Samson SR850 Semi-Open-Back Studio Reference Headphones with 50mm Drivers
The SR850 is the semi-open member of Samson's SR range, and that one design choice is what you are choosing between it and the closed models. The semi-open back lets a controlled amount of sound through, which opens up the stereo image instead of pinning it inside your head. It suits mixing and critical listening in a quiet room.
- Semi-open design: improved ambient listening with proper bleed, giving better stereo imaging and a wider soundstage.
- 50mm drivers: a 38 micron diaphragm and neodymium magnets, delivering wide dynamic range and a transparent response with airy highs and pronounced depth.
- 10 Hz to 30 kHz: the widest frequency response in the SR range.
- 32 ohms impedance, 98 dB sensitivity: easy to drive from an interface headphone output.
- Over-ear with velour cushioning: a self-adjusting headband for a secure natural fit through extended studio sessions.
- 276g: light enough to forget about after an hour.
- 2.5m cable: terminating in a 3.5mm connector, with a gold-plated 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter included.
Note that a semi-open design leaks sound, so these are not the ones for tracking a vocal next to an open microphone.
The SR850 Semi-Open Studio Headphones are aimed at musicians, sound engineers and anyone who listens closely. Solid bass response, ultra-clear highs and an over-ear fit make them comfortable and accurate for headphone monitoring, and the semi-open back is what sets them apart from everything else in the SR line.
What semi-open gives you
The semi-open design improves ambient listening by allowing proper bleed, and the result is better stereo imaging and a wider soundstage. Instruments sit at different distances rather than being stacked in a line between your ears, which is exactly what you want when judging a mix, placing reverb or deciding how wide a pair of guitars should be. The trade-off is honest: sound gets out, and some of the room gets in, so these are for a quiet position rather than for tracking beside a live microphone.
Drivers and response
Large 50mm dynamic drivers with a 38 micron diaphragm and neodymium magnets deliver exceptional sound reproduction and wide dynamic range. The frequency response runs from 10 Hz to 30 kHz, wider at both ends than the rest of the SR range, with a transparent character described by Samson as airy highs and pronounced depth. Impedance is 32 ohms and sensitivity is 98 dB, so a laptop, an interface headphone output or a headphone amp will all drive them properly.
Comfort over a long session
A self-adjusting headband gives a secure, natural fit without a setup ritual every time you put them on, and the over-ear cups use velour cushioning, which stays cooler against the skin than leatherette during a long afternoon. At 276g they are light for a 50mm circumaural design.
Connection
The cable is 2.5m long, enough to reach from a desk to a mic position, and it terminates in a 3.5mm connector. A gold-plated 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter is included for interfaces, mixers and headphone amps. If you need isolation instead of soundstage, look at a closed-back model in the same range, for example the SR990.