article and site - thank you!
Celebrity Headphone Deathmatch - Soul by Ludacris
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. |
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. |
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 ... |
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Comments
Great article, and great
Submitted by jvlgato on December 12, 2011 - 12:11pm.
Great article, and great picture! Thanks!
Thanks, Tyll
Submitted by Brentagon on December 12, 2011 - 12:13pm.
A lot of work obviously went into this article. Nice job, Tyll! Here's hoping that, in 2012, we'll be able to see a similar round-up of all the new headphones being produced by speaker companies, which seems to be the trend for the next year.
.... sigh ...
Submitted by Tyll Hertsens on December 12, 2011 - 3:44pm.
It's a dirty job ... but someone's gotta do it.
Love these articles Tyll!
Submitted by Draygonn on December 12, 2011 - 3:55pm.
I hope the V-Moda custom engraving catches on.
Great article!
Submitted by Pars on December 13, 2011 - 5:34pm.
Keep it up, this is great! And love the pic, BTW :)
V-moda
Submitted by JoeMarioZ on December 14, 2011 - 7:18am.
Hi Tyll! Are those GREEN V-Moda a special edition they sent you? Or can you costumize them besides de engraving? Because I see the bezel is green also... I love green but I can't seem to find them at any online store...
Sorry ...
Submitted by Tyll Hertsens on December 14, 2011 - 10:08am.
I'm afraid I don't know. Val is coming up with new stuff fast and furious at the moment. Just call V-Moda and ask, I suppose.
How can anyone expect......
Submitted by shstrang98 on December 14, 2011 - 12:07pm.
headphones endorsed by Dr Dre to actually sound decent?
Kids don't bother to read anymore?
Submitted by Dr.Phil on December 14, 2011 - 3:18pm.
Reading the comments on youtube I find it amazing that the crowd looking for this kind of headphones can be so lazy to the point of watching your video and then go asking how the headphone you just reviewed in the article sound.
What does this tell us?
I did it
Submitted by dalethorn on December 15, 2011 - 12:43pm.
I bought a couple of expensive headphones partly because of the look. I say partly as my personal disclaimer, so I don't come off looking dumb here when I look so smart and natty with my bling-bling headphones.
The sound? No problem. You don't have to buy the worst of them, after all. That's how Innerfidelity helps, by screening out the crud so we can make these decisions with a clear conscience.
Uh oh, confession time
Submitted by dalethorn on December 15, 2011 - 1:49pm.
Well, er, the Vmoda V80 for one. I couldn't resist the extra red and the True Blood insignia. However, I didn't get the extra custom plates yet. But since I use it every day now, I'm gonna have to take the plunge. Note to Dale: Order the plates.
The other was the red/blue earcup Beyerdynamic.. Pure indulgence? No, no - it was, ummmm, it goes good with my red and blue netbooks. (It does, actually...)
Marley Stir it Up,... Truly good?
Submitted by helluvapixel on December 19, 2011 - 1:20pm.
Can someone tell me if the Marley Stir it Up are truly decent? I tried the others in the line and found the bass too bloomy... too artificial.
I'm looking for something more smooth and laid back to compliment when I'm not using my P5's and while I'd like the Senn HD25-ii, $300 is hard to drop.
The Stir It Up is very bassy
Submitted by Tyll Hertsens on December 20, 2011 - 6:14am.
The Stir It Up is very bassy and has very withdrawn highs. I thought the Exodus was great though. May I suggest the V-Moda M-80 or V-80, very nice for $200.
Tyll, I am tempted. I liked
Submitted by helluvapixel on December 20, 2011 - 9:46am.
Tyll, I am tempted. I liked the Crossfade LP for their construction but found the bass a bit boomy and the highs too subdued. Although, funny enough decent enough to watch tv/movies since shows seem quite amped in mid to high.
You mention the new M/V-80 are more neutral. I may give them a shot, I'm a sucker for just buying headphones... it's almost an addiction :)
Addicted maybe, but you won't
Submitted by Tyll Hertsens on December 20, 2011 - 2:22pm.
Addicted maybe, but you won't be the only one around here with that afliction.
Vmoda
Submitted by dalethorn on December 20, 2011 - 4:24pm.
I don't use the V80 (M80) in the house a lot because I have a couple other items I use more, but it's my exclusive portable headphone. There's nothing I can think about it that I don't like. It looks pretty good as is, and you can snazz it up with custom side-plates too.
Good islolation too.
Submitted by helluvapixel on December 21, 2011 - 2:14pm.
@dalethorn,
You find the isolation good too? I thought they were quite good, definitely more so than P5 since they have the large ear cup.
Isolation of M80
Submitted by dalethorn on December 31, 2011 - 8:43am.
I tested the isolation of the M80 in my small apartment with someone in the kitchen making kitchen noises about 15 feet away, and there was not much isolation. Now that's a plastic earpad and the humidity was low, so I'm wondering if I waited longer if maybe the earpads would seal a little better when they got warmer and conformed better to my head. But it still isn't as good as a lot of closed circumaural 'phones.
Innerfidelity rocks
Submitted by MittWaffen on December 27, 2011 - 5:34pm.
Thanks, I tried a whole bunch from future-shop.
Bose, were OK.
Beats, they sucked.
Marley, they sucked.
I ordered the M80s, thank you VERY VERY much for your advice and reviews; seriously you must save thousands of people from making product purchasing mistakes.
Tyll, as always, U DA MAN!
Submitted by jimmyjames on December 21, 2011 - 11:21am.
Tyll, as always, U DA MAN! but the AKG K701's were the worst sounding headphones I ever owned and I've owned a lot in the $0 to $600 price range. Maybe they never broke in but if not then I would never have lived long enough for them to do so.
Your article is very timely as it seems Consumer Reports just came out with a Xmas Headphone round up and it came out just like you might expect any CR review of audio equipment would. Argh!
Cheers! Merry Xmas! and keep out of my neighborhood, I mean keep up the good work!
thank you Tyll
Submitted by souluser12 on December 26, 2011 - 5:57am.
I was choosing between the skullcandy aviators and the soul by ludacris sl 150. i ended up getting the souls just because the passive isolation was there where as with the skullcandy it wasnt and also because the bass was a lot more prominent. thank you for helping me with a big decision your reviews are very helpful considering you know what true audio is. Thanks again.
You're welcome, mate.
Submitted by Tyll Hertsens on December 27, 2011 - 6:08am.
You're welcome, mate.
The thing about the whole "celebrity 'phone" racket...
Submitted by amateriat on December 29, 2011 - 11:54pm.
...is that it's basically lifting a page from the athletic-shoe marketing playbook: Monster's Beats by Dr. Dre are the audio industry's Air Jordans, overinflated price-tags and all, with others falling over each other for the proverbial piece of the action. It might be a bit cutting to liken Noel Lee to a 21st-century P.T. Barnum, but I'm having a hell of a time shaking that analogy.
I recently auditioned, among others, AKG's K450s while in search of an iPod-friendly headphone, and, like you. found their sound quality close to execrable. Putting Quincy Jones' imprimatur on those 'phones was a major marketing misfire from a company that should know better. (I ended up with non-rebranded Sennheiser HD 25-1 II 'phones...love 'em.)
Great work you've done here, and great site!
Help
Submitted by Shop on December 30, 2011 - 10:53am.
Great article by the way. Would like to find out which one would be better out of the two, Soul sl150 or the V-Moda V-80? I've tested the sl150, and they were great, just wondering if the V-80 would be similar or better. Thanks in advance.
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