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

TLDRIf you just want great sound for an absurdly low price, everything else about these headphones will be totally fine. Any complaint I have about these is purely to demonstrate that there are reasons to buy more expensive headphones if they fall within your budget. But for what these go for, I whole-heartedly recommend these for anyone who doesn’t know if the advantages of open backs are worth it, aren’t sure how much they want to spend but still want something that sounds good right now, is a just starting audiophile, is a creator on a budget, and/or wants a second/backup pair with little to no compromise on sound.SOUNDPurely based on sound, these punch so far above their weight that I really don’t care much about any of the other features. There’s not a ton of presence in the low end, but it is clear enough for anyone buying/expecting open backs. Absolutely fantastic for instruments and vocals, some of the clearest sounding mids/highs I have enjoyed for <$200. The overall stage is impressively wide and rich. I genuinely got confused listening to these at first because I kept hearing things from different parts of the room or my house, but it was actually just parts of songs I had never heard before. There is something magical about being able to hear things from far away clearly without that clarity crushing it into the vocals/instruments. There’s a good amount of sparkle in the top end can be harsh to some. I would recommend running these for 20-40 hours, either while listening or even just running off your phone overnight for a week, and then reevaluating. It’s not magic, but it can take a little edge off the top. If it still sounds harsh up in the stratosphere, I actually recommend lowering the volume before EQing these. When I was first burning these in, I found these harsh. But I realized that the high sparkle was giving a shimmer to percussion and synths that I had flatly not heard with other headphones before. I strongly recommend being open to what these do in the highs even if feels like too much at first. Synths and bass are okay, but don’t suffer in these areas any more than my more expensive headphones. Where I will say the bass excels here ties back into hearing things from far away with clarity with losing distance/space. Echos sound incredible on these, so real percussion resonates more than I’m used to hearing. It gives the bass more density without being louder or punchier. At <$40, I am genuinely shocked with how much I gravitate towards these for sound.BUILD/DESIGNThe entire build is plastic and doesn’t feel amazing, but somehow still feels and looks better than <$50 headphones from big companies (e.g. Sony, skullcandy jbl, etc). Granted, the design is completely derivative of a much more reputable brand, but for two Andrew Jacksons I couldn’t care less. The plastic headband isn’t the most rigid in the world, but the design makes the auto-adjusting faux-leather headband work easily and securely. By using a wired design instead of a solid headband, the unit is remarkably light. The earcups swivel in 360 degrees, albeit not very far. The 3.5 jack is very sturdy, but the side leading into the headphones is just okay, given it’s not replaceable. The earcups don’t feel great to the touch and have a crunchy sound when compressed, which can be annoying when adjusting or putting them on. This did get better over time after being worn in however.COMFORTAll these factors considered, the headphones are just okay in terms of comfort. For how light these are, I’m a little surprised that these create a slight amount of pressure on the top of my head. Obviously everyone’s fit will be slightly different, but the trade off with an auto adjusting headband is that the pressure on the faux-leather that pulls the band up is applied directly to the user. I thought the band was uncomfortable at first, but if I adjust the headphones, I actually find the cheap part resting against my head almost imperceptible. It’s only when the pressure has been applied long enough that I begin to notice. It’s not enough to stop wearing necessarily after short-medium listening sessions, but certainly worth adjusting every once in awhile. While I’m lukewarm on the pads in terms of build, they do a great job of keeping the headphones in place while in use. Despite feeling/sounding crunchy, I actually didn’t mind them for comfort. I thought I would feel the cheapness pressed right against my head, but just like the faux-leather band, it’s not the material itself that gets comfortable. In this case, the semi-on ear and tendency to sweat are more uncomfortable than the cushions themselves. The size of the cups belies that depending on your ear size, part of the cup may rest on your ear. While this is more preference, I think more people will notice sweating in these. It’s by no means horrible, but pretty much unavoidable.THE RESTThe cable is more of a studio length, but not a big deal. These run at 32 ohms, which is important because at this price, you can’t be recommending headphones that require a dac that costs more than the headphones themselves (that being said you can use a better dac, and yes, they sound even better). That coupled with the autoadjusting headband means anyone can pick these up and they will sound/feel great. You don’t need extra equipment or to fiddle with the fit, they just work. They sound great with content, Spotify, flacs, with or without a dac, with everything and in every way. I use these for two main cases: going for walks and listening to music with other people. For $35 i don’t worry about damaging my more expensive headphones while I’m out and about plus I can hear my surroundings clearly and walk safely. When I’m listening to music with other people, I can talk to them about the music without hearing my own voice in my headphones. While these are two very specific cases, I hope they demonstrate that these don’t need a perfectly quiet room to sound amazing, even though that’s obviously where they sound the best. I’ve been learning that hearing music in all its spaciousness interacting with the literal world around me often sounds better than a perfectly isolated, but relatively stuffy closed back. I used to think I preferred balanced sound across the board, but these have a bass roll off and sparkle in the highs that bring out a side to many instruments I didn’t realize I care about. These headphones add a shape and quality to different sounds that have broadened the way I think about and appreciate listening to music.

I am very satisfied with these headphones, I watched a review and after only having earbuds packed in with my phone for the last four years, these feel broad and crisp. For what I paid ($50) I’m very happy. Be aware, they are NOT noise cancelling, they are open back headphones which means they do not cancel noise but can provide a more balanced soundscape. I’m fairly new to nicer headphones and haven’t had a good pair since my last ones were stolen in 2016. The sound in these feels much deeper compared to earbuds, even nicer pairs, and sound has more texture than you would get with earbuds as well. If you are looking for a good step up from earbuds like apple airpods or other packed-in earbuds that came with your phone, these should satisfy for a good price.As far as build quality, they feel slightly of cheap plastic, BUT, the benefit is these headphones are pretty light which means they aren’t too uncomfortable for long listening sessions and the sound quality far outweighs the slightly cheap feeling plastic. I found they fit my head nicely and were comfortable for hours. Some other proper headphones I’ve used got sweaty after a while but the ear cups are made of a more breathable material that prevented that rather than that cheap faux leather some affordable headphones use to seem higher quality.Samson really has put all the budget into making solid sounding headphones that speak for themselves when you listen, even if the actual materials don’t feel as high end. You’re buying these for the sound, how amazing the plastic feels to the touch. By any means, these are not bad build quality, but you can tell where their priorities are.

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” .

Lengthy review-TLDR: Great entry level headphones to the professional market.Being a mild audiophile mixed with horrible ADHD sensory issues, I’ve never liked using headphones or headbuds. Buds always irritate my ear and phones were too warm and I don’t like not knowing what’s going on around me. Those reasons are why I always used external PC speakers for gaming on the computer. However, I can’t seem to find a set of speakers that actually last more than a year. So I decided I’d give this open back style of headphone a try. It’s AMAZING. I had know idea the amount of subtle sounds that had been missing from cheaper headphones or decent speakers. Because they’re open back it allows ambient noise in, not making you feel like you’ve got two cups over your ears. You can hear everything around you, which for me is great as I game in a quiet room. Definitely purchase if you plan on using these in private. DO NOT purchase these for noise cancelation or even reduction, it’s not what they’re intended for. If you’d like to experience the closest thing to a live performance in your ears, this is it!

Coming to these headphones from the Focusrite Scarletts, these are incredibly comfortable. They put little to no pressure on your head, nor your ears, and the padding is very soft. The audio is clear and accurate, as expected from studio headphones. However, there’s no noise cancelation of any kind. This is a feature, granted, but it’s important to note.