to listen before buying

For a few hundred Euros, this headset offers the Sennheiser quality manufacturing and an absolutely royal comfort. Sometimes I wear it two hours without feeling any discomfort. Nothing to do with my old HD 497 that supported too on the ears and gave an unpleasant sensation of heat spent an hour. His side, the word "audiophile" is probably excessive: this headset has the expected neutrality of an audiophile product. The bass tend to spill but do not have great depth. Conversely, the mids are a little behind. However acute and spatialization are impeccable. This very typical listening will probably not suit everyone. Next the music listened results may vary considerably. However, this headset is proving quite usable with a PC or other source of poor quality, even if the record is necessarily better connected to a good chain.
Finally, note that the sound proofing is almost zero (which is pretty normal for an open helmet).
In conclusion, the HD 518 offers excellent value for money but better to listen to your favorite CD before purchasing it.