A stock image of the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro and Pro Plus headphones in a studio setting. Photo: Sennheiser
Now more than ever, musicians are beefing up their home studios with some of the best and often, affordable gear for recording. With certain non-negotiable additions like studio headphones, musicians, producers and engineers might, however, want to go that extra mile for a long-term investment.
That’s where Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro Plus headphones come in. A higher-end offering compared to the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro, these open-back circumaural headphones (currently selling at ₹32,990 and marked down from ₹41,300 on Amazon) can quickly become any producer, musician or engineer’s best friend. Perhaps quicker so if you’re taking on all three roles yourself.
These over ear headphones come with 1.8 meter and 3 meter cables tucked into a sturdy case that also has two sets of washable ear pads depending on the comfort one seeks. Honestly, few headphones have felt as comfortable and lightweight as the HD 490 Pro Plus and that means it should pass the test for anyone putting in the hours to tweak every final detail of their music.
Speaking of which, full disclosure upfront: this review is not from the perspective an audio engineer, but more based on experiences of hours and years spent in and out of the grandest, high-end studios as well as the jugaadu bedrooms. Hearing musicians record and liaise with audio engineers and producers and getting to hear take after take, plus mixed songs that were awaiting mastering is our jumping-off point when it came to putting on the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus.
The chain used here was hooking up the PC with the Focusrite Scarlett Solo and then plugging in the HD 490 Pro Plus. With a coiled portion in the cable to reduce “structure born noise,” the first and strongest impression that these headphones make is just understanding the nuances of music production, mixing and mastering.
Running through everything from jazz-informed Pakistani group Jaubi to electronic-focused tunes by Junkie XL, Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails to Foo Fighters and Porcupine Tree, the beauty of any standout pair of headphones is that they expose even a lay listener to the intricacies and subtle flourishes that studio-produced music revels in. From the panning of certain instruments to where they “come from” in terms of spatial arrangement, hearing intricately produced tracks is one way to test the versatility of the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus.
With 38mm neodymium drivers (that can be seen from the outside itself), the cable also goes into either left or right side of these headphones. On purchase, users also get access to Sennheiser’s plugin, the dearVR Mix SE from Dear Reality. On firing this one up, engineers can simulate different rooms and have a way to gauge their tracks as though they were heard on monitor speakers.
As far as professional headphones go, there’s certainly something for everyone in the market, budget-wise. The Audio Technica ATH M20X or M50X, Sony’s MDR 7506 or even Sennheiser’s own HD 200 Pro come to mind as any starter engineer’s go-to choice. But the HD 490 Pro Plus is clearly for everyone who already knows their stuff and is either leveling up or is already working with top-notch studio gear to match.
Get the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus on Amazon.
