on precision. They’re perfect for instrumental listening, offering crystal-clear detail and accuracy. Every nuance in the mix becomes more noticeable, making them ideal for critical listening.

Are they great value? Honestly no, they are overpriced. BUT, if you want the most comfortable headphones that you have likely ever worn, then these are it. It's up to you if you want to pay for it. I did and don't regret it. In terms of sound they are great as expected, nice and open, large soundstage so you can really pin point where individual instruments are coming from, like you are sitting in the middle of an orchestra. They do need a bit of EQ to take away some sharpness.