Sennheiser HD 518 Review - What a damn shame. So close to being perfect.

[AlTech]

Before I started wearing the Sennheiser HD 518s I didn't have a whole lot of faith in them. I had a feeling (rightfully so) that they wouldn't fit my needs and be too clunky, and too awkward to use. I planned on using these to wear on the way to school and back and while I'm at my home. That was initially what i did but i forced myself to stop. I'll explain later why.

 

The headphones themselves look sexy and scream "German precision engineering" to me. They look high quality and have that look of a product which just demands to be used (If you know what I mean). 

 

 

Which is why it's such a damn shame that I came so close to wanting to recommend this. And to think the only part I had a problem with must have cost less $10 USD. 

 

The HD 518s are damn comfortable. Aside from the fact that it would be weird to do. I could wear these literally all day long. They are unbelievably light like their big brothers the HD 558s and HD 598s. They have a similar look and feel with a few noticeable differences. 1. The HD 518s are less open back than the HD 558s and HD 598s. It means that people sitting next to you on a bus or a plane or a ferry may not hate you as much as they would otherwise. 

 

The design is an over ear design which is subjective, I realize that some may hate it while others will love it. I am among those who love this choice as it really makes the experience of using them more immersive and make the sound more natural. The cushion around the headphone drivers are soft but not too soft and they have a nice feel to them which is a little bit textured and feels just right on the ear. It's important to note that the 518s have a more rough material than the 558s and the 598s.

 

 

Now onto functionality, the HD 518s are really impressive when it comes to doing what you want to do. Listening to music, movies or whatever you're doing shouldn't feel awkward, weird or uncomfortable. Thanks to the really long adjustment section for adapting to different sizes, they can fit comfortably on pretty much anybody's head. This is something that not all headphones do well at and in fact usually struggle here. 

 

Now time for specs:

 

They are 50 ohms in terms of impedence. Yet despite this they are able to be driven by pretty much everything. From an MP3 player to a professional AMP + Dac combo and everything in between. 

 

Now for the sound. They sound awesome, I was really impressed the first time i wore them and listened to music and it still really impressive to this day. it's no wonder that Sennheiser dares to call these :"AudioPhile" headphones. Because they are. Others on the internet claim it sounds similar to what the HD 650s sound like. And the HD 650s cost around 3x more than the 518s. 

 

They offer a rich and deep sound that frankly blow me away and wonder why I never discovered these before.

 

The packaging is really well done with a stylish looking package hinting at why you spent nearly $130 USD on these at full retail. But luckily I was able to get them for less during black friday

 

An important thing to note is that while the bass are very good and the mids are also very good, the highs aren't the 518s strong point. It sacrifices some highs for a great design and great bass. But it still sounds really awesome despite this. 

 

And by now you're probably wondering why I said "what a damn shame" in the title. Well here's the answer. The cable is fucking 2 metres long! Damnit Sennheiser I don't need a 2m cable. It makes carrying around these awesome headphone feel like a chore. Combine that with the fact that it doesn't have a 3.5mm jack on the other end  but a 1/4 jack instead and now it's really impossible to use this for MP3 players and pretty much everything except for DACs and AMPs. There is an included adapter but it just amplifies the other problem of the cable being too long.

 

At this point i have to wonder if i can recommend them to you the reader because if you are like me and some others you'll want to buy an additional 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable. And Sennheiser is now currently sold out of those cables. And to be really blunt if the cables weren't removable I would have said no Sennheiser i can't recommend these to anyone. But as it stands, if you're willing to pay for the extra 2.5mm to 3.5mm 1.2m cable as well the as the headphones then and only then do I say YES, you should buy this.

 

Here's a link to buy the headphones if you want -> http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-518-Headphones-Black/dp/B0042A68R8

 

And here's a link to a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable that i was recommended -> http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B00KAKBHKM/ref=pd_sim_23_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=517R5y-uDDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=14BV95P3TBS6VWKDFGRR

 

Sorry it had to turn into a kind of a rant at the end . 

 

I'm AluminiumTech and until next time, Happy listening !

[Chasem121]

Holy crap you just made me realize I could take out the cable in my 518's

 

Edit: The long cord doesn't bother me as I never take it off my computer, so thats my opinion on that subject, otherwise I agree with the review

[AlTech]

Holy crap you just made me realize I could take out the cable in my 518's

Yeah. At first i thought you couldn't remove them but you can. There a bit stiff at the headphone end and need a bit of turning.

[Chasem121]

Yeah. At first i thought you couldn't remove them but you can. There a bit stiff at the headphone end and need a bit of turning.

Yeah it took me a second to get them back in. Cool feature, I've always had a problem with the cords on my other headphones breaking. Nice to know I could replace it if needed

[Bob Jim]

I am a cheapskate with HD200s, and they have a 2.5m long cable. Sennheiser is insane...

[atrash]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobino-Small-Cord-Wrap-Turquoise/dp/B0042RVA38/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451492929&sr=8-2&keywords=bobino+cord+wrap

 

I use this for my macbook charger and sometimes my headphones

[olbaze]

Wait a second here! You buy headphones. They come with a long, removable cable... and somehow that is bad? You know that their predecessors, the 515, 555 and 595 do not have the removable cable, right? They do still come with the long cable that terminates in a 6.35mm jack.

 

If anything, you should be singing praise for this glorious improvement over the predecessor. In fact, I've heard that Sennheiser also improved the plastic, as the HD 555s were notorious for the plastic cracking. Mine sure did, but I used duct tape and used for for a long time after that. Eventually I got tired of that and bought something different.

[ShadowCaptain]

Wait a second here! You buy headphones. They come with a long, removable cable... and somehow that is bad? You know that their predecessors, the 515, 555 and 595 do not have the removable cable, right? They do still come with the long cable that terminates in a 6.35mm jack.

 

If anything, you should be singing praise for this glorious improvement over the predecessor. In fact, I've heard that Sennheiser also improved the plastic, as the HD 555s were notorious for the plastic cracking. Mine sure did, but I used duct tape and used for for a long time after that. Eventually I got tired of that and bought something different.

 

100% this

 

 

bear in mind 99% of people who buy these will probably not be wearing them around the street, and for people that do you can just change the cable - which is literally the best feature

 

 

Your complaint seems unjustified 

[AlTech]

Wait a second here! You buy headphones. They come with a long, removable cable... and somehow that is bad? You know that their predecessors, the 515, 555 and 595 do not have the removable cable, right? They do still come with the long cable that terminates in a 6.35mm jack.

 

If anything, you should be singing praise for this glorious improvement over the predecessor. In fact, I've heard that Sennheiser also improved the plastic, as the HD 555s were notorious for the plastic cracking. Mine sure did, but I used duct tape and used for for a long time after that. Eventually I got tired of that and bought something different.

I'm not interested in their predecessors because i never used them or owned them. Having non removal cables is OK. Not having them is a big no no.

 

 

100% this

 

 

bear in mind 99% of people who buy these will probably not be wearing them around the street, and for people that do you can just change the cable - which is literally the best feature

 

 

Your complaint seems unjustified 

That percentage is not correct. More people than that would. If i pay $130 on headphones i expect it to come with what i need. e.g a suitable cable length and type

 

They could've provided options when buying it for different length cables and different types of cables.

[SSL]

They are 50 ohms in terms of impedence. Yet despite this they are able to be driven by pretty much everything. From an MP3 player to a professional AMP + Dac combo and everything in between.

 

Is 50 ohms supposed to be significant? They have a sensitivity of 108dB/V; I'd be surprised, real surprised, if you could find a device that couldn't drive them.

 

And by now you're probably wondering why I said "what a damn shame" in the title. Well here's the answer. The cable is fucking 2 metres long! Damnit Sennheiser I don't need a 2m cable. It makes carrying around these awesome headphone feel like a chore. Combine that with the fact that it doesn't have a 3.5mm jack on the other end  but a 1/4 jack instead and now it's really impossible to use this for MP3 players and pretty much everything except for DACs and AMPs. There is an included adapter but it just amplifies the other problem of the cable being too long.

 

Stop whining. Get a cable turtle or take advantage of the removable cable and get an aftermakert one on Amazon. Framing this as a major issue (or a "damn shame") is ridiculous and makes you look like you have no perspective as a reviewer.

 

If i pay $130 on headphones i expect it to come with what i need. e.g a suitable cable length and type

 

You say this like $130 for a headphone is a lot of money in the scheme of things. I'd rather the bulk of the cost go into the headphone and have the option to swap in the cable I want later.

 

That percentage is not correct. More people than that would.

 

Given that these are open headphones, using them on the street is just silly and not what they were designed for.

 

Thanks for the thorough review. Nice to see the 518/558 get some attention given they are a much better value than the 598 which Linus recently reviewed.

[AlTech]

Is 50 ohms supposed to be significant? They have a sensitivity of 108dB/V; I'd be surprised, real surprised, if you could find a device that couldn't drive them.

 

 

Stop whining. Get a cable turtle or take advantage of the removable cable and get an aftermakert one on Amazon. Framing this as a major issue (or a "damn shame") is ridiculous and makes you look like you have no perspective as a reviewer.

 

 

You say this like $130 for a headphone is a lot of money in the scheme of things. I'd rather the bulk of the cost go into the headphone and have the option to swap in the cable I want later.

 

 

Given that these are open headphones, using them on the street is just silly and not what they were designed for.

 

Thanks for the thorough review. Nice to see the 518/558 get some attention given they are a much better value than the 598 which Linus recently reviewed.

Yeah Everybody is giving the 598 credit when it's not worlds better. It's almost the same. Just slightly better and a whole lot more expensive.

 

And when i say $130 headphones should have it. The cable probably cost less than $5. That's why it's a shame that the cable had to let down the headphones considering the cables are cheap to make.

 

And i was told that ohms are important factor if devices can drive it or not. IDk if it's true or not.

[SSL]

And when i say $130 headphones should have it. The cable probably cost less than $5. That's why it's a shame that the cable had to let down the headphones considering the cables are cheap to make.

 

Depends on the cable. Sennheiser probably figured that most people would use cable management, or even welcome the longer cable. 2m is pretty typical for an open audiophile headphone. Multiple cables are usually included with mobile headphones, which the 518 is not.

 

And i was told that ohms are important factor if devices can drive it or not. IDk if it's true or not.

 

Impedance is just one factor - voltage sensitivity is actually a more useful number since the vast majority of headphone amps are voltage sources. That means that they output a constant voltage no matter the impedance of the headphone. High impedance headphones are not necessarilly insensitive and vice versa.

[Guest]

Mine were only $50 new I kind of fell in love with the ATH-M40x's, though. I like both pairs. The 518's make me look like a total dork though .

[AlTech]

Mine were only $50 new I kind of fell in love with the ATH-M40x's, though. I like both pairs. The 518's make me look like a total dork though .

Same but i supposed all headphones but beats do with these damn millennials around.

[Samfisher]

I'm not interested in their predecessors because i never used them or owned them. Having non removal cables is OK. Not having them is a big no no.

 

 

That percentage is not correct. More people than that would. If i pay $130 on headphones i expect it to come with what i need. e.g a suitable cable length and type

 

They could've provided options when buying it for different length cables and different types of cables.

IMHO I would think anyone starting in audiophile grade headphones would not be using them without a proper amp and dac and therefore not a mobile-focused product.  Also bass*, not base.

[olbaze]

I'm not interested in their predecessors because i never used them or owned them. Having non removal cables is OK. Not having them is a big no no.

 

 

That percentage is not correct. More people than that would. If i pay $130 on headphones i expect it to come with what i need. e.g a suitable cable length and type

 

They could've provided options when buying it for different length cables and different types of cables.

 

Well, if you're going to post a "review", you could have done that kind of background research. If I was going to review my AKG K273 Pros, I would mention that they are a retailer specific version of the K272, with a detachable cable and automating muting, even if I didn't know that beforehand. It's useful knowledge for people who are reading. Generally, if you're writing something that is to be read by others, think about the readers, not just yourself.

 

Sennheiser offers other products, such as a whole lineup of IEMs and the Momentum series for "mobile use" and "audiophile". The HD 518s are not intended for that use, so bringing up that they are not perfect for that is kind of silly. Heck, they are filed under "home audio" in Sennheiser's website. Surely you wouldn't go play badminton with the 518s and then complain that they fell off?

 

Generally speaking, very few headphones come with any kind of "extra" swag. Most manufacturers opt to leave their removable cables as optional things you can buy separately because those increase the costs of the product.

[Guest]

Same but i supposed all headphones but beats do with these damn millennials around.

The M40x's look pretty nice on my head imo.

[olbaze]

The M40x's look pretty nice on my head imo.

 

There's also the Sennheiser Momentum Urbanites. They are pretty nice looking.

[SSL]

There's also the Sennheiser Momentum Urbanites. They are pretty nice looking.

 

Momentum and Urbanite are separate product lines.

[olbaze]

Momentum and Urbanite are separate product lines.

 

Man, plenty of reviews talking about the Urbanite being a successor to the Momentum had me fooled. Then again, I took one look at the pricetag and noped right off.

[Unhelpful]

Thanks for the thorough review. Nice to see the 518/558 get some attention given they are a much better value than the 598 which Linus recently reviewed.

But shit it was $90 on Black Friday >_>

 

I would never fucking buy them full price but there is no way I was going to pass that up.

[SSL]

Man, plenty of reviews talking about the Urbanite being a successor to the Momentum had me fooled. Then again, I took one look at the pricetag and noped right off.

 

Lame reviews, then.

 

The Momentum is marketed at young professionals, whereas the Urbanite is more of a direct Beats competitor.

[IAmAndre]

On 12/30/2015 at 8:06 AM, AluminiumTech said:

Before I started wearing the Sennheiser HD 518s I didn't have a whole lot of faith in them. I had a feeling (rightfully so) that they wouldn't fit my needs and be too clunky, and too awkward to use. I planned on using these to wear on the way to school and back and while I'm at my home. That was initially what i did but i forced myself to stop. I'll explain later why.

 

The headphones themselves look sexy and scream "German precision engineering" to me. They look high quality and have that look of a product which just demands to be used (If you know what I mean). 

 

 

Which is why it's such a damn shame that I came so close to wanting to recommend this. And to think the only part I had a problem with must have cost less $10 USD. 

 

The HD 518s are damn comfortable. Aside from the fact that it would be weird to do. I could wear these literally all day long. They are unbelievably light like their big brothers the HD 558s and HD 598s. They have a similar look and feel with a few noticeable differences. 1. The HD 518s are less open back than the HD 558s and HD 598s. It means that people sitting next to you on a bus or a plane or a ferry may not hate you as much as they would otherwise. 

 

The design is an over ear design which is subjective, I realize that some may hate it while others will love it. I am among those who love this choice as it really makes the experience of using them more immersive and make the sound more natural. The cushion around the headphone drivers are soft but not too soft and they have a nice feel to them which is a little bit textured and feels just right on the ear. It's important to note that the 518s have a more rough material than the 558s and the 598s.

 

 

Now onto functionality, the HD 518s are really impressive when it comes to doing what you want to do. Listening to music, movies or whatever you're doing shouldn't feel awkward, weird or uncomfortable. Thanks to the really long adjustment section for adapting to different sizes, they can fit comfortably on pretty much anybody's head. This is something that not all headphones do well at and in fact usually struggle here. 

 

Now time for specs:

 

They are 50 ohms in terms of impedence. Yet despite this they are able to be driven by pretty much everything. From an MP3 player to a professional AMP + Dac combo and everything in between. 

 

Now for the sound. They sound awesome, I was really impressed the first time i wore them and listened to music and it still really impressive to this day. it's no wonder that Sennheiser dares to call these :"AudioPhile" headphones. Because they are. Others on the internet claim it sounds similar to what the HD 650s sound like. And the HD 650s cost around 3x more than the 518s. 

 

They offer a rich and deep sound that frankly blow me away and wonder why I never discovered these before.

 

The packaging is really well done with a stylish looking package hinting at why you spent nearly $130 USD on these at full retail. But luckily I was able to get them for less during black friday

 

An important thing to note is that while the bass are very good and the mids are also very good, the highs aren't the 518s strong point. It sacrifices some highs for a great design and great bass. But it still sounds really awesome despite this. 

 

And by now you're probably wondering why I said "what a damn shame" in the title. Well here's the answer. The cable is fucking 2 metres long! Damnit Sennheiser I don't need a 2m cable. It makes carrying around these awesome headphone feel like a chore. Combine that with the fact that it doesn't have a 3.5mm jack on the other end  but a 1/4 jack instead and now it's really impossible to use this for MP3 players and pretty much everything except for DACs and AMPs. There is an included adapter but it just amplifies the other problem of the cable being too long.

 

At this point i have to wonder if i can recommend them to you the reader because if you are like me and some others you'll want to buy an additional 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable. And Sennheiser is now currently sold out of those cables. And to be really blunt if the cables weren't removable I would have said no Sennheiser i can't recommend these to anyone. But as it stands, if you're willing to pay for the extra 2.5mm to 3.5mm 1.2m cable as well the as the headphones then and only then do I say YES, you should buy this.

 

Here's a link to buy the headphones if you want -> http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-518-Headphones-Black/dp/B0042A68R8

 

And here's a link to a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable that i was recommended -> http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B00KAKBHKM/ref=pd_sim_23_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=517R5y-uDDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=14BV95P3TBS6VWKDFGRR

 

Sorry it had to turn into a kind of a rant at the end . 

 

I'm AluminiumTech and until next time, Happy listening !

Hey. Do you think they are a good deal at around $50 (used)? Would you recommend them for gaming?

Thanks

[AlTech]

4 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

Hey. Do you think they are a good deal at around $50 (used)? Would you recommend them for gaming?

Thanks

They're great, especially at $50! .

 

For  gaming they'd be quite great. Only negative for gaming is that the base won't be as full as HD 598s (but these cost WAYYYY more).

[IAmAndre]

37 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

They're great, especially at $50! .

 

For  gaming they'd be quite great. Only negative for gaming is that the base won't be as full as HD 598s (but these cost WAYYYY more).

Great, then I think I'm getting those Senheiser even though I will only be able to use them at home.