[jbarrentine]

I think 490 pro can trade blows w some HPs in the 1k and > price segment. In terms of performance in it's own mid priced segment, 490 is the best of them that I've heard. To me, it doesn't sound like a mid-tier HP

Now that's a bold statement. They really need to send one of those on tour or something.

 

[kman1211]

If we must follow this kind of speculation, then here is a close up photo of the NDH 30 driver by @Vitaliy Belz from his early posts in the NDH 30 thread:



and one of the HD 490 Pro from Reddit:


We can see that out of the 3 printed numbers on the membranes, 2 are clearly different and the last might be similar. We cannot be sure if the drivers (or the membranes) are identical judging from the printed numbers but if they are then it's a good thing for the HD-490 Pro.
I am sure though that much more strict tolerances of parts are used for the NDH 30 to achieve that impressively low THD of 0,03% compared to the 0,2% of the HD-490 Pro. I don't know if these values are really audible but the NDH 30 sounds considerably more undistorted and transparent than, say, the HD-650 which boasts a THD of 0,05%.

Not really speculation as it's already been stated from the horses mouth the NDH-30 driver is based off the HD 560S driver. I wasn't saying they were the same, I was saying they all seem to share the same number printed which indicates the drivers are all very similar and from the same family. Also this picture from the NDH-30 thread from the same poster shows more of the numbers more clearly. The numbers actually line up on what I see. The first two are 00, then there is a 5, I can't see the first 7 or the 2, but the rest match. You see part of the outline of the 5 and the first 6. With the two NDH photos, the numbers of what I can see are 005X667X, you can also see a bit of the E part of the IE. Of course the damping, tolerances, and possibly the motor etc. are likely different.

 

[headstef]

There's nothing audible worth noting with regards to THD and the 490 to my ears

That's good to hear!
Distortion can also come in way that is not directly audible: A slight masking effect of the special and delicate timbre of similar but not identical instruments. In this case some higher harmonic frequencies of a note can be just lost or homogenised because of harmonic distortion of the transducer. (Actually this became one of the major differences between the HD-650 and the NDH 30: The latter has greater richness of timbre and offers easier distinction between similar instruments (tonal separation).

 

[Rob80b]

If we must follow this kind of speculation

Outside of the HD800/S driver they are all pretty much the same design, Neumann demand premium pricing so we would hope they have the pick of the crop. For the casual listener a 500 series phone or the HD58X would all be good choices. The 490 do offer a new housing, venting, offset driver and additional features like multiple pads, single sided cables that can be plugged in either side (maybe Neumann could follow suite) and from what we can see a fairly linear sound.

the NDH 30 sounds considerably more undistorted and transparent than, say, the HD-650 which boasts a THD of 0,05%.

For a newer phone lets hope so, believe it has been recently noted by Sennjeiser that the 650 and 600 drivers after decades are still assembled by hand so that may lend to their cherished sound, gain speculation. : )

 

[kman1211]

Outside of the HD800/S driver they are all pretty much the same design, Neumann demand premium pricing so we would hope they have the pick of the crop. For the casual listener a 500 series phone or the HD58X would all be good choices. The 490 do offer a new housing, venting, offset driver and additional features like multiple pads, single sided cables that can be plugged in either side (maybe Neumann could follow suite) and from what we can see a fairly linear sound.

For a newer phone lets hope so, believe it has been recently noted by Sennjeiser that the 650 and 600 drivers after decades are still assembled by hand so that may lend to their cherished sound, gain speculation. : )

The HD 600 and HD 650 drivers do have some advantages to the newer ones imho, for one I find them more effortless than the other Senns even if some of the newer ones have the refinement and resolution benefit such as the HD 660S2. Something I noticed with listening to countless dynamic headphones over the years, is those with symmetrical rear driver venting (HD 600/650, HD 800/S, Austrian AKG, Beyers, certain AT's, certain Sony's, etc.) tend to be a bit easier on my ears than those with non-symmetrical venting such as the 660S/S2, etc. with long-term listening and ownership.

 

[457139]

On a scale of 1 to 5 (decimal points ok), could you (or anyone else having purchased these) please rate them for the following;

Impact
Slam
Speed
Stage
Bass
Mids
Treble
Clarity
Build

I leave comfort out but does this HP err on the warm or more cold side of the harmonic spectrum? What other HP's are you comparing them with?

This may make interesting comparisons between users

Thank you.

HD490 Pro to my ears

Impact: 4.6
Slam: 4.5
Speed: 4.6
Stage: 4.8
Bass: 4.6 (in terms of information retrieved, not quantity)
Mids: 4.5
Treble: 4.8
Clarity: 4.8
Build: 4.7
Imaging: 4.7
Resolution: 4.6

With the velour pads this headphone is neither warm or cold. I'd say it's just neutral. In terms of the treble, listen to cymbals with this set and you will understand. They are reproduced perfectly by the 490. In terms of timbre, yes, the 600 is still KING in this department and I will always have my 600 for this reason. But I think the timbre from the 490 is very good, certainly better than most headphones. It just does not possess this almost alien timbre the 600 has, and that's not a knock because no headphone I've heard does. Also my feeling is that it would be extremely difficult to produce a 600 level timbre in a HP with 490's ability to image and stage. Just an inkling I have.

*Updated ratings as I've had a bit more time with the 490 Pro

 

[Rob80b]

The HD 600 and HD 650 drivers do have some advantages to the newer ones imho, for one I find them more effortless than the other Senns even if some of the newer ones have the refinement and resolution benefit such as the HD 660S2.

Sennheiser driver/transducer tuning is addressed here...around the 13 min....


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/beyond-the-curve-an-audiophile-youtube-series.969084/

 

[kman1211]

HD490 Pro to my ears

Impact: 4.8
Slam: 4.7
Speed: 4.8
Stage: 5.0
Bass: 4.7 (in terms of information retrieved, not quantity)
Mids: 4.8
Treble: 4.9
Clarity: 4.8
Build: 4.5
Imaging: 5.0
Resolution: 4.8

With the velour pads this headphone is neither warm or cold. I'd say it's just neutral. In terms of the treble, listen to cymbals with this set and you will understand. They are reproduced perfectly by the 490. In terms of timbre, yes, the 600 is still KING in this department and I will always have my 600 for this reason. But I think the timbre from the 490 is very good, certainly better than most headphones. It just does not possess this almost alien timbre the 600 has, and that's not a knock because no headphone I've heard does. Also my feeling is that it would be extremely difficult to produce a 600 level timbre in a HP with 490's ability to image and stage. Just an inkling I have.

For me the headphone to compare the HD 490 Pro to is the R70x, which is sorta like an HD 600 series with really good imaging/staging. I'm thinking the HD 490 Pro may be irrelevant for me personally due to the R70x. I do want to properly revisit the HD 600 sometime, just to get reacquainted with it's timbre.

 

[457139]

For me the headphone to compare the HD 490 Pro to is the R70x, which is sorta like an HD 600 series with really good imaging/staging. I'm thinking the HD 490 Pro may be irrelevant for me personally due to the R70x. I do want to properly revisit the HD 600 sometime, just to get reacquainted with it's timbre.

I feel like people really should not miss out on what the 490 has to offer. To me it's no hesitation purchase at it's price point.

 

[kman1211]

I feel like people really should not miss out on what the 490 has to offer. To me it's no hesitation purchase at it's price point.

I'm personally waiting for longer term impressions on the headphone to see if there is a shift or not in impressions or if potential issues crop up, etc.

 

[MadHiFi]

Another 490 Pro owner here! Coming mostly from speakers (Nubert NuLines) and mobile Headphones (Bose QC25, QC35II, AirPods but also Sennheiser HD599) ...but think the 490 are already the right pick for me. Didn't had that for years now that I went down after breakfast to "my room" and was so excited to start listening to all my old and new fav songs!
Definetly these HP make a lots emotions in me...and every song is nearly a new experience even I know them for years!

One question: i only ordered the normal version with 1,8m cable. Can someone link me a good 3m cable? Thanks

 

[457139]

This song is feast in terms bass variation and precise imaging of the instrumentation:



These headphones are just as much at home with a track like that or with classical

 

[457139]

One potential problem I see and could be a reason for right driver failure that one guy had is this exposed wire. When the cup moves it rubs against it. I don't know how many times this can happen before it becomes loose or disconnected.





You can see it rubbing between the cup and yoke. I think the wire should not be exposed in that spot..

 

[457139]

Nevermind.

Disregard the above. There's groves on the yokes that the wire fits into. I was able to get the wire back into the grove:

Keep an eye on this on your sets.

 

[jbarrentine]

I can't unsee those pink pants.