[NotSoSerious]

Sorry for posting in sort of a dead thread, but do you plan to ever do the SL series in-ears?
Just curious, some say they're awesome, others say their crap.

 

[HeadphonesCom]

Quote:

Sorry for posting in sort of a dead thread, but do you plan to ever do the SL series in-ears?
Just curious, some say they're awesome, others say their crap.

Hey there,

I actually thought the SL99 was quite good considering that it is celebrity brand and an in-ear.  
 
I did review it: 
 
 

…”if you got Soul, let me see your hands up”

After several months of familiarizing myself with the Soul by Ludacris product line, I can say with little doubt that they are amongst the most attractive headphones in the industry today.  Even the packaging itself, I find very appealing.  At the end of the day, the attractiveness of an  headphone which you will wear in front of others in a social setting can merit some serious consideration. This is one the reasons why the Soul by Ludacris headphone line succeeds with flying colors within their market.  What makes reviewing the SL99 so different for me is unlike headphones, earphones are not worn as a fashion accessory and thus the cosmetic appeal is less important here.  I had an expectation going into this review that because the SL99 are not intended to be worn as fashion accessory, that somehow I would feel they were inferior in comparison to their wearable counterparts.

I was wrong!

THE FIT & THE FINISH

The SL99 come with the trademark elliptically-shaped hard carrying case that the full-size Soul headphones come with; in this case sized down appropriately for earphones.  I immediately noticed the very rugged flat-sleeved cable which appears kink/tangle resistant. Next I noticed the metal ring which allows for the cable’s Y-split to be raised to one’s preference.  The SL99 come with small, medium and large silicone ear tips. I opted for the mediums.  Although the ear pieces are on the larger side, they fit very snug and comfortably.  I do however prefer when earphones are designed with the cable intended to wrap behind the ear; a feature which unfortunately the SL99 is not provide.  One thing worth noting is that the earphones fit far more comfortably when the cable leaves the ear at an angle rather than straight down.  As is standard with the all other Soul by Ludacris models thus far, the SL99 has an Apple remote and microphone embedded into the right cable at about chin length.  The call quality was very good on both ends as I’ve found to be the case with all Soul by Ludacris models. 
 

ALL ABOUT THE SOUND…

The SL99 are a very good sounding earphone.  Providing a strong and impactful bass response, the SL99 are likely one of the top contenders for Hip Hop and R&B at this price point.  I’ve rarely heard the thump of drums sound as slamming out of earphones at this price.  Listening to Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” and Ludacris’s own “Southern Hospitality” I was reminded just how visceral earphones can sound in the bass.  In addition, the voices were clear and the overall tone was mightily impressive!

Moving on, the SL99 were very enjoyable with Rock and Pop music as well, even if not the ideal choice.  Listening to Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” I was really pleased to hear all the percussion elements so clearly which make this song so enjoyable.  Vocals sound very clear and fairly forward with the SL99.

There are some obvious sections within the frequency range which are not perfect.  The midrange presents some noticeable peaks and dips and the treble is also rolled off (as is often common with earphones at this price point).  One should not be alarmed by these criticisms as these frequency dips and peaks are not untypical of earphones at this price point; and actually the SL99 fare very well. 

LAST WORD

The SL99 has joined a crowded market of under $100 earphones, but they succeed in being among the best in their class.  They offer a very good fit, excellent call quality, a rugged design, and most of all, they sound excellent with the music which they are intended to be listened to.  When considering all the above, I feel that the SL99 is one of the best values in all of celebrity-endorsed headphone-land.

RATING CHART & PRICE POINT

[size=9pt] Sound Quality[/size]	[size=9pt] 8[/size]
[size=9pt] Design & Features[/size]	[size=9pt] 9.5[/size]
[size=9pt] Comfort[/size]	[size=9pt] 8[/size]
[size=9pt] Portability[/size]	[size=9pt] 10[/size]
[size=9pt] Value[/size]	[size=9pt] 8.5[/size]

 

 

[roker]

I like the inner padding.  That criss cross stitching is pretty cool.
 
That's about the only positive thing I can say about it.  I have to give them a listen to give them a true thrashing but I was surprised that the Beats pro are actually a fun sounding headphone (the price point kills it considering what you can get at a fraction of the cost).  The solo on the other hand are pure garbage, build-wise and sound-wise.  I guess they're aesthetically pleasing to some people.  I see at least 5 pairs a day on morning commute.  I can't even appreciate them from a "fun for rap" perspective.  They're more of a status symbol than anything else out here in NYC.

 

[BBEG]

Quote:

*a preface for audiophiles
When reviewing the Soul line, I am hesitant to make comparisons to audiophile oriented similarly-priced headphones.  The markets are entirely different. 

...I fail to see why one would not compare to audiophile-oriented headphones. Is this not head-fi.org? I'd venture to say most readers of this site probably care more about sound than status, so wouldn't reviewing new headphones be done with that in mind?

 

[DavidMahler]

...I fail to see why one would not compare to audiophile-oriented headphones. Is this not head-fi.org? I'd venture to say most readers of this site probably care more about sound than status, so wouldn't reviewing new headphones be done with that in mind?

Well this is the thing essentially,

The general consumer and true audiophiles almost always look for very different sound signatures. I've said many times on this forum that friends of mind who are not audiophiles, prefer their Bose and Beats to my HD800. When I review a headphone, I can review everything from the standpoint of what an audiophile may prefer, or I can acknowledge that the manufacturer in this case was probably not targeting their sound sig to an audiophile. With this in mind, I think Soul by Ludacris did a good job, particularly with the SL150 which is clearly better sounding than Beats 200 dollar offering.

 

[NotSoSerious]

Thank you for the great review!
 
Others have said ( unsurprisingly ), despite the price range,  the Sl99 should top the more expensive Beats by Dre Tours.
Do you believe this is true?
How about the Monster Turbines?
 
 
Also, I am a bit confused by what you mean by putting the SL99 at an angle... Can you elaborate on that a little bit?
 
 
Thanks again.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Thank you for the great review!
 
Others have said ( unsurprisingly ), despite the price range,  the Sl99 should top the more expensive Beats by Dre Tours.
Do you believe this is true?
How about the Monster Turbines?
 
 
Also, I am a bit confused by what you mean by putting the SL99 at an angle... Can you elaborate on that a little bit?
 
 
Thanks again.

I've not done a head-to head comparison between the SL99 and the Beats Tours so I cannot say, but I have favored the Soul line overall in general.
 
The Turbines can be very good depending on the model, but again I haven't heard them all.
 
By angle I mean that the cable should not fall straight down but rather a little slanted forward.
 
 

 

[NotSoSerious]

Ah, I understand now.
I just have one more small question:
How high is the isolation of the Sl99's?
Will they suffice for a loud and annoying school bus?
 
 

 

[Multielecticals]

I think for the honest truth and best comparison you guys should check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WyqqvuICh0

 

[NeoExcel]

Just asking but ....Did you or could you do a review of the soul by ludacris sl100 vs Sol tracks hd? Please?

 

[Ryolith]

thanks for such honest and thoughtful reviews

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i've heard these before, and they definitely sound better than the beats, but not by much. theres still much better to be had.

 

[Curly21029]

Quote:

i've heard these before, and they definitely sound better than the beats, but not by much. theres still much better to be had.

 
This.  I haven't seen the SL300 out for demo anywhere, but gave the SL100 and SL150 a go out of sheer curiosity.  Since Tyll claimed the SL150 to be better than Beats they should at least be tolerable, right?  They are, but barely so.  I found them to be extremely grainy, unfocused, and with the much-maligned "bass cloud:" a flabby, uncontrolled low-end presentation that hangs over the music.  With the infinitely better Philips Downtown (amazingly comfortable, but putting them on feels like you're forfeiting your man card due to the aesthetics) and Uptown headphones sitting next to them at cheaper prices they were a terrible contextual value.
 
The SL100, I feel, isn't worth discussing.  They're just... mud.  They look like the Solos and, from memory, sound like the Solos.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Just asking but ....Did you or could you do a review of the soul by ludacris sl100 vs Sol tracks hd? Please?

Unfortunately no, I never did review either of those models, but I've spent a fair amount of time with both.  I found that the SL100 was superior sounding to the Solo HD.  But the SL150 was a noticeable step up in quality.  Considering it is a highly fashionable headphone, it's not a bad deal.  It's sonically superior to the whole Beats line I think. 

 

[HeadphonesCom]

Quote:

thanks for such honest and thoughtful reviews

Thank you the compliment!
Quote:

i've heard these before, and they definitely sound better than the beats, but not by much. theres still much better to be had.

I agree that there's much better sonically, even at the same pricepoints.  However, it's so important for me to stress the idea that not everyone is going to be interested in an audiophile headphone.  A large demographic of buyers (not the head-fi majority) are going to buy their headphones based on the fashion element, the bling element.  It makes sense to judge the headphones that fit this mold of their accord because this demographic will never be convinced of walking around with an HD380 or AH-D1100.