New York, NY (April 21, 2026)—Two years ago, I reviewed Sennheiser’s then-brand-new, flagship HD 490 PRO Plus Headphones; they’re an open-back model, and as my review in the March 2024 issue of Mix noted, they sound great. The caveat to that style of headphones, however, is that you need relatively quiet, subdued surroundings to get the most out of them because of the earcups’ design. Those open backs help reduce distortion and help prevent unwanted resonances from building up inside the cups, so they’re great for mixing, but if you’re tracking vocals and don’t want the sound of your ’phones leaking into the mic, or if you’re working in a public place, they’re not the right tool for that moment.

And that brings us to Sennheiser’s brand-new co-flagship model: its HD 480 PRO closed-back headphones, which launches today.

Sporting traditional closed-back earcups, the HD 480 PROs can be used for a broader range of applications, from careful analytical listening to simply enjoying some music. That said, these headphones are mainly intended for use while recording or in live sound environments, but because it’s a closed-back model, it can be used pretty much anywhere you’d take a regular pair of ’phones.

The HD 480 PRO retails for $479 and comes with a 9-foot coiled cable and a carrying bag; a second version, the HD 480 PRO Plus, ($519) swaps out the bag for a hardshell travel case. For this review, Sennheiser provided an HD 480 PRO Plus edition, and right off the bat, I liked the case far more than the one that came with the 490 PRO, due to its cleaner, lighter-weight design and left-side mesh pocket. If you tend to keep headphones in one location—home, studio, office—then the case might not be necessary, but if you think you’ll use them on the move, it’s a smart choice.

As it stands, the headphones themselves are designed to lay flat, with the cups on swivel hinges, reducing the amount of space they’ll take up in your bag. Hand-in-hand with that, they are lightweight and deceptively durable. Because they don’t weigh much (272 g or .6 pounds) and are very flexible, the headphones feel almost flimsy, but don’t be fooled: The pre-release HD 480 PROs I’ve been using for the last three months have held up just fine without an issue. That physical flexibility is great, however, because it means the headphones are easy to adjust and fit your head comfortably.

In particular, the headphones’ padding is great. The metal headband has a soft pad on its underside that can be removed for cleaning, while the machine-washable velour earcup pads are specially designed with some extra “give” around the upper ear to both maintain a good seal and accommodate glasses without imprinting them on the side of your head.

Connecting the headphones to your gear is handled well—the lengthy cable is coiled so that it doesn’t get in the way if you’re close to a source, but it can expand to accommodate moving away from that source as well. The HD 480 PROs have cable sockets on each earcup, so you can swap the cable to either side as needed—a nice touch. Inside the earcups are large letters to I.D. the left and right sides, and the left cup additionally has braille on it to aid the vision impaired.

The HD 480 PROs may be designed to be comfortable and user-friendly, but, of course, the important part is how they sound. Sennheiser’s main goal when it came to the headphones’ design was to deliver tight, accurate bass reproduction, and in that regard, the company succeeded.

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The HD 480 PROs replicate sound “as-is” and have a fairly broad soundstage, neither overly airy or claustrophobic. In particular, they present low end with precision and a nice amount of punch. On a few favorite test tracks, I got that odd experience where a well-recorded kick drum sounds like it’s in the room with you, but you’re not feeling a tactile sensation in your body along with it. That accurate low end doesn’t come at the expense of the mid and higher frequencies, however; they, too, come across with detail and clarity. There’s perhaps a touch of smoothness on the high end as an acknowledgement that the HD 480 PROs will also be used for recreational listening, but otherwise, the headphones struck me as appropriately colorless and neutral.

While not cheap, the HD 480 PROs are literally a good fit for audio pros who need to work for extended periods with headphones on. Comfortable to use and offering clear, defined sound, they are an aurally reliable option for intensive listening, whether for work or pleasure.