I think most of the Cardas talk was actually with the older HD600s, it was one of the few cable options back then. The wonky replaced driver hd600 i had came with a cardas and it was the best hd variant i heard (well, out of the one og driver that wasnt replaced). They should also be cheap used. I also liked plussound and norne draug, though the draug is more mellowed than i would ultimately prefer but only a hair so.
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That’s good to know. I’ll keep a lookout for some used cardas or PlusSound x8. I actually really like how you describe the PlusSound x8 cables. “It adds a bit more depth, texture and meat/thickness”. I do agree the HD580 Jubilee and HD600 sounds pretty thin compare to the headphones I do like that give the sound a little more body with bass/subbass. I found a website on PlusSound x8 cables with the link below and the pricing is not that bad compared to the Cardas Clear. I am assuming you got Copper (Type 6 Litz) version?
Yep, the basic copper. It felt like it only added and didn’t take away or change what was there. The most important thing was adding the thickness/meat that the og cable left thin. I would also look for a plussound x6 as i feel ot would be darn close but it may save you a chunk of $. There are also other plussound cables that i assume are the same copper but sleeved, those are normally 4 strand so like an x4.
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Guess I’ll throw this here, but if someone has a better place to move it to, feel free.
I really don’t know who the HD490 Pros are for. With the cloth pads, they’re basically an HD560s with a 600 series veil that masks some of the treble glare and has flat bass extension and the velour pads just give it HD800 mids, but with none of the detail and also come with a bass bump that doesn’t help anything. I don’t think they should cost a penny over $200, and even that’s a stretch for me. Technicalities are basically all nonexistent with the exception of imaging and I’d say maybe a fairly cohesive stage that is pretty evenly spherical. Straight up awful bass and totally lacking in clarity. I did a bit of EQ tweaking and I just could not get them to have any semblance of bass definition, even with high passing them with a pretty steep slope around 35hz to take some of the bass extension out of them to let them breathe, but the only thing the EQ really fixed was the clarity. Detail remained pretty much the same with EQ, which was weird since the clarity was quite a bit better, but didn’t really reveal anything that was hidden. These things are marketed hard for mixing and I’d love to hear something that was mixed with them for shits and giggles. Build actually feels great, light and fairly sturdy feeling but with a bit of give to the slightly soft plastic that makes them seem like they aren’t brittle and capable of just shattering from a drop. Comfort for me on the cloth pads was just ok, my ears definitely touched on the inside of the cups a lot, velour pads didn’t compress as much and my ears still barely touched, but they were way more comfortable.
I heard after listening to them for a week straight that they use the HD560s driver so I borrowed the HD560s I gave to my buddy to compare, and stock vs stock, the HD560s just comes off as more detailed all around and far clearer at all times. The HD490 Pros were far more susceptible to congestion for whatever reason and it was a problem with a lot of stuff I tested with. The 490s were a lot more natural timbre wise than the 560s, but the tradeoff in technicalities just isn’t worth it considering they’re over double the price. I made a point to commit to listening to the HD490s exclusively for a week straight to really feel them out and give myself time to adjust to them, but going back to my daily driver HE6se v2 was a jarring experience. All of the sudden clarity, detail, bass, and separation existed again and it made me just thoroughly hate the 490s.
If anyone wants them, they’re for sale hardly used for whatever seems fair. Can include a balanced cable for them and the DearVR software code hasn’t been redeemed.
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Just got the 490 Pro in, I’ve only owned it for a day so I cant give a full review, But initial impressions as someone with an education in digital audio and working in the production industry I can say their miles a head of the 600’s for mixing. Initial impressions is that their very similar in tonality to the r70x but with a slight more resonant/studio timbre, More presence in the treble, Lower extending sub bass and much more spacious staging, Imaging seems solid too. Detail seems fine for the price too me, Ill have to compare more to my other headphones after using them for few weeks, But theirs definitely enough for mixing and I feel like you could even get away with doing 95% of a mix with these and just cleaning up the last 5 on speakers, Normally id only trust a headphone for 80% of the mix so 95% is about as good as it gets since in my opinion you have to finalize with proper monitors. Also comfort is off the charts and the clamp is perfect for playing instruments.
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Have you tried the 560s id so how do you think they compare? I’ve seen a good amount of people saying they are a direct upgrade to the 560s. The 560s is so close to a signature I would maybe enjoy but it’s so boring I find it hard to reccomend to new people to he hobby who approach me for recommendations. But I digress.
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Does anyone have the link to the chinese site that had a breakdown and pics of all hd600 revisions? I cant seem to find it on the google.
I got a guide someone put together me can send it over as it’s likely too large to post. Stereophile did an in-depth write up with measurements back in the Tyll days:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650
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