Member Reviews: SR850 Professional Studio Reference Headphones

Samson SR850 An inexpensive semi-open high performer   First let's get some information across. The Samson SR850 is a clone of the Superlux HD668B. Same headphone. They simply rebranded it and changed the style of the headband. The Samson SR850 more resembles the AKG series headphones. The Superlux HD668B more resembles the AudioTechnica series. Keep that in mind depending on which style you may prefer, as they are the same headphone and virtually cost the same. I went with the SR850 because I like the look better and the headband way better than the HD668B. This headphone is low impedance and sensitive, you will not need an amplifier at all.   Why: Well, I wanted to...

I picked up this headphone a few weeks ago and this is the first headphone that ive owned and im not much of an audiophile so i will not be able to give much comparative value but i guess ill just put my quick impressions of it here and let you guys take it as you like....   CONS :: ill first start with the weakness of this headphone .... the biggest problem i have with this phone is the earpads .. they are fairly thin and they do hurt your ears fairly quickly as your ears are pressing against the inner part of the housing ( my ears are average so i feel this would be a problem for most) i think at the very least you should stuff some kind of padding or fabric under the earpads...

These headphones cost $50 bucks yet they can take on the likes of the Denon D1100 and ATH-M50 with ease. They need a good amount of burn-in(200 or so hours) before they reach their full potential but they sound great out of the box. The bass reaches down past 20hz and punches with authority while being textured and tight, the mids are exquisite, and the highs are superbly detailed. 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 build is not flashy or extraordinary, but satisfactory enough to make me feel like they will last years. They are semi open, but...