Headphone Reviews

Soul by Ludacris
Earlier this year Ludacris partnered with Signeo USA, and jumped into the rapper can ring introducing three new headphones under the Soul by Ludacris brand. This was a direct frontal attack to take market share from Dre's Beats. I think they've produced some handsome headphones, and generally I found them to be slightly better than the Beats, but that really not saying much. Here's what the Soul by Ludacris website says about the underlying philosophy behind their headphones:

There are plenty of cool looking personal audio options available, but so few are able to provide true studio level sound quality without distorted, out of whack sound balance. On the flipside, most offerings that do provide a more professional audio experience neglect to infuse any style or personality into the look. But style and sound quality can coexist. SOUL by Ludacris is here to change the game.

Good words, but I found plenty to indicate that these headphones did not have "studio level" sound quality. Let's have a look ...

Soul by Ludacris SL300 ($299) This full sized, noise-canceling headphones is priced and has features to directly compete with the Beats Studio headphone. The SL300 has a couple of things that the Beats Studio don't. The ear piece logos light up at the press of a button, so your bling is impressive in the dark. And they can operate without batteries if need be. The problem is that they sound substantially worse without the battery ... I guess the lesson here is don't use the lights too much. I found their sound to be pretty colored and loose, and they were not providing significant noise canceling performance. The Beats Studio sounded marginally better to me. My suggestion for alternatives is the Skullcandy Mix Master for a celebrity headphone, or the Bose Quite Comfort 15 for a noise canceling headphone. Both of which provide better sound and isolation than the BeatsStudio or Soul SL300 to my ears and my measurement gear. InnerFidelity Soul SL300 Full Review Here

Soul by Ludacris SL150 ($199) This turned out to be a pretty good little headphone. Though a bit warm and distant sounding, to my ears these are the best of all the Soul, Beats, and 50 Cent headphones, and are certainly competent among all headphones of this price and type. They're good looking, fairly comfortable, and fold up for transport in their carry case. Sure, I'll recommend them, but somewhat better sounding alternatives woud be the Skullcandy Aviators, House of Marley Exodus, and V-MODA V-80. InnerFidelity Soul SL150 Full Review Here

Soul by Ludacris SL100 ($149) I wouldn't say these were the miserable fail the Beats Solo were for me, but there are many better sounding headphones in this class. I found these to have decent bass, but a rather lackluster sound overall, with recessed mids and treble, and a somewhat confused sound. The Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviators would be an excellent alternative, as would the House of Marley Exodus, which are surprisingly good sounding and have strong bass. If you're really interested in Ludacris cans, I highly suggest you save up the $50 more and get the SL150. InnerFidelity Soul SL100 Full Review Here Fiddy cent next ...