The Samson SR850 are budget-friendly over-ear headphones intended for audiophiles. Their semi-open design helps create a wide, spacious soundstage, while their bright sound profile can bring out details in recordings and make it easier to hear imperfections. However, this sound can also cause ear fatigue, and some may find it overly harsh or piercing. Unfortunately, they're not very breathable or comfortable, and their small ear cups make them fit a bit more like on-ears than over-ears for some people. They also have a mediocre build quality and a non-detachable cable that feels like it could break easily.
Our Verdict
The Samson SR850 are good for neutral sound; they deliver sound quite consistently and have a wide, spacious soundstage. Their exaggerated treble response gives them a bright sound profile and ensures instruments have detail, brightness, and airiness. You may prefer this sound if you're looking for headphones to use for recording and mixing and want to hear imperfections in your audio. However, some may find it harsh or piercing. Also, while their sound has a bit of extra punch and boom, low-bass is slightly underemphasized, typical of semi-open headphones.
- Very good frequency response consistency.
- Spacious passive soundstage.
- Mediocre build quality.
The Samson SR850 are bad for commute and travel. They're intended for audiophiles and have a semi-open design that means they leak a lot of audio and hardly isolate you from any ambient sound. They're not very portable, either, since they don't fold into a more compact shape or come with a pouch.
- Lightweight and fairly stable design.
- Poor leakage and noise isolation, by design.
- Mediocre build quality.
- No case or pouch included.
The Samson SR850 are bad for sports and fitness. They aren't intended for sports use and can easily fall off your head when you make big movements or if the cable gets snagged on something. The ear cups aren't very comfortable or breathable, and wearing them at the gym may make you sweat more. Also, like most audiophile headphones, they don't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance.
- Lightweight and fairly stable design.
- Poor leakage and noise isolation, by design.
- Not very stable.
The Samson SR850 are poor for office use. Because of their semi-open design, they don't isolate you from distractions like background conversations. They also leak a lot of audio, so anyone sitting near you in a shared space can hear your music, even if you're listening to audio at moderate volumes. Their small ear cups aren't very breathable, either, and they may be uncomfortable to wear all day.
- Lightweight and fairly stable design.
- Poor leakage and noise isolation, by design.
- Mediocre build quality.
- No microphone.
The Samson SR850 are wired headphones, and you can't use them wirelessly.
The Samson SR850 are passable for wired gaming, as long as you don't need a microphone. You can use them to receive audio from PCs as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles if you plug them into a controller. However, they aren't very comfortable or breathable, so they may not be ideal if you like to game for hours at a time.
- Spacious passive soundstage.
- No microphone.
The Samson SR850 aren't suitable for making phone calls because they don't have a microphone.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Samson SR850 studio headphones come in Black or Blue. The blue variant is mostly black with blue accents. We tested them in Black, and you can see the label for the unit we tested here.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Samson SR850 are wired over-ear headphones intended for audiophiles and studio use. Their design is similar to the Superlux HD 668B, the Superlux HD 681, and the AKG K240 MKII, but they have a brighter sound profile. Also, like most semi-open headphones, they leak a lot of audio and block out virtually no ambient sound.
If you're looking for other options, take a look at our lists of the best audiophile headphones, the best headphones for studio, and the best headphones for music.
The Superlux HD 681 are better for neutral sound than the Samson SR850. Both headphones have a similar semi-open design, but the Superlux have a more balanced sound profile, which some may prefer. They're also much more comfortable and breathable. However, the Samson have a significantly better build quality.
The Philips SHP9500 are better for neutral sound than the Samson SR850. The Philips are open-back headphones with a much more comfortable and breathable fit. They're also better built than the Samson. However, you may prefer the Samson if your budget is tight.
The Superlux HD 668B are somewhat better headphones for neutral sound than the Samson SR850. They're very similar-looking semi-open headphones, but the Superlux have a much more accurate treble response, so they don't sound as sharp or piercing. Their audio cable is detachable, which is convenient if it gets damaged and needs replacing. They're also more breathable, but you may find the Samson's leather strap headband design more comfortable than the Superlux's cushioned headband.
The Samson SR850 are better for neutral sound than the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. The Samson are semi-open headphones and have a much better passive soundstage performance. They also have a brighter, more detailed sound profile that some may prefer. On the other hand, the Audio-Technica have a closed-back design, so they leak less audio and block out more ambient sound.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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