Best for Binaural? A Review of the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Plus.

[@DearReality]

Hi Michael, thanks for reviewing the HD 490 PRO with dearVR MIX SE. We always love to hear constructive feedback, so notes have been taken. We aim to emulate a mix room with its natural response with dearVR MIX SE. To get as close as possible, we’ve included some acoustic variations that can lead to slight differences between the left and right channels (as in the real world). Regarding the response curves, they were measured in our studios. And as we're part of the Sennheiser group, we do work “directly with the source" of the headphones. This allowed us to optimize these curves for both HD 490 PRO ear pads (Mixing and Producing), as you showed on-screen. Thanks again for the review and best regards from Düsseldorf, Germany. 🎧

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks for the info!

[@tumainiochieng9257]

Hi! My name is Geno and I recently purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD490 Pro Headphones which came with DearVR Mix-SE. When placing the Mix-SE software on my listen bus in Studio One, and selecting my set of headphones (mixing pads), I notice a certain level of "phasiness" or comb filtering which is somehow difficult to ignore. Additionally, I feel like the low-end in the mix is somehow reduced with the plugin on rather than off. This has me somehow doubting whether I am making the right mix decisions. I realize that I may be messing up somewhere with the setup. Is there any advice and tips you can offer to help me overcome these challenges?

[@AvidBeats]

thank you very much for this review. I am considering the HD 490 :) Looks like a great headphone and big upgrade from my HD 280!

[@michaelgwagner]

It’s a really great headphone imho. Obviously this is somewhat subjective though.

[@ToneCaster-1]

Very informative! Best comparison I found! I own the NDH-30 and might buy the 490 Pro just to have an alternative. Thanks for your review!

[@michaelgwagner]

You’re very welcome! 😊

[@Neonmirrorblack]

Glad I found this channel. I have both a Realiser A8 and A16, and I'm currently using the HD800s and DT 1990s, and I'm looking for a third pair for Atmos over headphones.

[@michaelgwagner]

Cool. I’ve been trying to get my hands on a Realiser. So far with no luck.

[@Neonmirrorblack]

@@michaelgwagner Unfortunately, you just need to be extremely persistent when it comes to making contact. Also, unless you were just waiting on a unit you previously pre-ordered, they aren't terribly difficulty to *buy* right now. You just need to pay the full retail price. That's what I ended up having to do in 2022 for the unit I pre-ordered in 2017, or I'd still be waiting.

[@annamark3422]

How do the 1990s compare to the 800s in your opinion?

[@thatchinaboi1]

Actually, the Sennheiser HD400 Pro has the flattest FR to the human ear. When it first came out it was also marketed with Dear VR for binaural reproduction. I tested it for binaural use and I must say, it faithfully reproduces exactly what I heard in person. The angled drivers also makes the 400 Pro'd imaging more accurate. The binaural microphone I use is the Sonic Presence Sp15.

[@jamievasales4028]

Not only do I love how informative this video is but I also love that you respond to most if not all comments! Greetings from Sydney Australia 🙂🦘

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks! Much appreciated! 🤗

[@thatchinaboi1]

Keep in mind that human perception of FR depends on the SPL. This was one of the first things I learned in audio engineering school. The Sennheiser HD400 Pro is flat to the human ear (Equal Loudness Contour) at Studio Reference Level 83-87 dB SPL average peak. The people who complain about a bit of peakiness in the treble are listening to them past Studio Reference Level (level right below ear damaging levels).

[@michaelgwagner]

Good point. 👍

[@jaredkoziol7991]

Appreciate the video Michael!

[@michaelgwagner]

You’re very welcome!

[@stevelast5719]

Nice review! I'm going to get the HD 490 Pro. I agree about the Ollo. I have a big head as well, and my S4X make me feel a little claustrophobic. I don't like to wear them for more than 15 minutes... :) Right now, I mostly use my Austrian Audio Hi-X65 which are super comfortable, are very detailed and have a nice and wide sound stage. I'm also very skeptical about room simulations. I tried a few (including Dear Reality) and hated them, although I haven't tried the VSX. I believe that if you take the room out of the equation and get a nice and balanced mix, it will translate well to most environments.

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks!! Finally somebody who can relate! I sometimes get the impression that I’m the only one struggling with the size of the Ollo. 😂 VSX is really nice but you need to allow your ears to get used to it. It takes a bit if time.

[@szityin]

I am wondering how would these compare to my Audio Technica R70x. They should be really similar, but if something goes wrong again with mine (I had to repair the swiveling mechanism after two years of heavy use), this might be the next chosen one. The R70x-s are really great headphones and I always liked them for their sound. Maybe the Sennheiser will be a sidegrade once.

[@michaelgwagner]

That I don’t know. 😕

[@svenisaksson3970]

Great video. I was thinking of buying the 490 Pros. You have probably made up my mind for me. Please note that actual phones in the 490 Pro and 490 Pro Plus options are identical. The only extra stuff you get in the Plus package is an additional 3m cable, an additional headband and the (oversized) carrying case. So if these things are of no interest, go for the "regular" 190 Pro option, and save about a hundred bucks. That's what Ill do. Michael, I have a question for you. I have done some testing with binaural audio. Both with (iPhone) Apple Music and a pair of AirPods (4th gen). Also with the the AirPods and regular headphones (AKG K340. Yes I know they are ancient) with KZbin on an Apple TV. I only get a sensation of increased volume and, a bit of, added reverb, with Apple Music. I get no sense of front/back or up/down positioning, on either. The only time I got a little bit of front/back (but no up/down) sensation was on a KZbin video, when the guy tested his system by moving white noise around. But as soon as he played music, it went away. I intend to test with Cubase, when I can lay my hands on a better pair of headphones. I'm not sure that the k340s are quite up to the task. Could it be that my ears are immune to binaural audio? What do you think? Could this, perhaps, be a subject for a video?

[@michaelgwagner]

Not immune, but there is an issue if you hearing physiology differs from the "norm" because all spatial audio rendering engines assume some form of HRTF standard. I have an extremely large head, for example. If I move my head around within a head tracked binaural monitoring environment, the sound location does not stay completely stable. That is because the binaural renderer assumes a standard sized head. If I am rotating my head, my ears move a lot more than what the renderer is designed for. And that screws up sound location. Ideally you would create your own custom HRTF, but that is still not particularly straightforward to do. The best way I have seen this done so far is with the Genelec Aural ID system.

[@svenisaksson3970]

@@michaelgwagner Thanks for that explanation. I guess that binaural is simply not for me. Or I should seek out a head shinker. 😉

[@thatchinaboi1]

Based on my research, the Neumann and the 490 have a bass bump. The Neumann also has slightly raised lower mids, contributing to a more warm and inviting sound. Not sure if the 490 has angled drivers, but if it is based in the 600 series, then it doesn't, which means it's imaging is not accurate (three blob effect). I am pretty sure the Neumann also doesn't have angled drivers. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[@Ali-ei3nk]

Both have angled drivers, then senn has a 6° angle if I'm correct.

[@Ali-ei3nk]

490 based on 560s wich has even more angle than 6°, 9° from memory. Happy to help

[@thatchinaboi1]

​@@Ali-ei3nk I am quite pleased with my HD 400 Pros. The only drawback is that they are open backs. Apart from that they are pretty much perfect.

[@hellyeah_tv]

intresting thing I saw on graphs. my own DT 880 totally repeating NDH 30 graph till 3 kHz. sure, THD different but I thinking about.. do I really need those Neumanns now?

[@paulwoaert]

Have you already used the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohms, and if so what were your impressions? The high frequencies of these headphones don't bother me at all (different from the 1990?) and the bass is well balanced, even without an amp. I drive them with the iFi Audio Zen DAC zen/iFi Audio Zen CAN combo which offers free downloads of 3 different firmwares which are often updated : my favorite is really the 7.6b The earpieces are soft (but not optimal) and much less tight than those of the Beyer 770 pro or the Beyer 900 pro X. This DT 990 pro offers great precision and a very authentic sound.

[@michaelgwagner]

Yeah, I have the DT 990 as well. I can’t handle the high frequency bump on these either.

[@paulwoaert]

​@@michaelgwagner There is the DT 990, and the DT 990 PRO., they are 2 different models. I'm talking about the Pro. On the Pro, I don't feel the high frequencies accentuated. Do you connect it to an amp/dac? I've already tried the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650, it's very good too but the sound is somehow always veiled, which creates something softer but, because this, we then lose the impressive clarity of the DT 990 Pro. Perhaps it is this more veiled sound that you prefer.

[@QFXmusic]

Very Surprised you did not have the Sony MDR-V1 as they are a great headphone my number 2 next to the Ollo S5X :)

[@michaelgwagner]

I'm not the biggest fan of Sony headphones. ;)

[@kamiztar]

Tho MDR-MV1 is marketed towards spatial audio

[@michaelgwagner]

The frequency response scares me tbh. It has a huge bumb at the frequencies I am particularly sensitive to. Maybe I’ll pick up a pair once this channel reaches 50k subscribers. 😄

[@QFXmusic]

@@michaelgwagner You know how i love my Ollo's but i think the Sony have a very different sound and can work in my case for at least checking the Binaural mix.. I am not sure i would use them to do the mix tho.. Where I am very happy with the translation on the S5x :) I think the sony may be another story if your were mixing Sony 360 as it is a very different system to Atmos

[@JohnnyADi]

I want to know how this preforms over the Sony mdr mv1 with its 360 audio.

[@michaelgwagner]

The Sony MDR MV1 is marketed as a headphone designed for spatial audio. I would be very careful believing these marketing claims. The Sony headphone does not really have any dedicated 360 audio feature. It most likely works quite well for that purpose. But there are many headphones out there that have similar or even better performance with binaural audio but don't market it that way. For me personally, the Sony have a sound profile that is too heavy on the high end. I am very sensitive to higher frequencies.

[@ES60Hz]

Hello Michael, I first want to say that you are like a guru to me; one question I have for you as you are an expert in the subject: With every binaural plugin and with every headphones, with or without Realphones, I noticed that I always hear the front stage behind my head, same like the back stage, I can never hear the sound stage in the front of me, only in the left side, right side, and behind, is this only me? Or is it a known phenomenon? Do you hear the sound coming from the front of you when you grab the sound to the front of a dummy head in a binaural plugin? Do you really hear it like it comes from the screen in front of you? Is there any solution for this? Thank you.

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks for the guru compliment! 🤓It’s not just you. I pretty much hear everything in the front and never in the back. This is when your HRTF does not match the “average” person’s. The quality of binaural rendering is highly subjective.

[@anatol1204]

I bought extra cusion for NDH 30 now they rock

[@michaelgwagner]

Interesting! What did you get?

[@anatol1204]

@michaelgwagner cusion for the headband you put it with zip and it has a little bigger cusion than the stock one that's attached on the headband

[@DjNarrative]

Thanks so much for all your work Michael. I'm a music composer & producer who is moving into spatial audio. I'm trying to determine if the neumann ndh30 are a better headphone for hearing details or these new senheisser 490 pros which are a hundred quid cheaper are as good. Having now more experience of both would you mind sharing your opinion? Id prefer to pay more for the neumann if I can hear more detail in them as these will be my entire mixing suite as I have no room for monitoring speakers. Many thanks

[@michaelgwagner]

That’s a tough one. I do like both and, at least to me, they sound quite similar. I’d probably prefer the Neumann for sound and the Sennheiser for comfort. But this is a very subjective thing tbh.

[@DjNarrative]

@@michaelgwagner Thanks Michael :)

[@Swecan76]

This kind of sold me on the HD490 pro. I listen to everything via spatial/Binaural audio. Now not on any professional level I am just a general user/gamer/movie aficionado. But I never ever ever listen in "stereo". Always wide sound stage, multiple speaker simulation etc. I use Sennheiser GSX1200. Again I am not a pro working with Spatial audio. I play games and in that there is no better spatial "virtual" surround sound. Sennheiser did a good job and it's all hardware, no software on the PC. But of course headphones play a big part in imaging, sound stage, depth and clarity . I already have a ton of Sennheiser headphones. But these would be the highest end. I have always been interested in HD600. But those are narrow sound stage and more stereo music listening headphones IMO. I right now have the Sony MDR-MV1 "spatial audio" headphones and they are great. Great low end etc. I still have a feeling the HD490 pro will beat them. Not in low end. But in overall sound stage and clarity etc. Or maybe that is my slight Sennheiser bias. I have always preferred open back and wide open air sound in spatial form. I don't like the narrow in your head stereo sound. I also use headphones all the time so comfort for hours and airy feeling where sound is perceived more like outside your head and from speakers is preferable. I love the feeling of when you play some open world game and the sound feels more like real life 360 degree surround, depth like hearing birds chirping over to the front right and an insect buzzing by behind me etc etc. That is important to me. I never get the gamers that prefer the stereo sound. I hate when sound cuts off left and right. It's not how we hear things.

[@michaelgwagner]

I did a video about the MDR-MV1 recently. I honestly prefer the HD490 out of the box. But the two are pretty close imho. What makes the Sony’s attractive for me is their use as part of the Sony VME system.

[@Swecan76]

@@michaelgwagner I really do like the MV1. I wonder if comfort wise the HD490 Pro would be a bit better. Less heavy and I do find the ear pads on the MV1 to be a bit too soft so the ears start to touch the insides of the cup. I also always had a bit of a bias towards the Sennheiser "sound". I can always alternate between them. Thank you for the reply.

[@monykaram84]

Hello Michael. I bought HD 490 Pro especially for the gaming on PS5 pro. do you think it is worth it? I have another question, how can I adjust the equalizer for these headphones? is there any way to apply a specific or custom eq?

[@michaelgwagner]

The HD490 are open back, which is not necessarily the best choice for gaming. That being said, they are good headphones though and should work very well. They don’t have built in eq. You would set that in whatever system you are connecting it to.

[@przymrozek]

Really interesting review! As for my pair of cans, I'm nowhere near the top tier you've presented here, but I really like my dt880 😊 I also have access to Stax Omega II "earspeakers", but I find them too bulky, so most of the time it's easier to just grab the Beyers. Regarding the HD490 -- does the plugin work with headtracker? Maybe it is built in the headphones?

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks! No, the plugin does not work with a head tracker. For that you would need a different plugin depending on the head tracker you use.

[@przymrozek]

I see. I was guessing the knob "head rotation" might be headtracker-related, but then it would be two degrees of freedom short from typical headtracking solution. Anyways, I'm adding the HD490 to my wishlist... 😉

[@michaelgwagner]

@przymrozek It’s just for manual adjustment.

[@immerseaudio]

awesome , i have been wondering about this . i use the beyerdynamic 770 at the moment - have you (or anyone) used them at any point / can compare to another other pair? its so hard with headphones to 'shop around'... nice one michael

[@michaelgwagner]

I don't have the closed version. But I used to have the 990s and I honestly liked them better than the 1990s. If you can tolerate the high frequency madness of the Beyerdynamics, they are very good.

[@immerseaudio]

@@michaelgwagner ooo i actually bought the 990s at one point and had to return them for 770s , the treble was way too overpowering for me as well. thanks for the info, def my favorite channel on youtube

[@namegoeshere197]

out of curiosity did you tested the Sennheiser HD 490 with both ear pads or just the one of them? also thank you so much the video, it was really usefull to me! I bought the 490 after watching your video

[@michaelgwagner]

I tested both. I did not like the cloth ones that are supposed to be for mastering as much as the velour ones. But that is honestly a matter of preference. In terms of binaural performance they seemed equal to me.

[@joeshepard]

Did you find the Sennheiser’s binaural performance the same with the different ear pads?

[@michaelgwagner]

No difference to my ears.

[@ZekeTrailblazer]

Got my HD 490 pro's a couple of days ago. The best headphones for gaming I have ever had.

[@michaelgwagner]

Gaming is interesting. Open back is not an issue for you?

[@ZekeTrailblazer]

@michaelgwagner Open back has never been an issue to me. I have been using open back since 2020. I prefer these to my hd660s2, DT1990pro, and my HD560's which were the best for my gaming needs before these. The 490 pro feels like the immersive and pinpoint accuracy I have desired since I started my headphone journey many years ago.

[@rafatorr407]

Is it ok to use with playstation and phones?

[@ZekeTrailblazer]

@rafatorr407 Yeah, I primarily use them on my ps5 and they work great. I haven't tried the 3d audio in the PS settings for them yet, but I haven't felt like I needed to. The spacial awareness I get from the headphones alone are amazing. I have tried them with the gsx 1000 and the hardware 3d audio engine it uses is really cool with these as well.

[@Winsentc]

Hello.Can you tell the difference in bass between dt 1990 and hd 490, now I choose between these two models as universal headphones for: watching movies, playing games and listening to music.@@ZekeTrailblazer

[@murraywebster1228]

Moin! Hast du den verschiedenen Polster ausprobiert und den effect auf binaural presentation?

[@michaelgwagner]

Yes, no difference to my ears. There is this idea that frequency response has an effect on binaural immersion. That is largely a myth in my opinion. What does have an influence is if the HRTF used in your binaural renderer matches your hearing physiology. In other words, it is possible that you will perceive a difference between the pads but if you hear a difference, it is in no way generalizable to the average person. It is specific to your personal perception.

[@murraywebster1228]

@@michaelgwagner thanks for the very prompt reply, I thin that the difference is largely in the bass response, one has a very linear response and the other a light bass bump, there is also a slight difference in the high mid perception I think, thanks for the honest review, your opinion is just as valid as the headphone reviewers while your ears are trained to hear the response, ie professional ears, as opposed to „consumer“ ears, good stuff, keep up the good work please 🙏

[@75ajw]

Thanks! I'm sure it's been discussed before, but what headphone amp are you using?

[@michaelgwagner]

I’m usually working with a Schiit Modius into a Behringer monitor controller.

[@englishbobshousemusic]

Hi Michael I have the Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro at the moment. Would I hear a big difference while mixing Atmos if I upgrade to these or maybe the Sony MDR MV1's?

[@michaelgwagner]

Unlikely

[@technologicalsingularity1788]

Nah.. dt770pro is awesome. Once you pass like hd600/650, dt770/880, hifiman sundara etc, you're chasing magic dragon that doesn't exist.

[@asangadosel]

Hi sir can mix with Sennheiser HD 600 ?

[@michaelgwagner]

I would think so, yes.

[@zzezzobike]

Hi,just my opinion on Ollo😢I also complained to designer but foor some reason they keep the same,small size of earcups which is just no go! I know your head is just normal 😅

[@michaelgwagner]

Thanks! 😊

[@DominikHolenstein]

I have been using the Neumann NDH 30 for 18 months now and I like it very much for its spaciousness, instrument separation and overall sound signature. For me, the music I am listening to sounds so real with it and I often think: "Yes, this is how it should sound!". But I have this question to the sound engineers here: Isn't it sometimes too pleasing and smooth for mixing and mastering?

[@michaelgwagner]

Very good question. I'm not a professional mastering engineer, but there are plenty of opinions out that that indicate that the NDH 30 are a good choice for mastering. At a certain quality level, it honestly comes down to personal preference.

[@THEKHAYYYAM]

gotta check these out

[@michaelgwagner]

They are pretty good!

[@waltertill1388]

Hi! Bin mal so frech und schreibe auf Deutsch . Danke mal für deine vielen tollen Videos! Hattest du die Möglichkeit mal auch die Sony MDR VM1 zu testen? herzliche Grüße aus dem Süden von Wien.

[@michaelgwagner]

Nein, noch nicht. Bin nicht mehr so ein Sony fan seit einem WH1000XM4 disaster. :)

[@waltertill1388]

@@michaelgwagner ok, das verstehe ich, ich war wirklich seit langem wieder mal positiv überrascht von Sony ...

[@juliusward5291]

Say “There’s a bomb in there.”

[@volyamu]

you talk like scwarzenegger

[@michaelgwagner]

😎