Samson SR850 Studio Wired Over Ear Headphones Without Mic (Black)

For those who are lazy to read about its audio signature: TLDR - If you are looking for a good pair of budget headphones, go ahead and buy these. I had seen Samson mics for a long time now and only came to know about their headphone offering a few years ago. At the time of purchasing, I paid a little less than Rs.3K and have thus, recommended it to a ton of my friends who wanted a good pair of headphones. The SR850 is a killer headphone that rivals others which are 3x or 4x the price in SQ and comfort. I've tried a few Sennheisers and these give the HD500 series a run for its money (exception with the HD58X coz that's another gem of its own). The semi-open back style provides a bigger soundstage and airiness to the music. Build quality: Mostly plastic everywhere, but feels sturdy overall. The cables are really long and are terminated in 3.5mm gold plated connector with a 2.5mm adapter. There isn't much to expect for the price you pay. The velour pads feel like portable pillows!! It is recommended to purchase an inexpensive carry case for the headphone so that this beast gets the comfort it needs. Rating: 8/10 Comfort: The headband is self-adjusting and can fit children and adults alike. And did I mention VELOUR PADS :) They are some of the most comfortable earpads (along with brainwavs memory foam) and can give a good fit without irritating our long listening sessions. Due to the enclosure type, you do hear ambient noise around you and that might affect how you perceive your music. And, these are definitely not portable by any means. But if you don't care about public prejudice like me, go on and enjoy your fav music in the public (bearing in mind that these are semi-open back headphones). Rating: 9/10 Sound Quality: Let me cut right to the chase. As mentioned before, these are semi-open back type of headphones. The advantages of this enclosure is the enhanced soundstage and liveliness. It makes you feel like you are listening to your favorite music out in the open (or in a concert depending on the audio quality). Crisp and clear vocals, crystal clear highs, a very evident midrange and tight bass that doesn't muffle other tones. It is highly unlikely that you find another headphone in this price range that can give you the tonal clarity that the SR850 provides. Some of the guitar notes from Led Zeppelin, Poets of the Fall and Audioslave give you goosebumps (and occasional tears of joy)!! Rating: 10/10 The SR850 is a must have for those looking for headphones that double as a studio monitor without breaking the bank. I use the Hidizs Sonata HD DAC AMP to get some extra volume and refinement, but can do away without any amps as well. If you are a person who craves for treble or bass heavy music, this might not be the right headphone for you. The SR850 is something which will keep you engaging without fatiguing your ears.

These are an excellent pair of headphones. The sound is very crisp and clear. When it comes to music I felt that the highs were a little sharp, the bass is good and refined but definitely don't expect bass to sound booming like you hear in sony MDRs and Skullcandy's. Watching movies with this pair of headphones is an absolute delight. Since these are semi open back models the soundstage is wide and the listener is able to tell exactly which sound is coming from where. Great immersion. For you gamers out there semi open back/open back headphones are the way to go especially if you're playing shooters, open world games and horror. You can exactly tell where the footsteps are coming from, where the bullets are coming from etc. However there are a few cons as well. Since they are openback there is a significant amount of soundleak inside and outside. If your room fan is fullspeed you can hear it through your headphones even if the music is playing. This wouldn't be a problem if you're in an AC studio like how many professionals are using it already. Had to put this out there. Also the most disappointing factor about these headphones are its earpads. Really terrible earpads. They are made of cheap velour, not the kind of good velour you find in DT 770/990. They are very stiff and will hurt the top and bottom end of your ears after several hours of usage. As you can see in the image I have switched my earpads to the Brainwavs XL earpads and they are 10x more comfortable and provide better bass in my opinion. If you are serious about getting the SR850s I cannot stress more on how much you need a third party earpad to go with it. I give the samsons an overal 8/10 9/10 for audio quality 6/10 for comfort 8/10 for value for money

1.Compatibility Since it has impedence of only 32 ohms, it has enough power to drive mob inile devices. If you're a long hour listener like me, you wouldn't blast it at full volume anyway. I mostly put the volume at about 60% and I feel that as adequate. However the ending of the 3.5mm jack is a bit short which would create conflict with your phone case if you use a thick case. Personally, I have another 3.5mm connector. So, I can negate this particular pain. I haven't checked it with a computer or if somebody wants it for a studio usage , I'm not sure if they'll feel it's a great product.But given the price, I don't think you can expect any better. 2.Sound quality: At this price range I don't think there exists an outright better product when it comes to sound quality. However ,it definitely needs equalizer. When I play songs I already have the files-- mp3 or flacs ,my main music player is jet audio. I tune down my phone system sound preset to the second most bass heavy or third most bass heavy and it would sound wonderful for a more rich and detailed music..those with clear acoustic and percussions...the same do not necessarily well for metal genre for example. If I have to play from youtube or spotify,then I have to use the most bass heavy preset in my system sound. I'm not talking about custom presets here but the presets already stored are enough honestly. But, I feel like you need to change up a bit depending upon the songs you listen to ,to get the best out of it. 3. Comfort: This is such a so-so issue for me. Having owned worse products make it easier for me.But ,if someone who's accustomed to high end headphones try it out,I think there's room for disappointment. I ordered Brainwavz angled pads to replace the stock pads on the fly but I ordered the wrong size ,so I can't tell how much of a difference that really is. The problem with these products and the superlux ones is that they make the pad too thick and narrow the inner circle hole where your ear slots in. This is a big issue for comfort as some part of the pad clamp your ears either at the top or bottom. You can use the softest material on earth but it still wouldn't be the same compared to a pad that has a big hole which covers the whole of your ear without clamping on it. So, depending upon your experience with these type of pads ,your perception of comfort is going to be drastically different. If you're an 'in ear' can type of guy, you'd definitely feel it. If you're also a high end user ,you'd feel it. For the average joe who does not use headphones above 5k bucks ,you can't really complain. The velour pads are soft. If you have a big head like mine ,just stretch the metal on top from time to time. Caution though, don't break the metal.There are wires inside. Instead you can just break the plastic band and it would make it way more comfortable i.e if you have a big sized head. I did the same with my Superlux one and it felt much comfortable. Edit: you can remove the rubber bnad on top by removing the screws near the ear cup. It makes a world of difference when it comes to comfort. 4.Sound signature It has a good sound stage and instrument separation.It has crisp treble and a good bass. Like I said all of these need a bit of equalizing to get the best output. Without a bit of work you may feel a bit of sibilance when you turn up the volume. 5.Gaming Now, without the in-built mic , you might be a bit weary. Don't. I tested it today with Codm and they could hear my voice just fine to the point that they said my breathing is very loud ..lol.. I'd prefer it to a lot of cheaper gaming phones. Edit: The mic is inconsistent as it doesn't have a dedicated mic. If you intend to use it for gaming purposes, sometimes your teammates won't hear you. As far as in game sound goes, it's excellent. If you play a solo game, it's fine. But for squad games where your teammates need to hear you, it's a hit and miss 6.Accessories This is the part where I'm a bit disappointed. I'd rather have a smaller cable with another cable in the box which could be used if wanted. But, instead it comes with a long ass wire by default and a 6.5mm jack adapter. So,it's a bit inconvenient for someone whose main intention of usage is for a mobile device. My superlux 661 evo came with two detachable cables,one long cable and a much smaller cable. It would've been great if they insert two cables too. 7.Build quality Plastic that does not look too cheap. These are meant for home usage anyway. The wire is round. I'm not sure if it's lengthiness would create problems . The part which contains the jack is bulky . I think it would last for a while unless you're very careless.The wire itself is tangle free but the length is an issue. If you intend to use it for a studio or for a PC ,this is probably the way you'd like it though. All in all I feel it's worth the price and I'm happy that I got it today 8.Durability: If you use it daily like me and especially on mobile , I found out that it isn't too durable. I'm reluctant to put all the blame on the headphone itself as I have a habit of sleeping with it. So, I might've put my body weight over it while sleeping. The wire near the jack fails me. If you don't have those bad habits,bet it'd last longer. Still it isn't too friendly with mobile because of the long ass wire. Also, I feel like the weight of the wire contributes in not making it durable

This is no ordinary headphone, but an audiophiles delight. I was looking for a Headphone to use when it was not possible to play music loudly on my home stereo, or to watch movies late at night. Rather than buy the lower end sennheisers I chose these for the stellar reviews on hifi.org and other places that appareciate fine headphones. If you are looking for "great looking" headphones these are not them. These SR850's cost 2500/- and look it. Plastic all around, with a really comfortable resin headstrap. Nothing fancy at all. However, connect these to your DAP/AMP and these truly come to life. These are open style headphones, with a very wide soundstage, so the instruments playing sound far apart and clear. The bass isnt very prominent, but you know its there. ( Definitely not the headphone for BASSHEADS), the treble is sparkly and delicious but does not tire you. The mid's are all forward and very very appealing. After using these for over two months, my sr850's have only gotten better, the treble is less sparkly and prominent but definitely there and the bass has developed a non-chalance of its own making all the music I listen to normally sound so different. These are marketed as Monitor headphones and are definitely those, I dont see these breaking any time soon. they look tough and have proven to be quite the performer. Negatives are definitely the 1.5m cord and these are ginormous. Dont expect to travel anywhere with these- also the open-ear design causes a fair bit of sound to leak making using these on any public transport a nuisance to fellow passengers. Also in loud environments, these would be completely drowned out. If you are looking for a great headphone for home/studio use these are them. Look at the samson sr950 for a small soundstage, bigger bass and a somewhat muted treble if that is what you are looking for. I own the superlux hd652 which is a smaller headphone, made by the same manufacturer under a different brand name, which is noise cancelling and better when travelling. I highly recommend these if you, like me enjoy quality music, and appreciate the finer nuances. TIP*** buy the velour earpads for the akg240 they fit perfectly, or the brainwavs memory foam earpads. I have both and they have made these so much more comfrtable plus you will not suffer from sweaty ear. These eat the BEATS for breakfast and are almost as good as my sennheiser hd598's, my bose quietcomforts dont even merit mention in this review they are so far behind.

Great sound quality doesn't have to be costly and Samson again establish that. It delivers audiophile grade performance at an affordable price. Comfort- some YouTubers say that these aren't comfortable, but I disagree. I am using Marshall Major 3 BT and as compared to that and other headphones and IEMs that I have, these are pretty comfortable. Headband does it job well and the best part is clamping force is just perfect. It won't fall off your head. And it won't even crush your jaws. Earpads are pretty comfy as well. You might need to take them off for a few moments after 2-3 hours. Sound quality- they are semi-open so there is hardly any noice cancellation, it's best used in a quite room. And semi open means they have pretty neat soundstage as well. And even the imaging is good with these. I am into warm sound signature but I was surprised that inspite of that I enjoyed these a lot. They higher frequencies are a bit emphasized but they aren't harsh at all. I am using then without EQ and I still love the sound. These are great for music and media consumption. These are pretty easy to drive. You can use it with your mobile phone or laptop. I have used it along with Shanling UA1 and the results are just great. I have a Bose QC30 and tbh Samson give a tough fight to those and cost just a fraction of that. Build and packaging- it arrived in a no nonsense pretty basic packaging, nothing fancy there. Many people have complained about its look and build quality, and that long cable could be a bit annoying. It's earculs are plastic, held up by a thin metal wire and a comfortable fake leather headband. I kinda like the way they look. It's not as elegant looking, but they are far from ugly. It has this industrial kinda look and I love that. But that's just me. Over all I love the sound and would definitely recommend.

Experience with 2 samson sr850s, one of them failed after one year with no sound from left speaker and the other in just 3 months with same issue. Checked reviews you can see many buyers facing same issue. And no help with warranty. Although the headphones are very good with sound quality and vfm but no use if they are not reliable. My headphones were used with care and the second one failed while I was in a call with absolutely no warning or reason, it just stopped working in left side. So would suggest to look for other options for reliability.

Sound Quality is not mind blowing as these are supposed to sound a bit uninspired AKA (non-boosted/tweaked, for reference to true sounds). They are not a step down from earphones though and I owned a pair of cheap but really good Panasonics. There sound way better and fuller. The soundstage is not totally absent but not quite there either(I paired these with DTS-Sound Unbound and opened the spacious sound stage which made these sound way better. Overall 7.2/10. Steinheisers sound way better and even the high-end Sony ones, but they cost 10x so yeah for under 5k I guess these are the best ones(and aren't tweaked in any way). There also don't sound dim like the Audio Technica sound products (which I have owned previously). They though are quite good in that you can clearly hear each instrument in the music. They will also supercharge your movie watching experience and music experience to some extent. Just listened to Yuve Yuve Yu by The HU and these sound balanced as compared to the overwhelming sound most sound reproduction products produce when playing Mongolian metal. PS Mine's cable broke off at the point where it attaches to the headphones. Torsion forces and wear may be to blame. I really wish they made the cables easily replacable for this reason. I had to basically rewire them and glue the wire to one of the cups on the outside so they don't get pulled or shift anymore. Were giving crackling sounds and occasionally one cup would stop working so my DIY repair kind of worked. So yea they are not as durable as they seem, there are point of failure on the cable where it attaches to the inside. Won't reduce the rating although giving it a 3.5 at out of 5 won't be unjustified as this happened within like 6 -8 months of purchase. Not all is bad thought and they feel easy on the ear now and have broken in, the cushion does not hurt and you can basically wear them all day. You will never go back to in-ear after you use these. I pair them with DTSX which came bundled in my laptop, it's a shame they are not listed in sound profile. Kind of expected them to be there, nothing listed from samson although many chinni brands there in sound profiles. Still they can be tinkered with especially with dolby atmos and dtsx and such addon sound goodies and sound kind of louder and fuller, else i they work well in basic vanilla mode too. Just be aware they are harsh at higher volumes. Don't use above 65% volume. Even 40 % may be enough in low ambient noise environments. 70-80% will be really pushing it and i think will damage your hearing in long term. Update : Needs another repair. The headphone jack area is damaged. Quality not made to last. Update 2 : The jack broke and stopped working. I just bought another one instead of repairing them. So yea they last only around a year and a few more months with repair. Definitely not sturdy. Build quality of wire and jack is mediocre. Will keep review at 3 stars though as it is a good headphone just quality of materials is 2 stars. I rebough another one on April,2025

These are good for the price, not great, but certainly very good. SOUND CLARITY Now these are not for bassheads at all. There is a distinct lack of low end even when compared to similarly priced offerings like Audio Technica ATH-M30x and the highs are not that impressive either, where these shine are in the mids. While the M30x let the mids get overwhelmed in bass heavy sections, the Samson's keep mids and lows well clear of each other. In fact you get very distinct and clear output at all levels. This might not be enjoyable for everyone or all kinds of music. Where I find these to better then almost anything else in this price range is movie audio. These deliver clear dialogue even in bad audio or noisy surrounding conditions. COMFORT & CONSTRUCTION Which is great because they are comfortable for long listening sessions. The cushioning is not over done, its just right and the material for the cups (whatever it is) is not-uncomfortable against the skin. Unlike closed back, round the ear, leather cups, these don't get very stuffy. This is great for Indian conditions, especially in the summer. The are light too. Sometimes, you forget you have them on. However this brings us to another iffy aspect. The price really shows in the build quality. While not brittle and plasticy or made with cheap materials, these are not sturdy enough to inspire supreme confidence. I'm afraid, I will twist it's thin metal frame out of shape or ruin them if I get them wet. So I have been careful. They also don't fold into a more convenient size, so you won't be travelling with them too often. VERDICT The last point, the open-backedness. While the sound leak is clearly felt by those around you, the wider soundstage promised by other other open back headphones is lacking. If you put them on in a blind soundtest, only the very discerning will recognise these open back. However for the awesome price (less then the US dollar price) and the sound quality, these definitely worth it. 3.5 out of 4 stars rounded up to 4.