Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus HiFi Headphones – Precision Engineering, Superb Sound
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus is a $499 USD / 479 EURO pair of high-end, open-back, over-the-ear headphones designed by Sennheiser for Studio work and music listening, designed around the state-of-the-art neodymium magnet dynamic driver at the core. Today we will review the Sennheiser HD490 PRO Plus and compare them with other headphones, including MIRPH-1 (749 USD), Sivga P2 PRO (449 USD), and Audeze MM-100 (399 USD)
Introduction
Although Sennheiser is now a sub brand of Sonova, the 490 PRO Plus model is still developed by Sennheiser, under their professional brand. Just recently I managed to somehow break the Sennheiser IE900 that I have been using as a main headphone for years, and now that I got it back from the service I can confirm that you can expect nothing but the most exceptional service and support from Sennheiser and Sonova. HD490PRO Plus is a model that refines everything Sennheiser had in store, and as we will explore today, manages to be a significant upgrade from HD660 S2, HD600, HD650 and all the other non-flagship models, despite having a lower price point. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Sennheiser professional for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
PROs – Detailed, wide and brilliant tuning with a strong instrument separation, and perfect imaging. Better than most pricier models from Sennheiser themselves, with a very strong price / performance ratio. Very comfortable even when wearing them for an entire day, and a very transparent sound.
Cons – Leaks everything to the outside loudly, so not made for live music usage. No balanced cable included in the package.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Z8FtNt
Build Quality / Aesthetics
Sennheiser HD 490PRO+ comes in quite a few variants, and there’s the normal HD 490 PRO, the Plus version, and the main difference between them is that the Pro Plus version includes a copy of dearVR Mix-SE that allows you to simulate the acoustics of famous recording studios. This new model is labeled as a professional, studio monitoring headphone, and it is made for home studio and monitoring / mixing, but also for listening.
To make sure this would be a doable thing, Sennheiser made the HD 490 Pro Plus really lightweight, comfortable to wear, and with a 38mm dynamic driver tuned for a neutral sound / response, this is a headphone made for those who price comfort over everything. The overall response gets close to the Harman Curve, and the driver is angle mounted to produce wider soundstage and better imaging.
With an impedance of 130 OHMs and a SPL of 96dB / mW, HD 490 Pro Plus is a headphone that needs a good voltage, but it is not quite as hard to drive as HD660 S2, or the typical Sennheiser that sports a 300 OHM impedance. There is a low-frequency cylinder system implemented to enhance the bass response, and to create a warmer sound than the bright tuning Sennheiser is known for.
We see a smaller earcup than the traditional Sennheiser design, but there’s more width to the earcup, and it looks less oval and more rounded, with a deep space for my ears inside, feeling rather comfortable in person. The entire headphone and ear cup is made of polycarbonate or plastic, and while the cups do not spin freely, they allow for almost 180 degrees of rotation. This is so that you can DJ with the HD 490 PRO Plus, but as it is an open-back headphone, I have a feeling it won’t be practical for actual DJing.
You can easily disassemble the HD 490 PRO Plus, but most Sennheiser service is done in-house and they offer excellent support for their customers. Overall, out of all the headphones Sennheiser made and I reviewed to date, I only experienced failures with the IEMs and not a single issue with the headphones, so although these headphones are made of plastic, I trust HD490 to survive usage and abuse well. We’re seeing a trend for companies to move towards polycarbonate housings to lower the weight of their headphones, and T+A Solitaire P-SE also goes for this approach, which works well for them.
Fit / Comfort
There are many key differences between the new HD490 and Sennheiser HD 660 S2, including a much more comfortable fitting. We are seeing a far improved ear pad design with more space for my ears inside, and although the cups are small, they are plenty comfortable. Thick earpads with a dense sponge inside allow me to feel comfortable, and the headband features the same thick and dense sponge to keep the headphones from pressing too hard and creating a hotspot at the top of my head. We’re seeing a more ergonomic, more practical and easier to fold and transport design, despite the lower price and I like this a lot.
Also new for Sennheiser and more reminiscent of HD 380 PRO, a model I bought in 2012, is that 490 has the cable on one side only, with options to connect it either on the left or the right side, using a mini XLR connector. Although I said that HD490 won’t be too hard to drive, I find them extremely demanding with the sources, being almost as hard to drive as Dan Clark Audio expanse, and needing high gain with Dethonray Listening M1.
The open-back cups provide no passive noise isolation and leak the sound loudly to the outside, everyone will know what you’re listening to, and will hear almost as loud as you do. If you want to be super specific, you can count on the 490 to give you a 5dB of passive noise isolation, but for the most part, they act as if there is nothing between you and the outside. There is just a thin layer of paper damping and the 38mm dynamic diver. You can see both the driver and the cup paper filtered design through the metallic mesh on the back of the earcup, but as the 490 Pro+ is very comfortable I find this to not be an issue. It is good to keep in mind that it won’t work for live music, as you’d want some passive noise isolation and less leakage in a live setting.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To drive the Hd 490 PRO Plus, I have to feed it much more power than I had to do with all of the previous headphones I reviewed in the past month, and I did quote that it is about as hard to drive as DCA Expanse, but that’s because I can only use the single ended output of all sources with the 490, so basically it is not that hard to drive, it is only single ended. DCA Expanse eats more power in balanced, and so does T+A solitaire P-SE, but both can work with the balanced output of most sources, while with 490 pro plus, I am using SE only, and the source list includes Dethonray Listening M1, HIFIMAN EF400, Sparkos Gemini combined with a SMSL DO200 PRO, Feliks Audio Euforia driven by Dethonray Listening M1, Singxer SA-1 V2 together with Topping D50 III. All of those sources can drive the 490 really nicely, and it is not a headphone sensitive to source noise, it has a somewhat high impedance combined with a somewhat low SPL, both of which will result in a headphone that is not sensitive to the source character, eat quite a bit of power, and also sound cohesive and consistent across all sources. A tube AMP like Feliks Euforia can increase the THD in ways that are more pleasing to the human ear, but on Dethonray Listening M1, I find myself using high gain, and only DCA Expanse and HIFIMAN Susvara require this, although both run balanced, so the power draw of 490 is much lower, it just happens to live in an era where all those sources have very little power form the Unbalanced output.
Overall Signature – Sennheiser Hd490 PRO Plus is a bright, revealing headphone with a neutral-natural tuning, really wide soundstage, excellent instrument separation, and a rich, sonically pleasing midrange that can emphasize both male and female voices nicely, and while not the most forgiving, it can sound enjoyable with all sources. From rock to EDM to Classical and Jazz, 490 is a headphone that renders all instruments in a beautiful, lush and smooth sound, with much more bass and volume, depth and impact than all of the other models Sennheiser released to date. The company managed to remove the infamous Sennheiser Veil, and also increase the sub bass, and the low-end weight of each instrument.
Bass – Starting with the bottom end of the sonic spectrum, Hd 490 PRO Plus renders a bass that’s above pure neutrality, but natural in speed, fairly warm and smooth, with a lush and clean presentation. There’s a good sense of rhythm and space in music, and for EDM, 490 can create a punchy sound, while for rock, it gets a bit faster, being both agile and versatile across multiple music styles. I like how 490 renders the low end even at low volumes, being one of the headphones that is most consistent across multiple volumes, being as good quiet as it is very loud, a uniquely rare trait in headphones regardless of the price range.
Midrange – I would say that in the midrange is where Sennheiser created the most magical sound, as HD 490 PRO Plus sounds revealing, detailed and vivid, transparent and airy, without the veil that Sennheiser was previously known for. There’s a good sense of separation between instrument layers, although for the most part 490 renders a forward, punchy and vivid layer, and a background layer that is really distant and curves nicely around the listener on the horizontal plane. Height is also very good, as 490 can create both tall and voluminous songs, but also flatter, more compact presentations for other songs.
Treble – At the top end, 490 stays transparent, and can extend the treble extension up to the highest heavens, with songs having information up to 20 kHz, and it is brilliant, bright and airy, sharp and sparkly, but also true to the source. There’s a large difference between smooth sounding rap that doesn’t have cymbal crashes, and rock songs where 490 renders bright and crisp sounding cymbals. Overall, the treble is as transparent as they get, as bright and crisp as they get. The fun thing is that because 490 has a bit of extra bass and depth, it is not as bright and fatiguing as HD 660S2, but the midrange is sweeter and more natural, while it is also much more detailed and better at rendering textures and background information. Basically, it is a better headphone than the HD6XX range in every frequency range, and in the soundstage / texture department.
Dynamics – HD 490 PRO Plus has a high dynamic range, and like most headphones with a higher impedance, it relies on both clean voltage and like most headphones with a slightly lower SPL, it eats a bit of power, offering a good balance between how much power you giove them, and the loudness saturation factor of the source. Most sources will sound the same, and as long as they have enough power, 490 is as dynamic and crisp with most sources all the same.
PRaT / Textures – I an hearing a slightly soft, slightly wet texture coming from 490 pro plus, it can create textures and harshness in metal songs like Revenge Of The Riff, but for the most part, instruments are easy to enjoy and musical, and while the screamed parts in this song are harsh and coarse, there’s more emphasis on the musicality of the clean voice, and 490 makes the guitars more evident. The background layer is always smoother, more relaxed and cleaner, with zero fatigue, so most of the texture revealed is in the midrange, but put in perspective, 490 Pro Plus sounds the most relaxed and least grainy of any Sennheiser full-sized headphone I heard to date.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – This is something that everyone including me really loves about the 490 Pro Plus, it handles volume really well, creates a loud, punchy sound as well as creating a quiet, but vivid sound. As there is no passive noise isolation, the room has to be quiet for the 490 pro plus to work well, but they are versatile, sounding as good when loud as they do when quiet. There is no change in character, tonality or resolution, and no significant increase in the THD at maximum volume.
Soundstage – HD 490 PRO Plus is wide, holographic and curves the background layer really nicely around the listener, creating a satisfying and colorful / cheerful presentation. There’s a tendency for the soundstage to be more relaxed, wider and more airy at low volumes, and for the sound to be more forward at higher volumes, but I perceive this to be a direct effect of the forward layer being louder, not a direct change in the soundstage size. Imaging is excellent, and the instrument separation is downright perfect, they have a wider sound with better imaging than HD 660 S2, with a more holographic and vivid presentation.
Comparisons
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus vs Audeze MM-100 (499 USD vs 399 USD) – We have a good build quality for both headphones, with a cable on just one earcup for both, but MM-100 is made of leather and metal, while 490 Pro Plus is made of plastic and velour for the most part, with very little metal in the build. This leads to a much lighter and more comfortable headphone for 490 which has a lower clamping force, and can be worn for many hours without any kind of fatigue, while mm-100 is tight, clamps hard and always falls in the same position, thanks to the angle of the earpads that allow them to always find the same consistent position on your head. Theoretically MM100 is better for studio work as they have very little variation between sources and from wear-to-wear, being very consistent, but you can do just fine with 490 if you pay attention to how you’re wearing them. The sound is comparably detailed, with MM-100 most of the time revealing more micro details, but 490 sounding considerably wider and more holographic, not necessarily as honest to the recording, but more dynamic and more enjoyable for listening. I am finding that 490 is more enjoyable for listening to music, while MM-100 is a more precise studio work tool, although you could do well with both. The bass has comparable extension, but has more impact and quantity for 490, while MM-100 is more neutral, midrange is very similar in presentation, but a bit more romantic and more euphonic on 490 and a bit colder, more precise on MM-100, and the treble is brighter on the 490, and easier on the ears for MM100.
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus vs MIRPH-1 (499 USD vs 749 USD) – The build quality of the two headphones is comparable, and both have an exceptionally good comfort, with a lightweight construction and superb earpads, although the earpads of Mirph-1 are larger, filled with a less dense sponge that creates a more pillow-like feeling to wearing them, while 490 has a denser sponge that feels more like high-end foam. The headband of the 490 creates less of a hotspot thanks to that same thick and dense sponge, while Mirph-1 can have a bit of a hotspot at the top of the earpad. The cable of the Mirph-1 is thinner, more flexible and of a better quality, and it is much easier to replace and get a balanced cable, while that task is hard with the 490 that uses a balanced mini-xlr connector on just one earcup. While both headphones are open-back, there is a bit of passive noise isolation to be had with Mirph-1 while 490 leaks it all to the outside world and isolates none. The sound of the Miprh-1 is very detailed, maybe slightly more detailed than 490 at times, but it is a very smooth, laid-back and relaxed sounding headphone, so 490 can highlight details more, bringing the sound closer to the listener, giving you a more direct presentation of what is happening, and a more lively, forward and dynamic presentation. The soundstage of the 490 is larger and they have a better instrument separation, while Mirph-1 sounds a bit more intimate and more rounded, having a sound that is best described as more relaxed and laid-back, creating a lush staging. Overall, 490 works really well for most music and if yo want a punchy, dynamic sound, while Mirph-1 is a relaxed, laid back headphone that will keep your ears free of fatigue.
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus vs Sivga P2 PRO (449 USD vs 399 USD) – The design of both headphones is comfortable, and both have a nice adjusting mechanism. The headband of the P2 PRO creates a more evenly distributed weight on the head, while the entire 490 headphone is considerably lighter and more comfortable. This is because the 490 is made of plastic while the P2 PRO is made of wood and metal, so the lighter plastic of the 490 allows it to stay better on my head. The default cable of the p2 pro is of a much better quality, they come with balanced cables and a high-quality braided cable. There is some passive noise isolation to be had with p2 pro and they leak considerably less, thanks to the semi open earcups, while 490 has one of the most open earcups a headphone can have and leaks everything, isolating very little to none. The sonic presentation of the two headphones has a similar level of resolution and detail, but HD 490 PRO Plus sounds considerably more natural in the midrange, with a cleaner, more punchy image, a higher level of instrument separation and a much wider, more holographic soundstage, while P2 PRO sounds more intimate, brings all instruments closer to the listener, and has a specific coloration in the midrange that gives its unique signature. The sub bass is more evident on the 490 which has a punchier sound in the sub-bass, while P2 PRO sounds more rolled off and more neutral in the bass. The treble extension of 490 is brighter, with more brilliance and air, while P2 PRO sounds smoother and more relaxed. The sound of 490 is more vivid, and more lively, but it can get fatiguing more easily, while P2 PRO is a more laid-back sounding headphone with a smoother treble and a more neutral presentation overall.
Value and Conclusion
Sennheiser does it again, and delivers a product with such a high price / performance ratio that it erases all the past ones. I literally not only recommend the new Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus, it is not just superb, but it will replace HD 660 S2 in the Hall Of Fame, it is a much better headphone, and altough it is developed under the Sennheiser Professional branding and not Sonova, HD 490 PRO Plus is such a great headphone, I consider it a must hear and a must buy headphone.
At the end of the day, this is the best headphone Sennheiser made so far, not necessarily from a pure performance perspective, but from an overall usability, price / performance ratio, and from a sonic enjoyment factor, HD 490 PRO Plus is an even better deal and a better headphone than HD600 was back in its golden day, and a headphone you literally have to hear to believe is real.
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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