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Samson Semi Open-Back Studio Reference Headphones, Black, Over Ear (SR850)

  • Based on 6,397 reviews
Condition: New
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Availability: In Stock.
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Arrives Nov 22 – Nov 24
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Features

  • Professional studio Reference semi-open headphones designed for tracking, mixing, mastering and playback.
  • Proprietary large 50mm drivers with rare earth magnets deliver an extended frequency response and great dynamic range
  • Circumaural, over-ear, design with velour cushioning provides outstanding comfort for long listening sessions
  • Self-adjusting headband for optimal fit
  • 1/4" Stereo Adapter included

Description

Samson’s SR850 Semi-Open-Back Studio Headphones offer an outstanding listening solution for musicians, sound engineers and general music enthusiasts alike. With solid bass response, ultra-clear highs and an over-ear design, the SR850s ensure complete comfort and accurate headphone monitoring.


Item Weight: 1.28 pounds


Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 4.8 inches


Domestic Shipping: Item can be shipped within U.S.


Country of Origin: China


Item model number: SR850


Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No


Date First Available: April 13, 2004


Color Name: Black


Size: Over Ear


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Nov 22 – Nov 24

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Absolutely fantastic for the price, Wade from DankPods wasn't lying!
Wow, just wow. TLDR right up front, these are fantastic headphones for the price. If you have any hesitation to buy them whatsoever, let me tell you that you won't be disappointed. Bass is a bit lower than some people would like, but hey they're open backs! My pair arrived in their retail box, which was kind of surprising as the box wasn't even sealed. Thankfully the headphones were undamaged and they appear to be brand new, although I honestly wouldn't care if they were used since they look fine. Included I was surprised to find a 1/4 inch (the big audio connector for amps and such) to 3.5mm adapter pre-installed on the unit. I was actually kind of worried that I accidentally purchased the wrong variant of these headphones, since the adapter looked like it was part of the cable. Thankfully my initial assumption was incorrect, and the adapter unscrewed revealing a 3.5 mm plug, although I must say the quality of this adapter is what fooled me. It's super nice and fits on the cable seamlessly! The fabric the removable ear pads are made out of is kind of strange, it's almost like a felt material but it doesn't have the same shininess to it. Nevertheless it is very comfortable for the price, and in general comfort of these headphones is quite good. The self-adjusting headband and whatnot is a straight-up clone of the AKG K240s, which certainly isn't a bad thing in this case. Samson have done a fantastic job replicating the design of the K240s while also managing to keep costs low. The non-removable cable is a bit of a downside, but the included cable is very high quality and quite long. Seriously I've never seen gold-plated connectors that look and feel this good. As an Australian drummer once said "they're are symphony of plastic, but AvE has taught me that not all plastics are created equal". That statement is definitely true here, as the plastic that Samson has used for the SR850s is definitely on the higher quality side. The headband is fake leather and the supports that house the audio cable for the other driver are made of metal (maybe aluminum?). Now, onto sound quality. Honestly when I had seen and heard all of the great reviews on these headphones I was expecting them to be quite amazing. Maybe it's not as dramatic as I expected, but these are my first pair of legitimately good budget headphones. The "sound stage" or 3D feel of the sound is definitely there, and while playing video games with gunfire or engines you can definitely feel the openness of the semi open back design. I particularly enjoy running around in Skyrim SE with them. I will say the bass isn't crazy heavy, but looking at the frequency response graph for these headphones they're actually somewhat more bassy than more of the higher end true open back headphones. This is fine for me though, I do like base but I understand the concessions that had to be made for these headphones to have such good soundstage. That's always been the trade-off for open backs, less bass and also way less noise isolation. And on that note, yeah they definitely don't block anywhere near as much noise as a set of earmuffs would, but I actually like that since I need to be able to hear things while I'm using my computer or listening to music on my iPod. As always with audio, it's very subjective and you may find that these are the best headphones ever for you, or you may hate them because they're not crazy bassy like most everything else made nowadays. (Looking at you Beats and Raycons!) I can't really find any other descriptive words to describe the mids or highs, because I'm really just a novice when it comes to audio. Maybe just... they're great! As far as durability goes I've only had them for a few days so I can't say much as to how I think they'll stand up over the long term. I will say that the non-removable cable is definitely once again a downside as far as durability goes, but if you're really invested in keeping your SR850s alive and you're handy with a soldering iron I see no reason why you couldn't add an aux connector connector. The headband and metal supports seem quite sturdy given the price, and I expect these to last for years to come. By then I'll likely have something better, but honestly if you're just into them for the looks, for content creators or streamers they look really cool and professional. I think if these things ever have some sort of catastrophic failure I'll either buy a new pair or attempt to fix these myself, as the design seems fairly simple. The ear cups are removable and seem to be fairly modular. I'm sure there are several replacements on various websites, and if you're handy with sewing scissors and a needle and thread you could probably even make your own if you were so inclined. I think some gel ear pads would be super cool to try with these, although I don't know if these headphones have enough of a cult following for some manufacturer to take on that challenge. Maybe if I'm feeling brave enough one day I will take apart the ear cup and speaker assembly to see how repairable they are from the inside, but for now I'm just happy to have a very good sounding set of headphones for my PC and iPod. 9/10, definitely five stars but a non-removable cable is probably the only downside. You'll know these aren't crazy bassy if you're in the market for open backs so that's not a downside in my opinion. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2022 by Andrew Walbridge

  • AMAZING sound quality (though maybe not for 'base-heads') for the price, 100% recommend these
Not really sure how I can go into an in-depth review of headphones, but I am not sure anything I can say, can do these Samson's justice. I will just do a quick (after a few days) "first impressions" review for these. Pros: - Sound Quality: These headphones SOUND AMAZING ... granted I have never had higher end headphones myself but I am a fan of "clean" sound ... not overly basey (though that can be fun at times) or too much treble, that can sound "tinny" that way. These sound perfect, and I love the mids in these (I am OVERsimplifying this but say most of the instruments and vocals of a typical rock song), versus some of my bluetooth headphones where sometimes it sounds muddy or the vocalist (example) is in another room vs the rest of the band playing the music. I have randomly gone through my collection and listened to Jazz, Rap, Rock, and more ... and these sound great across the board. Some headphones tuned for base ... they can sound ok but with some genres like Smooth Jazz ... it doesn't sound right having an emphasis on base. These just sound so clear, with maybe one issue for some people (depending on personal taste and genre ... It's my first "con" listed below, and it's the base ...mainly for those people that love alot of extra base... i have to make that part CLEAR). I know some of my cheaper headphones people may laugh at ... say the Sony ZX100's or ZX110's may not have as great of a sound of these Samson's but one thing I love about the Samson's is that they dont "ruin" the other headphones I have ... like "these are so so great that anything else sounds bad now" ... these sound better but i am still happy with some of those other headphones too. I was sort of afraid that may happen, but glad it didn't. - The earpad/overall comfort: I cant say any headphones I have had are UNcomfortable, mind you, but these which are not the ones with the "Pleather" (like fake leather) earpads that I see some SR850 reviews posting that they came with. The SR850s that I got, have velour earpads that may not be as good as the Bravewavs ones I see people replace these with but ... I was expecting these to be "harder" and less comfortable then they are ... I may check out those BrainWavs pads, and maybe even buy a pair to have "on hand", but these default pads do NOT need to be changed ... they are great the way they are. Cons: - Sound (base ... if you are a "base-head"): just have to mention that if you are a "base head" needing extra base ... well these are not for you ... I'd RECOMMEND trying these to listen to your music as an extra pair ... but something like the SkullCandy Cruzher like series or The SoundCore series may be more of what you want. These are a good option if you have a more base heavy pair of headphones and you want to hear what all the bragging about these headphones are all about ... maybe for like rap you use those other headphones for jazz or soul music you use these ... in other wards "give these a try ... " sort of thing ... the BASE IS "there" but just not like some of my say Bluetooth headphones ... the base is done in a "classy" way .. a "clean" way, in my view. I also know the GREAT sound in these can be thrown off if there was more base ... it can be a delicate balance and ... the base may be EXACTLY WHERE it should be to not mess up the rest of the balance of these headphones. - this I will put here ... but it's not so much a con as a "gee i wish they did this" sort of thing ... I wish the REALLY GOOD cable ... was removable/replaceable ... but then again if it's really that good, you will not need to replace it. The cable doesn't look or feel cheap in anyway, and I dont want people to get what I am saying confused ... I just "wish" that this cable was removable. If something happens to it .. not counting people that may be able to solder something back on ... you would need to get another pair (which ... if my cable broke ... I 100% would get another pair of these SR850's .. they are worth it). -Appearance: I almost forgot this in the review. I have seen a few videos on these headphones and i have seen thumbnails ... they always looked ok, but I was more interested in the sound ... I can't comment about how they look on my head, but just having them in my possession ... they really look pretty good .. not my favorite looking headphones mind-you but ... they look better than I was picturing when I ordered them. Bottom Line: I dont think I have to say much here, as I obviously 100% recommend these, even to base-heads just as a "try these and listen to your favorite music, and hear the difference" sort of thing. I hear some people who do music professionally getting blown away with the sound and the price of these, together ... some say that reference headphones wise these have more base then others (say comparable AKG's)... but if you want that quality/type of sound .. with a pitch/bit of more base .. THESE ARE the ones to go with. "if your just listening to your music and you want SUPER GOOD quality, but aren't doing studio audio type stuff you need a true pair of reference headphones... these are the ones to get" . ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020 by Xmetal

  • Yup, they are great
I'm not an audiphile by any means, but I read and heard that these are great value for the money, and decided to jump on the hype wagon. Sound quality is great, and the soundstage is awesome. Definetely an improvement for someone like me who comes from basic Sony headphones. They fit great thanks to the self-adjusting band and the earcups are soft and well padded. My ears fit perfectly inside, but they get a bit toasty after a couple of minutes of use. The headphones clamp a bit too hard, but my head is on the larger aide so it shouldn't be an issue for everybody. The cable is very soft and feels like it won't last long, it also is waaaay too long. For me that's a bit of an issue, but someone else might find it useful since they are probably meant to be used indoors. Overall great sound quality, not so great build quality. Great for the price, highly recommended for anyone who is looking to step up their audio gear under a budget and without being too picky. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2022 by Manuel R.

  • Awesome for the price
Love these headphones. Bought originally just to use for watching movies but find myself using them for more than I intended. The sound quality is fantastic, the sound stage is nice and big which makes you feel immersed in whatever your listening to. Also, they are extremely comfortable and don’t make my ears hurt or sweat. I can wear them for hours without them bothering me at all. I have steelseries for gaming but I find myself using these instead when I don’t have to chat in game. The Samson is semi open so they don’t cancel noise as well as my steelseries but they are so much more comfortable. I also like that when I have these on I can still partially hear what’s happening at home around me. For the price, these are definitely one of the best wired headphones you can buy. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2022 by Bob.H

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