Sennheiser HD 518

964 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
sound (327)
comfort (207)
price (158)
bass quality (110)
durability (73)

Negative
portability (78)
noise isolation (5)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 964 reviews of Sennheiser HD 518. The average rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other Headphones for all reviews. People really like the usability and bass quality. The price and comfort also get good feedback, but some have doubts about the noise isolation and portability. Comments are divided on the size.

sound, comfort, price, bass quality, usability

portability, noise isolation

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Headphones the Sennheiser HD 518 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 84/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 964 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(64% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (24% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (7% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (3% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (2% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

sound
Show positive (86%)Show negative (14%)(Show all)

comfort
Show positive (90%)Show negative (10%)(Show all)

price
Show positive (84%)Show negative (16%)(Show all)

bass quality
Show positive (87%)Show negative (13%)(Show all)

portability
Show positive (36%)Show negative (64%)(Show all)

More features

Showing 390 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Disclaimer:

Below is a list of reviews for this or similar products. If you think this grouping is wrong please click here to flag.
Read more on our FAQ’s page.

Showing 1 - 311 of 390 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (571)

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sennheiser HD 518

alaTest has collected and analyzed 272 user reviews of Sennheiser HD 518 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Headphones on Amazon.com. People really like the durability and bass quality. The price and comfort are also appreciated. There are some less positive reviews about the noise isolation and portability.

sound, comfort, price, bass quality, durability

portability, noise isolation

93% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.ca)

Amazon.ca review summary for Sennheiser HD 518

alaTest has collected and analyzed 29 user reviews of Sennheiser HD 518 from Amazon.ca. The average user rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Headphones on Amazon.ca. Views about the durability and bass quality are on the whole positive. The comfort and sound are also appreciated. Many are negative about the size and portability. Opinions are divided on the reliability.

price, sound, comfort, bass quality, durability

portability, size

93% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Sam Vafaei , Marc Henney, Jean-Christophe Lamontag (rtings.com)

Sennheiser HD 518 HEADPHONES

The Sennheiser HD 518 are a good, low-budget pair of critical listening headphones. They deliver a decently balanced and open sound quality. They're comfortable and somewhat sturdy but are a bit bulky and tight on the head. However, they're not casual...

Good and open audio reproduction. ; Comfortable fit.

Sensitive to ambient noise, by design. ; High leakage by design, can be distracting to others. ; Slightly bulky and cumbersome design.

Oct, 2016

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Andrew Williams (trustedreviews.com)

Sennheiser HD 518

The cheapest Sennheiser circumaural HD-series model is a winner.

Great value ; Wonderful warm and detailed sound ; Detachable cable

Speaker grille an acquired taste

Boasting true high-end audio quality at a price that won't make your wife leave you or necessitate cancelling your kids' Christmas for a year, the Sennheiser HD 518 are an absolute bargain. They sound warm, detailed and easy-going, and should please...

Jul, 2011

Read the full review

Expert review by : Rob Mead-Green (techradar.com)

Sennheiser HD 518 review

Want audiophile-quality sound for your Mac, iPad or iPod?

Comfortable, lightweight design ; Excellent sound quality

No inline mic for iPhone users ; Not great with low bit rate MP3s

May, 2011

Partner Source

Read the full review

Expert review by : Sriram Gurunathan (tech.firstpost.com)

Sennheiser HD518 Headphones - Comfort Listening

The HD518s hope to hold the door open for aspiring audiophiles.

The Sennheiser HD518s are priced at Rs. 6,490, which I would say is a little on the steep side considering they need burning in to be rid of the muddiness. A thousand or two lower and these would be an absolutely fantastic buy – but I’d still recommend...

Apr, 2011

Partner Source

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

50$$$$$

They are sennheiser so they sound great. Seriously they are $50. Dont see how you can hate. If you want higher quality then get out your wallet and spend $300 -$2000.

Excellent sound Quality for $50!!! Extremely comfortable to wear for long periods For audiophiles we like the cord. If you dont like it buy a shorter one online for $10

They are plastic (they were $50) They are Sennheiser so if you are buying to listen to in bed and not wake your wife....Bad idea (open Back)

May, 2016

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Not worth the 150$

Why use a clunky output adapter that came out of the stone age?

They play music nicely I guess, not as high quality as a product valued at 150$ should sound. Update: Cord broke down quick, I have to get the headset connection in just the right for sound to come out correctly in even one ear. This set cannot be used...

Bulky cord Not wireless Fabric absorbs liquid

Mar, 2016

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Looked good & played good at first

The cable connectors are the weakest link in this headset.

Looked like a quality product out of the box but only lasted 2 weeks. I think it's the cables. I sent it back. Thank you Newegg for a painless return.

Did not last a month.

Mar, 2016

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Great sound and very comfortable.

You can order a replacement cord, that is shorter and has the 1.5mm plug, but the vendor should supply the short cord.

-Excellent sound. -nice bass. -loud

The cord is VERY long. I keep tripping over it or getting it caught in my chair. The plug is the large 3.5 mm plug and comes with an adapter for 1.5mm stereo but the length for these put together is about 3-4 inches and the weight of this causes it to...

Feb, 2016

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Look great, sound great, cheap!

I love sennheiser, these look like $500 headphones! I wouldn't pay over $80 for these tbh, they are no audio-technica m50xs but they hold there own for being a fraction of the price.

Sounds good for this pricepoint. Cheaper and better than beats for sure! Everyone who is complaining about "muddy sounds" are probably streaming music off youtube.... Where audio is extremely degraded. Try uncompressed music and they sound great. Only...

I cannot tell the difference that these headphones provide by being open backed. Even when I close it up with my hands, it sounds the same. Also, I wish there were a slimmer adapter or an option to outright come as a 3.5mm jack, the one included is...

Feb, 2016

Read the full review

Consumer review (newegg.com)

Got them for $50, best $50 I have spend on audio equipment

- Sound replication is perfect - Open back earphones provide the best acoustics for accurate sound reproduction and different genres - Not just a lot of bass - Perfect for amplified systems - Good to use as monitor headphones - Best-in-class performance

- The plug is a little big so an adapter might be needed for when you use it with a mobile device that has a case on it (I won't hold this against it as the sound performance is that good)

Feb, 2016

Read the full review