Why do rappers and actors pick out cool pseudonyms when they go into showbiz? It’s because no one would be likely to by elite new headphones from Christopher Brian Bridges. But, when fans hear that Soul Electronics teamed with Ludacris to produce a new line of products, they show up in droves.
At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, the company announced additions to the Soul by Ludacris Premium Headphone Line. The huge-selling rapper and award winning actor was on hand at CES to promote the beg reveal of his Soul line.
New for 2012, Soul unveiled the SL300CG chrome gold and SL150CS chrome silver Limited Edition models. The white finish with gold accents on the new SL100GW model bring an automotive theme to Soul, while the SL49 in-ear model will also be offered in new color combos, featuring green and black (SL49NB), red and black (SL49RB) and pink and white (SL49PW).
The Soul by Ludacris line features the High Definition SL300 Powered Noise Canceling headphone, High Definition On-Ear models SL150 and SL100, and the SL99 and SL49 High Definition In-Ear headphones. The products contain professionally voiced sound technology with circuitry and drivers designed by the Soul technical team. All models feature gold-plated connectors and come iPhone, iPad and iPod ready.
I had an opportunity to try out the line and was most impressed by the Soul noise canceling technology. The headphones will work without that feature activated, but once kicked in; the separation of audio elements is impressive.
But the question is how much direct input Ludacris had on the products that bear his name. So, we sat down with the man in a secret lounge off of the CES floor to discuss his Soul.
CraveOnline: Do these headphones simply wear your stamp of approval, or did you really help out in making them?
Ludacris: I was in on the design and the construction from start to finish. I listened to every test set Soul made and offered notes on all of them.
As for the look, I wanted to design a line of headphones that reflected hip hop culture. I took elements from cars and shoes and used some of those same materials in the headphones. I looked at the interior of a Bentley or the new Jordan’s and implemented elements of that into the look of the headphones.
CraveOnline: You probably could’ve picked any one of several manufacturers to work with when you decided to create your own headphones. How did you end up with Soul?
Ludacris: Music is my passion, and I wanted to team with a company that had that same sense of passion and dedicated to what they make. When I met with Soul Electronics and tried out their products, I saw that they put that same dedication into what they do.
CraveOnline: How many kinds of headphones did you have to try out to figure out what you wanted?
Ludacris: It must’ve been thousands. There were days when all I did was put on and take off different pairs of headphones, taking notes and deciding what I liked or didn’t like about different models. I love what we ended up with in this line.
The trick is knowing when to take a break. It’s just like when you’re tasting wine or brandy. Sometimes you need to step away and cleanse your pallet.
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