Name: Sennheiser HE 90
Brand: Sennheiser
Price: 12900 USD

The Sennheiser HE 90 ranks #148 out of 479 total Over-Ear Headphones for sound quality. See all Headphones rankings for every top pick.

Brand: Sennheiser

Prices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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Sennheiser HE 90 - ranked #148 of 479 Over-Ear Headphones · Editor's rating 3.9/5

#148 Sennheiser HE 90: $12,900 Discontinued eBay

Newer model: the Sennheiser HE 1, ranked higher, rated 4.8/5, released 2015. See every Sennheiser Orpheus generation.

Pros: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 79 against the Harman target.

Cons: About 5 dB less bass than the Harman target below 150 Hz, which can sound thin on pop, hip hop and electronic music. Discontinued.

Is the Sennheiser HE 90 right for you?

Buy it if

you want the tuning most listeners prefer in blind tests out of the box (Harman score 79).
your taste runs neutral: it scores 102 for that sound.

Skip it if

you want more bass (about 5 dB below target).
you need isolation or will use it in public: open-back headphones leak sound both ways.
you want to buy it new: it is discontinued.

Back	Open
Connection	Wired (dedicated HV amplifier)
Deviation From Target	1.86 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Electrostatic
Drivers	1 Electrostatic push-pull
Form Factor	Over-ear
Harman Preference Score	79 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Sub-bass Extension	Falls 6 dB below target at 38 Hz (-7.4 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	+0.80 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)

EQ Presets

Target sound

Harman target

Set a preamp of -5.7 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response. Predicted Harman match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 79.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.8 dB	0.70
Peak	2,957 Hz	-3.4 dB	2.39
Peak	1,867 Hz	+1.8 dB	2.72
Peak	5,019 Hz	+2.4 dB	4.42
Peak	191 Hz	-0.8 dB	1.68
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.6 dB	0.70
Peak	672 Hz	+1.0 dB	2.24
Peak	1,137 Hz	-1.0 dB	2.13
Peak	68 Hz	-0.6 dB	3.18
Peak	1,534 Hz	+0.7 dB	5.29

Neutral target

Set a preamp of -1.9 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Neutral match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 102.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.7 dB	0.70
Peak	23 Hz	+2.0 dB	2.28
Peak	32 Hz	+1.4 dB	5.41
Peak	75 Hz	-0.9 dB	0.55
Peak	215 Hz	-0.8 dB	2.25
Peak	1,121 Hz	-1.2 dB	4.61
Peak	1,814 Hz	+1.4 dB	5.60
Peak	2,991 Hz	-3.7 dB	3.69
Peak	5,096 Hz	+2.1 dB	6.00

Studio flat target

Set a preamp of -3.5 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Studio flat match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 77.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-1.6 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	+2.0 dB	0.70
Peak	28 Hz	+1.3 dB	2.17
Peak	194 Hz	-2.8 dB	0.52
Peak	1,963 Hz	+3.6 dB	3.53
Peak	3,237 Hz	-1.2 dB	6.00
Peak	5,086 Hz	+1.8 dB	6.00

Warm target

Set a preamp of -5.5 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Warm match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 62.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.4 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-5.3 dB	0.70
Peak	1,825 Hz	+1.3 dB	4.72
Peak	3,137 Hz	-4.7 dB	1.92
Peak	7,158 Hz	-2.6 dB	3.32

Bass target

Set a preamp of -6.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bass match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 58.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+6.0 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.7 dB	0.70
Peak	88 Hz	+2.1 dB	2.40
Peak	220 Hz	-1.0 dB	2.15
Peak	1,118 Hz	-1.2 dB	4.40
Peak	1,816 Hz	+1.4 dB	5.70
Peak	2,991 Hz	-3.7 dB	3.69
Peak	5,096 Hz	+2.1 dB	6.00

Bright target

Set a preamp of -5.1 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bright match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 85.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
High shelf	10,000 Hz	+0.9 dB	0.70
Peak	23 Hz	+1.9 dB	2.36
Peak	32 Hz	+1.5 dB	5.17
Peak	75 Hz	-0.9 dB	0.51
Peak	1,119 Hz	-1.2 dB	4.41
Peak	1,828 Hz	+1.4 dB	5.59
Peak	2,927 Hz	-3.1 dB	4.27
Peak	5,314 Hz	+4.9 dB	3.15
Peak	8,000 Hz	+1.3 dB	2.73

V-shaped target

Set a preamp of -6.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from AutoEQ’s measurement, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted V-shaped match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 65.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+6.0 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	+1.4 dB	0.70
Peak	106 Hz	+2.4 dB	1.25
Peak	1,090 Hz	-1.7 dB	4.90
Peak	1,838 Hz	+1.6 dB	4.20
Peak	2,952 Hz	-2.5 dB	5.01
Peak	5,294 Hz	+5.6 dB	2.92

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Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser HE 90 (oratory1990 measurement)

Sennheiser HE 90 vs Sennheiser HE 1

More Sennheiser headphones →

Sennheiser HE 90 Review: Ranked #148 of 479

#148 Sennheiser HE 90: $12,900 Discontinued eBay

Is the Sennheiser HE 90 right for you?

EQ Presets

Head-to-Head Comparisons