Samson SR850 Traditional Wired Headphones, Black m

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value i rated this a four... i didnt rate it a five simply because you cant really assess value without comparison and i have no real headphone experience i can draw from i cant exactly say these are the best value ... but as far as i can tell they are a very good value and couldn't be happier Let me say that I've read other posts declaring the sonic similarity of the SR850 and Superlux 668B. Those were usually unsubstantiated statements, but I took them seriously enough. So here I am - the proud owner of Samson SR850s. I chose those over the Superlux because of Samson's customer support... But something bothered me.

Samson SR850 vs AKG K240: How Do These Headphones Compare? Samson SR850 vs AKG K240: How Do These Headphones Compare?

I can't think of a better value in headphones than these or their very similar cousin, the Superlux 668B. Right away, you'll notice it looks a lot like an AKG headphone. It definitely clones their look, which is a really good thing to grab attention (which is what these kinds of marketed items are made for). The cups that house the drivers pivot, so they are not broad-straight, they adapt to whatever surface they press to. The bars on top are sturdy and provide the grip needed to keep the headphones in place. The grip is not forceful, so it doesn't cause discomfort, nor is it so completely lite that the headphone wobbles off. Very easy to wear. The headband is a vinyl that is molded/stamped to look like leather. Nothing fancy, but it's actually a nice detail compared to just getting bare vinyl I guess. The way the cups attach to the headband and bars is exactly like the AKG sets. There is an elastic band on each cup that pulls it towards the headband, that extends when you place it on yourself and pull down to increase the size of the headband for fit. Literally, the same as AKG (I compared the mechanism to my K701, it was pretty much the same build). The headphone is of course semi-open, so you can see the vents that open to the driver housing. Inside the cups, there is a filter. Comfort- The big cushy vinyl earpads are very comfortable but clamp is a bit high,maybe it's because my head is kinda big and I wear glasses. I also find myself pulling the self adjusting headband down alot because they slide up, I think over time the elastic string will break in and this will be no longer be a problem. Actually SR950 are even worse. The only difference is that they sacrifice resolution for more subbass extension to make even 10Hz audible but it aint worth it. The SR850 is an inexpensive high performer. It exceeded my expectations. I'm not completely pleased with the headphone, as I would prefer the highs to be a little tamer (I use an equalizer and dropped the highs down a tad and all that fatigue went away while still sounding excellent). And I would prefer different pads on the cups (cloth!) but that's my main preference anyways on headphones (velour). The bass was surprising. Very low and full. The mids are forward and present. The headphone in general is warm (warm in my definition references bass and fullness). The highs add a nice etch of detail to the whole image. I'd really like to get a pair of Beyer pads and see if they fit around these, because if they did, bam, it would be awesome. These headphones are excellent for all musics and great for gaming and movies. They're inexpensive and yet give so much. This is to be expected being a hidden Superlux HD668B which we all know is an excellent budget headphone.spatial is incredible, Wide staging, with extremely accurate pin-pointed sound source. This is the only speaker that can gave me illusion of a center speaker (new sound source) emerging in the center of my front wall. The pads are where the budget comes into play. The pads are decent, they are relatively large, definitely envelope the ear with some room to spare both in circumference and in depth. The material is another vinyl type material with a semi-soft foam inside. They're not super soft, but they're not hard. The vinyl material is the only part of the build quality that sort of makes me grimace, but that is because I'm hyper sensitive to non-velour/velvet pads. I don't even like the AudioTechnica M50's pads, to give you a reference point. So this fault is more my preference, not necessarily a fault of the headphone for someone else who prefers non-cloth pads. The SR950 and the HD681 sound very similar despite one being open and the other being closed. Both emphasize the highs and deemphasize the lows and mids compared to the HD668B. The SR950 is not fully closed; without music, I can still hear some external sounds but at a lower volume than in any of the other 3 phones. Detail is high in both and comparable to that in the first sibling pair. LOWS :: the bass has some nice punch to it .. you cant feel it in your chest... and it doesn't "slap hella hard" but ive never thought that i need more bass in any song these headphones do a very good job and i cant see anyone aside from a huge basshead wanting more .. Remove it and paste dynamat. Over dynamat paste paxmate.. this will control bass and treble sibilance

Samson SR850 - Semi-Open-Back Studio Headphones - Pro Audio Samson SR850 - Semi-Open-Back Studio Headphones - Pro Audio

ISOLATION :: isolation is pretty minimal... almost non-existent but does muffle some of the noise around you .. would have no problem hearing someone talk at a normal/high voice with these on ( if music was off ) When you first put on the headphones, you realize right away, they are not what you expect. These have a big sound. They have full rich bass and generous mids. The highs are very present, it's actually a sort of bright headphone and the highs are the only weak point in the sound if that's a problem for someone. It gives them a nice full sound feel with some detail etched around it. As these are tuned superlux with better driver but same sonic characters(samson hive better rhythm, transition, speed and tonal character while having same sonic charater and fr graph) Soundstage- Very good, as these are semi-open headphones, soundstage is very large. These have a spacious sound to them, I found them great for gaming. There was something odd to me about the SR850. They have the soundstage size of an open headphone, they leak like an open headphone, but the sound has "air" more like a closed headphone.These cans are rated "studio" which means that you probably have good equlization equipment to compensate for their murderous and sibilant elevation at 4-8KHz range. The sound is very detailed but fatiguing and there is no smoothness or finesse to it. Bass is a bit empty but sufficient. Upper treble is obscured by 8-10KHz so equalize once more, don't listen to them flat. Clamp is too strong and pleather pads provoke intense sweating. These headphones properly equalized and amplified turn into a magnifying glass or a microscope with which you may explore recordings on sub-level but you can't see landscapes with it if you get what I mean. Next difference is internal airflow management..... this gives the headphone little bit more air than normal(superlux have complete openish design giving rather edgy treble) This is all presented in a soundstage that is wide and has rather impeccable imaging. The sound is the most transparent I've heard extensively(the previous best being the M50). The semi-open design of Samson SR850 provides an enhanced ambient listening environment, allowing appropriate bleed for better stereo imaging and a wider sound stage. The 50mm drivers also offer exceptional sound reproduction and wide dynamic range to instill confidence in your final mix or simply provide outstanding sound quality for your general listening pleasure. Comfort-wise, the HD681 and HD668B are the most comfortable out of the box, followed by the SR950 and SR850; both of these are head-squeezers, although the SR850 was by far the worst, and needed stretching. The SR950 comes with the most padded earcups.