Quick review
The good
The not-so-good
The studio sound isn’t typically what we listen to with headphones, but if what you’re after is a flat sound for listening and engineering alike, the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro deliver.
Design and features
A new pair of headphones from Sennheiser, the HD 490 Pro look a little special thanks in part to an open design, which will not only let some of that sound out, but also lets you see the design of the headphones.
The grill on the back of each can shows off the neodymium magnet and low frequency cylinder, a look that comes off deluxe and premium, and even includes a custom headphone cable connection that can be interchanged for each ear (and uses a little plastic blocker for whichever ear isn’t being used).
While proprietary headphone connections give us a bit of the chills, the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro does lead that connection into a screw-based 3.5mm headphone jack and includes two cables in box, which also arrive in a nice fabric-coated hard protective case, complete with extra padded earpieces in a different fabric, plus a moulded casing to store the headphones and cables nicely.
The box calls them the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus, but we suspect that might just be the bundle, with the “plus” likely being the inclusion of the case, cables, and pads.
It’s a well crafted package, and you even get a lighter version of the Dear Reality DearVR MIX studio mixing plugin for digital audio workstations (DAW) such as Logic Pro, allowing you to mix in emulated spatial audio setups to hear what your masterpiece sounds like in larger digitally-recreated rooms.
That may be your first point that these headphones are not your standard listening headphones. We’ve not seen any pair of headphones arrive with a DAW plugin in the nearly eight years since Pickr started, and the near decade of reviewing for other publications before then has seen limited times that’s popped up, as well.
The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro are headphones primarily focused on audio creation, and unpowered as such. There’s no battery and they need a cord.
In-use
Because these are unpowered headphones, using the 490 Pro is pretty straightforward. There’s no app and no controls; you simply plug them into your source and get to using them.
It’s about as easy as it gets, though because these are headphones focused on a flat sound, using them also likely means plugging them into a computer for some audio engineering of sorts.
You can, of course, use the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro to simply listen to music, much like you can with any pair of headphones. They’re made for engineers, sure, but you can use them however you like.
Don them and you’ll find a comfortable set of plush pads, with the extra set in the case providing a different fabric which feels a touch more sweat-resistant, handy for those long engineering sessions you might know are coming up.
We spent most of our time in the plush versions, which added to the lovely balanced design, and they always felt at home on our head, so much that we didn’t really want to take them off. They’re sizeable circumaural headphones that go around the ear, but they never feel too big.
Performance
The sound you get from the HD 490 Pro is perfectly balanced, and about as clear as it gets, no matter what you tune in with.
Listening with jazz and classical was a delight, as was other genres, which showed no favour to any specific style of music, and just delivered the sound uncoloured.
Take the electronic sounds we typically start with in the Pickr Sound Test, which delivered lovely highs and mids on top of solid bass. Both Tycho and Daft Punk delivered balanced and clear sound, with plenty of soundstage and space, and the same was true with pop, which lacked the dynamics and punch you might expect from a warm pair of cans like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QC Ultra, but that is also totally fine for this style of headphone.
Frankly, after listening to older tracks on these headphones, such as Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain”, we could have sat in these headphones all day. They’re comfortable and lovely and brilliant.
But they’re also made primarily for engineering, so let’s do that, too.
We opened up one of our Logic Pro mixes to find a flat sound on offer and a better recreation of the bass we’ve always thought was overkill in some ways. As such, the flat response helped us to tune some of it down, while Sennheiser’s extra plugin gave us a taste of what a different environment would sound like using its take on spatial audio.
Granted, the DearVR spatial plugin isn’t a full version, and it also doesn’t support active head-tracking. Apparently, there’s a version that does, which may give you a better way of building tracks for release in Dolby Atmos, something Logic Pro supports, as well as a variety of other audio platforms.
No actual head-tracking means you can’t simulate the sound as your head moves from side to side, one of the main features of Atmos music on Apple Music.
But you do get a taste of environmental soundstages, which for creators is just a bit of something extra. With one extra plugin, you can experience what your track would sound like in other stages, which may help you to tweak it that little bit more so it sounds brilliant everywhere, not just between a pair of really great headphones. Specifically, really great headphones that no one else will have.
Value
Price-wise, the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro aren’t what you’d call inexpensive, thanks in part to the quality of the tech and also of the package, which is one of the better studio headphone bundles we’ve seen before.
The Rode NTH-100 headphones are balanced and inexpensive all while using the same style of circumaural padded cans, while the Sennheiser HD 25 keep the balance, change the price, and opt for super-aural on-ear design.
But the 490 Pro push that even higher.
They combine the balance, the padded circumaural design, and include a pretty snazzy pack with extra pads and cables, plus a handy protective case, and turn up the cost significantly, to the tune of $749 in Australia.
That is not inexpensive for a pair of wired-only studio headphones, especially in a market that is seeing strong competition from rivals.
What needs work?
About the only thing the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro could be better on is that price, which can feel a tad expensive for what you get: wired headphones.
That’s probably more an issue indicative of the world we live in, where a combination between wired and wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation and custom modes can cost less than the $749 Sennheiser is charging.
These types of headphones are not nearly the same, and are built for people to create music, and possibly also to listen. Much like how the Focal Bathys are made for listening to high-res and cost over a thousand dollars, they are headphones with a specific purpose, as are these.
Seeing the value is a difficult argument because $750 for wired headphones appears expensive.
However, there’s also one other point: the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro are excellent.
Beautifully clear, they are perfect for engineers and listeners alike. The draw is easy to see.
The value isn’t, but logic is this: your regular pair of headphones isn’t guaranteed to be as flat and balanced for music creation as something made for purpose. Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro are, and if you need that specific flat and balanced take, particularly for music creation, it’s not a question of value, but rather suited for purpose, which these are.
Final thoughts (TLDR)
Perfect but pricey, the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro are built for engineers and listeners alike who love a balanced sound. They are balanced and flat in the best way, making music exactly what it’s supposed to sound like, with no other colouring in the process.
They won’t be for everyone, thanks in part to that steep price, and there are just-as-good options from Sennheiser offered in the balanced on-ear HD 25s, which feel different but sound as pure.
However, if what you’re looking for is a pair of truly comfy no-nonsense cans that deliver the sound as you need it, these headphones are difficult to look past. They are simply excellent. Recommended.
