How Sennheiser’s HD 480 PRO headphones have become essential to my daily workflowAd feature with Sennheiser
Sennheiser’s new HD 480 PRO headphones offer closed-back isolation and an enjoyable and accurate tonal voicing, with an extended bass response and smooth highs. To top things off, they’re also supremely comfortable.
Despite having only recently been launched, I managed to get early access, so my experience of using these headphones stretches back a few months.
It was a “wow” moment as I strapped on the headphones for the first time, and I’ve been a firm fan ever since. From recording and mixing in the studio during the working day, to more casual listening in the evening at home, I’ve found myself reaching for the HD 480 PROs more and more — so much so that they’re fast becoming my new daily drivers, booting out a pair of open-back planar magnetic headphones.

In session: A balance of comfort and isolation
Credit: Sennheiser
It’s a bright April morning, and I’m getting ready to track rough takes for a new acoustic guitar and singing-led album. The performers don’t need a click track or headphones, but since my studio is a one-room affair, I put on the HD 480 PRO to monitor the signals coming from microphones in the room. A morning of wearing closed-back headphones usually fills me with fear, but any worries quickly dissolve with the HD 480 PRO. While many closed-back headphones clamp your head with considerable force, there’s a more gentle force at play with the Sennheisers, combined with deep and soft ear cups, and cleverly-designed grooves to make things more comfortable for those wearing eyeglasses; often overlooked, but for which I’m really thankful. My audio interface is able to channel plenty of level to the headphones, and I’m pleased to note that I could attach the cable to the opposite ear cup if it was getting in the way of the work being done.
And so, onto the tonal signature of the HD 480 PRO. I’m embarrassed to hand over some of the closed-back headphones in my studio to performers unless I’ve applied drastic EQ correction beforehand — a tweak that’s not easily possible on most audio interfaces — but this is simply not required with these Sennheisers. The harsh, jagged high-mid presence peaks built into competing headphones (presumably to bring out vocal clarity and make things sound ‘exciting’) are contrasted here with a smooth, even yet articulate high-mid range that you can comfortably listen to for hours. The more neutral approach to this particular frequency range helps you home in on how well each microphone is working on the instruments and voices being recorded, and the contribution of a microphone’s own presence peak in its voicing.
Isolation from the outside world is solid too. In my recording situation, I’m able to hear the signals being recorded through the headphones in great detail without much spill from the voices and instruments projecting live into the same room. They are only rough takes, but I can be confident that I can rely on what I’m hearing to be an accurate representation of what’s being recorded. To complete the picture, I notice a really solid bass response that gives a full picture of the proximity effect in this setting, but would be even more handy when tracking a bass guitar or kick drum.
I work for hours, in contentment.
Mixing it up: Firm foundations
Credit: Sennheiser
It’s late in the afternoon, and I now turn my attention to mixing for another album project. Much of my mixing is carried out on planar headphones tuned to a Harman curve that helps mixes translate to loudspeakers and other playback systems. The HD 480 PRO has a similar contour out of the box, so I can use these headphones without EQ to focus acutely on the multitude of editing and mixing decisions I need to make. Bass sounds have a full extension without having to press the ear cups to my ears — great for placing punch stompbox and bass guitar tracks in my mix. And the full mid-range is used to great effect when shaping EQ and dynamics for the competing acoustic chord and melody instruments and vocals in this ever-crucial frequency range. There’s no feeling of the recessed,’ V-shaped’ mid range many headphones have, so I can make informed decisions as I work through the mix. And because the headphones are closed, I can do this without disturbing others around me.
Though the treble presentation is smooth and non-fatiguing, there’s a satisfying, fizzy quality to the air band at the very top of the range — perhaps a psychoacoustic phenomenon associated with the HD 480 PRO’s ultra-wide frequency response reaching up to supersonic 28 kHz (from a super-low 3 Hz). This makes homing in on bad edit points, taming keen transients and auditioning different saturation circuits a breeze. There’s a sensation of excitement at the top end, but when coupled with the smooth high-mids, it’s a tonal voicing that’s always comfortable to listen to.
Songs for the soul: Pleasurable listening, at any volume
Credit: Sennheiser
It’s a laughably short commute from my garden studio to the house, but I’m really glad of the compact carry case that’s included with the HD 480 PRO PLUS model. As well as providing protection in transit, it’s also handily shaped to stack on top of my laptop without sliding away.
After I’ve given my ears a few hours’ rest and the kids have gone to bed, I grasp the opportunity to listen for fun — at a louder level — on the HD 480 PRO.
I enjoy subby yet tight basslines and kick drum on my evergreen reference, Naughtyboy’s La La La, while I’m also enamoured by the smoothness of the top end, which typically has the tendency to poke out on snare sounds in this track. Louis Tomlinson’s The Imposter is my guilty pop pleasure of late: here, too, there’s punchy kicks, assured separation of mid-range chord parts, plus a high end that never becomes harsh despite the bright pop production aesthetics. There’s a deeper stereo field than most closed backs, too, allowing me to get fully immersed in the music — lost in the moment.
To wind things down, I shift to the more sonorous sounds of The Flood from Irish acoustic duo Ye Vagabonds, and I’m delighted that the deep bass extension doesn’t disappear when I scale back to a lower listening level. Another winning feature of HD 480 PRO.
With the day done, I now have a new favourite all-rounder set of headphones.
The post How Sennheiser’s HD 480 PRO headphones have become essential to my daily workflow appeared first on MusicTech.