[volly]

Just want to show some loving to the Sammies! Had these over a year now and they've gone full circle amongst my collection!
 
My 850's are surrounded by my MS2's, Sennheiser Momentum's (Over-ear), Fostex T50rp's and a few ATH iem's.
 
What I love about these inexpensive headphones compared to the above:
 
- Perceived clarity with a satisfying low end, clear and present midrange super-extended high's. Balanced? No, but...the music is forward and engaging with great prat!
 
- I admire the detail these headphones can retrieve given they are the cheapest amongst my collection and how well they are able to perform on many genre's of music! From EDM through to vocals, the 850's are very satisfying.
 
- An amazing first-time headphone for anyone starting out who are on a tight budget! Must be appreciated thou!
 
 
What I like about the 850's:
 
- Sturdy and well built, these can's have held to together very well. I've even ran over the cable with my computer chair without any issues!
 
- I like the comfort, I can just throw them on/off with very minimal adjustment. My ears fit well in the cups and headband rest securely on my noggin. The other night I was having an EDM session and I hardly took them off, just a pleasure to listen to!
 
- I like the sound signature, with it's solid bass to a clear and flat midrange and extending all the way up the treble range. You get a very bright sound but with a warmth thanks to the bass being present.
 
- Gaming, I do a bit of gaming and these can's are up to task...now I'm not saying they can facilitate 7.1 virtual surround sound no no...but they are clear and detailed enough to submerse yourself into whatever game you are playing. So detail that if you're gaming with a buddy and they're using a $2 mic, then you'll hear that $2 mic everytime he's talking to you (LOL).
 
What I didn't like:
 
- When I first bought these, my rig at the time wasn't anything spectular (fiio E17). At the time I thought they just sounded OK, a few amp's/dac's and headphones later, you truly start to appreciate the level of sound that these headphone's are capable of performing to! Currently I'm listening to these with my Halide DevilDac and Schiit Asgard 2 and the combination is fantastic! So my dislike is....errrr the price (thinking, "you get what you paid for!" but instead getting something you won't appreciate until you've heard other headphones and equipment.
 
- Treble?! I will admit when I first heard them, they were incredible bright and detailed....ok maybe harsh! (Buyer's remorse!) But my ears were still virgin at the time and as time goes by as these headphone's come back around in my rotation, you really start to admire the treble as it's just balanced out by the rest of the spectrum.
 
- I would love some thicker plush pads but for the price they are fine!
 
- Sound leakage, as per usual all open/semi headphone's leak sound. I can hear these down the hall! (I believe there is a closed version)
 
Wow, I think that's enough loving for one day, but to conclude, truly an admirable headphone at such a generous price!
 
I'll be receiving a pair of HD600's soon, so I'll be eager to compare the two and see how I go!
 
Thanks!

 

[Napilopez]

Bumping this thread after starting it nearly 4 years ago.

My SR850s are still going strong.

All these years, there are still few headphones that sound like definite upgrade in the sub-$300 range. Sure, some phones are more detailed, others have tighter bass, but the SR850s are an incredibly solid package. The HD598 are really the only ones that are clearly better, but then I prefer the overall sound sigature on these.

I also want to clarify that these are not the same as the Superlux 668B or 681. They are obviously related however, somewhere in between. The 668 doesn't have the same bass impact and the 681 is noticeably more bassy and harsher.

As another note, long burn-in is definitely a necessity for these. I bought a second pair at some point, tried them side-by-side with my originals, and the sound was very clearly different. After a few weeks of usage, any differences had virtually disappeared. 

They also respond incredibly well to EQ out of a good source, the bass in particular.
 
Still the best value in headphones imo.

 

[veldt]

The HD598 are really the only ones that are clearly better, but then I prefer the overall sound sigature on these.
 

Really? Of all things, they are clearly better? They're the ones I ruled out first of all when looking for new headphones quite a while ago. I came from the 595 and wanted somthing different, also I found them clearly inferior to any other sound signature (except for imaging). I settled on Sennheiser 600, but the typical Sennheiser sound is still a problem even with them. Thought I would buy a cheap Superlux clone for clear highs...But that's not actually what I came for here, this just caught my eyes. (I know Sennheiser sound is comforting and sounds like "quality" even if it doesn't sound any good, e.g. in bass or highs or in general, excepting the high end models.)
I'm actually trying to decide between the Samson, the Presonus HD7 and the Superlux HD300, but I haven't listened to any of them yet. I have experience with Beyerdynamic and AKG, and am expecting something along those lines from the descriptions (also with the weaknesses of the Beyerdynamic of grating highs).

 

[Napilopez]

  Really? Of all things, they are clearly better? They're the ones I ruled out first of all when looking for new headphones quite a while ago. I came from the 595 and wanted somthing different, also I found them clearly inferior to any other sound signature (except for imaging). I settled on Sennheiser 600, but the typical Sennheiser sound is still a problem even with them. Thought I would buy a cheap Superlux clone for clear highs...But that's not actually what I came for here, this just caught my eyes. (I know Sennheiser sound is comforting and sounds like "quality" even if it doesn't sound any good, e.g. in bass or highs or in general, excepting the high end models.)
I'm actually trying to decide between the Samson, the Presonus HD7 and the Superlux HD300, but I haven't listened to any of them yet. I have experience with Beyerdynamic and AKG, and am expecting something along those lines from the descriptions (also with the weaknesses of the Beyerdynamic of grating highs).

Treble on the SR850s is splashy compared to that on the Sennheisers. The amount doesn't bother me at all - I'm rarely hit by treble harshness, but the senns simply have a bit more detail there. The SR850s have more bass impact, but the senns sound a little more textured. That's about it though - I still prefer the overall frequency response on the Samsons

 

[xeizo]

Just received a pair of SR850C, which I ordered online from a pro musician store, to my surprise so is velour pads nowadays standard. A very welcome addition as it is much more comfortable. I just listened for a while, but they do sound excellent, in fact really flat sounding no register is exaggerated  and the sound is very smooth in contrast to harsh. As earlier said, in particular voices sounds outstanding.
 
I do have Sennheiser HD600, and they really sound similar as booth are flat sounding HPs with little coloration. From memory I will give the HD600 an edge on reproducing ambience though, even if the SR850 sounds really good they may sound slightly dry in comparison to the HD600. But then, the HD600 is ten times more expensive ...
 
I will test how well it fares with my portable Topping NX-1 hp-amp, could be  a champ portable rig  
 
Btw, they have recently been tested in "Recording" magazine, sorry if someone already mentioned it. Anyway, they got a rave review:
 
http://www.samsontech.com/news/recording-reviews-samsons-sr850-and-sr950/
 
edit. further listening revealed the treble to be raised quite a lot, sounds rather good but better being eq:ed down _much_, apart from that blemish the performance is astonishing for the price!

 

[Jim McC]

Do you guys think the Sr850 is a good choice for watching movies? I'm looking for an open can about $50, that's comfortable and sounds good. Thanks.

 

[xeizo]

  Do you guys think the Sr850 is a good choice for watching movies? I'm looking for an open can about $50, that's comfortable and sounds good. Thanks.

 
The sound will be sufficient, they sound good, but the clamping force may be too much for listening to a whole movie. They will be great on bass effects as they have a really clean and powerful bass response. Treble may be too much though, an eq could be usable.
 
I guess in example AKG K612 Pro to be much more comfortable, but then it is 3.5 times more expensive and only sounds marginally better but more balanced overall.
 
Most similar cans to SR850C costs from 150$ and upwards, most are probably better, and have better finish. But for the price, Samson/Presonus/Superlux really have no competition.

 

[Jim McC]

Thanks. So which specific models would be good choices for movies then, that are comfy? I want an open can. They will be plugged into my A/V receiver, and no equalizer available.

 

[Rodricus]

Well, I got my SR850s a few days ago. These are my first serious headphones and they are sounding very good. I´m paring them with a Fiio X3 (1st gen) and Fiio´s Kilimanjaro. I understand you need to brakem them in for a few hours, we´ll see how they sound after that.

 

[Infinite Jest]

Well, I got my SR850s a few days ago. These are my first serious headphones and they are sounding very good. I´m paring them with a Fiio X3 (1st gen) and Fiio´s Kilimanjaro. I understand you need to brakem them in for a few hours, we´ll see how they sound after that.

I just received my pair earlier this week as well and am fairly impressed with the sound for the price (paid $25 with that Adorama deal), though the highs can be a bit shrill/sibilant for me.  The biggest issue I'm having is with comfort, being I have a fairly large head and ears, so the clamping force compounding with the thin (velour) earpads is causing the cartilage in my ears to get sore fairly quickly as it is pushing against the drivers.  I had this same issue with my RX700 until I implemented the foam mod (one day I'll buy myself some nice cans 

; the plight of the recent grad is real), so I may give that a shot with these pads.

 

[Rodricus]

  I just received my pair earlier this week as well and am fairly impressed with the sound for the price (paid $25 with that Adorama deal), though the highs can be a bit shrill/sibilant for me.  The biggest issue I'm having is with comfort, being I have a fairly large head and ears, so the clamping force compounding with the thin (velour) earpads is causing the cartilage in my ears to get sore fairly quickly as it is pushing against the drivers.  I had this same issue with my RX700 until I implemented the foam mod (one day I'll buy myself some nice cans 

; the plight of the recent grad is real), so I may give that a shot with these pads.

I also bought these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251701925627?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=550613630865&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
They have not arrived yet, but I´ll post here how the experience was. From what I´ve been reading velvet is fresher than pleather. My ears get hot in either, but I want to compare how sound is affected. And chances are that one is more comfortable than the other.

 

[MasterMech7777]

AMAZING NEWS people!! These are going for $19.99 with free shipping on Massdrop until the 6th of OCT... these sound great at $50 so for 20 bucks that is a no brainier! Wanted to spread the word and help peeps save some money. I picked up a set today myself!
 
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/samson-sr850-headphones?referer=36MVAL&mode=guest_open&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Audiophile%20A%20Product%20Announcement%202015-09-29&utm_term=Community%20-%20Audiophile%20-%20MAU%20%28Active%29
 
EDIT:
Sorry peeps by the time I posted this the drop reach to 30 unit limit

 

[midix]

Hi all. I recently received my Samson SASR850C. They came in a white box and with soft pads. I bent the wires a bit to relieve the pressure on my ears and now they are even more comfortable.
 
Overall sound is good, but bass is too strong for my liking, and also I'd like them to be even more open - my ears feel too hot and I'd like to hear also what's happening around me.
 
My idea is that I could take out (or replace with something thinner) the dampener from the back, but I'm not sure if there is any dampener inside, and also if removing it won't screw other qualities of the sound. 
 
Has anyone else tried to make the headphones more open? Can it be done without soldering and how does it affect sound quality?
 
I have seen some modding tutorials for similar Superlux headphones, and I tried to unscrew one side, but I noticed that the wires are holding the plastic ring pretty tightly and I'm not sure if it is possible to lift the plastic ring enough to take out the dampener (obviously, I'd have to cut or stretch it to take it out). I have a soldering iron and I have experience using it, but I'd like to avoid soldering, if possible.

 

[actorlife]

Hi guys anyways to cut down on the sibilance on the 850's? Thanks.

 

[avengernoonzz]

Does anyone here not find the headband comfortable? I'm not sure if it is the size of my head but the force of the headband results in head being in pain (+ bad hair ).
 
I was thinking of getting the Superlux HD668B since they are basically the same but I am hoping the HD668 head band is more comfortable.