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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Sennheiser HD 490 biggest strength: An open-back, over-ear design built specifically for mixing, producing and content creation, with a natural soundstage and a bundled mixing plug-in that makes it a genuine studio tool rather than a general-purpose headphone.
• Sennheiser HD 490 biggest trade-off: Open-back means almost no isolation and plenty of sound leakage, so it is a poor fit for noisy rooms, tracking vocals, DJ work, or listening on the move.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x biggest strength: A closed-back, over-ear monitor with large 45mm dynamic drivers, sound isolation, swiveling earcups and a foldable frame, so it works in loud spaces and travels well.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x biggest trade-off: The closed-back, folding, portable design prioritizes isolation and practicality over the wide, speaker-like sense of space an open-back gives you.
• Who each pick is for: Choose the Sennheiser if mixing accuracy and a natural soundstage are your priority; choose the Audio-Technica if you need one headphone that isolates, folds up and handles monitoring, DJing and casual listening.
The Sennheiser HD 490 PRO is, first and foremost, a mixing and production headphone. Its open-back, over-ear enclosure is the defining feature here — it lets air move behind the driver, which is the design choice behind that "natural soundstage" the spec sheet calls out. If your job is judging balance, depth and where instruments sit in a mix, an open-back design gives you a more spacious, less boxed-in presentation than a sealed cup can. It runs a dynamic driver covering 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, which is a standard full-range span for this kind of reference tool.
What makes it more than a pair of headphones is the toolkit around it. Sennheiser bundles two sets of ear pads — one pair tuned for mixing, one for producing — so you can shift the tuning depending on whether you are checking a mix or tracking ideas. It also includes the dearVR MIX-SE mixing plug-in, which is a meaningful addition for anyone working in a DAW who wants a virtual monitoring environment. The cable is detachable and measures 5.9 feet, and the connection is a 3.5 mm jack. Because it is wired, there is no battery, no pairing, no charging — you plug in and work. The bundle adds a headphone stand, a full-sized dimpled polyurethane case and a microfiber cloth, and the headphones carry a limited two-year manufacturer warranty.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: Who It's For
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x ENSO is the opposite philosophy in almost every way. It is a closed-back, over-ear monitor, which means the cups seal around your ears to reduce outside noise and limit audio bleed. That single design choice makes it usable in places the Sennheiser is not: a loud room, a live monitoring situation, a shared studio, a hotel, a train. The spec sheet lists sound isolation as its noise control, and that is exactly what it delivers.
The engine is a set of proprietary 45mm dynamic drivers with neodymium magnets and CCAW voice coils, tuned for a controlled low end and detailed mids. The frequency range is quoted at 15 Hz to 28 kHz, which is wider at both ends than the Sennheiser's 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz — though in practice the more important difference is voicing: the M50x is tuned to keep clarity across lows, mids and highs while preserving deep, controlled bass, which is what makes it such a common choice for tracking, editing and cueing tracks. The swiveling earcups allow single-ear monitoring, which is genuinely useful for DJs and vocalists, and the foldable frame makes the whole thing easy to store and carry. Audio-Technica ships it with three detachable single-sided cables, plus a 3.5 mm connection with a screw-on 1/4 inch adapter, so it slots into everything from a laptop to an audio interface. The bundle adds a stand, a case, a 15-foot 1/4-inch TRS interconnect, a headphone cleaner, touch-fastener straps and a cleaning cloth. It weighs 14.56 ounces and is built around a reinforced headband and cushioned ear pads for long sessions.
Who should buy it: DJs, vocalists, engineers, podcasters and content creators who monitor in imperfect rooms, need isolation, or want one headphone for the studio and the road. Who should skip it: listeners who specifically want the wide, airy, speaker-like presentation of an open-back design for critical mix decisions in a treated room. The M50x trades some of that openness for the practicality that makes it usable almost anywhere.
• Best for critical mixing in a quiet room → Sennheiser HD 490. Open-back design, natural soundstage, plus mixing and producing ear pads and the dearVR MIX-SE plug-in.
• Best for recording and tracking → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. Closed-back cups reduce bleed into a live mic, which is the whole point of a sealed monitor.
• Best for noisy environments → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. Sound isolation is built in; the Sennheiser has none.
• Best for DJ and live monitoring → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. Swiveling earcups allow single-ear monitoring, a feature the open-back Sennheiser does not offer.
• Best for travel and storage → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. The foldable, rotating design and included case make it far easier to pack.
• Best out-of-the-box studio toolkit → Sennheiser HD 490. Two pad sets and a mixing plug-in give you a complete workflow rather than just a headphone.
• Widest quoted frequency span → Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. 15 Hz to 28 kHz versus 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz on the Sennheiser.
• Best for long, stationary sessions → either, for different reasons. The Sennheiser is built for long listening comfort with its open-back, over-ear fit; the M50x uses a reinforced headband and cushioned pads for extended wear, with the trade-off of a heavier closed-back build.
If your goal is mixing, and you work in a reasonably quiet space, I would buy the Sennheiser HD 490. In my opinion, the open-back design, the two pad tunings and the bundled mixing plug-in make it the more purposeful tool for judging a mix — that combination is hard to match for production work. If, instead, you need one headphone that isolates, folds up and survives tracking sessions, DJ sets and travel, I would buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. It covers more real-world situations. Pick based on the room you actually work in, not the one you wish you had.
how to connect studio headphones
Both of these are wired headphones with a 3.5 mm jack, so they connect directly to a laptop, phone or controller. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x also includes a screw-on 1/4 inch adapter and a 1/4-inch TRS interconnect, so you can run it into an audio interface or mixer. The Sennheiser HD 490 has a detachable 5.9-foot cable and a 3.5 mm connection.
how to test studio headphones
Play a few tracks you know inside out and listen for balance across lows, mids and highs, then check how well sounds separate. The M50x is tuned for controlled bass and detailed mids, so it is easy to evaluate that way. The open-back HD 490 will reveal staging and depth differently, which is why it suits mix-checking in a quiet room.
how to bluetooth studio headphones
Neither of these is wireless — both are wired only, with no Bluetooth listed. To use either one untethered you would need a separate Bluetooth transmitter or adapter that accepts a 3.5 mm plug. If wireless is a must, these are not the right pick.
can you mix with just headphones
Yes. The Sennheiser HD 490 is designed exactly for that, with a natural soundstage and an included dearVR MIX-SE mixing plug-in that simulates a monitoring environment. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x also handles mixing and tracking. The honest caveat: it helps to check your work on a second source, because no single headphone tells the whole story.
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