Holiday Gift Guide: Audio Gear Edition

15. Soul by Ludacris SL300 Noise Cancelling Headphones

To start our series of holiday gift guides, we present a selection of high-quality audio gear that'll get your loved ones to listen up and rock out.

It started with Beats by Dr. Dre, but every time CES rolls around, another musician is slapping his or her name on some headphones. It might seem like a silly trend, but many of these headphones are quite good, have great audio quality, and usually pack some other interesting features as well.

The new “Soul by Ludacris” headphones (endorsed by this guy), particularly the noise-cancelling SL300’s, are an acceptable marriage of form and function. If you like your bass lighter, or at least on par with the mids and highs, the quality isn’t the best you’ll find at the $300 price point; these headphone were designed with rap and hip hop in mind, so the bass is going to be more prominent than usual. The Beats Studio typically sound better, but the Soul’s are good enough to satisfy all but the sternest audio geek.

But as mom used to say: the devil’s in the details. The SL300’s use active noise cancelling, like the Beats Studio’s, but they can be used without engaging the noise cancellation, and they can even be used without the two included AAA batteries. That alone makes the SL300’s a serious contender. It’s worth noting, however, that music tends to sound better with noise cancellation active, as flipping that switch also activates an internal equalizer.

As for styling, the SL300’s are available in Black and White or Gold and Gray. They’re also of the folding variety (but they fold inward instead of to the side like the Phiaton MS 400’s), and stay pretty compact for a set of over-the-ear headphones. The carrying case, a hard-but-soft shell, is a bit chubby, but it will easily fit in a backpack or larger purse.

So what else comes in the box? Headphones and semi-hardshell carry case aside, the SL300’s include a detachable 1/8-inch cable, 1/4-inch adapter, airplane adapter, microfiber cloth (to keep that shiny black or gold plastic fingerprint-free), and a second 1/4-inch cable with in-line mic and audio controls. You won’t be out and about with these headphones, like you would the Shure SE215’s, but the iPhone cable is a worthy addition, nonetheless.

When it comes to the SL300’s, the sound quality is merely between average and good, but the design is fantastic. If the S/Soul logo doesn’t bother you, these are some of the best-looking noise-cancelling headphones on the market right now. And speaking of noise-cancelling, it’s definitely flight and subway-worthy.