Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing about the need for the adapters.
Also, where's the best place(s) to buy the Samson adapters?
you
need the adaptors. you can not provide phantom w/o them. i've never used the Samson brand, but i hear they work fine. SP sells the Samson for $30/ea. roughly. AT8533(x) are $60/ea. roughly.
AT's models are: AT8533x and AT8533. you could also use AT8531, but they are a combo of 1.5v battery power or phantom power and are larger than the 8533's, which are the -slightly- longer than male XLR connectors.
the difference b/w 8533 and 8533x are:
8533: mini xlr male input, no rolloff switch
8533x: screw terminal, rolloff (150hz, 6dB/octave) switch built in.
marc