[BBEG]

Nine months after getting these damn things, I still love them. 99% of their uses is with a Fiio E6 on EQ2. Sound quality is good enough on EQ2 to convince several friends to get their own. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have likely bought an E11 instead of the E6, but I have no regrets whatsoever about the SR850 + AKG pads. What I listen too varies widely (all manner of rock, metal, symphonic, dubstep, drum & bass, soundscape, etc.): the only problems I've really had with this combination is some of the punchier bass ("Coming Down" by 5FDP for example) becomes more subdued. I think a different amp or amp/dac combo would alleviate this.
 
I will say that for competitive FPS gaming, I would not recommend these headphones. Direction is quite accurate, but distance is not. I do not know if this is a limitation of the headphones or of the onboard audio. Also, being naturally more bass-oriented headphones you can lose some of the subtle sounds of a reload, footsteps, or grenade bounce when things start going boom around you. For gaming otherwise, especially titles featuring immersive atmosphere and music, these headphones are excellent.
 
Edit: forgot to mention this earlier. The cable and two wires above the headband are... noisy. I'm not sure that's the right term. What I mean is when you bump them, the noise is/can be disruptive to whatever you're listening to. It sounds like something a hardware mod can fix, but I'm not sure what to do to fix something like that.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

Nine months after getting these damn things, I still love them. 99% of their uses is with a Fiio E6 on EQ2. Sound quality is good enough on EQ2 to convince several friends to get their own. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have likely bought an E11 instead of the E6, but I have no regrets whatsoever about the SR850 + AKG pads. What I listen too varies widely (all manner of rock, metal, symphonic, dubstep, drum & bass, soundscape, etc.): the only problems I've really had with this combination is some of the punchier bass ("Coming Down" by 5FDP for example) becomes more subdued. I think a different amp or amp/dac combo would alleviate this.
 
I will say that for competitive FPS gaming, I would not recommend these headphones. Direction is quite accurate, but distance is not. I do not know if this is a limitation of the headphones or of the onboard audio. Also, being naturally more bass-oriented headphones you can lose some of the subtle sounds of a reload, footsteps, or grenade bounce when things start going boom around you. For gaming otherwise, especially titles featuring immersive atmosphere and music, these headphones are excellent.
 
Edit: forgot to mention this earlier. The cable and two wires above the headband are... noisy. I'm not sure that's the right term. What I mean is when you bump them, the noise is/can be disruptive to whatever you're listening to. It sounds like something a hardware mod can fix, but I'm not sure what to do to fix something like that.

My Superlux HD681 have the same issue with the headband. If you move your head around and the plastic moves it can cause the headband to vibrate. You can fix this just by taking a piece of foam and taping it on the headband
 
I'm thinking of buying a pair of the Superlux HD662f which I have heard sounds identical to the SR850 except that they are closed and have a smaller soundstage with more bass impact.

 

[msz87]

thread ressurection:

im curious, anyone that has these and the AKG 240 S , how much better are the AKG if at all? I might just pick these up because theyre so cheap.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

thread ressurection:
im curious, anyone that has these and the AKG 240 S , how much better are the AKG if at all? I might just pick these up because theyre so cheap.

Take a look of reviews at the Superlux HD668b, it's the exact same as the SR850 but with a different design. It might help you
 
Technically the AKG 240 is slightly better but it's not worth the extra price. The SR850/668b is much better value and you will save quite a bit of money and really the difference in sound is very small. 
 
With the extra money you should get the AKG 240 velour pads which fit the SR850/668b and greatly improve the comfort and sound making it even better value then the AKG 240.
 
 
Oh and also, at the moment on Amazon the 668b is only $47 and the SR850 is $60 so you'd save even more money.

 

[msz87]

heehehe they're only 33.99 (850c)at a store here but there is only 3 left in stock, but that hasnt changed in a week.

 

[drkrazyrich]

these are great for gaming for hrs or music,movies etc . and my kids steal them on me all the time because they re comfy to wear not to mention the sound is awesome . l ve been check out other brands still any chance l can but this price point can't be beat .

 

[lubczyk]

Yeah, the Samson are amazing for the price. They're really good for jazz, electronica, dubstep, trance, movies, youtube and gaming.
 
What surprised me the most is how comfortable they are. I wear glasses and and there's no discomfort at all.
 
Makes me want to look at more headphones with self-adjusting headbands (Fidelio X1, Tiesto K267, et cetera). No notches to keep track of. Just put the headphones over your ears you're done.
 
I thought I would miss the bass impact of the M50 and the CKS77...................I don't miss it at all.
 
They're built far better than other cheapos I had (Panasonic HTF-600). and better than those that cost twice as much (Citiscape Downtown, M-Audio Q40).

 

[Warrax]

Just want to say, that these headphones sounds incredible on NFB11.32. These two fits each other very well, and for the price of SR850, resulting sound is unbelievable. In some aspects, I like it more than HD600.. for example it's bright characteristic fits NFB11.32 clear sounds very well, and resulting music brings more emotions than on HD600, even despite quality of sounds heard and soundstage is on lower level.

 

[FroyoShark]

Getting these on Tuesday to replace my gaming headset (that I need to EQ for it to actually sound good). I hope they're as good as everyone says.

 

[FroyoShark]

Looks like I made the right decision. Thanks for the reviews everyone!

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

Looks like I made the right decision. Thanks for the reviews everyone!

Just keep listening as they burn in. It gets even better.

 

[FroyoShark]

Quote:

Just keep listening as they burn in. It gets even better.

You're right, they sound much better now than they did when I first got them. Comfort is starting to annoy me, I'm thinking about getting the AD700 pads and maybe doing the comfort mod for them as well.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

You're right, they sound much better now than they did when I first got them. Comfort is starting to annoy me, I'm thinking about getting the AD700 pads and maybe doing the comfort mod for them as well.

I don't think the AD700 pads fit.
 
All I did with my HD681 (identical design) was bend the rods to help with the clamp, then I put some squishy creative pleather pads on them and the comfort was improved 30x
 
If you want velour pads, the AKG 240 velours are the only ones I know that fit. Somebody on ebay is selling velvet ones cheaper but I think you have to special order from them.

 

[FroyoShark]

Quote:

I don't think the AD700 pads fit.
 
All I did with my HD681 (identical design) was bend the rods to help with the clamp, then I put some squishy creative pleather pads on them and the comfort was improved 30x
 
If you want velour pads, the AKG 240 velours are the only ones I know that fit. Somebody on ebay is selling velvet ones cheaper but I think you have to special order from them.

A few pages back people were talking about it. According to them they fit, and I don't want to spend tons of money to get the AKG ones. $11 for velour pads is an excellent deal.

 

[nick n]

I'm sure it's been brought up in here already ,( didn't read the whole thread ) but having the Superlux 662, basically the same shell/pad size, I use the Creative World of Warcraft Soundblaster headset pads and it's a world of difference ( ouch I didn't mean that lame pun but it happened )
 
Should be able to find them somewhere, very soft.*** But that's pleather, not yet found anything worthy in the velour. The Samson are semi-open (if I recall correctly ) so the pleather will keep your bass levels and the staging should stay more or less the way it is stock , velour should drop the bass levels off a bit and possibly give a bit more of an open sound.  
 
I'm sure I just told you what you already know though.