Good response.

Looks cheap. Afraid of breaking them.

I think this is my fifth pair of Senns, all have been supraural (rest on the ear in one pad, rather than fitting ear inside a hole in the pad), so I am a bit biased. While you can get better Senn's, these are the best supraural Senn's which is why I picked them up. I have been known to wear Senn's for 20 hours straight on the computer so a very comfortable headphone is a must for me.

I like these better than the "Grado" sound, but that is a personal bias. You should really listen to both. The Grado sound is more in your face, more exaggerated. This is great for harder music, and computer games (where the noise is cartoon-like to begin with), but I don't appreciate it for classical, jazz and other softer genres. However, some people love Grado's, so if checking out this model you should also check out the Grado 60's and 80's too.

I bought these with an Airhead amp. Since the bad review of the 495/airhead combo a few reviews down, it seems Headroom has changed the design a bit. According to the Headwize forums, they have made them geared towards lower impendance headphones (which makes sense, as the Airhead is design for portable users, which naturally use lower imp. headphones). I am happy to report I can hear none of the static noise that was reported among earlier users, and I can indeed put the volume all the way up without distortion (I currently use an Aiwa XP-SP90 portable, btw). The difference with and without the amp is amazing. Shrill highs are balanced out, you can actually hear the bass, and the midrange is much, much better. The only way I can get a decent bass without the Airhead is to use the 3-setting bass button on the portable, which is more aptly named the muffle button. I have heard many users reporting that their Senn's do not have enough bass on portables, and I can see where this could be the case without an Airhead. Unfortunately, I did not try the Grados on my portable, so I don't know if they would have been any better without the Airhead either. The combination of the Airhead/495's however, are nothing short of amazing. I didn't know my portable could sound this good. I let my girlfriend listen a bit, and that was a mistake, because now she wants to borrow my setup all the time ;)

Similar Products Used:

Many other Senns starting from 414's
Grado 60's and 80's

Looked like new - could not tell they were refurbished

After reading Eddie's review below I knew that I had to try a pair of these headphones myself. I was not disappointed.

The clarity and soundstage is absolutely breathtaking.

I cannot take these headphones off as they are so comfortable and the sound is so good. For just $65, these are an incedible bargain. A better bargain than my Atoms which are my favorite inexpensive speakers.

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many

Today I decided to return the Sennheiser HD-495 headphones and the Airhead amp to Headroom. The combo just didn’t integrate well together. As for the headphones, they are barely efficient enough for today’s "long-battery-life" portable CD players--forcing me to order the Airhead amp in order to coax more output. But I was unimpressed: On either bass-heavy music or music that has extreme dynamics, I can’t turn the amp past half-way (or only a moderate loudness level) without severe distortion. I discovered that the Airhead is designed for extremely high-impedance headphones, such as the 300-ohm Sennheiser HD-580 or HD-600 headphones. The HD-495 headphones are only 32 ohms, causing a much tougher load for the Airhead. If I had kept the HD-495’s, I would have to buy either a $449 or a $599 Headroom amp; If I reurned the headphones and kept only the amp, I would have to spend another $200 to $350 on high-impedance headphones. Neither choice is a bargain. So today I went to a music (instrument/DJ/pro audio, not CD) store and bought a pair of Sony MDR-V900 headphones--a much better value than any Sennheiser headphone/Headroom amp combo.

BOTTOM LINE: My overall quality rating for the Sennheiser HD-495’s won’t change, but my value rating changes drastically.

Spatial feel; Great highs and lows; absolutely the best buy for the money

Construction does seem a little flimsy

I am a big fan of Sennheiser headphones for many years - this is my 4th pair of Sen headphones I've purchased in the last 5 years. I have to say that I am not disappointed in my latest set: From the sound quality to the visual design, there is nothing else even close to it at this price range. The HD495 is light, comfortable, and simply a great piece of industrial design (i.e. a good looker). Contrary to some reviews that found the bass response of Sen headphones to be loud and exaggerated (especially in the cheaper models), these headphones have very good balance and accuracy - if you listen to a wide range of music types, this is the best headphone for the money (my music collection includes: Miles Davis, The Doors, The Chemical Brothers, NIN, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, The Beastie Boys…) If your music preference runs into a big dose of bass, however, I might suggest another model / brand.

On a minor note, when I compare my old Sennheiser headphones with my 495, I find that the newer one doesn't feel as solid in my hands as the older models. I can't say whether the old ones are more durable (in fact the 495 is extremely light weight), but the molded plastic pieces are looking a little thin for a product of this price range. I guess this is a slight trade-off in an otherwise extremely good product.
Two big thumbs up!

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Sennheiser HD320 (2 pairs!)
Sennheiser HD340
Grado Labs SR60

Excellent Treble Detail, Great Midrange, Superb imaging and soundstage.

Slightly weak on the Bass, but I guess thats just the price you pay for Open Style cans.

I recently purchased the Sen 500's and I decided to return them since they sounded absolutely horrid. Although I wasn't using an amp, they were muddy, and far too bassy. I could get them to sound fairly well using an EQ, but I did not want to have to modify my sound to get the phones to sound right. So anyway, I picked up these 495's instead and what can I say? WOW, what a difference. These are the best headphones I have ever heard for under 100 dollars. They are EXTREMELY clear and VERY good at presenting a beleivable sound stage, especially with vocals and string instruments. In fact, they are so good that when I hooked them to my computer and played some Aureal A3D Demos, I could close my eyes and use my finger and PERFECTLY follow where the helicopter was in relation to myself. I have NEVER been able to do this with any other headphones. In live songs you can actually pick out where the musicians are standing, something only accomplished by VERY expensive speakers. Now I know there are far better headphones out there, but for 90 bucks, these are the best value. They are VERY comfortable and I could wear them forever, plus they are fairly fashionable looking too. Overall I still have to give em 5 stars given everything, even if the bass is slightly on the weak side. To make up for the bass I just turn on my powered sub in my room and use it in combo with the cans, hehe, works pretty good.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser Fusion 500, Sennheiser HD580, Grado SR60

decent sound

nothing fantastic

these phones are a decent choice for 90 bucks