[5.055 lb] I use this product as a reference check while mixing. These headphones are especially good for hearing midrange and high frequency issues in the mix. Any sibilance problems will stand out clearly with these headphones. A very useful tool for hearing unwanted artifacts that result from compression, EQ, vocal tuning, reverb, etc. A small minority of folks may find these headphones pleasing for casual music listening, but I would not recommend these headphones for that purpose. They are far too detailed and critical. Not necessarily the flattering type of listening experience. Rather, they are a useful tool for a recording engineer or producer who needs to hear subtleties within the complex layer of music. Headphones such as the K701s are just about necessary for the artist who wants to create professional quality, artifact-free recordings.

[Black] 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] Absolutely flat response at low and medium volume levels. Great for composing and mixing. What you hear in the headphones is what you hear in the studio monitors (assuming the monitors are calibrated correctly). Very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. If you need to work and not disturb others, these are a great choice. And with the open design, you can carry on a conversation without removing them (as well as hear your smartphone notifications and know when your coffee is brewed).

[Open-Back] My name is Brendan Evjen. I actually mix through these headphones, despite industry wisdom to mix through traditional monitors. I achieve amazing results! I've worked with Chris Vrenna (NIN, Marilyn Manson, Gnarls Barkley, etc.) Ken Andrews (Failure, Chris Cornell, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), David Reilly (God Lives Underwater, Rob Zombie, etc.) and many others... the results have been stunning. These cans do the job. Nuff said!

[Open-Back] Overall it is a fantastic sounding headphone for the price and it is extremely comfortable. The nice thing is that it will sound great on almost anything but if you want to get crazy with the amps and sound cards you can get even better sound.

[300 Ohms] 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.

[Black] 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.

[300 Ohms] Has been on my want list for a while so the sale on the package of amp and phones was too irresistible. I don't even have 50hrs on this setup and it sounds great. I have some nice cans and a Woo tube amp for reference and a Marantz SA11S2 disc spinner. Have never like solid state head amps till now. The 800S cans have some of the Senn house sound and not that different from the 600S but to use an oft used cliche, there is more there, there. Garbage in garbage out but with SACD's I have been listening to, the 800S sounds spectacular. Maybe a tad recessed in the mids but that could be remedied with some eq. All the bass is there but this is not a bass head can to be sure. I am running these balanced all the way. I do not like their 1/8 balanced plug cable that the 800S comes with. It also has 1/4 single ended cable. Never heard of an 1/8 balanced jack but the HDV820 has one. The 800S is a light and comfortable can with a sweet but full non fatiguing sound. And another cliche, I am hearing things I never heard before in recordings I know intimately. Highly recommended.

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

[Stereo] 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.