With the HD 480 PRO, Sennheiser today launches its top-of-the-range closed-back headphones for studio and live environments. Designed with the utmost care and precision, they eliminate the two most-cited pain points of closed-back headphones by delivering a tight, accurate bass reproduction and ensuring supreme comfort for audio professionals tasked with recording, tracking, or monitoring in the studio, in live audio environments or on the move.

Delivering where other closed-backs fail

With closed-back headphones, a good reproduction of the low-end is usually difficult to achieve. “This is where the HD 480 PRO excel. Compared to other closed-back headphones, they are a lot tighter on the bass, their low-end is super-accurate and realistic,” notes Jimmy R. Landry, Category Market Manager, Music Industry at Sennheiser.

“Comfort is of paramount importance when headphones are a work tool,” adds Gunnar Dirks, Senior Product Manager for professional headphones. “Engineers often spend hours on end in their sessions. They need a lightweight, ergonomically designed pair of headphones to keep focus and concentration up. The HD 480 PRO eliminate any pressure points and fit every head precisely and comfortably – even if you’re wearing glasses.”

Purpose-built for professional audio work

Whether used in the studio by producers, mixers, musicians, recording engineers, and creators, in live environments by FoH engineers and monitor engineers, or again on the move, the HD 480 PRO are an ideal choice for monitoring, producing, and recording, but also for mixing, which makes them Sennheiser’s most versatile professional headphones to date. Their absolute accuracy, uncoloured frequency response and honest low-end ensure that the audio translates reliably to any listening situation from home speakers to automobile use and PA systems.

“Knowing that you can rely on what you’re hearing is everything, that’s what you get with the HD 480 PRO.”

Jim Kaufman, producer

“When I’m going to be mixing on headphones outside my studio, it’s imperative I have a pair that I trust. With the HD 480 PRO, to have this level of quality and accuracy in a closed-back headphone is amazing.”

Will Brierre, mix engineer

“As producers, we have to receive the best sound to our ears that we can. Every detail is important. When you’re wearing the 480s, you’re immersed in the sound, completely undistracted by the outside world.”

Young Chencs, artist and producer

“The ear cushions. Incredibly soft, right away. And then the dimensionality of the sound. It felt like the music had depth and space around it. Two things stood out immediately. The spatial quality of the sound makes it so much easier to understand where everything sits in a mix. And while recording, I could hear my own voice with this real clarity and dimension. It actually made singing feel more natural and easier.”

Nao Yoshioka, singer and songwriter

“Nothing but the truth”

To enable the user to fully concentrate on the audio and hear all detail, the HD 480 PRO feature multiple stages of passive sound shielding, while comfortable ear pads with soft grooves for the temples of glasses ensure the precise seal that is required for good audio reproduction. A series of design measures – subsumed under the term “Vibration Attenuation System” – eliminate unwanted vibration, reflections and distortion, preserving the clarity of the signal. The ultralight voice coils of the HD 480 PRO ensure a remarkably authentic and dynamic reproduction.

Patents for comfort, precision fit and noise decoupling

Like its open-back counterpart, the HD 490 PRO, the HD 480 PRO benefit from several Sennheiser-patented features.

Special Axes Geometry: The mechanical design makes sure that the headphones optimally adapt to the head and maintain an equal contact pressure no matter what the shape of the user’s head. The listening experience is consistent across users.

Comfort zone for glasses: The ear pads do not press on the temples of glasses but rather have a soft zone, which ensures good sealing and high comfort at the same time.

Blocking of cable-borne noise: Near the earcup, the connection cable features a coiled part, which effectively decouples the HD 480 PRO from any structure-borne or handling noise, such as that transmitted when the cable hits the desk, for example.

For daily professional use

To adapt to different set-ups, the detachable cable can be worn on the left or right side of the HD 480 PRO. This flexible cable routing is ideal for solo recording of instruments, for example, as it keeps the cable out of the way. To ensure accessibility, the left and right earcups are braille-marked. Engineered by Sennheiser’s experienced professional development team, the HD 480 PRO have been designed to last and deliver consistent results over time.

HD 490 PRO or HD 480 PRO – which one to choose?

The open-back HD 490 PRO and closed-back HD 480 PRO are at the top of the 400 series of purpose-built professional audio headphones. So which one is best for which application?

“Our developers have been working painstakingly to bring the sound of the closed HD 480 PRO as closely as possible to that of the open HD 490 PRO. Which model is the better choice for you really depends on how you work,” explains Gunnar Dirks. “The open HD 490 PRO will be ideal for mixing in quiet environments, while I would recommend the closed HD 480 PRO for applications where you need isolation, for example when you’re tracking vocals in the room, when monitoring or using them as an FoH reference, or simply when you’re working in the same space as others.”

The HD 480 PRO retails at AED 1.549. It features recording earpads and a 3-metre coiled cable and is delivered complete with a carrying bag. Instead of the bag, the HD 480 PRO Plus comes with a travel case, and retails at AED 1,749.

HD 480 PRO technical data

Acoustic principle: closed

Ear coupling: circumaural

Transducer principle: dynamic

Transducer diameter: 38 mm

Frequency response: 3 to 28,700 Hz (-10 dB)

Sensitivity: 107 dB SPL (at 1 kHz/1 V_rms); 98 dB (at 1 kHz, 1 mW)

Max. SPL: 130 dB (1 kHz, 5% THD)

THD: <0.5% (at 1 kHz, 100 dB SPL)

Impedance: 130 ohms (1 kHz)

Power rating: 300 mW (100 h, noise as per IEC 60268)

Temperature range: 0°C to +50°C for operation; -25°C to +70°C for storage

Relative humidity: 10 to 80%, non-condensing for operation; 10 to 90% for storage

Weight: 272 g (w/o cable)

Available accessories

Replacement recording ear pads, replacement coiled cable (3 m), 1.8 m straight cable, 3 m straight cable, balanced cable, (replacement) travel case, (storage) case, (replacement) bag.

SUSE, a global leader of enterprise open source solutions, today announced SUSE AI Factory with NVIDIA. Built with SUSE AI and NVIDIA AI Enterprise, this unified software stack for enterprise AI is designed to seamlessly bridge the gap between local development and scalable enterprise production. Operating as a turnkey digital factory producing enterprise-grade AI capabilities, this solution empowers enterprises by giving them the tools to assemble, deploy, manage, and govern AI applications consistently and at scale across any footprint, from the tactical edge to the core data center to the public cloud.

According to an IDC FutureScape, “By 2028 60% of Global 2000 enterprises will operate AI factories as core AI infrastructure, and forward-looking governments will emulate, enabling AI deployment five times faster than those without.” ^1.

Purpose-built to address strict global mandates for digital sovereignty, SUSE AI Factory with NVIDIA gives organizations the ability to use NVIDIA’s latest AI technology while keeping sensitive logic and proprietary data protected within their private infrastructure. These technologies include NVIDIA NIM microservices, open Nemotron models, NVIDIA NeMo for building and managing agents, NVIDIA Run:ai for GPU orchestration, NVIDIA Kubernetes Operators, the NVIDIA OpenShell secure runtime for agents and NVIDIA NemoClaw, which make use of SUSE’s K3s technology, providing a reference stack for deploying more secure autonomous AI agents.  

“AI developers, users and operations teams are in a catch-22 with AI, they want to innovate quickly but must secure these types of workloads, agents and processes, to ensure full auditability before fully running them in production,” said Thomas Di Giacomo, Chief Technology and Product Officer at SUSE. “SUSE AI Factory with NVIDIA gives them a one-stop solution for end-to-end stability, security and sovereignty, while benefitting from today’s and future AI innovation.”

“Enterprise adoption of AI is accelerating, creating demand for infrastructure that ensures data control and governance for regulated workloads,” said John Fanelli, Vice President, Enterprise Software, NVIDIA. “Our collaboration with SUSE addresses this requirement by delivering an open, full-stack AI Factory built on a foundation of security and sovereignty.”

Production-Ready AI, Without Added Complexity

SUSE AI Factory is an automated, full-software-stack that standardizes how AI applications are deployed and run. Users can build and test applications in a sandbox environment, while platform teams manage deployment through either a unified Rancher-based interface or automated GitOps workflows for management at scale. This approach reduces setup time and allows teams to move from concept to production faster, reducing operational overhead and removing the need to manage disparate tools.

SUSE AI Factory with NVIDIA is designed to meet the core requirements of Enterprise AI with the following:

• Prescriptive, Turnkey Blueprints: The platform abstracts the complexity of the end-to-end stack by providing pre-validated and tightly integrated architectural blueprints for common use cases and workloads. Enterprises can build upon these blueprints, layering both NVIDIA and SUSE components into bespoke workloads, accelerating time to value.
• Zero-Trust Security & Observability: SUSE extends the inherent value of SUSE AI and its underlying SUSE Rancher Prime and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server runtime directly to AI workloads built on NVIDIA technology. By wrapping NVIDIA deployments in zero-trust guardrails and governance frameworks, the platform ensures the underlying AI infrastructure remains stable, highly predictable, and hardened against emerging risks.
• Deployment & Lifecycle Simplicity: A unified user experience simplifies deployment and management of AI workloads, regardless of where they’re deployed and at what scale, from local developer workstations to air-gapped edge clusters.
• Sovereignty & Unified Support: Organizations maintain complete control over their physical infrastructure, data, and models to meet rigorous regulatory mandates such as the EU AI Act. To ensure a frictionless enterprise experience, SUSE provides a single point of accountability across the full stack, including NVIDIA AI Enterprise components.

“Businesses are ready to use AI, but they need confidence that their data remains under control,” said Udo Würtz, Chief Technology Officer at Fsas Technologies Europe – a Fujitsu company. “As a launch partner, SUSE AI Factory provides a stable, prescriptive foundation to combine NVIDIA’s unmatched computing power and AI platform with SUSE’s secure, open source infrastructure. By easing the integration, the unified solution allows us to focus on applying Fujitsu’s industry-leading expertise in delivering a sovereign, end-to-end solution that meets the strictest data governance standards.”

Availability

A preview of SUSE AI Factory with NVIDIA will be demonstrated at SUSECON and is expected to be available later this year. 

Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO marks the close of one of the most defining corporate leadership chapters of a generation, as the company prepares to enter a new phase under incoming CEO John Ternus.

Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011 when Apple was valued at approximately US$350 billion, will hand over leadership this September with the company now exceeding US$4 trillion in market value. During his tenure, Apple’s shares surged by around 2,000%, delivering one of the most significant value creation stories in modern corporate history.

Despite the magnitude of the announcement, the market reaction has been notably muted, with Apple’s share price showing limited movement in after-hours trading. This suggests investors are, for now, viewing the transition as orderly and well-communicated.

Commenting on the transition, Josh Gilbert, Market Analyst at eToro, said: “Tim Cook’s departure as CEO marks the end of a hugely successful era for Apple, with remarkable shareholder returns and consistent growth. The steady market reaction shows investors are confident in the succession plan, but there will naturally be close attention on what comes next—particularly as Apple navigates a critical period for artificial intelligence.”

The leadership change does, however, introduce a degree of uncertainty. Transitions at companies of Apple’s scale are rare and often closely scrutinized, particularly following a 15-year period of sustained growth and stability. Importantly, this shift does not stem from crisis or sudden departure. The decision was unanimously supported by Apple’s board, with succession planning understood to have been in place for several months.

Continuity remains a key factor in the transition. Cook will assume the role of executive chairman, maintaining oversight and continuing his involvement in policy and government engagement—areas that have been central to Apple’s strategic positioning globally. This structure is likely to provide reassurance to investors and stakeholders navigating the change.

Gilbert added: “John Ternus brings deep product expertise and a strong track record within Apple, having played a role in some of its most successful hardware innovations. His appointment suggests a renewed focus on product development at a time when Apple needs to strengthen its position in AI.”

Apple has faced similar moments of transition before. When Cook succeeded Jobs, there were widespread questions about the company’s future without its visionary founder. Over time, Cook’s operational discipline and strategic execution reshaped that narrative, delivering consistent growth and expanding Apple’s ecosystem.

Attention now turns to John Ternus and the direction he will set. A long-standing Apple executive, Ternus joined the company in 2001 and has played a key role in the development of major product lines, including the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch. His deep product expertise and engineering background position him as a leader closely aligned with Apple’s core identity as a hardware-driven innovator.

Ternus steps into the role at a pivotal time for the technology sector, particularly as artificial intelligence reshapes competitive dynamics. Apple has faced increasing pressure to demonstrate stronger momentum in AI compared to its megacap peers. Under Ternus, a pipeline of AI-focused products—including wearables, smart glasses, next-generation AirPods, and smart home devices—is already taking shape.

“With Apple generating over US$400 billion in annual revenue and maintaining a highly loyal customer base, the foundations remain incredibly strong,” Gilbert said. “However, the AI chapter is still being written, and investors will be watching closely to see how quickly Ternus can accelerate progress in this space.”

While leadership changes of this scale inevitably raise short-term questions, Apple’s long-term fundamentals remain robust. As the company embarks on a new era, the focus will be on execution, innovation, and its ability to maintain leadership in an increasingly competitive technological landscape.-Ends-