TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Comfortable, lightweight design
- +
Excellent sound quality
Cons
- -
No inline mic for iPhone users
- -
Not great with low bit rate MP3s
Why you can trust TechRadar
To hear music at its best you really need a decent pair of headphones. And this is where the Sennheiser HD 518 comes in.
Ostensibly designed for hi-fi use, the 518s bring audiophile-sound quality to your Mac, iPad or iPhone in a lightweight, open-backed design.
What strikes you first is the HD 518's sheer bulk: large, extravagantly padded, oval ear cups, a wide headband and a 3m cable with 6.3mm headphone jack and 3.5mm adapter.
It's fair to say that the Sennheiser HD 518 is built for comfort rather than stealth: those huge ear cups are circumaural – that is, designed to fit around the ears rather than on or in them, making them super-comfy.
The headphones are also open-backed to give your music a light, airy feel, although this can also result in sound leaking in or out – great if you want to be aware of what's going on around you, but annoying for anyone who has to listen to a tinny rendition of your tunes.
Out of the box, these headphones initially disappoint with a muffled sound that's thin on high-frequency sounds such as cymbals. Luckily, that quickly gives way to a more balanced sound that's breathtakingly clear with well-recorded rock, pop and classical.
Ironically the Sennheiser's transparency could make some songs in your library sound worse: it's not very forgiving of low bit-rate MP3s or tunes that were badly recorded or mastered in the first place.
Follow TechRadar Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/techradarreview

I didn’t think it was possible to get this excited by a camera’s body cap, but the Sigma BF’s is beautiful

I reviewed the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 5 Dock and it might be the best TB5 unit for the price right now

Another 122.88TB SSD just launched and this one comes from an obscure Chinese startup you've probably never encountered