Sennheiser HD-490 PRO

Nothing will replace a pair of good near-field monitors and an acoustically treated room, but this is the next best thing in a reasonable price category. I really like them, very comfortable during long mixing sessions at night, and once I got to know their sound "signature" my mixes translate fairly well to a wide range of speakers, requiring only some tweaking. I take away 1 star for the finish quality which is not top notch, mostly plastic that doesn't feel very premium, but I guess Sennheiser used the available budget where it counts the most - on audio properties, and I'm glad they did.

Very rarely do I review anything and even less so after only 1 day of use. I have to say this headphone is perfect for me. I already like the Neumann speaker sound. With the mixing earpads, it's very close to my pair of KH 150 speakers. I came over from using primarily Beyerdynamic headphones for several years. I can say that the Sennheiser/Neumann sound is something I prefer greatly. If you like that sound signature as well, it's worth looking into.

Comfort is also another thing worth noting. I wear glasses and these are the most comfortable headphones I've tried. Very little clamping force yet it doesn't feel like it will fall off.

Only downside I can find is that the build feels a bit flimsy, so you really got to care for it.

I was looking for some trusty headphones for producing/mixing/mastering and having tried the Audio Technica R70x before, i knew those were the ones to get as i liked the way they sounded in the mid and high frequencies, the space, even though i had noticed the lack in low and sub frequencies (as always with open back headphones). By the time I checked they were out of stock and I did some research for any better, new options. It was the right time because it was 2-3 weeks from the release of Sennheiser HD 490 Pro. They looked very promising and i was willing to pay a little bit more for something newer. I got them and i have to say i am very happy that i did. The first time i get the low end precise on open back headphones with the producer earpads. I loved it. It’s clear and punchy without being overwhelming at all. At first I expected them to be more “airy” in the highs, they don’t give you that sparkle in the highs as you would expect from headphones in this price range, but after listening/working on them for 2-3 days I adapted to the sound and i made a few mixes that translated very well. I have to say they sound better combined with a good preamp (listening through Motu M4 interface i could feel slightly a deeper sound wider soundstage and more clear highs). The mixing earpads tend to be more flat and have a little bit more highs but i prefer the producer earpads for the nice sub translation.
The sound quality is the main focus for me when it comes to headphones but i have to say, the comfort on these is another 5 stars, i worked on them for hours and i forgot i was wearing headphones after a while!