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Samson SR850 (Superlux OEM) Review: A $50 Budget Champion. - Page 2

post #16 of 189
3/29/11 at 2:32am
Thread Starter 
Hope you do enjoy them! Make sure you allow them plenty of burn-in, although they sound quite good out of the box imo. Just mids were recessed and bass lacked some of the tightness and impact it would later gain.
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post #17 of 189
3/29/11 at 2:44am

I'm seeing that these and the Superlux 668B are practically the same headphone. Do you have a particular recommendation? Should I look for one over the other?

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post #18 of 189
3/29/11 at 3:22am
Thread Starter 
I haven't heard the superluxes myself, but from what I can gather, it seems the Samsons are basically the same with slightly more bass presence. A member of the rockgrotto forums said this was because of a higher clamping force, it was like taking the 668B and pressing them harder against your head. The safer bet would probably be the 668B because there are many more impressions, many of which yo can find on head-fi, although it seems like it may be lacking a bit in the low end quantity if you really want that. Keep in mind that the Superluxes come with detacheable cables, one of which is 3 ft, the other 9. The Samsons come with a hardwired 9ft cable. Finally, the Superluxes are 56 ohms, as opposed to the Samson's 32, so they are probably slightly harder to drive.
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post #19 of 189
3/29/11 at 5:12pm

Wow, they look almost exactly like my AKG 240 DF. I was very surprised when i saw them. Would love to hear them someday.

nice review.

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post #20 of 189
3/29/11 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by amigastar View Post

Wow, they look almost exactly like my AKG 240 DF. I was very surprised when i saw them. Would love to hear them someday.

nice review.


The 668B are extremely similar to the Sextett's. The Samson's used to be it seems, but their current model diverges slightly from the AKG look with the shape of the air holes: http://port.rittor-music.co.jp/sound/assets_c/2009/08/SAMSON_SR850-thumb-730xauto-5320.jpg
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post #21 of 189
3/30/11 at 11:51am

Just got mine in. Haven't had a chance to burn them in, but wanted to give initial impressions. They actually have a lot of bass! At least, more than I was expecting. The bass doesn't sound as neutral and punchy as my D2000s, but might be comparable to the M50s I had. It also doesn't extend quite as deep. Highs are nice and crisp. They have a slight metallic, sibilant sound to them compared to the D2000s. This is also similar to the M50s, but perhaps not as bad as those. Mids seem to be slightly recessed, but I could be mistaken. They don't sound quite as lively as the D2000s, and they have a slightly more congested sound to them as well. Still, they seem to have a good soundstage and good imaging. 

 

All in all, they really sound very good! Worth every penny if you can get them for $40, and more! From what I remember of the M50s, I'd say these are in the same league. In fact, I might even prefer these! They have a very pleasing, cohesive sound. Are the M50s worth double what I paid for these? Probably not. Are the D2000s worth $250 compared to these? I'd say they're definitely a step up in sound quality overall, so that price is worth it to me. Will the vast population notice much of a difference? No.


Edited by hans030390 - 3/30/11 at 11:55am
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post #22 of 189
3/30/11 at 12:32pm

Could some1 try making a "closed" version of this or maybe leave perhaps one or even two of those circles with holes open? (should be easy using blu-tack for example) I need some isolation and I'm also interested in if it increases the bass quantity which I suspect at the cost of soundstage but I admit I'm interested in trying these cuz it's only 49 EUR.


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 3/30/11 at 12:34pm
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post #23 of 189
3/30/11 at 12:53pm

Would i be dissappointed if i brought these to listen to dubstep on?, how does it handle the low bass ? , i don't need punchey i like good extension and rumble.

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post #24 of 189
3/30/11 at 1:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD View Post

Could some1 try making a "closed" version of this or maybe leave perhaps one or even two of those circles with holes open? (should be easy using blu-tack for example) I need some isolation and I'm also interested in if it increases the bass quantity which I suspect at the cost of soundstage but I admit I'm interested in trying these cuz it's only 49 EUR.


You can try the Superlux 662 series.  I guess they will be the close version of these and even cheaper at 33 EUR.

 

 

 

 

 

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post #25 of 189
3/30/11 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hans030390 View Post

Just got mine in. Haven't had a chance to burn them in, but wanted to give initial impressions. They actually have a lot of bass! At least, more than I was expecting. The bass doesn't sound as neutral and punchy as my D2000s, but might be comparable to the M50s I had. It also doesn't extend quite as deep. Highs are nice and crisp. They have a slight metallic, sibilant sound to them compared to the D2000s. This is also similar to the M50s, but perhaps not as bad as those. Mids seem to be slightly recessed, but I could be mistaken. They don't sound quite as lively as the D2000s, and they have a slightly more congested sound to them as well. Still, they seem to have a good soundstage and good imaging. 

 

All in all, they really sound very good! Worth every penny if you can get them for $40, and more! From what I remember of the M50s, I'd say these are in the same league. In fact, I might even prefer these! They have a very pleasing, cohesive sound. Are the M50s worth double what I paid for these? Probably not. Are the D2000s worth $250 compared to these? I'd say they're definitely a step up in sound quality overall, so that price is worth it to me. Will the vast population notice much of a difference? No.


Did you order the 668B or the Samsons? (I'm guessing the latter) The Samsons are likely the bassier of the two, though don't quote me. The mids are indeed recessed at first, but I think you will find they noticeably move up with a good amount of burn in. It was quite clear they did to me, since at first the mids seemed as or more recessed than on my Denon D1100, but now they are definitely more forward than on those.

And yes, I completely agree that they sound a lot like the M50s, though imo the M50s are noticeably harsher(though barely harsh). What is your source? Out of my laptop's stock headphone port they sounded brighter and more metallic than I'd like, but sounded immensely better out of my Clip+. I get the impression they like a bit of power, though most decent sources should work fine(just my laptop's sucks)

Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD View Post

Could some1 try making a "closed" version of this or maybe leave perhaps one or even two of those circles with holes open? (should be easy using blu-tack for example) I need some isolation and I'm also interested in if it increases the bass quantity which I suspect at the cost of soundstage but I admit I'm interested in trying these cuz it's only 49 EUR.


I'm not sure that would work. Actually, and somewhat interestingly, increasing the airflow on these actually increases the bass. There is someone on the rockgrotto forums who increased the size of all the vent holes to increase airflow about 50%, and he says this noticeably improved bass extension without affecting the rest of the frequencies. Closing them might increase midbass but probably won't do much in terms of lower rumble, which I know you were looking for. I'd suggest you check out their other models, although I'm not familiar with their closed models. The HD 681 is their resident bassy headphone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG1990 View Post

Would i be dissappointed if i brought these to listen to dubstep on?, how does it handle the low bass ? , i don't need punchey i like good extension and rumble.


It depends, where are you coming from? Imo they handle DnB just as well as my Denon D1100s or I think the ATH-M50 I've heard did. and they respond quite nicely to EQing. They are certainly fast, tight, and punchy, but their bass extension is only good, not super rumble-liscious. They more than enough for my tastes but if your tastes center mostly around Bass heavy genre, you might want to EQ them or check out another model. If you really want bass though, unless you're willing to mod them, I'd suggest you check out one Superlux's "fun" models, namely the HD 681. Those apprently have tremendous extension, but can be harsh in the highs before mods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tyoung8 View Post




You can try the Superlux 662 series.  I guess they will be the close version of these and even cheaper at 33 EUR.

 

 

 

 

 


Hmm would the 669 not be better though?
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post #26 of 189
3/30/11 at 2:23pm

Quote:
Originally Posted by tyoung8 View Post

You can try the Superlux 662 series.  I guess they will be the close version of these and even cheaper at 33 EUR.

 



Hmm would the 669 not be better though?


The 669 is suppose to have the same frequency response as HD 280 Pro and HD 280 Pro doesn't have many good reviews.  :P

 

Also, the 662 is cheaper than the 668B rather than being more expensive like the 669.

 

668B = DT990

669 = HD 280 pro

662 = DT770

662F = SRH 440

662B = SRH 840

681 = Philips HP890

681F = AD500

681B = K240

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post #27 of 189
3/30/11 at 3:06pm
I don't need false bass, but i dont want a pair of headphones that sound thin or ressesed or roll of the bass, which has the best bass extension and depth out of the rx700 and samsons?
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post #28 of 189
3/30/11 at 4:18pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRG1990 View Post

Would i be dissappointed if i brought these to listen to dubstep on?, how does it handle the low bass ? , i don't need punchey i like good extension and rumble.


I listened to "Slats Slats Slats" by Skrillex and was extremely impressed. So, no, you would not be disappointed if you bought these for dubstep.

 

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post #29 of 189
3/30/11 at 4:24pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napilopez View Post
Did you order the 668B or the Samsons? (I'm guessing the latter) The Samsons are likely the bassier of the two, though don't quote me. The mids are indeed recessed at first, but I think you will find they noticeably move up with a good amount of burn in. It was quite clear they did to me, since at first the mids seemed as or more recessed than on my Denon D1100, but now they are definitely more forward than on those.

And yes, I completely agree that they sound a lot like the M50s, though imo the M50s are noticeably harsher(though barely harsh). What is your source? Out of my laptop's stock headphone port they sounded brighter and more metallic than I'd like, but sounded immensely better out of my Clip+. I get the impression they like a bit of power, though most decent sources should work fine(just my laptop's sucks)


I got the Samsons (that's what the thread is all about, silly :P ). I happened to miss that you said about their sound before burn-in, but it sounds like you've accurately described what I'm hearing. If they improve as much as you say they do, they'll be fantastic!

 

My source I used was the Creative X-Fi HD USB external sound card, which is actually a pretty solid sounding external sound card/amp (especially for the $50 I paid!). It uses the same Opamp that the (overpriced) Grado amp uses, which apparently is a bit "raw" sounding. Works well for the D2000s! I also have an S:Flo2, but have yet to listen to the SR850s through that. That shouldn't make much of a difference. It has a slightly reduced bass response, but that usually works well for most headphones.

 

I currently am burning them SR850s in with some pink noise. I'll report back later!

 


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Napilopez View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD View Post

Could some1 try making a "closed" version of this or maybe leave perhaps one or even two of those circles with holes open? (should be easy using blu-tack for example) I need some isolation and I'm also interested in if it increases the bass quantity which I suspect at the cost of soundstage but I admit I'm interested in trying these cuz it's only 49 EUR.


I'm not sure that would work. Actually, and somewhat interestingly, increasing the airflow on these actually increases the bass. There is someone on the rockgrotto forums who increased the size of all the vent holes to increase airflow about 50%, and he says this noticeably improved bass extension without affecting the rest of the frequencies. Closing them might increase midbass but probably won't do much in terms of lower rumble, which I know you were looking for. I'd suggest you check out their other models, although I'm not familiar with their closed models. The HD 681 is their resident bassy headphone.


I was considering trying to make these more open. I figured it would tighten up the bass and help remove the very slight congestion they seem to have and widen the soundstage. I wonder how much of an increase in bass there was...was it less punchy?

 

Link?


Edited by hans030390 - 3/30/11 at 4:28pm
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post #30 of 189
3/30/11 at 4:34pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Napilopez View Post

The HD 681 is their resident bassy headphone.

I checked Superlux homepage which shows frequency response graphs and comparing to other common headphones and looks like HD 681 isn't quite my type, too much of a V-shaped frequency response with too much recessed mids vs too greatly emphasized highs

 

http://www.superlux.com.tw/productInfo.do?pdctid=348989e5-79f1-451a-8e71-387ca8bcf703&pdkid=3a182f85-9464-41bf-b4c7-d618102f84ac&level=2&lv0=1

 

Have any1 removed this foam ring then?  http://assets.head-fi.org/2/24/1000x500px-LL-2442e235_superlux688bdamper.jpg


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 3/30/11 at 4:58pm
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

beyerdynamic DT 770 Stereo Headphones
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AKG Acoustics K240 Monitoring Headphones
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Samson SR850 (Superlux OEM) Review: A $50 Budget Champion.