In a few of our earlier posts we talked about the new releases announced at CES by SMS Audio, the brainchild of a certain, little-known rapper named 50 Cent. Today, we’re pleased to announce that we finally got our hands on a member of the lineup, the wired and totally flashy Street by 50 set. We did our best to run the cans through their paces, and to our surprise, they might actually be decent competition with more well-known brands like Beats by Dre, or even the new Soul lineup from 50 Cent colleague Ludacris. Either way, you can check below the break to see our full thoughts on this killer pair of headphones!
Design and Comfort
Street by 50
If you’ve been following either the Soul or Beats lineup, then you’re likely familiar with the now standard celebrity headphone look: Thick pads, plush headband, and a sort of boating-esque streamlined quality that screams chic. We weren’t too surprised to find the Street by 50s following a similar milieu, though we have to admit, we much preferred Fiddy’s pair to any Dre issue. The look is slightly more subdued, featuring a more matte appearance alongside a thick S emblazoned on either ear cap. As with both the Beats and the Souls, the cable is detachable here: The cable also comes with built-in iPhone and iPod controls, in case you’d like either of those. There’s also a smooth carrying case for your mobile lifestyle. Overall, we have to admit that we greatly appreciated the more low-key appearance of the Street by 50s, as well as the plush and comfortable fit. It’s a solid design, if a bit of an overused one.
Sound Quality and Performance
First of all, we’d simply like to say that we vastly appreciated the Street by 50 headphones sound in comparison to either the Soul or Beats models. Overall, the tone is much less bass-heavy, lending itself more easily to other genres besides hip-hop and rap. That’s not to say the bass isn’t here, though: There’s still plenty of boom and push, in case you’re looking for that tasty subwoofer effect. However, we did notice that the highs and mids are somewhat tinny, especially with over-mixed tracks like Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen.” This lends itself to a tiresome listening experience, but with an increase in genre support, we can’t get over how good the Street by 50s sound.
Overall Value
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a quality set of rapper-oriented headphones, the Street by 50s may actually be your best bet for a more even-tempered sound quality. The highs and mids can be a bit intimidating, as is the $300 price tag, but we can hardly knock the overall performance, nor the stellar design. All in all, we’re impressed by this initial offering by 50 Cent, and we hope even more killer cans emerge from SMS Audio in the coming year.
