Sennheiser HD 490 Headphones
Written: Dec 07 '01 (Updated Dec 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely comfortable, decent sound, fairly reasonable price
Cons: Older model, sound quality isn't as good as on other Sennheiser models
The Bottom Line: My final recommendation: Listen before you buy.
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| Ahab1973's Full Review: Sennheiser HD-490 Consumer Headphones |
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 the entire frequency range. Don't be tempted to buy these if you see them on sale somewhere. Koss has far better sounding headphones than these that are selling for about half the price of these.
* Original review Sennheiser HD 490
Lately, I’ve been listening to my music late at night more. I found that I needed at least a decent pair of headphones. I already had a pair that came with my CD Discman and a couple of other pairs of phones that were around $25 to $30 a pair. However, I found I didn’t really like these headphones much at all and they were quite uncomfortable. The earpads were small and didn’t fit very well on my ears. I could only wear them maybe an hour before my ears would be begging to be freed from them. They also didn’t sound very good. Tinny is a word that comes to mind when describing most headphones I've tried in the past. Now I’m not extremely critical about good sound when it comes to headphone listening, but I at least expect halfway decent sound.
Finally, I began shopping for a decent pair. I decided that a budget of anywhere up to about $80 should be adequate for my needs. My first stop was Circuit City. Not really the best place in the world to shop for quality headphones, but it was close and I really didn’t have a lot of time. I Immediately spotted a pair of Sennheisers. I have always heard great things about Sennheiser headphones so I didn’t hesitate to buy them for about $65. Unfortunately, this particular Circuit City doesn't have any kind of display set up so that you can try out headphones before you buy them. I knew I was taking a chance on buying a pair that I may not like but I went with the Sennheisers based upon what I knew of the company and what I'd heard from friends.
The pair I selected is the HD 490. The first thing I noticed about them when I opened the package is that they’re extremely light. Nearly as light as the cheap phones that came with my Discman. That's pretty impressive considering their size and decent sound quality.
When I tried them on, I was immediately impressed by how comfortable they are. The earcups swivel in all directions to adjust to the individual listener's head. The headband is padded on the underside with very comfortable foam so that you don’t get that hard plastic on your head like you do with many other phones. After many years of wearing headphones that are a nightmare to wear, these are a much welcomed surprise. I can’t say enough about how comfortable they are. By far the most comfy phones I’ve ever tried (Granted I’ve never really tried any very expensive ones). I am also quite pleased with the ten foot cord length. I move all around my room when I’m listening and love having the extra cord length. The cord plugs into the left earpiece and is removable. Thus, if it were ever damaged, as so often happens with headphones, it could easily be replaced. These phones also look pretty good for a larger pair. They’re stylish and not overly large.
Now on to how they sound. I’m not as pleased with the sound quality as I am with the comfort. The sensitivity rating that’s printed on the package is not even close to correct in my estimation (I believe it was around 106 db). These phones require you to turn up the volume much more than phones by other manufacturers with the same sensitivity rating. These probably wouldn’t be ideal for use with portable CD players and MP3 players. They’re best suited to use with a good receiver. Also, the bass is overly exaggerated. While this may be great for someone who likes a ton of exaggerated bass, I find it to be rather unpleasant. This can be controlled with EQ settings or tone controls though. You can tone down the bass a little and it’s not as pronounced. I found that I really had to tone down the bass a lot to achieve a comfortable, balanced level. The highs and mids are actually pretty good with detail that's decent but isn't excellent. Better than average in this price range though. The highs are a bit too bright but not overly harsh.
Still, despite all this, they sound much better than most anything I’ve tried that cost less than $50. Therefore, I’d have to say they were worth the $65. Overall, I’m fairly pleased with them. These get bonus points from me because I can wear them comfortably for hours on end. Adding to that, they sound pretty good and weren’t terribly expensive. In my book, that adds up to a pretty good deal for the average casual listener. However, the best advice I could give to someone considering these headphones is to listen to them before you buy them if it's at all possible. Although Sennheiser has an outstanding reputation for quality products, this one (IMO) doesn‘t quite live up to the standard. Basically, what I'm saying here is that if you are looking for premium sound quality, you'll probably want to look upward in Sennheiser's line, or perhaps look to Grado's lineup.
Keep in mind that I can only really compare these headphone to others I've owned or tried in the past. There may be other models from Sennheiser that only cost $20 or so more that perform much better. I've heard many say that the HD 495 is only slightly more expensive and sounds better.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Ahab1973
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Member: Brian
Location: USA
Reviews written: 132
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