Sennheiser HD 490 PRO vs Drop + Grell OAE1

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO
Drop + Grell OAE1

Tested using Methodology v2.1

Updated Mar 09, 2026 11:29 AM

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Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Jul 25, 2025 01:52 PM

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  1. Recommended in 6 articles:
  2. Wired
  3. Music
  4. Critical Listening
  5. 3

Our Verdict

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO

Drop + Grell OAE1

Both the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and the Drop + Grell OAE1 are open-back over-ears with solid bass extension. The Sennheiser are certainly the more versatile of the two, and their flat sound profile will be more appealing to most listeners, especially those who use their headphones for pro audio work. The Sennheiser are more comfortable, better-built, and feature a swappable earpad design that lets you change up the fit and frequency response depending on your use case. That said, some may prefer the Drop + Grell's darker sound as it can be less fatiguing over long listening sessions. 

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Variants

  • HD 490 PRO (Black)
  • HD 490 PRO Plus (Black)
  • + Grell OAE1 (Black)

Check Price

Black
HD 490 PRO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Amazon.com
Black
HD 490 PRO Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ Grell OAE1
B&H
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
BestBuy.com
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Drop
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Walmart.com
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Main Differences for
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Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Sound Profile Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Sound Profile Sample

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Normalization Frequency 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Treble Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Sound Signature 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

N/A
N/A

Consistency L  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Consistency L Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Consistency L Sample

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Consistency R  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Consistency R Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Consistency R Sample

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Std. Deviation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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Raw FR R  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Raw FR R Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Raw FR R Sample

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Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Low Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

N/A
N/A

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

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Peaks 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Dips 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

N/A
N/A

Frequency Response Mismatch  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

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Phase Response Mismatch  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Phase Response Mismatch Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Phase Response Mismatch Sample

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Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

Lock°
Lock°
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Group Delay 
 

N/A
N/A

Group Delay  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Group Delay Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Group Delay Sample

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Weighted Group Delay 
 

Lock ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO CSD Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 CSD Sample

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PRTF 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO PRTF Sample

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Drop + Grell OAE1 PRTF Sample

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PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Distance 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Harmonic Distortion 
 

N/A
N/A

Harmonics Levels  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Harmonics Levels Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Harmonics Levels Sample

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THD Ratio  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO THD Ratio Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 THD Ratio Sample

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WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Impedance Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Impedance Sample

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Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

Lock dB SPL
Lock dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
N/A
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Virtual Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Virtual Soundstage Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Virtual Soundstage Sample

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Head Modeling 
 

Locked
Locked

Speaker Modeling 
 

Locked
Locked

Room Ambience 
 

Locked
Locked

Head Tracking 
 

Locked
Locked

Virtual Surround 
 

Locked
Locked

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Locked
Locked

Power 
 

Locked
Locked

Connection 
 

Locked
Locked

Codec 
 

Locked
Locked

Test Instrument  

Locked
Locked

EQ 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC 
 

Locked
Locked

Tip/Pad 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Design Picture 2 Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Design Picture 2 Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

Enclosure  

Locked
Locked

Wireless  

Locked
Locked

Transducer  

Locked
Locked
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Comfort 
 

N/A
N/A

Comfort Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Comfort Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Comfort Picture Sample

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Weight  

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Clamping Force 
 

Lock lbs
Lock lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Controls Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Controls Picture Sample

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OS Compatibility 
 

Locked
Locked

Ease Of Use  

Locked
Locked

Feedback  

Locked
Locked

Call/Music Control  

Locked
Locked

Volume Control  

Locked
Locked

Microphone Control  

Locked
Locked

Channel Mixing 
 

Locked
Locked

Noise Cancelling Control  

Locked
Locked

Talk-Through 
 

Locked
Locked

Additional Controls  

Locked
Locked

Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Portability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Portability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Portability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Case 
 

N/A
N/A

Case Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Case Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Case Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Type  

Locked
Locked

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Build Quality Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Build Quality Picture Sample

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Stability 
 

N/A
N/A

Stability Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Stability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Stability Picture Sample

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Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Angled Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Angled Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Side Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Side Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Side Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Front Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Front Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Rear Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Top  

Top Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO In The Box Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 In The Box Picture Sample

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Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Noise Cancelling  

Locked
Locked

Overall Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

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Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

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ANC Wind Noise 
 

Leakage 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Leakage Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Leakage Sample

SAMPLE

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Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Locked
Locked

In-Line 
 

Locked
Locked

Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic  

Locked
Locked

Recording Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Microphone Frequency Response  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Microphone Frequency Response Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

SpNR  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO SpNR Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 SpNR Sample

SAMPLE

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SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

Locked
Locked

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Type 
 

Locked
Locked

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Locked
Locked

Audio While Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Passive Playback 
 

Locked
Locked

Charging Port  

Locked
Locked

App Support 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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App Name  

Locked
Locked

iOS  

Locked
Locked

Android  

Locked
Locked

macOS  

Locked
Locked

Windows  

Locked
Locked

Equalizer 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic Control  

Locked
Locked

Room Effects 
 

Locked
Locked

Playback Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Button Mapping  

Locked
Locked

Surround Support 
 

Locked
Locked
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Cable Picture  

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO Cable Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Drop + Grell OAE1 Cable Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Analog Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable 
 

Locked
Locked

Length 
 

Lock ft (Lock m)
Lock ft (Lock m)

Connector 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - Analog 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Locked
Locked

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

Locked
Locked

AAC Support 
 

Locked
Locked

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

N/A
N/A

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

N/A
N/A

Type 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Input 
 

Locked
Locked

Line In 
 

Locked
Locked

Line Out 
 

Locked
Locked

Optical Input 
 

Locked
Locked

RCA Input 
 

Locked
Locked

Dock Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Power Supply 
 

Locked
Locked

Check Price

Black
HD 490 PRO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Amazon.com
Black
HD 490 PRO Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ Grell OAE1
B&H
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
BestBuy.com
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Drop
 
Black
+ Grell OAE1
Walmart.com

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO

Drop + Grell OAE1

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sennheiser HD 490 PRO vs Drop + Grell OAE1: Main Discussion

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