I'd hesitate to call the 518 a "real" high-end headphone, more like entry-level mid-fi.

 
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vitor machado said:

 

Yes but it still doesn't make sense to pay more for an inferior product just because it's new...

 
Can anyone compare the 518 with the 555/595?

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Retail 101: A dealer purchased a product for X amount, then to make a profit, he ( she) will determine how much he ( she) needs to have a net profit ( cost + dealer's expenses) by marking up a GMP ( Gross Margin Profit) . The GMP is pretty much a game based on demand and supply. The higher the demand you have a higher GMP. The lower the demand you have a lower GMP.
 
When a line of product is discontinued, a dealer now needs to clear his ( her) inventory for new products since consumers always look for new products so now we have lower demand than supply, the price of the discontinued product is marked down resulting a lower GMP  but a dealer still recover his cost plus a smaller profit.
 
For the end users, it's about SQ. For the dealer, it's about profit. That's it. 

Quote:

cleverar said:

I'm currently trying to figure out whether I should get the HD 518 or the HD 555

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Go for the 555.
 

I did

any one got impressions of the 518 especially compared to the hd598 which i find lacking in bass.

I listened to both and the HD518 is definatatly more bass heavy,but the 598 has nicer highs and mids(more clear and lively)
EDIT:am i the only one who thinks that the HD 598 looks WAAAY better on the pictures than in real?

I would have to agree with @Great Sound that the 518 has more bass presence compared to the 555 and 598. I also had the opportunity to compare them (a friend is an authorized re-seller and made me listen to the 3 cans) and found that the 598 had clearer highs and mids. Mind you the mids and highs of the 518 are pretty clear themselves it just seems the mids and highs of the 598 are more forward compared to the 518. I also listened to the HD555 but it just didn't have the same bass presence of the 518 and I felt the mids and highs we're at par and compared well to each other.
 
I decided to go with the 518 since the whole 'cracking' issue in the ear-cups have been eliminated (or so they tell me... hehe) and it had more bass presence. Seriously though, so far I see no cracking (I've opened them twice to give them a thorough check).
 
I've burned in about 50+ hours onto the 518 and I must say I never get tired listening everyday to them for hours on end (even at work while working away in front of my PC).
 
I also paired up my 518 with a fiio E11 and it just made them sound so much warmer and fuller. I bought them both on the spot after listening to them. Pretty good investment for entry level mid-fi cans I should say!

They sound very good for their price, definitely sound better than 555's.  They sound quite similar to 558/598 with slight differences. The easiest way to describe them is to say that they are like a slightly laid back, slightly darker, more bass heavy version of 558/598's. They're more like "real" sennheisers in terms of sound signature. But overall, i'd say they're not much worse than 558's, unlike 515's which were much worse than 555's.
 
The differences between headphones in 5x8 range are much smaller than prices would suggest. For example,  518's dont feel like they're two times cheaper than 558's, but rather, they feel like 558's with slightly different equalizer settings.  Physically they're completely the same with the exception of colors and grills.
 
IMHO, 518's are best-buy headphones in 100-150$ price range.

Quote:

great sound said:

...am i the only one who thinks that the HD 598 looks WAAAY better on the pictures than in real?

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I have to agree with you the the 598 is an acquired taste when it comes to the color scheme and materials used. It does give you that pimpin' look though!!!
 

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I wanted to know, how would the HD 518's compare to the HD 280 Pro?  Are they slightly larger, is there any clamp, is the sound just as good??  The only problem I had with the HD 280s were the clamp they had on the sides of my head and the headband.  Oh and don't forget, the recessed bass (not too bad though, they open up after a month or so of burn in.

@Destroysall,
 
The HD 518 ear-cup size is about the same as the HD 280 pro, though the external ear-cup design of the HD 5xx series is a little bit bigger because of its shape / design.The clamp on the HD 518 is pretty good (as in comfortable and pressure is barely noticable but it fits your head well). The headbands are very light and very comfortable with the pad on top. You will barely feel them, they are that good!
 
Mind you, this is from when I was trying on multiple Senn Headphones from a local dealer, and it felt (earcup size) the same though the pro's were heavier than the 518 / 558 / 598. Aside from the clamp force on the 5xx series being better than the pro's and being a close back design I opted for the 5xx series over them. One thing to note though is that the pads on the 518 is not the velour type like the 558 / 598. You can buy the velour type and snap it on the 518, which i plan on doing in the near future.
 
As for the bass, it is heavier and more pronounced (darker sounding) compared to the 558 and the 598. If you really want thumping base, you need to pair it with an amp. I have mine setup with a fiio E11 and a rock-box modded 5.5 gen ipod and when people listen to some of the music I have they say that the bass is so clear yet (not muddled) you can feel that thump. Together with it's awesome mids and very good highs It's a pretty good investment!

Thank you so much, that info indeed does help!  Comfort and sound have been my biggest curiosity of the 518s.  I have the 280 Pro, and while I love the sound stage and the clarity of the sound, comfort is a little bit on the down side.  It was a huge clamp for me when I first bought the pair, but after a little stretching they seemed to be "ok".  You still can't put them on and wear them for countless of hours without your ears wanting to grasp some air and without your head and ears aching from the clamp.  I've been considering the 518s a lot since they have bass and they look as comfortable as my friend's HD595.

In terms of comfort I've been able to wear the 518 for 8+ hours and I never even had any urge to re-seat or fiddle with it the whole time. Mind you this is with an ambient of about 26-27*C in my room, that's pretty good if you ask me.
 

That's just like mine, my ambient temperature in my room is usually 21-25*C.  The most I ever let it get up to is maybe 28-29*C.  I think I will probably get the HD518.  I've been considering other headphones as well, such as the Grado SR80i and a refurbished pair of HD600s, but this one is in the median price point range, so it looks like a better bang for the buck.  Thanks a lot!!!

Quote:

derbigpr said:

They sound very good for their price, definitely sound better than 555's.  They sound quite similar to 558/598 with slight differences. The easiest way to describe them is to say that they are like a slightly laid back, slightly darker, more bass heavy version of 558/598's. They're more like "real" sennheisers in terms of sound signature. But overall, i'd say they're not much worse than 558's, unlike 515's which were much worse than 555's.
 
The differences between headphones in 5x8 range are much smaller than prices would suggest. For example,  518's dont feel like they're two times cheaper than 558's, but rather, they feel like 558's with slightly different equalizer settings.  Physically they're completely the same with the exception of colors and grills.
 
IMHO, 518's are best-buy headphones in 100-150$ price range.

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I agree about the eq part.
 
thanks.
 
whats this thing about cracking, do the hd518 crack?