[NewVegasBaby]

Thought I would start this thread to see if i can get some more voices of other 449 owners.
 
Let me just preface this by saying I am not an audiophile , just a regular consumer that enjoys good sound.
 
For me my experience with this pair of cans has been very enjoyable with one caveat .
Their bass presence is very weak , you can hear the bass but it lacks a lot of impact , its not muddy per say just weak and not very impressive.
 
That out of the way,  these headphones have butter smooth mids and very solid highs , and a very impressive soundstage for a closed headphone.
 
These cans give almost that airy almost open headphone experience while being closed , which is a must for some people including me which need headphones at the office (I am a programmer ) or in any situation that closed headphones are preferred.
 
These dont leak that much sound but do leak a bit more some closed headphones like say the m50x.
The type of music i love to listen with these cans is mainly  classical , folk , acoustic , pop , new age , blues / jazz,  but they are very good at most types of music genres except those that are primarily very bass heavy.
 
The quality , detail and presence of the mid end makes their sound signature very enjoyable at the same time after breaking these in I found them very non fatiguing to listen to over long periods .
 
In closing these are very cheap closed cans that have a very good mid range presentation , good highs and impressive soundstage for their price point and for the fact they are closed. 
 
I must add that i used my xonar DX soundcard as a source for testing , these headphones do benefit a lot from amplification and a better sound source but I still find them very impressive.

 

[pouskidis]

Hi. Been using mine for quite some time now. Their great advantage: BASS with IMPACT!
If you decide to mod them, that is
 
There is a tape that covers 3 holes inside. Once you remove all or part of it (uncovering 1, 2 or 3 holes) you get a whole new headphone!
 
I am suprised you did not know about it: 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/651036/new-sennheiser-hd-419-mod

 

[bbfvr]

Hey man ! I've owned a pair of 449 since many years now and they just broke to now revival today.. I am really confused which pair to get in today's headphone market. Please suggest me any good replacement for my 449s which will keep me for another 3-4 years.. 

 

[pouskidis]

  Hey man ! I've owned a pair of 449 since many years now and they just broke to now revival today.. I am really confused which pair to get in today's headphone market. Please suggest me any good replacement for my 449s which will keep me for another 3-4 years.. 

Their replacement is HD-471. The letter g or i goes to the cable it uses: So HD-471g for android, HD-471i for i-phones. 
 
This is basicaly a HD-449 as far as characteristics go. Perhaps you can mod them as well with the same mod.
 
The same may be true for HD-439 wich is replaced by HD-461, and HD-429 may have become HD-451.
 
So, that's it.

 

[Cassianoaran]

  Their replacement is HD-471. The letter g or i goes to the cable it uses: So HD-471g for android, HD-471i for i-phones. 
 
This is basicaly a HD-449 as far as characteristics go. Perhaps you can mod them as well with the same mod.
 
The same may be true for HD-439 wich is replaced by HD-461, and HD-429 may have become HD-451.
 
So, that's it.

Are you shure about this information, pouskidis? I was about to buy the HD 449, but I didn't like the fact that the cable isn't detachable. If the
HD 471 just is a aesthetically remodeled HD 449, but with the exactly same souding characteristics, I'll buy the HD 471, due to its detachable cable. Can you confirm this to me, please?

 

[pouskidis]

To my experience, 471 is in fact 449. They actually sound a bit better, perhaps due to different pads or construction.
The inside may be exactly the same. I am not sure about the mod, some people say they can be moded just like the 449.
 
If you do not intend to mod them, DO buy the 471. Plus the 471 has a detachable cable.
If you intend to mod them, perhaps you should wait until somebody mod the 471 and tell us how it sounds.
 
I can defenetelly tell you though: Although 471 sounds a tad better out of the box compared to an unmodded 449, the HD-449 sounds MUCH better modded than any other headphone I have ever listened too, inlcuding, of course, 471 unmodded. In a week or so, I will get my hands on a HD-598cs and tell you which I prefer. Hd-449 moded or HD-598cs.
 
I will mod the 471 one day, I just hesitate to do right now, they are brand new.
Since 471 can be easily found nowadays, if I where you I would wait for final asesments

 

[Cassianoaran]

Yeah, these will be my next pair of headphones. I do not intend to mod them. I like the "sennheiser veil" characteristic of the HD449 and others of Sennheiser. Thank you for your help!

 

[pouskidis]

Oh, you like the "sennheiser veil"? The 449 sounds a bit harsh in highs compared to 471 that have a much nicer veil effect... I think you will love them!
 
Glad to be of help! Let me know of your impressions.
 
When and if I mod the 471, I will post 449 moded vs 471 moded comparisons.

 

[pouskidis]

 
I can defenetelly tell you though: Although 471 sounds a tad better out of the box compared to an unmodded 449, the HD-449 sounds MUCH better modded than any other headphone I have ever listened too, inlcuding, of course, 471 unmodded. In a week or so, I will get my hands on a HD-598cs and tell you which I prefer. Hd-449 moded or HD-598cs.
 

Ok, got my HD-598cs. Out of the box, the HD-598cs compared to the HD-471 seem to be lacking bass. But after burn in, they are much better headphones than HD-471 in every aspect. Considering you can get the HD-598cs at a price range around 100 bucks, they make a much beter buy than HD-471. The difference in price is not that big.