Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

[Selkirks]

which then leads to a bunch of incorrect postulating about the reason why HD 480 Pro's bass isn't satisfying... which is especially disappointing,

Most of my music listening is Electronic and Hip-Hop. For my tastes, bass is one of the best parts of the HD 480 Pro.

 

[Somafunk]

I want to like these guys so badly but the entire part where Paul talks about the Impulse response/ETC is utter nonsense,

Oh dear ….. , I probably shouldn’t have watched it at 2x

 

[dumbsuck]

The HD 480 Pro look really good. I might just buy them to try them and maybe even keep them.

Regarding Heaphones.com and their reviews and videos: The only thing I've ever learned from them is that the way I hear is miles different from what they hear and what their measurements show, so anything they publish or say about the sound of any headphones is absolutely useless to me. One example is their insistence on how inferior the HD660S2 is to HD650/HD600 while to me the HD660S2 is miles ahead of the HD650 in sound quality. Historically Tyll's (Innerfidelity) and Unheardlab's (sai.squig.link) measurements have always represented how I heard a headphone the best, while the likes of the guys from headphones.com and oratory1990 (and others) I can straight up just ignore because these are always miles away from what I hear. Shows that a million people hear stuff in a million different ways. But I do get they do a lot of work around headphone measurements.

 

[gzost]

I've now owned these a couple of weeks.

The comfort is very good and the small quality of life features are great, i.e. earpads that work with glasses, the little bit of cable coil right before the plug into the cup which eliminates cable microphonics, the clicks and marking for the headband extension, allowing repeatable adjustments before putting on the headphones, and the large L/R indicators in the cups.

The design and build is Sennheiser at its best: simple shapes, simple mechanics, low number of constituent parts, low weight, and likely very durable.

Sound is very useable out of the box. Nothing that sounds off, though they are clearly not completely neutral for me. I've added some EQ based on measurements (I can't for the life of me work with sine sweeps) and spent several evenings listening to classical music on them without feeling the need to grab my normal go-tos for that (Dan Clark Audio E3, HD800 with EQ).

So all in all an extremely well-rounded headphone, well worth the asking price.

 

[Selkirks]

The design and build is Sennheiser at its best: simple shapes, simple mechanics, low number of constituent parts, low weight, and likely very durable.

Sound is very useable out of the box. Nothing that sounds off, though they are clearly not completely neutral for me. I've added some EQ based on measurements (I can't for the life of me work with sine sweeps) and spent several evenings listening to classical music on them without feeling the need to grab my normal go-tos for that (Dan Clark Audio E3, HD800 with EQ).

The understated look of the design is very fitting for the daily driver/utility quality of the product. I have it in my moving around the house setup with a Fiio BTR17 for when I don't want to deal with big cans and wired amps.

 

[pdfield34]

I've now owned these a couple of weeks.

The comfort is very good and the small quality of life features are great, i.e. earpads that work with glasses, the little bit of cable coil right before the plug into the cup which eliminates cable microphonics, the clicks and marking for the headband extension, allowing repeatable adjustments before putting on the headphones, and the large L/R indicators in the cups.

The design and build is Sennheiser at its best: simple shapes, simple mechanics, low number of constituent parts, low weight, and likely very durable.

Sound is very useable out of the box. Nothing that sounds off, though they are clearly not completely neutral for me. I've added some EQ based on measurements (I can't for the life of me work with sine sweeps) and spent several evenings listening to classical music on them without feeling the need to grab my normal go-tos for that (Dan Clark Audio E3, HD800 with EQ).

So all in all an extremely well-rounded headphone, well worth the asking price.

Agree with this. I believe these have ended my search for a closed-back.

Don't feel too much of a need to eq.
Slightly less bass than the FiiO FT1 from 80Hz to 200Hz. I think that makes a difference for me. Don't really feel a need to tone down the bass region (I originally thought I would need to tone down).

More comfortable than the FiiO FT1 (but Fiio is decently comfortable).

No regrets in spending the cash. A winner.

 

[Phorize]

I always wanted to replace my akg 371 with something that isn't held together with sellotape, has a decent response without EQ but doesn't break the bank. Been using the hd 480 for a few hours now and there are no niggles with it at all in terms of build, usability or sound. What a great headphone.

 

[cursive]

I've now owned these a couple of weeks.

The comfort is very good and the small quality of life features are great, i.e. earpads that work with glasses, the little bit of cable coil right before the plug into the cup which eliminates cable microphonics, the clicks and marking for the headband extension, allowing repeatable adjustments before putting on the headphones, and the large L/R indicators in the cups.

The design and build is Sennheiser at its best: simple shapes, simple mechanics, low number of constituent parts, low weight, and likely very durable.

Sound is very useable out of the box. Nothing that sounds off, though they are clearly not completely neutral for me. I've added some EQ based on measurements (I can't for the life of me work with sine sweeps) and spent several evenings listening to classical music on them without feeling the need to grab my normal go-tos for that (Dan Clark Audio E3, HD800 with EQ).

So all in all an extremely well-rounded headphone, well worth the asking price.

I recently purchased these and was interested in seeing what other people are using for EQ as there isn't much posted eq wise yet for this model. Any chance you could post your adjustments? And if not too much trouble which measurement you used for your EQ?

On another note, I do like that sennheiser headphone seem a little more no-nonsense, well thought out devices vs. some other brands. A little detail I just noticed in looking at mine is these little dimples on the yoke of the left cup. Just another little detail that helps you quickly identify the orientation of the headphones when you grab it or glance at it, or if you grab it in a dark studio environment. (obviously it's also a single sided cable, so you can know which side is which, but a nice little detail nonetheless)

 

[solderdude]

3 dots in a row is the letter 'L' in Braille and found on many headphones.

First time I have seen it on a logical place though.

 

[Jeromeof]

seeing what other people are using for EQ

I actually think it doesn't really need any EQ - it is a pretty great headphone - but obviously you might want to tweak things.

 

[gzost]

I used a measurement on squig.link and the EQ tools there. They don't really need EQ, but it's easy to play around and see whether anything works even better for yourself.

 

[Klonatans]

There's a more reliable B&K5128 measurement on Squig: https://earphonesarchive.squig.link/headphones/?share=5128_DF_Target,Sennheiser_HD480_Pro_(center) Looks like relatively easy to tweak (that 4 kHz dip is not nice though).

 

[pdfield34]

I recently purchased these and was interested in seeing what other people are using for EQ as there isn't much posted eq wise yet for this model. Any chance you could post your adjustments? And if not too much trouble which measurement you used for your EQ?





View attachment 544784

Resolve (headphones.com) gives 2 or 3 eq parameters in his youtube video - that he uses. Listener's measurements are up on squig link. I initially used Pragmatic Audio's measurements ( thanks!) to auto eq to the harman curve. Initially made the purchase because Pragmatic had measurements! Having enabled auto eq to harman and compared to no eq, I can say I'm more than satisfied with no eq. Above my knowledge but the extra bass doesn't seem to get in the way or detract - I cautiously say it might actually add to the sound signature in a good way.

 

[pdfield34]

A little detail I just noticed in looking at mine is these little dimples on the yoke of the left cup. Just another little detail that helps you quickly identify the orientation of the headphones when you grab it or glance at it, or if you grab it in a dark studio environment.



View attachment 544784

Thanks for noting! This is very helpful for my massdrop 6XXs. I always forget where the R and L are on the 6XXs and can never clearly see them anyways. Just icing on the cake that the 480 pros have R and L in the cup itself.

 

[hiagain]

I actually think it doesn't really need any EQ - it is a pretty great headphone - but obviously you might want to tweak things.
View attachment 544809

I don't EQ headphones at all and find 480 Pro more on the brighter side (especially in the >8k) when compared with D1, which is supprising considering the graph. I liked D1 very much although I use headphones in the studio and moving my head around a lot, found them too microphonic. 480's are also microphonic as well, but it improves when plugging cable to the opposide (to the source) cup - not the most convinient solution but otherwise I would need send them back.

 

[FTB]

I bought them a few days ago in the hope to find better than the K371 at a decent price (I don't want to spend 4k $ on DCA Stealth...) and I was about to return them before I tried them with a proper amp due to their 130 Ω impedance.
At first I thought "not enough bass", not that I am a bass head but I like proper bass level like the AKG.

With the proper amp (in fact I use my Steinberg UR22 which headphone output is good enough, waiting for a Fosi DS2 with Sennheiser symetric cable), the bass level is good, tighter than the K371 and the obvious thing is the mids response :
the K371 sound "colder" due to the 4 kHz dip it has (that the Sennheiser don't) and less controled bass.

I prefer the measurements of UnheadLab as it usually follows what I hear :



Comfort and build quality are good too, I guess they will last longer than the AKG (my first K371 went off after 5 years, no right channel anymore).

Can't wait to see them measured by Amir for raw and unsmoothed measurements...

 

[jinx20001]

Hey new member here, Just thought id throw in my quick and dirty impressions. Nothing very technical - just overall impressions vs other headphones i currently own. Those being Arya stealth's and the hedd D1. Been a member over on head-fi since 2007, generally been a huge IEM guy, owning dozens of sets over the years and only really recently decided it was time to let go of the IEM hobby, get rid of the collection and purchase a single set of headphones to get me by... those were the arya stealth, curiosity got the better of me and 1 turned into 2 with the D1's and then 2 turned into 3 and here we are with the 480 pro's. I use an ibasso pb6 amp for them all out of a little cayin ru3, nothing crazy but more that satisfactory. I love the Pb6, this thing is chefs kiss, never been tempted by anything else since getting it such is the job it does with no fuss and thats unusual for me as i have the really bad habit like many of us i guess of looking for more all the time.

Anyway my favourite headphone right now is the D1, followed by the 480 pro then the arya stealths... i shed a tear thinking about spending £1500 on those things, they are good but not £1500 good and ofcourse hifiman thought the same also eventually.

So why the D1's over the 480's you might ask, really it just comes down to general hardware capability i think, i get the very real sense using the D1's that the headphones are extremely capable, if i EQ in a bass shelf it responds perfectly, it likes to be played with and can take it with ease... a real sense of having quality components built to do what you decide to do rather than built to do what the manufacturer intended and only that alone. I dont know if that makes sense because im not the kind of person with massive technical knowledge on these things but i feel like for as good as the sound is from the 480's - it is giving all it can give from those 38mm drivers, I do hear a little bit of warbling in vocals when really heavy bass is playing (admittedly at really high volume, because im an idiot), but its something i dont get from the D1's which really do just seem to take it and my ears would clearly fail before they do.

When it comes to the actual sound quality itself rather than just hardware performance i have to say the 480's are incredible, i really really enjoy the tonal balance, everything comes through clean, vocals are right there and the mids in general show excellent timbre, it all just sounds right and i think the treble is smooth and so easy to listen to. I think the D1's are better still in the mids but i prefer the high end of the 480 for longer listening sessions, i also prefer the bass quality and presentation of the D1, its not nearly as forward in its presentation but yeh those drivers just respond so well down low even if its clearly not tuned with emphasis in that region. Adding a shelf there just transforms everything.

In comparison to the arya stealths, truth is they have not been on my head in weeks. The highs are too much for me but again its a headphone that i really like how the bass presents, well extended and if you moderately shelf it and give it the voltage it likes it will rattle your cheeks, there is lots of texture but its easy to find the point in which the little available excursion is found and that dissapoints me. The 480's by comparison present bass far more in line with what i would get from IEM's, they feel small by comparison and it comes across that way even if the bass is much more forward in the tuning and presentation.

Anyway, good to see everybody elses experiences, seems like a great community of folks.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Got these today and I’m really impressed. I did a 2 hours listening session with the HD480 Pro and the HD660S2s, both plugged into my RME ADI-2 Pro EX with level matched and no EQ. The 480s sound GREAT without EQ. These are the first closed back headphones that I can say that they sound Amazing with no EQ. Even my former AEON Noire needed some EQ. I love my 660S2s but these 480s are so well balanced that put a smile on my face every time I listened to my favorite tracks.

 

[FTB]

Got these today and I’m really impressed. I did a 2 hours listening session with the HD480 Pro and the HD660S2s, both plugged into my RME ADI-2 Pro EX with level matched and no EQ. The 480s sound GREAT without EQ. These are the first closed back headphones that I can say that they sound Amazing with no EQ. Even my former AEON Noire needed some EQ. I love my 660S2s but these 480s are so well balanced that put a smile on my face every time I listened to my favorite tracks.

Yes if you look at the measurements we already have, the 480 are very linear and good without EQ.
Now I can't listen to the K371 anymore, they sound like a bath tub compared to the Senn.

 

[solderdude]

Ordered one to see (hear) what the fuzz is all about.

Review within 2 weeks.