…”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
Sound Quality |
8 |
| Design & Features |
9.5 |
| Comfort |
8 |
| Portability |
10 |
| Value |
8.5 |