Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Headphone Review

[Merkurio]

For those of you who have tried the HD600 and HD650, are these a clear improvement in comfort?

At this point I don't care about the sound because I equalize anyway and get the sound I want with pretty much any headphone for a while (as long as the FR is not broken and the distortion is low), so comfort is my top priority and only the 600 series is something that I can tolerate in the over-ear realm due to its oval pads and low weight.

Also clarify that I would not use them to work and I am a regular user.

 

[solderdude]

HD490 comfort is much better than HD5** and HD6** series to me.
I preferred the mixer pads with some EQ.

 

[Vamp898]

HD490 comfort is much better than HD5** and HD6** series to me.
I preferred the mixer pads with some EQ.

Agree. I am wearing glasses and 8+ hours are no issue.

 

[Merkurio]

HD490 comfort is much better than HD5** and HD6** series to me.
I preferred the mixer pads with some EQ.

I like that.

The main reason why I never bought the HD 560S as my "one and done headphone" was precisely because the quality of materials and construction seemed a step below the 600 series.

Also, I like the mixer pads because they seem fresher to the ear and more durable than the velour ones, so they would surely be the ones I would use as a base to develop my EQ.

Now it's time to wait for the price to drop, in the meantime I'll continue with my creaky but reliable KPH40...

 

[BZ22]

I tested the Edition XS and I found their treble too piecing and painful for mixing, I couldn't even concentrate on the lower mids^^

May I ask when you tested the Edition XS? I’ve had mine for two weeks now.
I know that Hifiman reduced the treble on the Sundara, which is now called the Sundara Silver.
Just a wild guess, but maybe they have done the same over time with the Edition XS?
I’ve read about unit variation with the XS several times now.
And of course, your audio interface could play a role.

Also, at slightly higher volumes, I had issues that the bass started distorting way too fast.

Do you sometimes listen to music very loudly?
For bass-heavy tracks, I sometimes use the 3-band EQ in RME Totalmix and boost everything below 100Hz by 3-5dB, and the bass is far from distorting.

As an example regarding mixing, I’m currently working on a track where the intro starts with a distorted synth bass that has no information below 100Hz, and as the song progresses, an additional fast melodic sub bass layer is added, which plays below 100Hz.
The separation and speed sounds super on point, and I can hear both in the context of the track exactly as I would when listening to them in isolation.

 

[BZ22]

HD490 comfort is much better than HD5** and HD6** series to me.
I preferred the mixer pads with some EQ.

The headband on the HD 600 is really not comfortable.
I have to give a big shoutout to Capra Audio.
I use their 3D printed headstrap for my HD 600 and XS.
Truly a 10/10 upgrade in comfort.

 

[solderdude]

I have no problems with the HD6** headbands. The clamping force is easy to lower.
When the foam needs to be replaced there are cheap alternatives from the usual places in China.

 

[BZ22]

I have no problems with the HD6** headbands. The clamping force is easy to lower.
When the foam needs to be replaced there are cheap alternatives from the usual places in China.

If the clamping force gets lower, the headband presses too much on my oval head, haha.
Fortunately, the original foam net pads are always in stock here in Germany.
However, the ear pads have been out of stock for ages... I think they are no longer being produced?
When it's time to replace them, I will probably switch to the Brainwavz HD 600 pads.
You should definitely try the Capra straps if you often use the HD 6** series, highly recommended!
The straps are 3D printed with 95A TPU, and they fit perfectly to the shape of your head.
DMS recommended the Capra headstraps to me.

 

[solderdude]

The HD6** series pads will be supported for many, many years to come like they have been for the last few decades. Sometimes they are out of stock and waiting for a new batch. I agree that is annoying and also happens with other Sennheiser pads.
I don't know about availability of HD490 pads as that is another Sennheiser department. I assume this headphone will be supported for at least a decade.

 

[BZ22]

To return to the HD 490 Pro, my impression on day 2 is even worse.
Every track sounds the same on these headphones.
While the tuning might be suitable for mixing, it feels lacking in all other aspects.
Yes, the sub-bass is there, but somehow it's too blurry and unnatural.
Transients are not represented as well as on the HD 600.

When I switch from the HD 490 Pro to the Edition XS, it feels like stepping out of a dull closet.
And the Edition XS currently costs nearly 100€ less.
Personally, I would not recommend the HD 490 Pro to anyone, neither for mixing nor for enjoying music.

 

[Robbo99999]

What I mean exactly, you have already answered with "Bass won't be A tier" or "EQ can't fix soundstage."
You could also use a Mid/Side EQ or even a Dynamic EQ to control problematic frequencies, but this process will always affect the signal and introduce phase shift.
Processing remains processing, and if you want pure neutrality for complex mixing, this is not always the ideal way

To return to the HD 490 Pro, my impression on day 2 is even worse.
Every track sounds the same on these headphones.
While the tuning might be suitable for mixing, it feels lacking in all other aspects.
Yes, the sub-bass is there, but somehow it's too blurry and unnatural.
Transients are not represented as well as on the HD 600.

When I switch from the HD 490 Pro to the Edition XS, it feels like stepping out of a dull closet.
And the Edition XS currently costs nearly 100€ less.
Personally, I would not recommend the HD 490 Pro to anyone, neither for mixing nor for enjoying music.

I know in your first post up there you say that EQ won't work because of phase shift, but I don't understand that. I mean all you're doing is listening to your mix on your headphones and making judgements about what to change in your mix, so your headphone needs to be neutral, ie as close to anechoic flat speakers as possible - so it's perfectly reasonable to use EQ on your headphones to balance the overall tonality as well as to get areas like bass in correct proportion. So I really don't think the phase shift argument is relevant, and I'm not an expert on phase at all, but headphones are mostly minimum phase devices which means they can be EQ'd without concern. At least this way you won't feel like you do about your HD490 in your 2nd post there - you can EQ it to sound right. You should probably start off with a Harman EQ or maybe a touch less bass than Harman EQ if you want to achieve neutral anechoic speakers - it's our best option for headphones in this regard. I find Harman EQ'd headphones to be pretty close to Anechoic Flat speakers in a room after you've used Room EQ on the bass of the speakers to hit Harman Curve on bass of the speakers.

 

[BZ22]

and I'm not an expert on phase at all

Nor am i.
Considering which EQ one uses, an EQ will either introduce phase shifts or pre-ringing artifacts, or even both.
I can clearly hear the difference and am not deceived by the EQ change.

I have seen headphone reviews where it was immediately clear to me that the person had latency issues and was blaming the pre-ringing problem on the headphones...
the "suckback echo" haha
- I also want to make it clear that I am not making fun of headphone reviewers.
I greatly appreciate their work and support it, but I would wish that they also open a DAW sometimes.


My HD 600 with EQ does not appeal to me at all, whereas I find that the Edition XS handles a 3-4 dB low-end boost very well.
I do not use EQ for my headphones or studio monitors while producing or mixing because I know it affects the transients and the phase.

If you "just" want to enjoy music, do whatever you want with the EQ.
Personally, however, I would never use more than a 3-band EQ for headphones.

I am just another user here in the forum, sharing my honest opinion based on my own knowledge.
I am very open to being convinced otherwise if the arguments are logical, as I love to learn more

 

[usern]

* What's pre-ringing?
* How does phase shift artifact sound like?
* How would transients sound differnt with EQ?

Could you provide timestamps on a music track or concrete sound samples for testing and describe what do I need to look for with EQ and without?

 

[BZ22]

I've opened a new thread on this topic in 'General Audio Discussions.' Maybe an expert will chime in and enlighten us

Headphone EQ Artifacts: Phase Shifts, Pre-Ringing, and Their Impact on Headphone Reviews?

Since we discussed this topic a bit in another Thread, I wanted to start a separate thread for it. Considering which EQ one uses, an EQ will either introduce phase shifts or pre-ringing artifacts, or even both. I can clearly hear the difference and am not deceived by the EQ change. Many...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Example of Pre-Ring.

@usern

 

[Robbo99999]

Nor am i.
Considering which EQ one uses, an EQ will either introduce phase shifts or pre-ringing artifacts, or even both.
I can clearly hear the difference and am not deceived by the EQ change.

I have seen headphone reviews where it was immediately clear to me that the person had latency issues and was blaming the pre-ringing problem on the headphones...
the "suckback echo" haha
- I also want to make it clear that I am not making fun of headphone reviewers.
I greatly appreciate their work and support it, but I would wish that they also open a DAW sometimes.


My HD 600 with EQ does not appeal to me at all, whereas I find that the Edition XS handles a 3-4 dB low-end boost very well.
I do not use EQ for my headphones or studio monitors while producing or mixing because I know it affects the transients and the phase.

If you "just" want to enjoy music, do whatever you want with the EQ.
Personally, however, I would never use more than a 3-band EQ for headphones.

I am just another user here in the forum, sharing my honest opinion based on my own knowledge.
I am very open to being convinced otherwise if the arguments are logical, as I love to learn more

I think you're imagining phase shift & pre-ringing artifacts when you use EQ on your headphones. I'll take a look at the vid you linked when I've got time (hopefully this afternoon).

 

[solderdude]

A high Q filter was used. High Q + high gain filters should be avoided. I'm sure such a filter sounds poor. I don't even have to watch the video for that.

The XS has a treble peak which adds sparkle but also sharpness.

 

[Vamp898]

May I ask when you tested the Edition XS? I’ve had mine for two weeks now.
I know that Hifiman reduced the treble on the Sundara, which is now called the Sundara Silver.
Just a wild guess, but maybe they have done the same over time with the Edition XS?
I’ve read about unit variation with the XS several times now.
And of course, your audio interface could play a role.


Do you sometimes listen to music very loudly?
For bass-heavy tracks, I sometimes use the 3-band EQ in RME Totalmix and boost everything below 100Hz by 3-5dB, and the bass is far from distorting.

As an example regarding mixing, I’m currently working on a track where the intro starts with a distorted synth bass that has no information below 100Hz, and as the song progresses, an additional fast melodic sub bass layer is added, which plays below 100Hz.
The separation and speed sounds super on point, and I can hear both in the context of the track exactly as I would when listening to them in isolation.

Roughly 2 years ago.

I very rarely listen to music loudly, so for me that was not an issue. But i noticed that with some bass heavy tracks, especially some live performances (where you would not expect it), that it distorted. I just looked if other people had this issue too and actually found an article just in this forum

Hifiman Edition XS bass rattling?

Hello people, I am experiencing rattle at lower frequencies and am wondering if it's normal. https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php In the 'Quality' section of this test, the really low frequencies there's quite a bit of rattle, is this normal? Thanks!

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[markanini]

I've opened a new thread on this topic in 'General Audio Discussions.' Maybe an expert will chime in and enlighten us

Headphone EQ Artifacts: Phase Shifts, Pre-Ringing, and Their Impact on Headphone Reviews?

Since we discussed this topic a bit in another Thread, I wanted to start a separate thread for it. Considering which EQ one uses, an EQ will either introduce phase shifts or pre-ringing artifacts, or even both. I can clearly hear the difference and am not deceived by the EQ change. Many...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Example of Pre-Ring.

@usern

Glad this video exists. Shows how linear phase filters can interact badly with audio content. Even if it's an extreme example, with all else equal minimum phase does work best.

 

[Robbo99999]

I've opened a new thread on this topic in 'General Audio Discussions.' Maybe an expert will chime in and enlighten us

Headphone EQ Artifacts: Phase Shifts, Pre-Ringing, and Their Impact on Headphone Reviews?

Since we discussed this topic a bit in another Thread, I wanted to start a separate thread for it. Considering which EQ one uses, an EQ will either introduce phase shifts or pre-ringing artifacts, or even both. I can clearly hear the difference and am not deceived by the EQ change. Many...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Example of Pre-Ring.

@usern

Actually, that video doesn't disprove the use of headphone EQ. Headphone EQ using parametric EQ is always using minimum phase EQ filters, which is the same as what's described as "Natural Filter" in that video. So, in that video it's the Linear Phase EQ filters that are causing the artifact of pre-ringing - it was a kind of "womp" sound in that video. We don't use Linear Phase EQ filters, it's Minimum Phase EQ filters that we use. See Oratory discussion here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/comments/qmwmd8/headphone_eq_type_linear_phase_zero_latency

So that video is not discounting the use of Minimum Phase EQ Filters (described as Natural Filter in your video).

 

[usern]

The pre-ringing video is using linear phase filter, but we are using minimum phase filters with EqualizerAPO so it doesn't matter. @BZ22 also didn't clarify if he uses minimum phase or linear phase filters to EQ headphones so it's just muddy waters and I wouldn't go looking for any artifacts in my headphone EQ based on that.