[chelboed]

I purchased these against the recommendations of some of my homies, LOL...I just had to try them. I got the yellow ones from Amazon for $45.
 
As of late, I've been wanting a decent all-rounder that has a slight lean toward bass. Used to run a Dell Jukebox with Senn EH350's back in the day.
 
So I tried the MD Trib's and felt them to be too harsh on the top end.
PortaPro's are pretty good, but lack some clarity and have a sloppy bottom end.
Tried S4's, but they sounded quite fake...like you're listening to a plastic driver in a plastic tube.
VModa remix's had great bass, but were only good for HipHop and songs with unnatural sounds.
The closest thing I could find was the standard Turbine. It sounds pretty good to my ears. Plenty of bass extension and quantity. not overpowering mid's/highs. Def. not a reference IEM, but a great universal for most things. I still don't like them as much for rock, but they're better than the other's here that I listed with the exception of PortaPro's. PP's are not bad in the rock realm.
 
I was still wanting a "can" and just can't make myself get something as big as the M50 or K181DJ for port. use, so I tried the k518LE.
 
These are about as close as I have found to the sound that I'm looking for. The bass isn't "overpowering" as some have stated. I think it's pretty balanced. A little less bass quantity than a standard Turbine. The mid's and highs are much better IMO for an all-rounder. I have no issues whatsoever listening to rock with them...though they really shine in the DJ realm.
 
That's all...
 
Thanks.

 

[ostewart]

tonight i get my 518 DJ's and will post an impressions too. Cant wait. People only say good things about them, i mainly listen to rock.

 

[Leba]

They are damn nice cans indeed for the price.
To me they are almost perfect for $75, if it wasn't for the excessive clamping force.

 

[nonsupremous]

x2.  They really are a good forward sounding can.  The bass definitely kicks.  They are an aggressive can.  So if you're going to like these you really are going to need to enjoy aggressive punchy in your face headphones.  I picked mine up for 56 and I think they were well worth the money.  I still prefer my Zino to these just a little for this price range (picked em up for 52).  The Zino has a looser bass giving you more of a sub feel.  They are also much more crisp, very borderline harsh at times.  But the past couple of weeks I have been all about the the 518 LE.  I'm with everyone else though.  The clamp is something else!  You don't want to have a pair of glasses on with these cans on your head.  That's an instant headache.    I also added the AE2 to my "wall" recently....although they haven't encroached headtime over the AKG's.

 

[ostewart]

on the K81 DJ thread there are tips for loosening the grip, so they are more comfy. I have a small head so i should be fine. Also pull out the foam in the middle and they become more clear and slightly brighter.

 

[nonsupremous]

^^Hmmm.  I have not tried the pad mod yet.  I wondered if it would make much of a difference.  I might have to try that. 
 
I think I will try putting mine over some bookshelf speakers and see if that really works.  Anywhere in that thread where they mention about how long you should leave them?  A day or two?

 

[ostewart]

i dont think that way will work too good, try the steatching methods they say. I will try the pad mod too

 

[Leba]

Yeah I like how they sound without the foam insert better too.
And I've tried to loosen the grip by different means and the result was subtle, wearing them for 1 hour and I begin to feel the pressure.

 
Interestingly there are people who think that the K518 sound different to K81 (such as http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/477809/akg-k81-dj-vs-akg-518-dj-limited-ed). Makes me wonder if that's the case.

 

[chelboed]

Yeah, I removed the foam too...moderate improvement over the already good sound.
 
 
 
Clamping force:
I agree that initially, they were a bit tight. All I did was bend the metal part out just a tad on both ends where the metal is exposed. Now they're just as comfy as my PortaPro's. 

 

[ostewart]

Just got my K518 DJ's and they are amazing. I made the cable shorter by cutting it and resoldering. i just love the sound, i prefer without foam too. I have no problems ith clamping force nor size (i have them on notch number 6)
overall great cans

 

[phalanger]

I have a K518DJ since a few years but I cant listen to them. Sure it packs a punch but its the most bass-bloated headphone I've used. Extremely warm and the bass drowns out any details, if they were there to begin with.
I like a good bass but having heard these phones made me worried to buy the IE8 since they are known to be pretty bassy too. Compared to these cans though the IE8 sounds extremely balanced and bordering on bright. Bass is too present in the K518 and qualitatively not that great. To my ears anyway. Comfort is also not so good.
 
Good to see theres people liking it though, but for me its been the worst phone purchase above 25$ ;O
If anyone in NL wants a pair, consider mine for sale

 

[ostewart]

I dont think they are bloated or anything like you said.

 

[nonsupremous]

Last night I removed the foam inside the earcups as well.  There is a slight increase in the treble and detail.  They are not really a dark or veiled headphone but after you remove the padding you notice quickly that they are a tiny bit veiled.  I will say this to Phalanger, take out the foam and the bass will decrease substantially.  In fact I was kind of shocked how much the thump went away.  They are still bass heavy make no mistake about that, but they don't hit nearly as hard anymore. 

 

[Scube]

What's the difference between the LE version and the DJ version?

 

[ostewart]

only the length of cable, DJ has 3m cable, LE has 1.2m cable. and colour of course, DJ is all black, LE comes in funky colours