Sennheiser’s new closed-back headphones, the HD 480 Pro, have arrived, and they complement the near-identical open-backed HD 490 Pros we looked at in 2024. MusicTech reviewer Hollin Jones celebrated the impressive comfort and tonal presentation of the 490s, and they’ve been a firm favourite ever since.

The HD Pro series represents Sennheiser’s commitment to producing new and innovative products for the studio in the wake of its consumer headphones division — which, perplexingly, includes studio staples such as the HD 600 in its offering — being sold to an external buyer in 2022. HD Pro headphones are developed by Sennheiser at its German headquarters and are constructed in Romania.

The new HD 480 Pro is intended to be a comfortable, dependable closed-back set headphone for any professional user, in applications ranging from composing, to recording and mixing. While this challenges established norms — with open-back models usually considered most suitable for some of these jobs — in terms of producing a capable all-rounder, Sennheiser has squarely hit the target with the 480s, and then some.

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro: Features and form

Just like the 490s, the form is over-ear, with 38 mm drivers contained within the ear cups, which swivel for easy storage. The supplied three-metre coiled cable can be attached to either side via a mini XLR connector — useful for left-handers or when holding specific instruments. A grommet is included to keep crud out of the spare port, and there are braille marks on one of the ear-cup brackets to indicate the left side.

Also on accessibility, frame and ear cups are shaped to support glasses wearers, which I greatly appreciate. The Pro variant comes with a soft bag, but our Pro Plus review model has a soft-shell zipped case that offers solid protection while being supremely compact. The premium case is a big win when throwing the headphones into a bag for work on the move, so it’s worth the extra $40, but it seems tight that this isn’t included as standard. We’re talking about a pro model, after all.

With a combination of soft, deep ear cup pads, and a gentler-than-most clamping force, the HD 480 Pros are supremely comfortable. They remind me of the £599 HEDDphone D1s I recently reviewed in this regard and, in stark contrast, my Adam Audio H200s really feel like they’re out to get me. I test sound isolation while a family member has a hairdryer on turbo, and I’m pleased to report results are in a similar ballpark to the H200s; they’d work well for tracking instruments. There’s an impressive balance of comfort and noise isolation at play.

The only potential sticking point is a relatively high impedance of 130 Ohms, which possibly might require a stronger headphone amp than some devices provide, particularly with corrective EQ, that leads to a net level loss. In practice however, I can go really loud on my MacBook’s headphone out.

How do the HD 480 Pros sound?

There’s an immediate impression of a full and punchy bass end. On Is There Someone Else? (The Weeknd) there’s a tight and punchy kick, followed by sub-synths that have reassuring weight and warmth in the very lowest octaves. Nice!

In the ever-crucial mids, there’s accurate separation between the various parts of the range, without the unnecessary or uncomfortable hype at the low or high extremes that are often built into headphone voicing. Other headphones push low mids to enhance vocal proximity, or have more pronounced high-mid boosts to make vocals and transients more audible when tracking parts in the studio; a sonic signature that is tiring over long listening sessions. Nevertheless, high mids are still articulate on the HD 480 Pros. My evergreen reference track, Sharpness (Jamie Woon) demonstrates the HD 480 Pro’s mid-range prowess, with clear separation of the multitude of synth parts fighting for the low-mids, and just the right amount of presence at the top of the range to add sheen to the relatively smooth lead vocals.

Highest frequencies seem relatively soft and velvety, yet never dull — a welcome contrast to my planar headphones, where high frequencies can poke out and can even sound anaemic. In Steely Dan’s seminal Aja, the grand piano has just the right amount of sparkle without ever appearing harsh. At the same time, there’s an assured articulation of transients on snare drum and bombastic tom fills during the sporadic drum solos.

I use a Harman target curve on all my headphones to facilitate easy switching between different sets, and to help with translation in the realms of speaker playback. The Harman curve has plenty of bass (which can shock the uninitiated), a full yet smooth mid range, plus an even high end without spiky peaks or dips. To my ears, the HD 480 Pro gets fairly close to this listening ideal straight out of the gate and doesn’t make me want to reach for EQ straight away; a rare thing.

Should you buy the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro?

I have two pairs of £100-odd closed backs in my home studio. The Sennheisers may be over three-times the price of each of these sets, but their stock voicing is infinitely superior. Both my normal sets have a trashy sound quality that I cannot un-hear once I’ve done A-B comparisons with the HD 480 Pros.

Granted, I have better quality open-backs than the two pairs above for critical listening, but the idea of closed-backs that would be sufficiently capable in such an application — without disturbing everyone else around me — is certainly compelling.

If you’re in the market for one pair of headphones that can cover every job, or you need a comfortable solution for tracking or mixing on the move, then the HD 480 Pros should be at the very top of your list.

Key features

Over-ear, closed-back headphones
38 mm drivers
Dual-sided cable entry (3 m coiled cable and size adapter included)
Grooved ear pads for glasses
Frequency range: 3 Hz – 28.7 kHz (-10 dB)
Impedance: 130 Ohms
Distortion: < 0.5%
Weight: 272 g (without cable)
Comes with soft carry case (PRO) or compact protective soft shell case (PRO Plus)

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