Synergy
Pad Swapping
Of the two pads included with the HD 490 PRO Plus, I like the velvet-lined pads for music listening and the cloth-lined pads for monitoring purposes. Overall, the Velvet pads are the best overall. Let me explain.
The cloth pads clip the bottom octave and although you can still hear the low end, the bottom portion is reduced in presence.
However, that brings out the treble and gives the midrange added forwardness. This signature allows the listener to hear each element on a track more easily but at the same time you get a small sterility effect.
The Velvet pads on the other hand fatten up the bass, remove a small midrange peak present with the cloth pads and the overall sonic presentation becomes warmer with an increased amount of body. These pads are more forgiving. The cloth pads on occasion will show flaws in recordings.
Another aspect that changes is the overall size of the soundstage. The Velvet pads seem to lose some vertical and height. I would say both produce a wide and ample soundstage.
However, the cloth pads produce a more comprehensive stage and I believe this pad to be best for placement monitoring. Again, the tonality is more pleasing with the velvet pads.
Efficiency
The HD 490 PRO Plus doesn’t perform well with low-powered gear and needs decent amplification to properly drive the 130Ω drivers. I would say anything above 400mW will do.
I fed them most times with the SMSL SH-X which can produce 11.5w but the HD 490 PRO Plus gets to the point that more power becomes wasteful.
The issue here is that Sennheiser only supplies the buyer with single-ended connectivity. That limits the amount of available power if you use gear with balanced topology which seems to be the norm nowadays.
Since the HD490 PRO Plus is balanced compatible I recommend grabbing Sennheiser’s optional 4.4mm balanced terminated cable which some stores such as Thomann sell for the regular HD 490 version for around $30-40.
Pairings
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus tends to reveal tonal characteristics. That is what they were designed to do so it’s important to choose amplification that’s balanced and neutral. However, adding color works depending on your listening preferences.
For example, you could use a bass boost like XBass on an iFi Audio NEO iDSD 2 but I found it overwhelms the HD 490 PRO Plus bass response. Some might enjoy that type of signature.
Remember, these are studio monitors made to show flaws like excess driver excursions that help in the final tuning of a particular track. However, that could come across as highly detailed which, arguably, is an attractive trait for many audiophiles.
Select Comparisons
The following comparisons to the HD 490 PRO Plus were completed using an SMSL SU-X and SH-X stack DAC and headphone amplifier stack fed by a custom PC with FLAC files and Foobar. I used the standard filter on the DAC.
Sennheiser HD 660S2
Technical
The Sennheiser HD series lineup includes some of the most popular headphones around, including the HD 600, the HD 650, the HD 6xx, the HD 620S, and the recent HD 660S2.
The HD 660S2 uses a larger 42mm dynamic driver that can also be found on other Sennheiser headphones. This model comes with 4.4mm balanced connectivity which should have been included with the HD 490 PRO Plus but wasn’t.
Instead, you get an ambidextrous connection which is a nice feature but I would have preferred a variety of connectivity options instead.
Design
The Sennheiser HD 660s2 uses large oval cups, their patented open frame design, and an open back with angled drivers, just the same as the HD 490 PRO Plus except for the size of the cup itself.
Both models are made from plastic but again, I’ve had over a dozen Sennheiser headphones and I’ve never had a pivot or a yoke failure. The construction materials are top quality.
Performance
The HD 660S2 can cough up more slam over the HD 490 PRO Plus and that’s the largest difference between these two. But it seems that the HD 490 PRO Plus bass response can produce deeper notes and dig deeper into the lower ranges.
The bass extension seems improved on the HD 490 PRO Plus and it seems to hit lower notes especially when you use the velvet pads. However, neither of these headphones could be considered ‘Basshead-friendly’ and will refrain from pushing the bass on these headphones too hard.
Both these headphones have a reworked midsection that seems to smooth out the raspiness aspect present on the older HD 650 and the HD 660S. There seems to be a reduction in output which produces a smoother midrange in exchange for a reduction in presence.
You might be able to detect an increased ability to reach higher high-frequency notes on the HD 660S2 which are best in this region.
In that light, each one of these headphones can do best at one extreme or the other. The HD 490 PRO Plus has better bass, and the HD 660S2 has better treble but both can be labeled balanced in general.
SIVGA SV023
Technical
Within this price range, the SIVGA SV023 is one of my favorite single dynamic driver cans. The driver provides a smooth musical experience that improves with warm amplification just like the Sennheiser lineup of headphones.
SIVGA uses a custom-made 50mm composite dynamic driver composed of a liquid crystal polymer cone and a beryllium-plated center dome piece mounted in a ring-shaped frame, a vented pole piece, and a magnetic structure.
The driver hits an impedance of 300Ω which is higher than the 130Ω rating of the HD 490 PRO Plus but both headphones seem equal in efficiency and drivability.
Design
The SIVGA SV023 is a classy-looking headphone that uses wooden cups and has a higher amount of clamping force but it’s still comfortable and doesn’t cause any discomfort.
One aspect I like about the SV023 is that it comes with balanced connectivity and uses a common type of connector which is the 3.5mm, which means you can use a large amount of available custom cables.
The SV023 seems lighter in weight even though SIVGA seems to incorporate a larger amount of metal in its construction. I just can’t get over the fact that they eerily replicated KHL’s Ultimate One Cup design.
Performance
The SIVGA SV023 sonically is the more musical of the two. They produce a smooth midrange that is luscious versus the HD 490 PRO Plus’s true-pitch, and neutral tuning.
The bass response has increased slam on the SV023 but at the same time, dips below 30Hz while the HD 490 PRO Plus manages to hit the 25Hz notes with ease.
Both these headphones seem to like warm amplification but that introduces obscurity within the high frequency ranges. I stuck with clean solid-state power but I bet both headphones will produce phenomenal sound on tube amplifiers.
HIFIMAN Sundara
Technical
Who doesn’t know the HIFIMAN Sundara by now? I bet most of you either have a pair or have heard them before. The Sundara is one of the 10 top-selling headphones of all time. Sennheiser occupies at least one of those remaining spots.
The Sundara is a contrasting Planar Magnetic headphone that has an almost cult following attributed to the fact that it’s one of the best-sounding headphones in this price category.
Design
The Sundara’s construction uses metal on the yokes and headband spring. However, I dislike the fact that the headband is non-replaceable. You could swap the pads at least but you’re stuck with the headband forever and if it gets nasty, there’s not much you can do about it.
Sennheiser on the other hand supplies the buyer with two washable pads and I’m sure you can replace the top slit cushion. HIFIMAN pads tend to split at the seams so washing them is out of the question.
The Sundara uses a dual 3.5mm connector setup that allows you to use a wide range of custom cables. Although the HD 490 PRO Plus has an ambidextrous cable system, it will be harder to obtain a decent balanced cable unless you buy an adapter or a Sennheiser 4.4mm balanced option.
Performance
As you scale up into the top-tier models of the HIFIMAN lineup, you’ll notice an unveiling as the models scale upwards. I’ve said this before and I wonder if it influenced the naming of the recently released Susvara Unveiled.
The Sundara does have a slight veil around the midrange that gives the listener the illusion of a smoother translation. The HD 490 PRO Plus produces a better vocal presentation and is more forward in that area of the frequency response range.
Efficiency seems higher on the HD 490 PRO Plus by a few decibels even though the impedance rating is much higher. Detail production seems best on the HD 490 PRO Plus along with micro-detail which is bought forth in the HD 490 PRO Plus.
At $399, I’d go for the Sennheiser, but nowadays the Sundara is being offered at half that and they might be the more tempting deal.
Just don’t expect to use the Sundara for mixing successfully because it might not fare well. Versatility puts the HD 490 Plus ahead in the long run.
My Verdict
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus has a lot going for it. I love that Sennheiser designed these headphones around two different washable pads. Plus, they produce a clean sonic performance that can please an audiophile sonically and satisfy a music producer’s needs alike.
The HD 490 PRO Plus is a multi-use headphone due to the versatility of having two tuning options out of the box. I would only wish this set came with balanced connectivity and at this point am unsure if there are any available.
I think Sennheiser is cutting the potential buyer’s list short here by labeling the HD 490 PRO Plus as a professional use studio monitor because as an audiophile, I found them to be a pleasant listen because of their combined neutrality, revelation, and balanced frequency response, free from oddities.
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus Technical Specifications
- Acoustic principle: Open back
- Ear coupling: Circumaural
- Transducer principle: Dynamic
- Transducer: 38mm
- Transmission range: 5Hz to 35kHz
- Sensitivity: 105db (1kHz / 1Vrms) or 96db (1kHz / 1mW)
- Max sound pressure level: 128db SPL (1kHz 5% THD)
- Distortion: ≤2% (1kHz, 100 dB SPL)
- Impedance: 130Ω (1kHz)
- Power rating: 300mW (100 h, noise IEC 60268)
- Temperature range: Operation 0C to 50C / Storage -25C to 70C
- Rel humidity: Operation 10 to 80% not condensing / Storage 10 to 90%
- Weight: 260 grams
