This is my second review on Head-Fi so it won't be the review you'll ever read.
I will try to use as much terms that are described in the "describing soung glossary".
Please note that English isn't my native tongue, so there will be a few grammar and spelling mistakes.
Build Quality:
These headphones are made out of plastic entirely (except the earpads of course), but they don't feel cheap. I think this is due to the fact that the plastic is high quality and has a nice finish on it.
The plastic doesn't make annoying sounds like on some headphones that are even cheaper.
Comfort:
All headphones in the 500 series are really light and the HD 518 is no exception, but unlike the HD 558 and the HD 598 the earpads aren't padded with velour. That doesn't mean that they're uncomfortable.
It just means that they aren't as comfortable as the higher end models. The HD 518 has a slightly stronger clamping force than the HD 598 and 558, but you can easily stretch them by putting them over a big pillow or just wearing them. The headband is padded with the same material as the earcushions but the foam inside seems slightly softer to me.
Bass:
The HD 518 has the best bass quantity out of any headphones in the 500 series according to the following graph:
I have listened to both the HD 518 and the HD 598 and while the 518 has more bass, the 598 has cleaner, more detailed bass.
But both headphones are not bassy or boomy at all.
Mids:
The mids on this headphone sound more forward and are more present than on most headphones that I've listened to. This is great for vocals, but it might get a little overwhelming when listening to more brutal/heavy genres of music. The mids are also very clean.
Highs:
Just like the mids, the highs are very clean. Not too bright, but I did notice some sibilance when listening to brighter records (can't remember which ones).
When listening to the beginning of "Ghost of Perdition" by Opeth, the lower highs and upper mids sounded slightly muffeled, but it is barely noticable.
Soundstage:
The soundstage is not huge, but definitely noticable due to excellent seperation. When playing planetside 2 I could hear where enemies are coming from. Playing Skyrim with the HD 518 felt more immersive and just walking around the forests was awesome.
Pros:
These headphones are great for gaming and listening to classical music, jazz, metal that isn't too brutal (Opeth's latest albums, Porcupine Tree etc.) folk, and classical rock.
They are really comfortable, even so comfortable that when the music I was listening to stopped, I just forgot that I was wearing headphones.
You can also drive these headphone very easily even my old Ipod classic can drive them.
Cons:
The stock cable is the biggest problem with this headphone, because it ends in a 6.3mm. Luckily Sennheiser decided to include an adapter, but this makes the end of the cable very bulky.
Another small problem I had with these is that they're not really fit for faster and heavier genres of music like death metal and dubstep.
Picture:
I will try to use as much terms that are described in the "describing soung glossary".
Please note that English isn't my native tongue, so there will be a few grammar and spelling mistakes.
Build Quality:
These headphones are made out of plastic entirely (except the earpads of course), but they don't feel cheap. I think this is due to the fact that the plastic is high quality and has a nice finish on it.
The plastic doesn't make annoying sounds like on some headphones that are even cheaper.
Comfort:
All headphones in the 500 series are really light and the HD 518 is no exception, but unlike the HD 558 and the HD 598 the earpads aren't padded with velour. That doesn't mean that they're uncomfortable.
It just means that they aren't as comfortable as the higher end models. The HD 518 has a slightly stronger clamping force than the HD 598 and 558, but you can easily stretch them by putting them over a big pillow or just wearing them. The headband is padded with the same material as the earcushions but the foam inside seems slightly softer to me.
Bass:
The HD 518 has the best bass quantity out of any headphones in the 500 series according to the following graph:
I have listened to both the HD 518 and the HD 598 and while the 518 has more bass, the 598 has cleaner, more detailed bass.
But both headphones are not bassy or boomy at all.
Mids:
The mids on this headphone sound more forward and are more present than on most headphones that I've listened to. This is great for vocals, but it might get a little overwhelming when listening to more brutal/heavy genres of music. The mids are also very clean.
Highs:
Just like the mids, the highs are very clean. Not too bright, but I did notice some sibilance when listening to brighter records (can't remember which ones).
When listening to the beginning of "Ghost of Perdition" by Opeth, the lower highs and upper mids sounded slightly muffeled, but it is barely noticable.
Soundstage:
The soundstage is not huge, but definitely noticable due to excellent seperation. When playing planetside 2 I could hear where enemies are coming from. Playing Skyrim with the HD 518 felt more immersive and just walking around the forests was awesome.
Pros:
These headphones are great for gaming and listening to classical music, jazz, metal that isn't too brutal (Opeth's latest albums, Porcupine Tree etc.) folk, and classical rock.
They are really comfortable, even so comfortable that when the music I was listening to stopped, I just forgot that I was wearing headphones.
You can also drive these headphone very easily even my old Ipod classic can drive them.
Cons:
The stock cable is the biggest problem with this headphone, because it ends in a 6.3mm. Luckily Sennheiser decided to include an adapter, but this makes the end of the cable very bulky.
Another small problem I had with these is that they're not really fit for faster and heavier genres of music like death metal and dubstep.
Picture:
