Just not wise, in the context
Written: Nov 03 '02 (Updated Nov 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: -Not fatiguing
-Good bass . . .
Cons: . . . but it's not very defined.
-Comfort issues
The Bottom Line: Can't recommend them unless you aren't up for the *best possible* sound available in the price range.
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| theqat's Full Review: Sennheiser HD-490 Consumer Headphones |
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 which I believe a person could be reasonably expected to buy these headphones.
It's not that they're bad so much as some things situated nearby in terms of price are much, much better.
I've always enjoyed the HD490s; they are fun to listen to and I have never had to stop because the music became fatiguing, and they are very comfortable for some time after I begin listening, to the point that I sometimes have to force myself to remember where the audio is coming from. (After about an hour, however, they begin to press rather painfully on my right ear.) They are very portable, to me--not small, but tough, and they sound just fine on a portable CD or MP3 player, as they have only 32 ohms of resistance. They are durable and light enough at the same time to be dropped from my 6 foot height onto hard surfaces repeatedly and still perform as well as they can--the left ear pad has popped off twice, but it is extremely easy to reinstall by pressing it back into its designated area, and no sound problems have resulted from their being dropped. They come with the traditional Sennheiser headphone wire--very long, thin, and removable at the headphone end. This last thing is very helpful in not destroying the headphones, as if you were to have your foot on the cord and try to stand up, the cord would simply pull out of its socket on the headphone end rather than being damaged. The HD490s emphasize bass heavily, and what they do put out is much more defined than bass coming from the headphones that are packaged with CD players. They position sound nicely and to me don't possess any glaring flaws except for disappointing distortion on the System of a Down song "Bounce."
But all that modest niceness and lack of glaring problems is moot in the face of the fact that Sennheiser chose to price the HD490s where they chose to price them. This is for two reasons: the Grado SR60s and the Sennheiser HD495s, which cannibalize the HD490s nicely. I have never heard the HD495s, but every review I have read says that they trash the HD490s; I recently bought the SR60s for $70--the same price that I payed for the HD490s--for my sister as a gift, and I can tell you that in my opinion they trash the HD490s. For the same price, the SR60s can be worn at least four times as long: I recently wore them through Tool's Lateralus followed by the movie Training Day without a break, which is approximately three and a half hours of audio, and I felt relief when I removed them but no discomfort while wearing them. As I mentioned, the HD490s give my right ear trouble after an hour.
The SR60s produce more defined bass than the HD490s, much better mid and high range sound in general, and have the ability to be laid flat thanks to their speakers' 360 degree rotation. The only ways in which the HD490s are superior to the SR60s, to me, are cord length and, I suspect, durability. (The SR60s are a little heavier and to me feel more fragile, but that's probably part of the price you pay for such superior sound.)
So . . . frankly, if you haven't got that audiophile killer instinct to own the *best* possible product that you can afford, you probably won't be disappointed with the HD490s. They've always been a pleasure, and I often look forward to coming back to my dorm room, turning the volume up on my computer, and blasting Tool or somesuch through them. But they're tainted by my newfound knowledge that for the same price, one could have the SR60s or (if what I've read is true) HD495s and thus have one's music sound that much better. So, in their price context, the HD490s were not a wise purchase. If you're thinking about headphones in the area of $70, give the Grado Labs SR60s and Sennheiser HD495s a look.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
theqat
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 1 member
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