[5 Hz to 36 kHz] It was time for a new pair of headphones, and I was looking for something affordable and comfortable. The Sennheiser 400 PRO Studio Reference Headphones are a great tool. These fit over my entire ear(great since I am suseptible to blackheads and sweat behind my ears) and are comfortable while working for extended periods. I am working on the final mixes of my most recent album, and these are helping me to accurately judge the balance and EQing of my songs even while working at modest volumns.

[Gold] Headphones are incredible; get a nice headphone amp to help them shine but awesome headphones

[1/4" TRS] This is my third pair of Sennheiser headphones. They are exceptional quality sound and noise-canceling ability, especially for the price. I really like the collapsable feature and the connector on this pair. I highly recommend for someone who needs affordable headphones for someone who uses them for zoom calls, or to listen while working or painting, like I do.

[1/4" TRS] I've had Sennheiser headphones for a long time, I don't buy many pairs, but I do like how they sound and I use them for long sessions, both during work (unrelated to music or sound production) and for personal music listening at home. Since the split and sale of the consumer side of Sennheiser I've been wondering how the brand offerings will shake out. And since the handful of headphones I've had in the past generally reside in the $150 to $250 range the fact that range was sold off to another company gave me a bit of pause on where to get any new headphones I buy, the Pro line from Sennheiser themselves, or the consumer models from Sonova. I decided to try these new Pro line from Sennheiser themselves given the age (and ragged look) of an old headphone pair I'm retiring and I did have a bit of extra cash lying around so I decided to go for these HD 490 PRO's.


After about two weeks with them, I can say I like their feel on my head, their sound, their weight, and the cord. I do have a pair with individual left and right cords, but this single sided cord is very nice. The price seems a bit high for headphones and I realize these are getting into the 'professional' area so the price would probably reflect that fact. So it didn't actually surprise me, but most casual listeners or non audio production people like me probably don't need to splurge on them either. That said, no regrets and if I had the cash, I would buy them again.


The only minor thing that annoyed me about them was that on my older pairs the braille 'Left' mark that allows you to put them on correctly without looking at them is in the back on this pair whereas my older Sennheisers had it on the front of the ear cup. Again, I don't buy a ton of headphones so maybe there isn't any kind of set standard and I just happened to get two older models that had it on the front of the earcups. A very minor change, but something that I have to occasionally think about when putting them on.

[1.515 lb] I picked these up after a friend had nothing but good things to say
about them for a year. They have changed my listening experience for the better. Every time I listen to a track I swear I am hearing something new. If you're in the market for some great headphones and have a decent amp, then you can't go wrong.

[Open-Back] Though I'd had the HD 800S headphones in my wishlist for a couple of years, I always balked at the price. I already own several high tier headphones from AKG and other Sennheiser models, and I figured the difference would be modest in an upgrade to the HD 800S set. I was wrong. The difference in spatial perception of the sound field is immediate and pronounced. Doing an A/B comparison with my other headphones, you don't have to listen too carefully in order to hear the dramatic difference. In addition to the outstandingly realistic sound field, they are extremely comfortable, yet solidly built. Outstanding on every level. My only regret is that I didn't order them a couple of years ago.

[Black] Amazing. Just amazing. Takes me back to my dedicated hi-fi days. Not hyped, just awesome, clear, detailed, and spatially enveloping. Unlike some other reviews I've seen online about these (and yes, I looked into a lot of boutique cans reviews and discussions) I do not find a lack of low frequency. But then I was looking for a proper reference. Another reviewer here mentioned Schiit Mjolnir 2 ... I had no idea about that, and ended up going that route as well. Definitely worth it. I will say I was a little let down with the lack of significant obvious difference between the unbalanced headphone outputs of the two interfaces I use (from computer, an Akai EIE Pro and a MOTU UltraLite mk3) ... but when I switch the included cable to balanced and listened with the Mjolnir 2, I started to get it ... seemed that the depth and detail increased. To be honest, it had better ... I WANT it to make a difference. And of course it's a little harder to A/B since one has to switch the cable out. For what it's worth, I listen for general use and reference with the LISST cans in the Mjolnir, and when I want pure enjoyment and exploration, I put the tubes in. Between the LISST cans and the tubes, it is more apparent in the HD 800S than in my other cans, which sound midrangey and hollow by comparison ... also, I find it MUCH more easy to hear overcompression and small distortions that I would not have heard otherwise, so just that, by itself, is a case for the Sennheisers with or without fancy amp. I am happy to say that things are less disturbing or surprising when I listen on speakers after working on stuff using the HD 800 S ... so, for what it's worth, as reference cans, I find them very satisfactory.

[Black] The HD 800 S is very comfortable and feel exactly the same as the old HD 800. The sound stage and imaging are amazing (like before) and Sennheiser (finally) fixed that high peak and added a little more power to the bass. However, I feel that they are still as picky in terms of amp-pairings. Definitely do your homework on pairings (try them out at a local hi-fi store/audio meet) before dishing out for these. They may sound fine on some amps but are lackluster on others and require more power than most other headphones out there. Accessories are the usual except they now come with the balanced cable -- which used to cost $400 separately. I can't comment on the difference in sound between the unbalanced 1/4 and balanced XLR cables as I haven't spent the time to A/B test them, but it's nice of Sennheiser to include this if you ever need to switch to an amp with only balanced outputs. The included cables are a bit long if you're not in a studio, but if you have the money for this pair of headphones, you can probably afford a custom, shorter cable for portable/at-home use.

[Stereo] I won't go into technical details on these headphones, as there are great resources online a simple search away. Suffice to say these are the modestly updated successors to Sennheiser's previous (and still available) HD800 headphones. The main changes, apart from the cosmetic shift to black, from the HD800 to the HD800 S is a slight increase in bass response (technically by adding second harmonic distortion) and the use of a Helmholtz resonator to reduce the 6khz treble peak that some felt plagued the original HD800. Otherwise these are identical to the original HD800, and share that headphone's many positive attributes. Namely: An amazing ability to scale with your other equipment Precise, detailed sound Huge, enveloping soundscape (for headphones) that comes as close as I've heard to replicating the feel of near-field monitors Great comfort The main limitation as I see it to these are price (they aren't cheap, although they - oddly - represent something of a bargain vs competitors like the Focal Utopia, Audeze LCD-4, and other flagships), the inability to swap the earpads as the end user (apparently, I haven't tried myself), and the lack of subwoofer-like, subterranean bass. I think this last issue is a little overblown in the community at large, but it is true: these are not bass-head headphones. They aren't going to pound your head like a pair of JVC-Z20000 or Shure 1540s or Fostex TH-900mkII. But the big 56mm drivers on these do deliver precise, accurate bass with lots of texture and detail, and they reach down deep - they just don't emphasize the bass like bass-cannon headphones do. All in all, despite the price (and factor in you do get a balanced cable included with these, which is pricey by itself), I've found immense enjoyment from the wonderful, engaging, enveloping soundscape these deliver. If you are in the market, YMMV, you may prefer planar sound like the LCD-4, but do yourself a favor and try these, too. You may just find you love 'em.

[Open-Back] These headphones were an upgrade from my HD650 headphones and I can safely say the upgrade was worth it.
If you are looking for the best premium HIFI headphones on the market for less than $2000, these are it.