Sennheiser HD-490 Consumer Headphones

Pros: very good sound quality, good price
Cons: squeezes against ears, foam earpieces

Seinhesser HD 490

I opted for the Seinhesser HD 490 after researching for over an hour on-line (epinions, deja.com, consumerreview.com) for headphones that met the following criteria: comfortable to wear, reasonably priced, above average...

Pros: Extremely comfortable, decent sound, fairly reasonable price
Cons: Older model, sound quality isn't as good as on other Sennheiser models

Update: This is the second update to this review. Originally, I was pleased with these headphones. After listening to them for a while, though, I noticed that the exagerated bass totally washed out the mids and highs and caused distortion across ...

Pros: -Not fatiguing -Good bass . . .
Cons: . . . but it's not very defined. -Comfort issues

I bought my pair of Sennheiser HD490s back when I was first getting into high end audio, about a year and a half ago. At that time, I didn't really know what products were respected in the HD490s' price range, and that state of mind is the only one in...

Pros: Great sound, look and feel.
Cons: ...

The Sennheiser brand is world renowned for quality headphones at reasonable prices. For decades Sennheiser has been known for their revolutionary open-aire design which is used in these headphones. Having used Sennheiser headphones in the past,...

Pros: Extremely comfortable.
Cons: Performance (or the lack of) unworthy of Sennheiser name, even at this price level.

Background:

When it came time to find a replacement headphone set for use with my computer, I had to say I was having a lot of trouble. My old Sony set (model number escapes me) had been giving me great service, but with the wear and tear...

Pros: relatively comfortable to wear, looks good
Cons: Sound quality, too much bass and brittle highs, bad sensitivity

I bought this pair for $40 on the internet. And the only reason I bought this pair is because of its price. It used to sell for $79 or more. So far it have been a disappointment. It is a mid-small sized headphone. The heart shaped driver makes it...

Pros: Ultra Light, Great Sound
Cons: May be expensive for some people

I've never had a really good set of headphones... until now. Before about a month ago, I didn't realize that headphones were such a big deal. I thought it strange that Epinions had such a large area dedicated to them... and my headphone research led me...

Pros: Good highs and mids. Comfortable.
Cons: Undefined bass. 495's better.

The Sennheiser 490s are a pleasent, non-fatiguing headphone that places emphasis on the bass. The 490s have good highs and mids, and a forward, undefined bass. Look at the 495s for a more neutral presentation. They are easily powered by a portable...

Pros: Immediately pleasing "ear candy" sound, good for bassy ghetto music, COMFORTABLE!
Cons: Lack of detail, not quite audiophile.

I recently had the dubious pleasure of auditioning this set of cans for an extended period in a local hi-fi/CD shop. I will get out of the way the fact that I am a Grado fan, but I will make this review extremely objective, judicious and fair.

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Pros: Booming Bass, Comfortable, Great Price
Cons: Sometimes Distorted Highs

I was looking for a set of cans, since my computer speakers were booming through the walls keeping people up. I had heard about Sennheiser making the best headphones, so I investigated to find a good set for under $75. I read the reviews and concluded...

Pros: very comfortable, good sound quality
Cons: need to crank up the volume, other people can hear your music

I purchased a new pair of HD490's to replace my HD433's for portable use. (I use HD580's for home listening.) I should point out that I only looked at Sennheiser headphones because I've had good experiences with them in the past, so I really can't...

Pros: Very light, very comfortable, good sound and no drop in performance over time (over heating)
Cons: Not perfect reproduction, otherwise wonderful

I went out to replace my Denon headphones, worth a LOT more than these, but in my travels I was surprised. These headphones are not realistic, I wouldn't advise comparing their performance to $2000 stereo speakers, but the sound is very listenable. They...

Pros: Best of the portables.
Cons: Worst of the home theatres.

I'm a rare breed of audiophile. While there are many poor audiophiles out there, who have that one marvelous piece of equipment in their life, I am the "portable audiophile". I want the best sounding music on the road. I'm also a poor audiophile,...

Pros: Good with portable players
Cons: Too bassy

The Sennheiser 490 is a musical headphone. Built to look stylish and wear comfortably it is a good buy for under $100. They are easily driven by portable players. They are only 32 ohms and efficient. They will blow away the headphones supplied by the...

Pros: alright sound
Cons: flimsy, sound leakage,

Just received my Sennheiser 490's in the mail. Bought them on uBid for $40. Good price, yeah. But after thirty seconds of listening to them, I am completely unimpressed and rather disappointed by: 1) shoty build of the headphones. If you're looking for...

Pros: Good Sound Quality. Deep Bass
Cons: Can be Uncomfortable After Extended Wear

I've had these for about a year now. Overall, they are quite good. The sound quality is good to excellent with nice bass, but the higher pitches can occasionally sound muffled.

They are comfortable for the most part but after an hour or so,...

Pros: Great sound quality, comfortable, affordable,
Cons: cumbersome

For someone looking to spend approximately $100 on headphones, the Sennheiser HD 490 is the best set of headphones that can be bought. Not only does it give its listener great comfort, but the sound quality is amazing. These headphones are especially...

Pros: Sound Quality
Cons: Everything ELSE!

I received my Sennheiser's today and was not impressed. With all the hype surrounding these guys I thought I has in for a treat.
These are OK in some aspect. But here’s where they went wrong. The connection that comes out of the headphones...

Pros: comfortable to wear, light, good sound
Cons: not that i can think of

Blimey, oakenfold sound different on these..

I bought this pair of headphones a few months ago and so far they haven't dissapointed me. The bass booms when you increase the volume and the treble is clear. It works perfectly with my sony...

Pros: GREAT sound.....
Cons: Not to use in areas where quitness is required.... Gives off alot of sound

After buying the HD 490, my experience with music has completely changed.... the cans totally shows off the music you're hearing. When changing from a pair of sony earplugs and to these pair of guys, your music becomes a result of evolution.

...

Pros: Often found sold at a discount
Cons: Not very good sound quality at the price

I have a pair of the HD580s ($200) that I adore so I bought 6 pairs of these on sale ($70) for my office co-workers. I was unpleasantly surprised that they sounded as bad as they do for the money. Very weak opaque harsh treble and wooly bass.
...

Pros: Comfortable for long-term listening.
Cons: Limited head adjustment.

I have had a pair of these headphones since 2001. They are made in Ireland. As this website states they tend to emphasize the mid to mid-low frequency range. The quality is quite reasonable for the price paid here in Vancouver, BC. They work very will with any portable device due to the 32 ohm impedance - my pair measures within 2 ohms of each other. Long-term comfort is very good. Keep in mind these are an open ear design which rests comfortably on top of the ears - fabric covering is a plus! The cable uses quality shielding (oxygen free copper) which does not transmit handling noise. The adjustment is somewhat limited on the horizontal axis. It is good on the vertical axis. My concern is the cable is not functioning properly. The tip to tip connection stop functioning a year ago. I am currently looking to replace the cable.

Overall it is a good product. Knowing it's limitations can be very helpful!