Help deciding between Sennheiser HD 518 or 380 HD Pro
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:10 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13
DistortionGamer

DistortionGamer

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Hello everyone,
First post on these forums and as you can see from the title I am having trouble choosing between the Sennheiser HD 518 or the 380 HD Pro.
Their prices are pratically the same and I've heard good reviews on both.
I mainly want them for gaming and listening the music, gaming is prioritized though.
Any help would be very appreciated.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:38 AM Post #2 of 13
One is open, other is closed.
For gaming, open is better, so I'd go with the HD518. There are other options than Sennheiser if you want good gaming headphones, though.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 6:36 AM Post #3 of 13
Well i have the HD 380 pro and they are pretty good for music and games, just don't expect a lot of bass since they are pretty neutral in their response. I was having the same dilemma as u had and i chose this pair because i needed them to be closed. The environment I'm in is pretty noisy and it disturbs me when i want for example to play some COD and to be able to hear the sound of footsteps only to have my room-mate turn the TV on or gaming on the laptop without his headphones etc. I'm saying this because i had purchased the HD 558 and it was really bugging me to hear everything around me, which is why i returned them after two weeks. Also sometimes i stay up at night (let's say until 3 or 4 PM) gaming or watching some movies, but if you have an open-back headphone no one around you will be able to get some sleep because of the sound leakage, which closed-back headphones only have at a really high volume.
 
The open-back ones DO have a wider soundstage and a better sound sometimes. It depends on your ear, but for me the HD 558 were a bit too bright and had sparkle i think. I just know that my ears hurt whenever and "s" or something like that was in a song. My brother didn't have this problem and neither did my father, but i guess i'm just sensitive :p. The HD 380 didn't have this problem so i kept them.
 
It's your decision, but in my honest opinion if you only have to choose between these two headphones you need to think about what environment you'll use them in and if hearing outside sounds disturbs you or not.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 7:40 AM Post #4 of 13
Thank you both for your quick replies,
 
I am aware that there are other headphones on this price range, but I have completely given up on "gaming" headphones, like steelseries, turtle beach etc.. Because they are simply overpriced,
I've taken a look at some AKGs, Grado (which unfortunately they don't sell in Portugal) but I have come to a conclusion that Sennheiser are the best choice for what I'm looking for.
 
On the environment part I'm planning to use them on my room, my parents is right next to mine and so is my brothers so I'm guessing the open-back ones may become a problem.
It's not noisy at all here though, I never have to increase volume or anything because there's too much noise around me.
 
Still trying to figure out which one to buy, more inclined towards the 380 though.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 7:58 AM Post #5 of 13
Well if your alone in a room they don't leak THAT much sound. Also i don't know about the 518's sound signature because i didn't test them so i don't know how good or bad they are. I chose the HD 380 because i am at college and it's pretty noisy.
 
I think it's best to just get the one you like more at the moment and if after hearing them (and some good amount of burn-in) you still don't like them, you can always return them and get the other one. That's what i did :).
 
Also don't play with your lights closed any horror game with the HD 380(or any other closed cans for that matter). You won't hear when your brother comes behind you and grabs your leg to scare the s**t out of you.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 4:18 PM Post #6 of 13
Quote:
distortiongamer said:
I am aware that there are other headphones on this price range, but I have completely given up on "gaming" headphones, like steelseries, turtle beach etc.. Because they are simply overpriced,
I've taken a look at some AKGs, Grado (which unfortunately they don't sell in Portugal) but I have come to a conclusion that Sennheiser are the best choice for what I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

 
Do they sell Audio technica's there? The AD700 is apparently great for gaming.
 
Dec 3, 2012 at 2:59 AM Post #11 of 13
can somebody tell me if HD 380 have good soundstage,, I do know that open headphones have better.
I am too confused about these two headphones.. I certainly like to buy the 518 ..but since I live alone in a college room, I'm afraid that the sound of moving air out of fan will drown the 518.is this true with open headphones.
 
Dec 3, 2012 at 3:09 AM Post #12 of 13
Depends on how much noise the fan makes. Personally I can't stand having my window AC on in one of the rooms I listen in while using open cans but a fan, unless really, really noisy wouldn't bother me personally with music playing.

Also when I tried the Senny 558 it seemed to block more external noise than the open phones I have at home. Dunno if the 518 is the same and I know nothing of how good/bad they sound but the fan prolly won't be an issue.
 
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