HD 490 PRO

I actually own both. Short answer: the HD 490 Pro is way more versatile. Comfort is the first big difference. The 490 has larger and deeper cups, lighter clamp, and just more space in general. For long sessions, especially with bigger ears, it’s noticeably easier to live with. Sound-wise, the 660S2

I came here to say basically this. I think the 490 gives up a tiny bit of detail and a little vocal timbre, but I’ll take that trade for comfort, sound stage for gaming, and versatility any day. Plus, it’s cheaper. 🤷🏼‍♂️ I did a comparison to the rest of the 6X0s here: https://daemonxar.com/2025/12/20/t

Top of the pops for me: https://daemonxar.com/2025/12/20/the-sennheiser-hd-490-pro-my-new-reference-open-back-a-warning-shot-at-sonova-both/#value-comparisons I very slightly prefer the tuning on the 6XX or 660S2, but between the better soundstage, comfort, and versatility it's a pretty easy call fo

If you want guaranteed durability past 3 years, getting a wired set is your best bet. The best overall package from a Sennheiser in that price range is likely to be the HD 490 Pro for many people. The clamp force is light, and the pads have indentations for glasses. You also get two pads to choose f

Yeah, the HD 490 Pro really doesn’t need anything special. An Apple dongle will get it loud enough and sound totally fine, which is kind of funny for a Sennheiser. You’ll get a bit more headroom and control with a proper amp, but you definitely don’t need to break the bank. Honestly, pretty much any

Honestly headsets suck. There's no such things as a game optimized audio product especially since almost every headset on the market is just cheap poor performing Chinese OEM drivers with a horrible omnidirectional mic. Parts costs 5 bucks and they charge you 100+ for it Either that or you buy a hea

Absolutly think that. I am myself a beginnerw i make music since some years and i found dt990 very difficult to mix with, even more than cheap buds. They lack of mids and bass and are way too bright. Even with the récent vst beyerdynamics dropped to correct them they are not good sounding and mixes

The S2 is a clean improvement over the S in basically every way. Whether that's worth the extra money is up to you; if it were me, I'd look at a pair of 6XX instead as (to my ears at least) they're pretty equivalent. But honestly, I don't see any reason to buy any of the 600 series (other than maybe

It's the most versatile headphone I have ever owned. Jack of all trades and almost a master of all of them. It ran my HD 490 Pros extremely close for gaming, which itself put my GSP 600 to rest. The BTD 700's low-latency mode of <40 ms is barely perceptible even in multiplayer shooters like Battlefi

The HD 490 Pro is the most versatile option at this point, and I'd take it over the 600/650/6XX/660S2 (shockingly to myself). Great tune, extraordinarily comfortable, two sets of pads giving you two tuning options without having to use EQ, etc. Review here: https://daemonxar.com/2025/12/20/the-sennh