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Review 2 of 44
Price Paid:
$60.00
from Darty Summary:
I guess previous reviews have established that these phones should not be used on discmans/walkmans. I had bought a pair of Sony CD380s which I used for about 6 months. They impressed me at first but their semi-closed design tended to give
me a sensation of pressure in the ears. Luckily for me, they developed a slight defect (nothing serious, not to downgrade them) and the electronics store chain where I bought them let me trade them in for the Sennheiser 490s.(Two really cool salesmen in my local store!) I've only been using them for 2 days but their sound is impressive. I just can't understand the complaints about boomy bass but maybe that's because I use them on my home stereo (Marantz 6000 OSE amp with 50 watts/channel, very-low distortion, Philips 723 CD player with high quality interconnects). I've been reading reviews of the Sennheiser 497s, which seem to get better reviews than the 490s, BUT. . .a lot of people seem unhappy with the comfort factor with the 497s. Whereas, the 490s are extremely comfortable (I've had them on for 4 hours tonight and still don't feel any discomfort). The sound quality is very good (much better than the Sonys, which had more impressive bass but were quite lifeless). I can't get Grados in France, but once again, some people seem to find the 60s a little uncomfortable so I'm not tempted to try to order them from the states.
These are very respectable cans for a home stereo. And hey, aren't headphones a little like shoes? What good is excellent quality if you can't wear them more than 2 hours? Strengths:
Good Sound
Comfort, Comfort Comfort!
Reasonable price Weaknesses:
I do need to turn my amp up a bit more than I do when listening through my speakers (Tannoys M2.5s) But where I usually listen through my speakers at 9 o'clock, I've been listening to the 490S at about 10. It's true that if I turn them up to mid-point the bass tends to distort a little but, maybe that's not such a bad thing--you really shouldn't listen to headphones at high volume, unless you're planning on not listening at all in the future. Similar Products Used:
Sony MDR-380, Sony MDR IF-120 (cordless)
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