I just picked up a pair of these, looking for something a bit different than my HD600 that I use most of the time.
They almost seem like the opposite headphone. The HD600 has a mostly flat response that seems fairly intimate and smooth with kind of a nasal boost in the midrange and light bass. The HD490 (producer pads) has a noticeably bigger and punchier bass (not sub bass though) and a more open and clear sound that's more airy in the upper highs but with a dip in the midrange that makes voices all sound stuffy.
Outside the frequency response the 490 is way more engaging to listen to than the 600 because of the punchier bass and airy treble. It's definitely more of a consumer friendly curve. But I am hearing details or highlights that are very opposite of the 600, so it's not a bad thing.
I also have a 560S and I don't like those at all. They don't sound all that similar to the 490 honestly, the 490 has a more punchy and present low end, much less harsh and fatiguing in the upper mids, and generally sounds a lot cleaner. The 560 also feels really cheap and is pretty uncomfortable.
The 490 are noticeably more comfortable than the 600 as well, they feel lighter with less clamp and less pressure on the top of the head. The 600 isn't uncomfortable but the 490 is very comfortable.
Tried the mixing pads but swapped back to the producer pretty quickly. The mixing pads neutered the bass, didn't help with the stuffy upper mids, and felt scratchy and uncomfortable.
I did try the Sonarworks correction and I don't like it at 100%, just like most Sonarworks it neuters the sound too much. But at 50% mix it actually sounds nice, flattening the bass overall and bringing back some of the midrange that's missing. I like that more than the 600 with 50% Sonarworks.
Not sure yet if I'll keep them but early impressions are good. I also had my eye on the Beyer DT 900 Pro X but I like Sennheiser quite a bit. The Neumann NDH30 are intriguing as well but I have a hard time spending that much money on headphones that may or may not be a marginal improvement over the 600.
They almost seem like the opposite headphone. The HD600 has a mostly flat response that seems fairly intimate and smooth with kind of a nasal boost in the midrange and light bass. The HD490 (producer pads) has a noticeably bigger and punchier bass (not sub bass though) and a more open and clear sound that's more airy in the upper highs but with a dip in the midrange that makes voices all sound stuffy.
Outside the frequency response the 490 is way more engaging to listen to than the 600 because of the punchier bass and airy treble. It's definitely more of a consumer friendly curve. But I am hearing details or highlights that are very opposite of the 600, so it's not a bad thing.
I also have a 560S and I don't like those at all. They don't sound all that similar to the 490 honestly, the 490 has a more punchy and present low end, much less harsh and fatiguing in the upper mids, and generally sounds a lot cleaner. The 560 also feels really cheap and is pretty uncomfortable.
The 490 are noticeably more comfortable than the 600 as well, they feel lighter with less clamp and less pressure on the top of the head. The 600 isn't uncomfortable but the 490 is very comfortable.
Tried the mixing pads but swapped back to the producer pretty quickly. The mixing pads neutered the bass, didn't help with the stuffy upper mids, and felt scratchy and uncomfortable.
I did try the Sonarworks correction and I don't like it at 100%, just like most Sonarworks it neuters the sound too much. But at 50% mix it actually sounds nice, flattening the bass overall and bringing back some of the midrange that's missing. I like that more than the 600 with 50% Sonarworks.
Not sure yet if I'll keep them but early impressions are good. I also had my eye on the Beyer DT 900 Pro X but I like Sennheiser quite a bit. The Neumann NDH30 are intriguing as well but I have a hard time spending that much money on headphones that may or may not be a marginal improvement over the 600.
