SennheiserHD 490 PRO
headphones
New retail price (MSRP)
$429
Used market: $335*
Specifications
3 of 9 values have a recorded sourceExpert Audio Engineering Commentary
Tonal profile
The rare datasheet that prints sensitivity twice — 105 dB at 1 Vrms and 96 dB at 1 mW — so nothing has to be inferred. At 130 Ohms those two numbers agree with each other, which is itself a check most sheets do not let you run. Open-backed, and the two supplied pad sets change the response, not just the fit: Sennheiser tunes 'mixing' and 'producing' as separate voicings.
What the datasheet actually says
Quoted verbatim from the manufacturer’s own page, with the date we checked it. We state what is printed, not what anyone intended by it.
«Power consumption (Amp) 300 mW (100 h, noise IEC 60268)»
Passive headphones do not have a 'power consumption'. The number is the IEC 60268-7 power handling capacity — how much the driver survives for 100 hours of noise, not how much it draws or needs. Read as consumption it suggests the HD 490 PRO wants a 300 mW amplifier; it needs about 0.008 mW for 105 dB. The two numbers differ by a factor of forty thousand.
checked 8/5/2026Setups using this gear
* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~78% retained value).