Soul By Ludacris SL300 – Hear No Evil

Physique and Features

Passive Meets Active

Lately, we have been writing about headphones more frequently. For a quick recap, we have already talked about in-ear types like the AKG K 350 and the Skullcandy Fix, street-styled models like the Audio-Technica ATH-XS7 and the Philips O'Neill The Snug, and DJ-styled headsets such as the Audio-Technica ATH-PRO700MK2 and the Beats Pro. Another pair of headphones just arrived in our test lab and this was the Soul by Ludacris SL300 which falls under the latter category of cans, but comes with active noise-cancelling feature.

Soul by Ludacris offers the SL300 in two color variants: the one that we got is clad in black-and-white theme, whereas the other goes flashy in garish gold. The chief choice of material for the SL300 is glossy plastic. While the spongy parts are upholstered with a stitched leather-like material for comfort, the adjustable bridge between the ear cups and the thick plastic arch is made of metal for durability.

An ideal pair of cans for audiophiles who are always on the go, the SL300 is foldable. Auspiciously, Soul by Ludacris has bundled the headset with a sturdy carrying case with a latch so you could conveniently hook it up to your jeans or backpack. Soul by Ludacris has also thrown in the package a cleaning cloth, ¼-inch TRS connector, notebook adapter (microphone and headphone jacks combined), and two detachable audio cables, one of which has an in-line volume control. All connectors are plated in gold.

Noise cancellation on the SL300 actually works in two ways. Being a circumaural type of headset, the SL300 comes with a huge pair of ear cups that enclose your ears completely in effect that ambient noise is blocked to some extent. This type of noise cancellation is passive. The other method is active, which is achieved with the SL300’s battery-powered headphones. When active noise cancellation mode is turned on, the headphones amplify the sound or music that you are listening to, resulting in further obstruction of unwanted noise.

The button that activates the SL300’s active noise-cancelling feature is located on the back of the left ear cup. When the feature is on, the button emits blue illumination. On the other hand, the right ear cup accommodates the slots for two AAA batteries. These slots can be accessed by rotating the right face plate in a counterclockwise direction. Leaving the active noise-cancelling feature on continually will quickly drain the battery, so you should be mindful of when it is necessary to use active noise cancellation. Given that, you may also consider getting a pair of rechargeable batteries for the SL300.