Sennheiser HD 490 PRO review

Over the years, we’ve recommended a variety of Sennheiser headphones for their neutral sound and excellent build quality. With the HD 490 PRO, Sennheiser’s new model promises to build on the company’s history of high-quality sound with enhanced versatility and features. Are these the dream studio headphones music producers have been waiting for? Read on to find out.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO?

Everything about the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO feels perfectly crafted for music producers. The headphones retain the black metal grille design of classic Sennheiser reference headphones like the HD 600 but in a lighter, sleeker package. At only 260g, these headphones are ideal for long mixing sessions.

The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO includes a 1.8 m semi-coiled cable, a 3.5mm to 6.3 mm jack adapter, and two sets of ear pads. If you upgrade to the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus, you also get a 3m semi-coiled cable, a hardcover case, and an extra headband pad. Those additional accessories cost you an extra $70, which isn’t worth it for most people.

One of the main selling points of the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is the swappable fabric and velour ear pads. Switching between the two sets of ear pads was more challenging than I expected. Rather than using magnets to attach the ear pads easily like the Master & Dynamic MH40, the HD 490 PRO uses plastic parts to latch the ear pads. It takes a lot of force to pull the ear pads off and snap them back on, which makes me concerned that the plastic clasps might eventually break. Since swapping the ear pads is not easy, you might stick to one set.

I found both sets of ear pads comfortable to wear while listening for hours, though the velour pads, in particular, make this one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I’ve worn. The ear pads are softer than the well-regarded velour ear pads of the Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X. Since the ear pads are easily swapped and machine-washable, the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO are built to last, which is good for the environment and your wallet. Each ear pad also incorporates a channel for eyeglass frames so that comfort and seal are not compromised if you wear them.

Should you use the dearVR MIX-SE plugin for the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO?

Sennheiser partnered with Dear Reality to develop a plugin included with the HD 490 PRO. The dearVR MIX plugin is typically $125, but you get a free access code to the Sennheiser version included with the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro. The dearVR MIX-SE software simulates the acoustics of ideal mixing studios, helping you ensure a balanced, consistent translation of your mix on different systems. It works with any DAW and creates a virtual mixing room of your choosing. By dropping the plugin on your master bus, you can listen to your mix in various simulated studio rooms and environments such as a car or club.

The interface is easy to learn but has some advanced functionality if you dig into it. The Ambience slider adjusts the amount of reflections and decay of the virtual mix room, while the Focus slider allows variation between more out-of-head externalization and less HRTF effect.

You’ll also notice you can pan your mix around your head using the head rotation knob. The headphones don’t have built-in head orientation detection, but you can add head tracking with a separate sensor. Within the HP Compensation tab, you can compensate for the frequency deviations of various Sennheiser headphone models, including the HD 490 PRO, to account for non-linearities and enhance the binaural experience. For an additional $39, you can upgrade the software to include spatial compensation for other headphone models from manufacturers such as AKG, Audio Technica, and Beyerdynamic.

The virtual mixing environment is a valuable tool to experiment with and helped me identify a few issues within a mix without needing to listen to another system.

How do the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro connect?

The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro headphones have a mini XLR input on both ear cups. You can connect the mini XLR cable to either the right or left ear cup, which helps ensure the cable doesn’t get in your way depending on which side of your studio setup your interface is on. A small amount of coil near the top of the cable prevents any issues with cable tugging or noise traveling up the cable as it rustles against your desk or body.

The headphones have an impedance of 130 ohms, and I had no trouble getting enough volume by plugging the headphones directly into my laptop. Since Sennheiser includes a 3.5mm to 6.3 mm jack adapter, it’s easy to switch between an interface and a laptop. You can’t use these headphones wirelessly, and the cable has no microphone.

How well do the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO isolate noise?

As you can see in the chart above, aside from some high frequencies, the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO do not passively isolate any environmental noise. As open-back headphones, they aren’t designed to. The open design of the headphones creates a more natural sound but sacrifices usability in noisy environments or for monitoring while recording acoustic instruments. You will hear almost everything going on around you while wearing these headphones. Anyone sitting next to you will also hear what you are listening to.

How do the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO sound?

The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO are among my favorite headphones. With a slightly different sound with each set of ear pads, you get great versatility for producing, mixing, or simply enjoying your music.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Objective Measurements

The chart above shows the frequency response of the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO with the fabric mixing ear pads in blue and the velour producing ear pads in dotted yellow. The pink line is the SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve, which represents the sound we think most people will enjoy, irrespective of the intended use of the headphones. As you can see, the velour ear pads boost all frequencies below 500Hz by a couple of decibels compared to the fabric ear pads.

The headphones boost mid-high frequencies from 4-7kHz with either ear pads, beyond our preference curve. This is the most sensitive range of human hearing, so amplifying this range may help you pick out details in many vocal and instrumental tracks.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The charts below show how the sound of the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

MDAQS assesses both ear pad options similarly. Since most people don’t prefer the neutral sound of a typical open-backed headphone compared to amplified bass, our simulated panel of listeners scored the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO lower in Timbre compared to many consumer headphones. The Distortion score is about average among the headphones we’ve tested, and I didn’t notice any audible artifacts while listening. Across the board, these headphones scored similarly to open-back headphones such as the Sennheiser HD 650 and Neumann NDH 30.

Should you buy the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO?

If you are an audio professional, audiophile, or aspiring music producer, you should consider buying the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO. If I had to choose one open-back headphone for my home studio, I would choose these. These headphones deliver professional build quality, comfort, versatility with multiple ear pads, and impressive sound quality at a competitive price.

At $400, or $470 for the Plus model with extra accessories, the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is an investment but a worthwhile investment in nearly any audio production setup, as these headphones should provide years if not decades of use.

How do Sennheiser HD 490 PRO compare to Sennheiser HD 600?

If you have a budget of $400, you are probably also considering the Sennheiser HD 600. These headphones are classics for a reason and set the stage for many future Sennheiser models, including the HD 490 PRO. The sound of the HD 600 is similar to the HD 490 PRO with the fabric ear pads. If you can find the HD 600 on sale for a great price, get them. That said, the HD 490 PRO are the better option, as only they have the ear pad options, swappable mini XLR cables, and dearVR MIX-SE software.

What should you get instead of the Sennheiser HD490 PRO?

There are tons of studio headphone options in this price range, though the closest competitor is the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, $529 at Amazon. These headphones also come with two sets of ear pads, so you can choose which are more suited to your listening needs. The dynamic Tesla drivers in the DT 1990 Pro provide a very neutral reference sound.

If you want to save some money, you can check out the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, $269 at Amazon. Similar to the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO, these headphones feature comfortable, replaceable velour ear pads. They also sound very similar to the Sennheiser headphones, which are great for professional audio work.

To see all your available options, make sure to take a look through our best studio headphones and best open-back headphones lists.

Frequently asked questions