Not bad!
Written: Jun 12 '00 (Updated Jun 27 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very good sound quality, good price
Cons: squeezes against ears, foam earpieces
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| kornell_911's Full Review: Sennheiser HD-490 Consumer Headphones |
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 sound quality, good bass, stylish.
I’m not an audiophile, so I wasn’t really looking to spend too much for headphones. I was in search of a decent pair that I could use at work to listen to my ever-growing collection of MP3s.
I had read most of the other reviews on the 490; there were a wide range of conflicting epinions and ratings: two star and five star ratings; some mentioned good bass, some mentioned too little bass; some mentioned balanced sounds, some mentioned unbalanced sounds etc. I just couldn’t tell from any of the epinions. So, I checked out a few other sites before opting for this pair. Overall, I’m fairly satisfied.
the Offerings
--"Open-Aire" hi-fi stereo – this is unique to Sennheiser headphones.
--Bionetic design -- diamond shaped earphones. They aren’t cupped, but mold to your ear.
--OFC copper cable, 9.8 ft.
--1/8” stereo jack w/ 1/4" adaptor.
--Long cord –detachable cord
--Frequency response: 17- 22,000Hz
--2 year warranty
the Good
--Very good sound quality:
The sounds are clear and usually undistorted. I agree with other reviewers that point to good mids and highs. Some reviewers did mention that the sensitivity on these phones were not that great, just average. I agree.
--The bass is a bit undefined and sometimes overemphasized (as other users pointed out); I personally am a big fan of strong bass and like the bass just the way it is.
--The cord is long at 9.8 ft; it connects to only the left side of headphone, which is definitely a plus. The cord is removable.
--Lightweight.
These are one of the lightest headphones I’ve ever had or used.
--Name brand.
Sennheiser headphone products are top-notch. An audiophile friend recommended any pair of headphones with the Sennheiser name.
--They are pretty good looking pair of headphones. Fairly stylish.
--Adjustable. They will fit snugly even on the smallest heads.
the Bad
--The sound quality on these pales in comparison to other high-end headphones (HD 600 and HD 580) ; then again, the price on the 490s are a third of the other high-end Sennheiser headphones.
--The open air system is unique and they do make the sound quality that much better, but I can’t turn the volume up too high without disturbing others (That is to say, I can’t set the volume level past ¼ on Winamp.)
With the open air system, sound filters out.
--The foam earpieces mold to your ear, rather than cup your ear -- a lot of sound is lost this way.
--The headphones squeeze hard against my ears; I get a slight headache from wearing them for long periods of time.
I tried stretching out the plastic a bit, but this has helped only marginally.
the LowDown
I am fairly satisfied with my Seinhesser HD 490 headphones. I would recommend them for home or office use. They are a very good offer.
Where to buy?
I ran a search on mysimon.com (keyword: headphones) and they turned up the 490s. I was originally going to pay 100 bucks for them elsewhere.
Audioadvisor http://www.audioadvisor.com/ sells them for a mere 49 bucks. I received mine within 3 days.
Another better deal: the Sennheiser 570 B Stock headphones are selling for 100 bucks.
Recommended:
Yes
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