SOUL by Ludacris SL49 Ultra Dynamic In-Ear Headphones (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

These were the second pair of SOUL by Ludacris headphones that I purchased a few weeks ago. Around the middle of December 2013 was when i received this pair in particular. The first pair i purchased were the SL300BW's and they were phenomenal. Therefore, I saw these headphones and decided to try them out for such an astounding price. Fitting, sound quality/noise cancellation portability, and overall quality are all of the aspects that will be looked at in this review.First of all, they arrive in a sleek box that has a picture of Ludacris on it. The box was easy to take handle and all you had to do was take it out. After i took it out of the box, I decided to plug them in my IPhone 5. However, due to the type of case I have, it was tough to maneuver the headphone jack to fit inside of the port. This negative aspect was one bad, but did not interfere with the overall experience of using the headphones. I would not suggest using these headphones with too thick of a case for your device. After they were plugged in and ready to go, I put them in my ears to see how they fit. They come with three different types of ear pieces that you can use to fit the size of your ear. The medium size fit the best for me. When I had them in, the noise cancellation kicks in right away and makes a huge difference of isolating you from most sound surrounding you. The medium size ear buds, however kept falling out of my ears and did NOT stay in as well as the Bose IE2 in ear headphones I own, which rarely ever fall out of my ears (no matter what size). These headphones after about 30 minutes hurt your ears as well. These negative aspects about comfort led to a 3/5 star review for comfort.The next aspect looked at is about sound quality. The sound quality of these headphones were great. The bass is strong and loud. The range of sound that these headphones go from is extremely wide, and easy to find the sound you like. "Ultra Dynamic" is a perfect way to describe these headphones, just like they say in the title. The isolation adds to the fact that the sound quality is so great. However, the not so great comfort adds to the fact that a full sound quality experience cannot be depicted. A 5/5 star review for sound quality would be the perfect rating.The portability of these headphones is tremendous. It comes with a hard case that the headphones easily fit into. The case is around 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall and includes a velcro pocket for the different sizes of ear buds. This case is far more protective and more portable (smaller and sleeker) than the Bose IE2 headphone case. The non-tangle cord is very handy so you never have the hassle of untangling the headphones like with the Apple Earpods. Portability will be considered a strong 5/5 and truly wonderful.The final aspect looked at is overall quality of these headphones. They are manufactured very well and are not wearing away too easily, which is a very positive aspect. They do not seem to be headphones that could break too easily and are overall great. This quality lead to a 5/5 for this aspect of the headphones.Overall, these headphones deserve a strong 4/5 review. The only thing holding them back from a 5 star review would be if comfort was fixed. Comfort is an extremely important role in headphones, because it the basis for other aspects of the headphones such as sound quality (which as I stated, is limited due to a lack of comfort). I would recommend these headphones to people of all ages who use electronic products and listen to music. Overall, a great pair of headphones. The amazing price is has here on amazon, adds to the fact of why they are very good.

Despite my own intuition, I purchased these headphones bundled with the Sony EP-EX10A (hybrid silicone) Replacement Earbuds based on Amazon Recommendation. For my first listen, I removed the factory earbuds and forced the Sony Hybrid Silicone earbuds on each stem, and pushed play. I was immediately unimpressed with the shallow sound. Fortunately, I decided to try other sizes in the pack with no improvement before I tried the factory earbuds for the first time. WOW, what a difference! The problem with the Sony earbuds is they cover 2/3 of the port sound is generated from. I purchased these headphones on other reviews which stated a good balanced sound, and I couldn't agree more. The key is finding the correct earbud cover which seals the ear canal to the low frequencies. I am replacing a set of Bose MIE2i which I was very happy with over the year I used them. Overall, the sound generated from the SL49s is as good in my opinion with proper fitting earbuds at 1/3 the cost. I do prefer the MIE2i's stay-hear earbuds, but they are patented by Bose. I am replacing the MIE2i headphones because the cable wore out over a year of use, and is shorting out. I do not believe the SL49s will have the same problem as the cord is thicker and flatter (like trenette pasta) which prevents tangling the MIE2i headphones were notorious for. I am very pleased with my purchase based on the first few hours of use, and would highly recommend them. Don't waste your money on the Sony EP-EX10A Earbuds as a partner for the SL49s though, they aren't meant to go together.

I will rate these headphones four stars, but that is due to the inexpensive 20 dollar price tag and the sound quality when these do work. I bought these for my daughter as a stocking stuffer this christmas as she loves music and goes through headphones like water. She already has a pair of Soul by Ludacris ear covering headphones and loved them so I bought these expecting the same quality. I was disappointed in the quality as they left ear bud went out in just 2 weeks after Christmas. I had read another review on Amazon were this had happened to them as well. I was upset, but was glad I had read a review preparing me for the issue. I returned to Souls headquarters and in 3 weeks received another pair. So far so good and I will update this review if they last or if they go bad again. My daughter and I like the look of these headphones and the sound quality, but the longevity of these are in question. DO NOT BUY if you want an android device to work with the included chord controls... These controls are soley for Apple Devices. My daughter has ipods and an iphone so it was a great buy for here items. Just a little F.Y.I

The Soul line was something very foreign to me until recently when I got fed up with earbuds always crapping out on me, and I despised my sisters iBeats so I decided to look for something affordable and quality. As a result, I found the bigger brother to these, the Soul SL99's which are INCREDIBLE. Looking to explore the line further, I purchased these for about $20 on sale through Amazon. While these do not have the ear-rattling bass that the SL99's do (it isn't muddy however, don't fret) these not only packed a punch on bass-heavy songs (Watching Movies by Mac Miller, Real 1 by YG, etc.) but they also provided very clear instrumentals that are not overwhelmed by the bass. Songs like Green Grass And High Tides by The Outlaws or Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace gave me a warm sensation of the strings being plucked and slight but apparent bumps from the kick drum and everything in between. The only area where these headphones fall short, and this goes for all earphones n the line, is they are always packed with poorly made silicone tips. I highly recommend buying Sony Hybrid Tips. In short, these are quality headphones whether purchased for $20 or for retail at $70. Highly recommended.