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

Techicolors · November 1, 2016

i'm not sure if this works for the 518 but with my 558s you can perform a very simple mod so you can get a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter and just stick it inside the 2.5mm housing. only issue is that it has to be a damn perfect size so it'll fit snug. here's the adapter i used

https://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Audio-Adapter-Cable-Stick/dp/B007R58NPK

there could be some audio loss but i don't notice anything with my 558s.

applesuxD · December 14, 2016

On 30/12/2015 at 4:06 PM, 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 !

Interesting, least its good to know that there is a cheap alternative to the 598's

DF2 · April 4, 2017

On 11/1/2016 at 8:13 PM, 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).

I use the HD 598 at home and the HD 518 at work. The HD 598 is amplified by a Xonar STX and the HD 518 is amplified by a Xonar U1. While both are well driven I would definitely say that the 518 sacrifices high end brilliance for low end performance. Not to say that the high end is bad on the 518; the highs are adequate for a great listening experience in my opinion. On the HD 598 the upper and mid range is highly detailed. The bass is tight but precise and while not booming but still very good. The HD 518 are bassy as it is stated on the packaging while the 598 is detailed as also accurately stated on the box. I think both are great. A friend of mine uses the HD 518 for competitive gaming. He says the positional audio is much better than some of the professional gaming headsets he has used. While these are my subjective thoughts I think the following review is accurate.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/sennheiser-hd-518-review