[vladonetwo]

This is very curious because the NDH have never been measured or reported by anyone to have even slightly pronounced lower mids!

To my ears NDH 30 have more hyped lows/lower mids than 490 with mixing pads. I chose mixing pads over producing pads because of their flatter frequency response. NDH 30 are super fun to listen to and I understand that they were designed to sound flat and honest, but for me 490 with mixing pads are more clinical. Again, it’s just my subjective opinion.

 

[equalspeace]

Honestly I don't find it is a big issue. The change is slight (it has been very hyped by those that tested them wearing them reversed R-L). One learns intuitively and very fast to put them on the head centered and it never becomes an issue again.

You luv the HP so you let yourself get used to that shortcoming. I could never overlook it. To me it's a fatal flaw. The biggest thing I couldn't get past was NDH30 is supposed to be a headphone to work with.. How does Neumman have the sound changing w subtle shifts of the earcups?? Naaah.. can't get past that kind of blunder.

 

[headstef]

You luv the HP so you let yourself get used to that shortcoming. I could never overlook it. To me it's a fatal flaw. The biggest thing I couldn't get past was NDH30 is supposed to be a headphone to work with.. How does Neumman have the sound changing w subtle shifts of the earcups?? Naaah.. can't get past that kind of blunder.

Not a valid explanation for my case. I am a lover of accuracy and precision. It would be a fatal flow for me too if I didn't get its lovely tonality and balance accurately every time. But I do. I never have to try repositioning the headphone. My favourite musical pieces always come the same way (same tonality, no treble loss) because my headphones are always put at the correct spot intuitively - and that spot is not that narrow. What can I say, may be the tonality of the headphone changes more for different ear shapes. If it does, I suppose I am lucky as it is not an issue for me at all.
Anyway I wouldn't keep a headphone giving me instability. I like things working perfectly.

 

[RainyDog]

Has anyone tried any 3rd party cables on the HD 490 pro's yet?

I picked up this Earmax cable but it doesn't seem to work :-

https://earmaxaudio.com/products/fo...lver-plated-cable?_pos=1&_sid=d94f075e0&_ss=r

It fits perfectly but there's only very faint audio coming from the left channel only so I'm guessing it's wired incorrectly? Or just a dud even though there doesn't appear to be any obvious visible faults with the cable...

I've taken a photo comparing the connector with the original Sennheiser cable and 1-4 numbers for each hole match up so I'm assuming it shouldn't be an incompatibility issue anyway.

 

[equalspeace]

Has anyone tried any 3rd party cables on the HD 490 pro's yet?

I picked up this Earmax cable but it doesn't seem to work :-

https://earmaxaudio.com/products/fo...lver-plated-cable?_pos=1&_sid=d94f075e0&_ss=r

It fits perfectly but there's only very faint audio coming from the left channel only so I'm guessing it's wired incorrectly? Or just a dud even though there doesn't appear to be any obvious visible faults with the cable...

I've taken a photo comparing the connector with the original Sennheiser cable and 1-4 numbers for each hole match up so I'm assuming it shouldn't be an incompatibility issue anyway.

Take a look at this. I have one on the way.

https://customcans.co.uk/shop/product-category/home/cables/beyerdynamic-cables/dt177x-cables/

 

[chesebert]

To my ears NDH 30 have more hyped lows/lower mids than 490 with mixing pads. I chose mixing pads over producing pads because of their flatter frequency response. NDH 30 are super fun to listen to and I understand that they were designed to sound flat and honest, but for me 490 with mixing pads are more clinical. Again, it’s just my subjective opinion.

A powerful balanced amp with neutral sound signature and pure silver cable will solve the upper bass/low mid bloat/muddiness issue you heard.

 

[maegnificant]

A powerful balanced amp with neutral sound signature and pure silver cable will solve the upper bass/low mid bloat/muddiness issue you heard.

Or just EQ the thing.

 

[drummerman1]

Or just EQ the thing.

Sensible

 

[SpaceyHeight]

My pair arrived today. So far so good. Comfort is really good on my head, lightweight, clamp is not too strong and pads are big enough and feel nice.
Can compare to HD560s, Hifiman Ananda and Audeze Maxwell later.
First impression is really good. Liking what I´m hearing so far.

How does it compare to the ananda in terms of vertical imaging/soundstage height?

 

[BLacklWf]

I received my HD490 Pro today. Without any burn in, my initial reaction is about exactly what I expected. My primary usage will be to monitor the voice work. The secondary usage is to 'casually' listen music. I think it fits all the bills for my purpose. It is light and comfortable on my head. The sound signature is balanced and even, not too shout, not too warm, not analytical, not too emotional - but factual instead. All in all, I think it's decent all around. I don't think it will offers a crazy amount of micro details even after the burn in, but that can be a good thing. HD800S for example can expose all the flows of a budget DAC and make many things unlistenable. Compared to my Sony MDR-7506, which I was using for this purpose, I think HD490 Pro is more capable on pretty much all areas. However, out of cold, it does not offer much against my MDR-7506 for the purpose of voice monitoring. A properly burnt and impedance matched 7506 is just so good for the voices! But, I am hoping HD490 Pro will improve after some burn in. Depending on how the burn goes, I will either mated it with a balanced cable as a keeper or try Sony MDR-MV1 instead. The frequency graph wise, HD490 Pro seems to be the better option, but we all know the choice really is personal and the unit variations can be big for headphones.

 

[equalspeace]

Balanced cable from Custom Cans arrived..



Yea .. like w most headphones balanced is the way here. The set sounds stunning with Tazzy from the balanced output.

 

[equalspeace]

490 is doing fantastic from the iBasso DCO4 Pro as well.. Balanced cable is letting me get fuller sound at lower volumes. This HP needs this as w the stock cable I kept feeling the need to push the volume to put meat on the bones of notes. Stock cable is a limiting factor in this way. Custom Cans Ultra Capacitance cable has the HP sounding quite effortless at this moment

 

[evonimos]

Hi,

Have my HD490 Pro running at low levels for a few hours before trying a proper audition on them.
Received them last night but had little time to do a test.

First impressions, are quite positive.
Build quality is excellent, with a lot of attention to long-term usability, comfort, ergonomics and other details.
You can see this is a carefully made product.

Also, what surprised me is how efficient these cans are.
These are double the impedance of HD599 but let me tell you, they play equally loud at the same volume settings.
Another example, my AKG K612 Pro with same nominal impedance, are way quieter at same volume levels.
So, yeah, a pretty efficient design using that 120Ohm driver.
Kudos to Sennheiser, since this is effortlessly driven with any device despite the higher impedance.

Comfort is superb by the way.
Both types of pads are just the right feeling and size.
And with the right amount of clamping force.
No worries there, these cans are properly done and never weigh down on your head.

All good and proper in terms of build.
Now give me a couple of hours and i'll be back with the juicy part: obviously the sound.

 

[evonimos]

OK, after listening to this pair for a few hours here it is:

Quick note:
HD490 Pro is stock, while both HD599 and K612 Pro are re-cabled, internally with silver-clad copper wires and externally with Belden 46349 cable.

------------

Bass:
Good quantity and extends quite well to the lower octaves.
With velour pads is a bit on the slower/softer side but more abundant than with the fabric pads where it becomes leaner but faster.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads, is less pronounced but better balanced since the HD599 can get a bit muddy.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, it is more pronounced and rich in the mid bass, but with AKG having a slight edge in terms of speed.

Mids:
Balanced and well defined, with maybe a little recessed character which helps to the non-fatiguing character of these headphones.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads, are more forward and dryer but without getting grainier.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, are more recessed and less rich, with AKG gaining on clarity and speed.

Treble:
Soft but quite well controlled and with decent extension, although my ears are limited range so keep that in mind.
With velour pads they are obviously softer than with the fabric ones but they never get tiring. With the fabric ones they gain a bit of definition.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads , is just a bit more pronounced without being more grainy or splashy and generally are non intruding.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, is slightly less extended with AKG having more clarity although the AKG can sometimes lose control becoming splashier.


Overall:

I like this headphone for its overall balanced tone and non-fatiguing character.
Its sound stage is at the level of HD599, which means definitely above average.
Imaging is also equally good and with fabric pads a bit better even.

AKG being a faster headphone, is slightly better in terms of sound stage width/depth and imaging accuracy.
But don't forget this line of open AKG cans are known for their extraordinary staging abilities, so it doesn't mean the HD490 Pro has sub-par stage.

My only criticism over the HD490 Pro is that it can be a bit slow at times.
It can feel a little grainy when things get complicated especially in the higher-mids and lower-treble regions.
I feel it loses impact, usually on percussion instrument because of that, feeling somewhat softer than both aforementioned headphones.

Of course, one would need to constantly and furiously rotate headphones over the ears to identify such differences conclusively.
And even then, they are such small differences, I doubt after 10min pass one could maintain sound memory to pinpoint the details.

But, we are compulsive and neurotic, otherwise we wouldn't be in that hobby i guess.
So my feeling is that the main culprit for lack of speed/softness of impact, is probably the dust pad.
To me, it looks a bit too restrictive over the baffles making the driver harder to breath.

Will experiment with some material i have in mind and be back with impressions, but i am pretty sure it can be improved.

 

[equalspeace]

OK, after listening to this pair for a few hours here it is:

Quick note:
HD490 Pro is stock, while both HD599 and K612 Pro are re-cabled, internally with silver-clad copper wires and externally with Belden 46349 cable.

------------

Bass:
Good quantity and extends quite well to the lower octaves.
With velour pads is a bit on the slower/softer side but more abundant than with the fabric pads where it becomes leaner but faster.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads, is less pronounced but better balanced since the HD599 can get a bit muddy.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, it is more pronounced and rich in the mid bass, but with AKG having a slight edge in terms of speed.

Mids:
Balanced and well defined, with maybe a little recessed character which helps to the non-fatiguing character of these headphones.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads, are more forward and dryer but without getting grainier.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, are more recessed and less rich, with AKG gaining on clarity and speed.

Treble:
Soft but quite well controlled and with decent extension, although my ears are limited range so keep that in mind.
With velour pads they are obviously softer than with the fabric ones but they never get tiring. With the fabric ones they gain a bit of definition.

Compared to the HD599 with either pads , is just a bit more pronounced without being more grainy or splashy and generally are non intruding.
Compared to the K612 Pro with either pads, is slightly less extended with AKG having more clarity although the AKG can sometimes lose control becoming splashier.


Overall:

I like this headphone for its overall balanced tone and non-fatiguing character.
Its sound stage is at the level of HD599, which means definitely above average.
Imaging is also equally good and with fabric pads a bit better even.

AKG being a faster headphone, is slightly better in terms of sound stage width/depth and imaging accuracy.
But don't forget this line of open AKG cans are known for their extraordinary staging abilities, so it doesn't mean the HD490 Pro has sub-par stage.

My only criticism over the HD490 Pro is that it can be a bit slow at times.
It can feel a little grainy when things get complicated especially in the higher-mids and lower-treble regions.
I feel it loses impact, usually on percussion instrument because of that, feeling somewhat softer than both aforementioned headphones.

Of course, one would need to constantly and furiously rotate headphones over the ears to identify such differences conclusively.
And even then, they are such small differences, I doubt after 10min pass one could maintain sound memory to pinpoint the details.

But, we are compulsive and neurotic, otherwise we wouldn't be in that hobby i guess.
So my feeling is that the main culprit for lack of speed/softness of impact, is probably the dust pad.
To me, it looks a bit too restrictive over the baffles making the driver harder to breath.

Will experiment with some material i have in mind and be back with impressions, but i am pretty sure it can be improved.

Yup, the rubber/foam over the driver is definitely a limiting factor for the headphone. Glad someone else had these findings. 490 opens up nicely when replaced with silk over the driver.