very clear highs and fliud mids

bass a bit overdone and slowish

I think those who gave 490s 2 or 3 stars are too picky. Actually it is not bad! I compared it against Grado 80, and the highs are even a tad better, more detailed and extended. It fits classical best, I think. Okay with rock and pops.
Much clearer than Sennheiser 320, which I have used for years and discarded. The detachable cord is also a nice thing.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 470, Grado 80

relatively comfortable and definately nothing else

Everything. Loose Base, attempt highs, worst sensitivity.

Solomon:

After reading your review, I went back listening to this cans again and again and it continuously proved itself to be the worst cans I have ever own. Highs better than Grado SR80? Either I got a crippled pair of H490s or you have hearing problems due to long time listening of that pair of Sennhiser H470 you own. I have to admit the pair of H490 I got is a lemon. I have to max out the volume control of my CD player just to get a decent level of loudness and it hurts sound quality. 106db is absolutely a joke. The bass is indeed very loose and not defined. Medium is at most ok. And I can never figure out why you mentioned the "clarity" in highs for this headphone because it sounds to me harsh for the highs. A 10 feet long cord might also be a little too long for portable listenning. I would think 6-8 feet to be the better length. In general this headphone sounds too dark. And I compared this one with an optimus 71, a Jensen JF20, a Koss Sporta Pro and a pair of Grado SR60: every single pair leaves this one in the dust. No contest. Period. I couldn't believe a $40 pair of Sennhiser could be this bad. Try wearing the drivers backwards, actually the sound is better than wearing it the correct way. Unbelieveable. I don't think I am very picky about this product. Just that there is nothing in this cans could make me give it a rating better than 2. It is that bad unless I got a defective one.

Similar Products Used:

Too many, never tried H470 although everybody agrees H470 is even worse.

Lightweight, comfortable, inexpensive.

Ok, I've read all the other reviews and anybody that paid more than $50 or $60 for these cans might feel a bit ripped. Now I paid $34 at ubid and got a decent, entry-level, light weight set that while they will not match $100-$300 headphones, are really quite good. For me the highs are less important since I can't hear above 17K anyway, and I like lots of bass. I also listen mainly to rock and jazz, and mainly at the office where I need to be able to hear the phone ring and people enter my cube. At my preferred volume levels I don't bother anybody else and I cringe to think of how loud people must be running them to bother people in adjacent cubes. Yikes! They do take some time to get used to, but are very comfortable when you do and can be worn for hours on end without the usual ear sweating.

If you want a light-weight, well constructed set, get these. If you think many headphones are tinny and you want more bass, then get these. If you like headphones that let you hear other things around you and don't like the ear sweats, then get these. If you don't have a lot of money but want a decent set of headpones with detachable cord and inexpensive replaceable ear pads, then go over to ubid.com and bid on a set. If you are a audophile with $300 headphones already, then by all means, skip these.

Comfortable, nice sound

NOT good for portables

Nice sound...BUT don't try to use these with portables like diskmans...These sound nice but require the power of an amplifier of some sorts. Descent Base for their size, the highs get a little fuzzy when at any high volume!

Light weight

Sound Quality

I bought these on the net for $49.00 unseen, but the design turned out to different than I was looking for. Foam rubber ear padding was not comfortable for me. Advertisement claimed that these were award winners. Personally, I don't see how. Bass was not that good and mids/highs were disappointing for what I think should have been for a brand that brags sound quality.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Sennheiser

Solid bass, nice mids and crisp highs---VERY COMFORTABLE

Had to exchange first pair due to distortion in left ear. They do leak music and can disturb others if played loud.
Use with your main system---not for portables.

A long time ago I realized that when it comes to stereo equipment all you have to do is please yourself. These headphones do a very fine job and are the most comfortable I have worn. They please me and that is all that is important. I'm not quite sure why the reviews tend to be so different.At times certain products evoke strong feelings and they are either loved or hated. Or,perhaps,Sennheiser has a quality control issue with this model. I love these headphones and it is obvious that others don't agree.Don't get me wrong, other more expensive models do sound better and cost much more. I can only suggest that you give 'em a try and if you like them you can purchase a very fine set of phones for a very reasonable price. Let your ears decide!

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser MS100, Sennheiser HD450 II

Powerful low end, ultra-light design, modular construction, detachable OFC cable, very attractive

Emphasizes too much the low end; highs are soft; not neutral. Not too efficient.

First of all: don't believe the hype. If you use these headphones in a portable device, you will get the worst quality you can imagine. These babies scream for a powerful receiver or a dedicated headphone amp. Why? Well, let's just say that 106 dB rated efficiency is... a lie. More like 86 dB. My Sennheiser 580s (an admittedly low-efficiency headphone) need way LESS power than these cans. Go figure.

First of all, if you decide to get them, BREAK THEM IN!!! If you do it for about 50 hours, you will discover that highs get a lot better (less sibilance and harshness) the low end gets stronger and the overall experience is nicer. Bear in mind, it might not suit your needs (because it is not a neutral sounding headphone, it leans toward the low end way too much). Also, be warned that sound leakage is so strong, you might bother everyone around you more with this headphones than with a set of speakers.

Bottom line: if you don't take time to break them in, the headphone is terrible. If you insist on buying them, be warned that you will need a receiver or a dedicated amp to power them. They are not that bad, it's just that people aren't used to treat headphones correctly. Note that my value rating is based on the 50 USD price I got for them.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 580, Alessandro MS-1, Koss SportaPro, Sennheiser 400, Bang & Olufsen A8 Earphones

None.

TREBLE IS HIZZY,HARSH AND PAINFUL. For instance, the "S" words in lyrics sounded terrible, the cymbals of the drums too, the treble plainly sucks ass. I HATED THESE HEADPHONES. THEY ARE NOW REPLACED WITH HD565 OVATION (GREAT HEADPHONES).

They suck. I have nothing good to say about them. Weird, since all other sennheiser phones i´ve tried sounds awesome.

This is a terrible product. DON´T F%¤%¤#%NG buy it.

Similar Products Used:

HD565, HD200 MASTER

Very comfy

Boomy and Tinny all at once. External acoustics are awful for environmental purposes.

I can't recommend these headphones. The bass is unnatural and boomy, and some of the higher frequencies ring out like a screeching cat. I've tried to compensate with EQ.

In addition, they are impractical to use in a cubicle environment because the music is just as loud OUTSIDE the headphone as inside. I can't turn up my music without annoying co-workers.

Super-Aural Design
Comfort
Lows, Mid, Highs!

Power efficiency...needs an amp.

Yo I dunno wusup wit all you haters of this product. Maybe Sennheiser had quality control problems with this product, but my unit produces a very clean, refined soundstage. I think a common pitfall with this set of headphones is wearing it correctly. I read one person telling to wear it backwards, and I was able to reproduce this same upped clarity of sound by wearing the earpieces a bit lower. And that basically did the trick for me. Make sure ur ears ARE in the middle of the earpieces; do not trust ur feeling, look at yourself in a mirror and judge from there. As for portables, no don't listen to portables with these- get some earbuds or something. I use these on a computer with a turtle beach santa cruz, and I can get good volume and great sound.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic HP's, Sony MDR's