I have been using Samson SR950 for a week now so this review will not be too detailed. It was a blind purchase as there are no helpful reviews available. I bought two headphones; Beyer DT880 pro and this one. Beyer is still in the box because I was excited to demo this one first.
I will be very critical as these cans claim to be for critical listening and monitoring. In other words, they are not hi-fi as per the company. Review is based on listening to classical genre only but you can apply it on any style based on the information. Please note that I am listening LOTR OST HQ while jotting down the below points so as to not leave anything to the best of my knowledge and hearing. My review is only about the one-week-impression of headphones and not how your mixes translate on studio monitors. Price £39.99.
Edit: For some reason my rankings are not showing what I wanted even after editing. Please read the review instead.
Soundstage
I am surprised by its big soundstage despite it being closed cans. Stage is wide and detailed. You can literary hear sounds coming from all corners of the hall if you know what I mean. One can close his eyes imagining sitting in a medium to big hall and you will be "tele-ported" in your imaginary environment. It doesn't mean the sounds are distant; they are good enough 'in your face' type.
Highs
25Hz, crispy and crunchy. Sometimes they are harsh on high volumes but NOT all the time. Probably it depends on the quality of music (I have yet to experiment with this point). For now, They are clear but not very clean when there is a rise effect in a score. But all in all awesome highs. 8.5/10
Mids
And the mids! These cans are all about mids. Those who love mids and monitor them will love it. From high mids to low, they are quite impressive. Very detailed, balanced and clear. Lots of texture and comprehensiveness. All very well glued with thorough information. I think mids and highs are the selling point of these cans. I tried removing too much bass to know how high and mids will respond and the results came out pretty good. I think they are similar to SR850 in this context. A blend of mids and highs seems accurate but mids and lows is cloudy. 9/10
Lows
They have good bass response (10Hz) as stated in specs, and I think they have managed to deliver it quite honestly. I have read SR850 reviews and most of them complaining lacking in bass so here is the right version of Samson series for bass lovers. My only gripe is bass tends to become muddy on build ups, or on high volume or anything complex going on. They can't handle it properly. They try to glue music in an awkward way in these situations but turn out to be muddy. 7/10
Comfort and usage
Quite comfortable but tiring after a while. Self adjusting headband is still too tight after adjustment and has given me pain over the left ear cartilage several times. Benefit of doubt will be given here as they might stretch after some time. If a score has too much lows and high you will get tired after a while. At least this happened to me. 7.5/10
Some extras: They are not flat. The sound is awesome if the volume is around 60 to 80 percent and the music is HQ. The closed-ear design for maximum isolation is up to the mark. They are entry level monitors and very good for starters and people on budget. Not every minor details can be heard but they do very good job in their capability and you won't miss. This review should not be sought conclusive but as a one week impression as they may deliver more after some more burning. Overall 4 stars.
I will be very critical as these cans claim to be for critical listening and monitoring. In other words, they are not hi-fi as per the company. Review is based on listening to classical genre only but you can apply it on any style based on the information. Please note that I am listening LOTR OST HQ while jotting down the below points so as to not leave anything to the best of my knowledge and hearing. My review is only about the one-week-impression of headphones and not how your mixes translate on studio monitors. Price £39.99.
Edit: For some reason my rankings are not showing what I wanted even after editing. Please read the review instead.
Soundstage
I am surprised by its big soundstage despite it being closed cans. Stage is wide and detailed. You can literary hear sounds coming from all corners of the hall if you know what I mean. One can close his eyes imagining sitting in a medium to big hall and you will be "tele-ported" in your imaginary environment. It doesn't mean the sounds are distant; they are good enough 'in your face' type.
Highs
25Hz, crispy and crunchy. Sometimes they are harsh on high volumes but NOT all the time. Probably it depends on the quality of music (I have yet to experiment with this point). For now, They are clear but not very clean when there is a rise effect in a score. But all in all awesome highs. 8.5/10
Mids
And the mids! These cans are all about mids. Those who love mids and monitor them will love it. From high mids to low, they are quite impressive. Very detailed, balanced and clear. Lots of texture and comprehensiveness. All very well glued with thorough information. I think mids and highs are the selling point of these cans. I tried removing too much bass to know how high and mids will respond and the results came out pretty good. I think they are similar to SR850 in this context. A blend of mids and highs seems accurate but mids and lows is cloudy. 9/10
Lows
They have good bass response (10Hz) as stated in specs, and I think they have managed to deliver it quite honestly. I have read SR850 reviews and most of them complaining lacking in bass so here is the right version of Samson series for bass lovers. My only gripe is bass tends to become muddy on build ups, or on high volume or anything complex going on. They can't handle it properly. They try to glue music in an awkward way in these situations but turn out to be muddy. 7/10
Comfort and usage
Quite comfortable but tiring after a while. Self adjusting headband is still too tight after adjustment and has given me pain over the left ear cartilage several times. Benefit of doubt will be given here as they might stretch after some time. If a score has too much lows and high you will get tired after a while. At least this happened to me. 7.5/10
Some extras: They are not flat. The sound is awesome if the volume is around 60 to 80 percent and the music is HQ. The closed-ear design for maximum isolation is up to the mark. They are entry level monitors and very good for starters and people on budget. Not every minor details can be heard but they do very good job in their capability and you won't miss. This review should not be sought conclusive but as a one week impression as they may deliver more after some more burning. Overall 4 stars.