Samson SR850 Professional Studio Reference Headphones

I bought these headphones over 3 years ago, so I can speak about their build quality and performance over time. For the price (currently about $35), these are unbeatable in terms of audio quality and reliability. Three years in, they have barely any signs of wear - their build quality is fine. They are open backs, so they produce a wide sound stage, and sound very open. They are pretty neutral with a bit of a boost in the upper range. They are not base-heavy, but offer a good amount of base. They are very comfortable to wear with velvety cushions and a comfy headband. Minor gripes (that do not amount to taking off a star) are: I wish they had a slightly more balanced high end and a detachable cable. Other than that, these are very nice. For your reference, other similar open-back headphones I have are the Massdrop/Sennheiser HD-6xx. Are they better? Yes, but at almost 10 times the price, this is not a fair comparison.

Wow, just wow. TLDR right up front, these are fantastic headphones for the price. If you have any hesitation to buy them whatsoever, let me tell you that you won't be disappointed. Bass is a bit lower than some people would like, but hey they're open backs! My pair arrived in their retail box, which was kind of surprising as the box wasn't even sealed. Thankfully the headphones were undamaged and they appear to be brand new, although I honestly wouldn't care if they were used since they look fine. Included I was surprised to find a 1/4 inch (the big audio connector for amps and such) to 3.5mm adapter pre-installed on the unit. I was actually kind of worried that I accidentally purchased the wrong variant of these headphones, since the adapter looked like it was part of the cable. Thankfully my initial assumption was incorrect, and the adapter unscrewed revealing a 3.5 mm plug, although I must say the quality of this adapter is what fooled me. It's super nice and fits on the cable seamlessly! The fabric the removable ear pads are made out of is kind of strange, it's almost like a felt material but it doesn't have the same shininess to it. Nevertheless it is very comfortable for the price, and in general comfort of these headphones is quite good. The self-adjusting headband and whatnot is a straight-up clone of the AKG K240s, which certainly isn't a bad thing in this case. Samson have done a fantastic job replicating the design of the K240s while also managing to keep costs low. The non-removable cable is a bit of a downside, but the included cable is very high quality and quite long. Seriously I've never seen gold-plated connectors that look and feel this good. As an Australian drummer once said "they're are symphony of plastic, but AvE has taught me that not all plastics are created equal". That statement is definitely true here, as the plastic that Samson has used for the SR850s is definitely on the higher quality side. The headband is fake leather and the supports that house the audio cable for the other driver are made of metal (maybe aluminum?). Now, onto sound quality. Honestly when I had seen and heard all of the great reviews on these headphones I was expecting them to be quite amazing. Maybe it's not as dramatic as I expected, but these are my first pair of legitimately good budget headphones. The "sound stage" or 3D feel of the sound is definitely there, and while playing video games with gunfire or engines you can definitely feel the openness of the semi open back design. I particularly enjoy running around in Skyrim SE with them. I will say the bass isn't crazy heavy, but looking at the frequency response graph for these headphones they're actually somewhat more bassy than more of the higher end true open back headphones. This is fine for me though, I do like base but I understand the concessions that had to be made for these headphones to have such good soundstage. That's always been the trade-off for open backs, less bass and also way less noise isolation. And on that note, yeah they definitely don't block anywhere near as much noise as a set of earmuffs would, but I actually like that since I need to be able to hear things while I'm using my computer or listening to music on my iPod. As always with audio, it's very subjective and you may find that these are the best headphones ever for you, or you may hate them because they're not crazy bassy like most everything else made nowadays. (Looking at you Beats and Raycons!) I can't really find any other descriptive words to describe the mids or highs, because I'm really just a novice when it comes to audio. Maybe just... they're great! As far as durability goes I've only had them for a few days so I can't say much as to how I think they'll stand up over the long term. I will say that the non-removable cable is definitely once again a downside as far as durability goes, but if you're really invested in keeping your SR850s alive and you're handy with a soldering iron I see no reason why you couldn't add an aux connector connector. The headband and metal supports seem quite sturdy given the price, and I expect these to last for years to come. By then I'll likely have something better, but honestly if you're just into them for the looks, for content creators or streamers they look really cool and professional. I think if these things ever have some sort of catastrophic failure I'll either buy a new pair or attempt to fix these myself, as the design seems fairly simple. The ear cups are removable and seem to be fairly modular. I'm sure there are several replacements on various websites, and if you're handy with sewing scissors and a needle and thread you could probably even make your own if you were so inclined. I think some gel ear pads would be super cool to try with these, although I don't know if these headphones have enough of a cult following for some manufacturer to take on that challenge. Maybe if I'm feeling brave enough one day I will take apart the ear cup and speaker assembly to see how repairable they are from the inside, but for now I'm just happy to have a very good sounding set of headphones for my PC and iPod. 9/10, definitely five stars but a non-removable cable is probably the only downside. You'll know these aren't crazy bassy if you're in the market for open backs so that's not a downside in my opinion.

First of all, I'm impressed by the sound quality coming out of these. They reproduce all ranges pretty evenly, and the bass is not completely overblown like so many other headsets you find these days (looking at you, Beats by Dre). I play bass and bought these to keep me from angering my neighbors, and these headphones produce every note I can play on it very well, even at high volumes - that alone makes them worth the pittance I paid for them. They allow a lot of ambient sound in, and when I have them on I can hear what's going on around me almost to the same degree as I can when I'm not wearing them at all. That's great for me, because I like being able to play a track on my stereo and hear it so I can play along on bass, but if you want something that isolates sound, these are not the headphones you are looking for. The build quality is certainly good enough, even a little bit better than I would have expected for the price, but it's not great. Of course this is totally understandable; for such a low price they had to cut costs somewhere. In spite of that, they feel sturdy enough and I don't get the impression that they'll fall apart any time soon. I must say, though, from a purely aesthetic view they look completely unimpressive; bog standard black on grey tones, nothing really interesting about their looks whatsoever. Also they look a little big when worn, but that's what you get with studio headphones, so it's not really fair to hold that against them. As for comfort, the self-adjusting strap works great, and the ear pads are nice and soft. They easily fit around my relatively large ears, and they hold their position on my head nicely without squeezing too hard. They do start to hurt my temples a bit after about an hour of wearing them, but I'm pretty sensitive to that kind of thing so it's true for most headphones on me. Honestly, an hour before I start to feel irritation is better than most. Overall, I am happy with my purchase, I would buy these again. They reproduce sound very well, and they are comfortable as far as over-ear headphones go. Looks-wise, they are very plain, and the build quality is only slightly above average, but they are definitely worth the price you pay for them. Four stars.

It's been a long time since I wrote a review for Amazon, but these headphones were worthy. If you read some of my older reviews, you'll know that I was a complete KOSS fanboy where headphones were concerned. I had been wearing Koss PortaPros & bought the slightly less expensive SportaPros for my Parents & Kids. Simply put I loved them ... But I had been wearing them for more than 5 years and felt it was time for a change. I was looking for something sturdier & heavier and was interested in going back to an Over Ear design,. I started looking at Koss models that fit those requirements, but soon started seeing other brands that were better rated & less expensive. These won me over with a combination of good reviews & price & I have to say I am more than satisfied. At first I was expecting a big difference compared to my Koss headphones, but that wasn't the case. Do they sound better - yes, but not so much as the casual listener would notice. But the more I used them, the better I liked them. As I said I was looking for over ear cans because I was looking for some passive noise isolation w/o having the additional circuitry for noise cancelling. These more than deliver in that respect. They provide a good seal in keeping outside noise out w/o COMPLETELY eliminating it. This is good for work so that you can get pretty immersed. but you can tell if someone is trying to get your attention. The other thing I noticed was that the sound was noticeably warmer than my beloved Koss'. This was especially noticeable when listening to good quality recordings with horns (I was listening to Big Big Train's "Victorian Brickwork".) The one concern I had was that these are semi-open backed & the sound "leak" would be distracting to the people around me in the office. Thankfully, that is not an issue unless you REALLY crank the volume, and the sound on these is so clear its not really needed. My one complaint, really is not mine. The other reason I was looking at over-ear headphones was for my son. He has just started at college and was looking for similar noise isolation as I was. The only thing is that he listens to alot of hip hop & likes a lot of bass. In that regards I'm not sure he is really going to like these. The bass seems just fine to my ears, but I'm not sure they will be earth shaking enough for him. I'm taking them with me to see him this weekend so I will let you know. Additionally, I am looking at ordering a pair of Audio Technica M20's as well. If he likes the Samson's, I will take the M20's. if Not we'll just swap. Stay Tuned ... UPDATE: Okay, I got the ATH M20x's, thought they sounded better (although I prefer the fit & feel of these) but since the Bass response on the ATH's was better my son took those & I got the SR850's back. BUT, that's not the end of the story. A friend recently bought an expensive Fiio headphone amp, that I liked a lot. But I was not about to spend 4 times the cost of my headphones on an amp ! But I started looking at their product line & ended up buying the Fiio E6 (you can find my review on Amazon as well) for less than 30 bucks. Paired with these, I think they sound better than the ATH M20x. Granted the if you added the Amp to those, I think they would once again come out on top, but I am not planning on buying the Amp for my son (he can get his own) and I thought these were more comfortable than them anyway. So everyone is happy !

These Samson SR850 headphones were my first foray into monitor type headphones for mixing and music production. I am shocked at the sound quality that they are capable of with a little tweaking. The cord length is a fair length if you need to move around in your studio space (mine is fairly small) and can be used with a 1/4" TRS adapter to get a more solid & reliable connection with whatever hardware you use. They benefit from some EQing as the higher frequencies can be a bit sharp, and the low end sounds a bit weak for most general listening. Once that is set up, these headphones give a very clear and full sound for all types of music, especially after some listening time to get used to them. These do leak a bit a of sound being semi-open, but that gives the music you make/ listen to some room to breathe. They are very comfortable with the velour type pads after some break-in time, but the overhead wires can be bent out a little to soften their clamping force if needs be. That said, I do wish Samson would release an update with an easily replaceable cord. For the price they were worth it to get more accurate and less colored sound for my purposes.

Wow. Gotta write these babies up! These 'phones are outstanding for the money. Mind you, I am an old ambulance driver/EMT and my hearing is shot from siren noise over the years. I need the best headphones I can afford to get the most from my stereo listening to overcome the constant high-pitched tone in my ears from tinnitus. The sound definition from the Samson SR850 is unbelievable. I wasn't expecting much from a thirty-something dollar headset, but the reviews were pretty good, so, why not try a pair? The connection hardware is a light weight but sturdy cord with a combination 1/8" (3.5mm) and 1/4" (6.3mm) gold plated plug. The 1/4" plug can be unscrewed from the inner 1/8" standard plug, giving you plug-in versatility. The connecting cord to the 'phones is long enough to allow you to have good separation between the computer or amplifier and your head, without any limiting constriction between the sound source and your head. They cord is much lighter than most quality headsets that feature heavier coiled cords. The SR850 is lightweight, comfortable, and the fidelity of the sound is as perfect as my old ears are capable of hearing. I would describe the sound as crisp and well defined in clarity. I began the initial test with the tank battle game World of Tanks Blitz. The echo of the gun could be heard booming across the valley and the sound is realistic, down to the thump-boom of the shell hitting home. The engine sounds of the tank were rumbly and the muffling when the hatch was closed made you feel like you were surrounded by the low rumble of the engine and the crunching of the tracks outside the armor shell. Very realistic. Next up was music. The lovely harmonies and sweet instrumentals of the bluegrass band, The Cox Family. Outstanding clarity and very well balanced with these headphones. The lyrics were crisp and not muddled at all, even better than my $200+ studio headphones. And, because the head cups are semi-open, I can still hear the sounds in the room around me. Voices come through very clearly compared to my closed ear studio set. You get very good situational awareness with these 'phones. The cans are lightweight and comfortable as well; the velour padding helps a lot. The only drawback is entirely personal. On my head, I need just a little bit of padding so the headband does not fit too low and I am sure I can find stick-on padding to add just a bit of vertical crown support. One thing that helps are the spring-loaded over-the-head wires that allow the headphones to fit securely to the sides of your ear. The padded earcups are rounded so they fit well over the ear and you can adjust the earphones so they sit "just right" on your head and the circular form does not impinge on your ear like some of the rounded-rectangular inner profile cups do if you need a little forward or backward "swing" to find that "just right" sweet spot for the headband on your head. The headband is a separate piece from the support rod/wires and is wide enough to be pretty comfortable and secure, but a little bit of padding atop the crown would help. All-in-all, if you purchase the Samson SR850 it will be money well spent. I am going to get another pair as a spare, they are that good, and that affordable. They definitely won't break the bank!

Not really sure how I can go into an in-depth review of headphones, but I am not sure anything I can say, can do these Samson's justice. I will just do a quick (after a few days) "first impressions" review for these. Pros: - Sound Quality: These headphones SOUND AMAZING ... granted I have never had higher end headphones myself but I am a fan of "clean" sound ... not overly basey (though that can be fun at times) or too much treble, that can sound "tinny" that way. These sound perfect, and I love the mids in these (I am OVERsimplifying this but say most of the instruments and vocals of a typical rock song), versus some of my bluetooth headphones where sometimes it sounds muddy or the vocalist (example) is in another room vs the rest of the band playing the music. I have randomly gone through my collection and listened to Jazz, Rap, Rock, and more ... and these sound great across the board. Some headphones tuned for base ... they can sound ok but with some genres like Smooth Jazz ... it doesn't sound right having an emphasis on base. These just sound so clear, with maybe one issue for some people (depending on personal taste and genre ... It's my first "con" listed below, and it's the base ...mainly for those people that love alot of extra base... i have to make that part CLEAR). I know some of my cheaper headphones people may laugh at ... say the Sony ZX100's or ZX110's may not have as great of a sound of these Samson's but one thing I love about the Samson's is that they dont "ruin" the other headphones I have ... like "these are so so great that anything else sounds bad now" ... these sound better but i am still happy with some of those other headphones too. I was sort of afraid that may happen, but glad it didn't. - The earpad/overall comfort: I cant say any headphones I have had are UNcomfortable, mind you, but these which are not the ones with the "Pleather" (like fake leather) earpads that I see some SR850 reviews posting that they came with. The SR850s that I got, have velour earpads that may not be as good as the Bravewavs ones I see people replace these with but ... I was expecting these to be "harder" and less comfortable then they are ... I may check out those BrainWavs pads, and maybe even buy a pair to have "on hand", but these default pads do NOT need to be changed ... they are great the way they are. Cons: - Sound (base ... if you are a "base-head"): just have to mention that if you are a "base head" needing extra base ... well these are not for you ... I'd RECOMMEND trying these to listen to your music as an extra pair ... but something like the SkullCandy Cruzher like series or The SoundCore series may be more of what you want. These are a good option if you have a more base heavy pair of headphones and you want to hear what all the bragging about these headphones are all about ... maybe for like rap you use those other headphones for jazz or soul music you use these ... in other wards "give these a try ... " sort of thing ... the BASE IS "there" but just not like some of my say Bluetooth headphones ... the base is done in a "classy" way .. a "clean" way, in my view. I also know the GREAT sound in these can be thrown off if there was more base ... it can be a delicate balance and ... the base may be EXACTLY WHERE it should be to not mess up the rest of the balance of these headphones. - this I will put here ... but it's not so much a con as a "gee i wish they did this" sort of thing ... I wish the REALLY GOOD cable ... was removable/replaceable ... but then again if it's really that good, you will not need to replace it. The cable doesn't look or feel cheap in anyway, and I dont want people to get what I am saying confused ... I just "wish" that this cable was removable. If something happens to it .. not counting people that may be able to solder something back on ... you would need to get another pair (which ... if my cable broke ... I 100% would get another pair of these SR850's .. they are worth it). -Appearance: I almost forgot this in the review. I have seen a few videos on these headphones and i have seen thumbnails ... they always looked ok, but I was more interested in the sound ... I can't comment about how they look on my head, but just having them in my possession ... they really look pretty good .. not my favorite looking headphones mind-you but ... they look better than I was picturing when I ordered them. Bottom Line: I dont think I have to say much here, as I obviously 100% recommend these, even to base-heads just as a "try these and listen to your favorite music, and hear the difference" sort of thing. I hear some people who do music professionally getting blown away with the sound and the price of these, together ... some say that reference headphones wise these have more base then others (say comparable AKG's)... but if you want that quality/type of sound .. with a pitch/bit of more base .. THESE ARE the ones to go with. "if your just listening to your music and you want SUPER GOOD quality, but aren't doing studio audio type stuff you need a true pair of reference headphones... these are the ones to get" .

I purchased these brand new in August, 2022, so...a year and four months ago from when I'm writing this review. I purchased them for listening to music, and as a person who is very picky about sound quality, I've been very, very happy with these. Very balanced, clear sound with enough bass for my liking. Really, as many people have said here, the sound quality hits above the price point. That being said, I have not been happy with the build quality, and I am NOT hard on my phones. They essentially live on my desk, connected to my computer. I'm not transporting them from place to place, I'm not commuting with them, I'm not working out with them. They live an easy life, but I've had two problems with them, one which has finally killed them. The first problem is that the foam cups fell off and I couldn't get them back on. I had to purchase replacements for them, which was still a pain in the butt to install (and they would periodically fall off), but I could live with that solution because I liked the sound quality. The second, newest issue has basically killed the phones. The wires connected to the 3.5mm jack must be coming loose, because the sound quality changes as I move the cable around. Unfortunately, the cable is non-detachable, which is a real bummer, because that would solve the issue. I could just buy a replacement cable. But I can't. The fix will require me cutting off the old jack and soldering a new one in place. Not sure it's worth it. Might just get something else with detachable cable. Bummer. Soooo....they've lasted 16 months. Is that good for $40? That's for you to decide.

Allora per quello che le ho pagate vi garantisco che valgono molto di più, il range di frequenze è abbastanza alto quindi si sentono bene i dettagli, non è vero che non hanno bassi anzi io le trovo molto equilibrate, ed il basso mi piace proprio e preciso e pulito, sono 32 hom. una delle cose che ho guardato prima di prenderle è il fatto che hanno i padiglioni in velluto e non in finta pelle che dopo un pò si sgretolano tutte, infatti mai pià prenderò delle cuffie con quei padiglioni, e poi dopo delle ore non ho notato male alle orecchie sono abbastanza morbide da indossare, per ora difetti non ne ho trovati.

Looked cheap and ears get hot.. so I returned it. But its good for its price of $50ish

Let me start with the bad stuff: The velour earpads could be better. (Saying that you can buy Grados that have bad ear padding for a lot more money). Secondly, the build quality is fine, but the plastics are a bit cheap and scratchy...but for the price, this is actually perfectly acceptable. The goods: Sound quality is very impressive. I have many pairs of headphones and it pretty much beats all of the competition, and some of my headphones have cost over twice the amount I paid for these. To go audiophile-y, the highs are slightly tinny. But everything else is very well balanced. There is enough low end to make the bass exciting, but not so much that it's boomy or overdriven. The mids are just right. The highs are fine, but I'd say that very high notes are a tad grindy. That is just when directly plugged into my phone. Through and amp, these issues are easily managed and they wouldn't be a problem unless you were looking for it. The headset is light, comfortable resting on your head. The earpads are okay, but if you're using these a lot, I would consider maybe replacing them with something a little more comfortable. They're not terrible, but a better quality replacement would transform the headphones into something even better than they are. The value of this headset is amazing. The sound is better than some headphones that are 3 times more expensive. Great buy. Note: They are mostly open back headphones, so they WILL leak sound. So beat using these at home so you don't annoy the people on the bus next to you with your awful music.

Très bien. Branché sur une batterie électronique, le son est bon, bien punchy et clair. Niveau qualité de fabrication c'est un peu cheap, c'est très plastique, ce qui justifie le prix bas, mais il est confortable et si vous ne jouez pas au foot avec ça devrait tenir. L'isolation passive est plutôt légère. Bien pour le prix.

Heel zuiver en diepe bass.aanrader voor weinig geld.