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Got these for $79.99 this year around January. I had previously owned a pair of Sennheiser HD 428s which I had acquired for $30 from a pricing error, but decided to try these to test out to hear what a decent pair of Sennheiser headphones sound like.
First off, these are open headphones, sound will leak, that's kind of the point, but it also gives the headphones a much greater sound, akin to actually being in the room with the band/DJ/whatever.
Now that that is out of the way, the first thing I'd like to note is the design. The build quality is quite solid, it is plastic, but not rickety and it definitely does not feel cheap. The actual cups feel heavy and solid and are a pleasure to touch. The padding is quite comfy, it's not a "pillow" cushion, in fact, the foam is rather firm, but it fit my head very well and I can wear them for hours without having any issues. You will not be able to wear these around your neck (and not look awkward) the cups are fairly large as you may have guessed and make this act uncomfortable. The only issue I have with the design so far is the adjustable band seems to be fairly loose and may pop up or down a few notches quite easily, although that's not a big deal at all. The cable is a 1/4" by default and it is also detachable from the headphones. Because of this, you will need to use the 1/4" --> 3.5mm converter that comes with the headphones in order to use it with an iPad or a typical computer. The converter is a bit bulky (no real way to solve that problem since 1/4" jacks are so large) so if you want, you can purchase a 3.5mm cable from Sennheiser for around $15, although I have yet to run into an issue with it.
Now for the sound.
These things sound incredible. Overall they sound great with any genre of music, the highs are crisp, the mids are clear, and the bass is deep and rich. I have yet to hear any distortion on these, which is definitely great! Due to the open design, the sound stage is great and you'll immediately fall in love with it over a closed ear. However, due to the open design, if you are trying to block out the world, you will be unable to do so, although it does make for an interesting experience when you can still hear the outside world but with its own background music. Just as an example of how great the sound on these is: I've used these with my guitar amp via the 1/4" jack. As soon as I plugged them in, I played a chord and thought "Whoops, I guess I didn't plug them in all the way, the amp is still playing the sound!" So I adjusted the cord and played again and thought, "What the heck? How is my amp still playing the sound?", so I took them off and played another chord, and I discovered the headphones were the only things creating sound that entire time... it sounded so perfect and the soundstage was so amazing, that I mistook their sound for the real deal. Just incredible... The one thing I'd like to note is that these headphones are supposed to have powerful bass, and that's true, but mostly for the very low bass, the mid/high bass is still there, it just won't be shaking your ears like the very low stuff will. Although, due to this, all of your electronic music will sound much more crisp and clear, and for me, it was a welcome change. The only negative I can say about the sound is the volume level. For the most part, these headphones are quieter than other pairs of headphones I've owned (although they aren't too quiet, just not particularly loud, so when I'm in a mood to listen to loud music I need to follow some extra steps), that is easily remedied by plugging them into something else to boost their sound (like an amp). I have pair of speakers I plug them into that I use to amplify the sound, and it works well enough. When using them with an actual amp though, these things are plenty loud!
Finally:
At $80 (heck even $100-120) you will NOT find a better deal, I mean, you may be able to find a pair with better sound quality (I have been hearing that about the Grado SR80i) but finding a pair of headphones excels this well in sound quality, build quality, and comfort would be quite a difficult task!
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Sennheiser HD 518 Headphones (Black)Merchant Video
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This Item  Sennheiser HD 518 Headphones (Black) | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $128.34 | $116.94 | $69.95 | -23% $99.95 New Price: $129.99 | -10% $246.36 List: $274.95 |
| Delivery | — | Get it Aug 11 - 22 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Aug 7 | Get it as soon as Monday, Aug 11 | Get it Aug 6 - 7 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Aug 7 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon Japan | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Sennheiser Consumer Audio Direct | BrandsWalk |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3 5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | RCA | 3.5mm Jack | 3 5mm Jack | 1/4-inch, 3.5mm Jack |
| noise control | — | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | sound isolation | sound isolation | — |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 6.35 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 6.35 mm Jack | 6.3 mm Jack with 3.5 adapter |
| cable feature | Retractable | Retractable | Detachable | Tangle Free | Detachable | Detachable |
| control type | Media Control | Volume Control | — | Call Control | control | control |
| water resistance | — | — | water resistant | not water resistant | — | not water resistant |
| material | Ferrous | プラスチック | Plastic Faux Leather | Plastic | Plastic | Velour |
| model name | HD 518 | FBA HD 25 | HD 599 | HD400S | HD 569 | HD 560S |
| frequency range | 14 Hz - 26 kHz | 16 Hz - 22 kHz | 20 - 38500 Hz | 100 Hz - 10 kHz, 18 Hz - 20 kHz | 20 Hz - 28,000 Hz | 6 Hz to 38 kHz |
Product information
| Headphones Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
|---|---|
| Model Name | HD 518 |
| Connectivity Technology | Wired |
| Included Components | Open-Aire Around-the-Ear Headphones with E.A.R. |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Material | Ferrous |
| Control Type | Media Control |
| Cable Feature | Retractable |
| Item Weight | 255 Grams |
| Frequency Range | 14 Hz - 26 kHz |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Is Autographed | No |
| Series Number | 518 |
| UPC | 616268540600 615104187672 887479343131 707223149430 |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 04044155056037 |
| Manufacturer | Petra Industries, Inc. - Consumer Electronics Replen |
| Product Dimensions | 3.94 x 9.45 x 8.07 inches |
| Item Weight | 9 ounces |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B0042A68R8 |
| Item model number | HD 518 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank |
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| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | November 15, 2010 |
Warranty & Support
Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here. [PDF ]
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Product Videos
Merchant Video
Excellent Headphones! For both gamers and casual music lovers.
These headphones are really good! How good? You may start listening to genres you were not even so fond of. Jazz comes to life! I paid $73 for these babies, and they are a steal at that price! These will easily beat out most of the $200 to $300 headphones. These are like expensive speakers tailored for your head. Very comfortable. I can wear them for hours. You have to stretch them out a bit first. Put it on a head-sized object for 12 hours, and it will be perfect. The fabric is not velour, but feels fine to the skin. It feels nature and stays cool. It can block out noise, but the sound leaks quite a bit. This is by design, as all open back headphones will do that. All in all, it is an unbeatable value for the price. Pros: - Comfort 9/10. It's light and airy. - Big soundstage, and great instrument separation. It can reproduce sounds from big stages like fireworks - A lot of bass. It's low and thick but not tight and punchy like ATH-M50. Jazz and Hip Hop sound better than Rock. - Good for the surround sound feeling. - Detachable cable. Cons: - Cord and Jack: That damn 10 feet cord is too long. 1/4" is the standard jack, instead of the 1/8"- WTF? The adapter is too long to use with phones, and it does not fit most phone covers. Sennheiser is not selling replacement cable at this time. So you have to buy third party cable for these. The headphone input is not standard 3.5mm - Sound leaks. Cannot use in a plane. It does not fold either. It is not that kind of headphones. - 50 Ohm's. The volume is adequate but for low quality Youtube videos or low bit rate MP3's, it could be an issue. You can still use it without an amp though. - True audiophiles will find them too bassy. Comparisons: - ATH M50x. I chose these over ATH-M50x, which I felt delivered the sound too forcefully into my head. This feels more relaxed. The soundstage is so big for open-backed headphones. The ear holes in the ATH-M50X pads are too small for my big ear. - Sennheiser HD 558 - If you are bass-head. these will sound better than the HD 558, which has a flatter frequency curve. Here is the Frequency Response chart: http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2841&graphID[]=2861&graphID[]=2851&graphID[]=4313&scale=30
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2014
- Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
- SreeReviewed in India on December 16, 2016
HD 518: Lightweight, balanced with decent soundstage headphone.
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- Patryk SzuszkiewiczReviewed in Canada on September 10, 2014
Biggest Bang For Your Buck
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