I'm standing on the precipice of turning my in rotation headphone collection over and now seems like a good time to write a HD 518 review. My HD 700's and 598's are in the mail and instead of listening to those I'm back on my back up pair the 518s. These were the first open backed headphones I ever heard. They are also the first headphones I ever did an ounce of research into and started my love of the Sennheiser sound. I've owned them for several years and since then I've also listened to most of the rest of the HD line.
The amazing thing about these 518's is they truly are about 85% of anything else in the entire lineup. After listening to the 700's precise imaging, detail and soundstage for the last month or so I'm shocked at how little is actually lost here. These were initially bought as gaming headphone and they work excellent for that purpose. A full wide soundstage that's not quite as good as the best in class options but certainly up there. Bullets whizz by your head and footsteps are audible.
With music mids are forward and very pleasent. Treble is not harsh but the headphone seems to have a bit of sparkle to my ears at the same time. Bass could be better but this is far from just being an HD 518 problem. I find that all the way up the lineup Senn's open backed models lack bass punch.
Last piece I'll cover here is comfort. I find these more comfortable then the 598's due to the difference in headband material. I think the leather on the 598's can make the top of your head hot. No complaints here. Not as great as the HD 700's but very easy for long term listening.
I'm going to be trying different types of headphones going forward and getting away from the Sennheiser sound for awhile but I really appreciate where the 518's stand. They are the first headphone that got me to care about audio quality and the now sub-75 dollar price tag makes them an excellent option for anyone in the same situation I was then. A perfect way to dip your toe in the waters of high end audio.
The amazing thing about these 518's is they truly are about 85% of anything else in the entire lineup. After listening to the 700's precise imaging, detail and soundstage for the last month or so I'm shocked at how little is actually lost here. These were initially bought as gaming headphone and they work excellent for that purpose. A full wide soundstage that's not quite as good as the best in class options but certainly up there. Bullets whizz by your head and footsteps are audible.
With music mids are forward and very pleasent. Treble is not harsh but the headphone seems to have a bit of sparkle to my ears at the same time. Bass could be better but this is far from just being an HD 518 problem. I find that all the way up the lineup Senn's open backed models lack bass punch.
Last piece I'll cover here is comfort. I find these more comfortable then the 598's due to the difference in headband material. I think the leather on the 598's can make the top of your head hot. No complaints here. Not as great as the HD 700's but very easy for long term listening.
I'm going to be trying different types of headphones going forward and getting away from the Sennheiser sound for awhile but I really appreciate where the 518's stand. They are the first headphone that got me to care about audio quality and the now sub-75 dollar price tag makes them an excellent option for anyone in the same situation I was then. A perfect way to dip your toe in the waters of high end audio.
