Is the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro worth the upgrade from the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro actually scores 5.6 points below the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. The gains are concentrated in value (6.5 to 7.4). You do give up ground on sound (9.3 to 8.6). On paper: weight 560 g to 260 g. Worth checking: active noise cancelling goes Yes to No and driver size goes 90 mm to 38 mm. The two sit at effectively the same price. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound9.38.6
- Value6.57.4
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Maxwell 2 ANC | HD 490 Pro | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancelling | Yes | No | |
| Weight | 560 g | 260 g | |
| Driver size | 90 mm | 38 mm | |
| USB-C | Yes | No | |
| Controls | both | none | |
| Driver | 90 mm planar magnetic | 38 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz - 50 kHz | 5 Hz - 36.1 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Maxwell 2 ANC to HD 490 Pro". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.