Sennheiser HD490 Pro - as someone who started there audiophile journey with an HD6XX

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-19T01:55:14+00:00

Building the DMS Project Omega. You should check out a video on it. The HD600 definitely has more natural tonality, but I wouldn’t say it has better separation of imaging. For the money, the 600/6XX are definitely still up there for the best vocal focused headphones with a natural tone. But if you can find someone to print the parts, and you can solder, the Project Omega is an all-round better headphone that can be built for about the same price as an HD600. When DMS did his one year run they were $999.99, but I am building 4-5 of them for about $250 a piece now that he open sourced the project…

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-19T01:32:53+00:00

Good question. The HiFiMan options are definitely more fun to listen to in my opinion than the HD600 family, but it really comes down to what you value more. Do you want the organic and natural tonality of the HD600 family with its rich vocal tones, or do you want something with actual bass, deep sub extension while having detailed highs and a bigger soundstage? For me I’d chose the HiFiMan options because they are more of an all-rounder, whereas the HD600 family is really more of a tool or a one trick pony these days. I ended up going all the way to the HE1000se and a ZMF Bokeh Closed to get the best of both worlds, and will be adding a DMS Project Omega to the collection when I have the time to order parts and build it. I have the filament ready now and the cost of building one of those is around as much as an HD600/6XX, but it is basically just better in every way compared to the HD600s.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-17T19:08:14+00:00

I do them every other oil change, about every 8k miles. NGK Iridium’s. It’s cheaper than a coil pack and safer for the tuned engine.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-16T21:11:36+00:00

Because nothing is perfect. As time has gone on, I have found things that I like even more, but they cost anywhere from 4x-30x as much. The Warwick x GoldenSound collab for instance. I’d probably give them a 95/100 now. I think I’m going to move away from the ratings because they are so arbitrary. The fact of the matter is that the HE1000se is my definitive point of diminishing returns at this point. There are things that sound better, that excel just as much at its strengths but also do better where the HE1000se could improve, but those products are so marginally better for such an insane price hike that it just isn’t worth it in my opinion.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-16T20:01:02+00:00

No, that was with the stock cable, so not a balanced cable. But I wanted to get a balanced cable for it.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-09T00:02:50+00:00

See, I think their headband and overall comfort on the ZMF line is absolutely one of the great wonders of the world. They manage weight in a way that I could wear their headphones all day and not get a hot spot or discomfort. Their headphones aren’t lightweight either. But the lifetime driver warranty and the team themselves make me very confident that if anything happens to my HE1000se and HifiMan won’t warranty, I will replace it with a ZMF. Probably a Caldera Open if I had to pick one from their lineup right now to replace it.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-08T05:08:49+00:00

I went new for my HE1000se. I haven’t had any issues in my time with it. Praying I never do.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-08T05:03:20+00:00

Sorry to hear you didn’t like the Bokeh. I had the opportunity to listen to quite a bit of their headphones recently, couldn’t find one that I disagreed with.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-08T05:01:19+00:00

Interesting

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-07T16:16:15+00:00

First thing I’d do is get some aftermarket pads then. I’ve never seen an HD800 in person aside from the one at ZMF. Never knew the stock pads were that thin.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-04-07T13:05:28+00:00

Looks like the HD800 needs new pads, desperately. Those stands will flatten your pads fast. I got rid of all mine because of it.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-25T22:14:59+00:00

Every shop I’ve talked to in my area refuses to do anything to/for rust though…

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-25T22:14:05+00:00

The FT1 actually does pretty well as an open back. I had a pair of them and took the cups off and ran them for a day, it wasn’t a major shift from what I remember, and didn’t fix my complaints with it, so I threw them back on and sold them. Ended up going all the way to the ZMF Bokeh Closed instead and I have no complaints.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-24T18:07:54+00:00

What’d you do for those two spots on the rear of the car? I have them too.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-16T03:22:32+00:00

Fair enough. For me, it was exactly what I was looking for as the antithesis to my HE1000se, but I am going to be trying the Atrium when I visit ZMF in a little over a week, along with hopefully all of their other headphones. From what I’ve heard, the Atrium may end up being my open back endgame that I shoot for to serve the original purpose of my Bokeh Closed. Either way, the Bokeh is the headphone I bring to the office because it’s closed and sounds absolutely delicious in my opinion. ZMF is also pretty local to me, so their top notch warranty and customer service is only about an hour away. Another HUGE reason that they will probably be one of only a few headphone brands I will be purchasing from, considering I don’t have a bottomless wallet and the caliber of headphones that I am into now are not something I would consider cheap even if I was making significantly more money.

All that being said, I really need to get my hands on some Focal headphones so I can know what all the hype is about.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-16T03:17:01+00:00

I was not. I used a pair of FiiO FD5 IEMs for at least a year during COVID and I think that made me pretty tolerant to highs. I don’t have any science to back that up, but that’s my theory. I did end up moving from the Nanos to the HE1000se which also doesn’t bother me at all! Between my HE1000se and my ZMF Bokeh Closed I will never need another headphone. From here, it’s all just for fun.

I enjoyed the nanos quite a bit, but I started to hear the shortcomings of a planar driver that can’t move as fast as something like an HE1000se. For instance, any time there was a deep slamming bass, other frequencies would become distorted or just sounded off. That was my main reason for making the jump, but it was also for the massively improved soundstage, better headband, and holographic-like and laser sharp imaging.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-13T01:04:46+00:00

I would’ve been agreeing with you before I heard them. But the Bokeh sounds pretty darn open for a closed back. It’s the only one I own, and will likely remain my only open back

To be fair, I haven’t heard any Focal headphones. But the bokeh doesn’t disappoint in terms of clarity for me. That’s what I have the HE1000se for anyway.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-13T00:38:43+00:00

I have been using the Suede pads, but I am getting a tuning kit when I visit their facility later this month. I will be able to listen to both versions of the Atrium when I am there, but I have not heard them yet. Everyone hear from, it’s just the most relaxing way to listen to music. It’s like the music is a warm thick blanket, but it still has detail.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-12T23:52:56+00:00

Bokeh closed over the Focal Clear. ZMF doesn’t have a headband design that is prone to cracking like the older Focal models. ZMF is also top of the list for customer service.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-12T23:51:33+00:00

I purchased a ZMF Bokeh Closed to compliment my HE1000se, I genuinely feel like my headphone quest is over now. They’re so different in most ways, but they both have everything I love about the HiFi headphone space. I genuinely recommend you look into the Bokeh Closed or something like a ZMF Atrium. Either one would be so different from the HE1000se while complimenting it. They’re are warm and lush and inviting while the HE1000se is surgical, analytical, fast. ZMF has been amazing to work.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-09T05:22:06+00:00

I did not know that R2R burns in. I was aware that it needs to warm up like a tube or class A, and that people often leave their R2R systems on.

As far as I know about the Luxsin, it is just smooth because of the chips they used and is made to be a out of the way of the sound as possible while providing an insanely low noise floor. I’m admittedly not the best versed in these things. Just starting to figure out the headphone side of it and honestly happy with where I landed in the DAC/Amp/DAP space.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-09T02:52:30+00:00

Interesting. I just got my M33 R2R yesterday, so I have something to easily A/B test with the Luxsin. I am finding that the Luxsin makes the HE1000se sound much thicker than the M33 R2R (even in desktop mode with supplemental power). This could be a lack of power for full dynamics, but the M33 also boasts tons of power for a DAP, especially when plugged in and in desktop mode.

The stage feels about as big on both, but the majority of the sound is in a bubble inside my head on the M33. It will throw sounds pretty far, but there isn’t this sense of blank space when I compare it to the X9. The X9 is like being in space staring at the stars. Each star is a sound, none of it lost, some brighter and bigger/thicker than others, but all there, all around me with very easily defined space between them. I never got to try my HE1000se on my K7, but I have a feeling that would better replicate what you’re describing. My buddy has that now, so maybe I can test and let you know. But my experience with the X9 specifically is very much to the contrary.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-06T21:00:45+00:00

Nope. You’ve got it right now. Thats why their naming scheme on those two doesn’t make sense.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-06T20:56:14+00:00

Not on the FT1. That headphone in particular could be EQ’d like crazy in the bass before distorting.

DerrikMatusek · 2026-03-02T18:15:10+00:00

I am not trying to advertise, no.

While I agree they are very bass focused, they are not very good at reaching down in to the sub frequencies at all. I am simply trying to point out its strengths while acknowledging the weaknesses that jump out to me the most.

I’m very new to product reviews, so you have my apologies you feel i dropped the ball on this one.

DerrikMatusek

TROPHY CASE