Product Description

The HD490 Live's acoustic properties create superb sound reproduction with powerful bass. With its ultra-light BioNetic design and a new dampening technique, the HD490 Live is an ideal choice for the most discerning music lover.Very comfortable, ultra-light BioNetic design allows these headphones to adapt to the shape of your head. New Sennheiser patented dampening element is included for controlling diaphragm oscillation. The HD490 Live provide detailed sound reproduction with powerful bass and are suitable for all types of hi-fi equipment, especially digital sound sources.

Product Details

• Brand: Sennheiser
• Model: HD490
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Features

• Over-the-ear stereo headphones
• 18 to 20,000 Hz frequency response
• 10-foot, single-sided OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable
• Lightweight and durable design
• Duofol membranes reduces partial harmonics

Amazon.com Product Description
Sennheiser's HD490 Live is a full-size headphone system that can be connected to both home and personal stereos. Audiophile-grade components are used throughout for maximum performance, while a frequency response of 18 to 22,000 Hz delivers maximum bass response and explosive dynamics.

A 10-foot OFC (oxygen-free copper) cord is attached to the left earpiece only, which gives you enough room to move around and reduces tangling. The 0.25-inch plug comes with a miniplug adapter, which lets you plug the HD490 into a smaller headphone jack. An airy, plastic cushion on the underside of the headphone strap adds comfort, as do the padded, adjustable teardrop-shaped earpieces.

The Sennheiser HD490 Live has a two-year warranty.

Customer Reviews

Why the negative reviews?
I am rather surprised at some of the negative reviews of this product, which IMHO is a fine product for the money. I bought them as a birthday gift for my brother (I already own a pair of Sennheiser 570's) and here in the UK the 490's are marketed as the Classic. The HD490 is a relative of the HD500 and HD570, all three of which are a bionetic design - made to ensure maximum comfort, and these are VERY comfortable 'phones.

Just like a pair of speakers, headphones need to be "run in" for a while to loosen up the components. OK, so they are not the best headphones on the planet but they do offer a very clean and spatial sound with good dynamics and excellent bass. After I'd run them in for a few hours, I compared them to my old 445's and the 490's were much better.

The only real criticism I have is that they are not as neutral as my 570's and seem to push the lower frequencies , resulting in a slightly uneven bass on some material although it has to be said it's entirely dependent on the recording itself.

My brother listens to mostly reggae and bassy ghetto music (hip-hop, rap, etc) so these are ideal headphones for that type of music although I tested wth all sorts of music and they sounded fine to me. I listened to RUN DMC's Walk This Way (a typical bass-heavy ghetto track!) and I could hear all sorts of low-level detail which my old 445's simply blur or miss out. Likewise when I played some tracks from Bob Marley's Natural Mystic compilation CD, I ended up enjoying it so much I sat there for hours listening to the CD over and over!

Give these 'phones a break you negative reviewers and learn how to use them properly!!! These are really very good headphones for the money but make sure you run them in (at least 24 hours) and, if you want to hear them at their best, use them with your domestic hi-fi amp. I would not recommend using these with portable equipment.

the more you listen to them, the more you will enjoy
I decided to buy these headphones after reading many reviews. Some were good, other were really hard.
The first time I plugged the Senn's on my portable cd player I was a little bit disappointed, because they didn't sound very loud and sound quality was poor compared to my old Technics RP-F1 closed headphones. But now I can tell why : all of the new generations of portable players don't drive the headphones like years before, because of the sound limitation - like "avls" from Sony to protect the ears from too loud sound. So the headphones don't have enought power too play an acceptable sound. If you plug some headphone above 32ohms in, you will never reach a comfortable volume. Especially on the Sony portable like told before.

So the Sennheiser HD490 are not good on todays portable players for that reason. But if you plug them on your hi-fi amp and disconnect the loudness, you will be able to listen them for hours without any fatiguing sensation. You will re-discover your favorite music. Simply let them play some hours to run them in.
It's really worth of it. They are not for hearing loud loud music because of distortions but for enjoying a not coloured sound spectrum. Like I told before : the more you set them on, the more you will appreciate them for their real sound.

These are by far the best headphones for the price
These headphones are a true demonstration of what quality sound should be. It's as if your listening to a 7.1 surround system with 300 watt subwoofer. The sound is very clear in all aspects, as if there are more speakers than 2. I highly recommend this product over any headphones under [cost].