Hey, everyone.
I'm Justin Yu, Headphone Editor for CNET.com, and today, I'm taking a first look at the SMS Sync by 50 Cent Headphones.
These are built for listeners that take fashion pretty seriously and shop for headphones to match that lifestyle.
But it's definitely not the first celebrity endorsed headphone that we've seen in the marketplace.
Dr. Dre set that standard first with the Active Noise Canceling Beats by Dre then Ludacris followed it up, with his Soul Headphones.
But these things taken it one step further with wireless technology by way of Clear.
You maybe disappointed when you take them out of the box however, 'cause they definitely don't feel like they're $400.
Similar to the beats, the plastic exterior tends to click like crazy, even when they're on your head, and the thin plastic connecting the headband to the adjusters on the side, can barely support the half of the ear cuffs.
In my opinion, nothing that cost 400 bucks should make this sound.
The idea of creating a wireless connection to any music stores, using this (dumble?), sounds pretty good in theory, but the hardware misfires again in practice.
Small details make a big difference in headphones, and this plug feels alarmingly like those FM transmitters that came out with the original iPods.
What worth is that the plug tends to wiggle around the housing a little bit and then likely creates stability issues in the future, and as you can see, it's free to just dangle around here on top of your iPhone.
It also happens to cover the power button as well, which is another design as well.
These things come in black or white and some may enjoy the blinking blue lights on the side.
I like that you can actually turn them off if you want, by pressing the track navigation button for about 3 seconds.
Those buttons are also used to connect the dangle to the headphones by way of Clear
Digital Technology.
The way you connect them to the source, however, is different from Bluetooth headphones.
Those Bluetooth headphones can press the audio signal to send it wirelessly.
So, this version will sound a lot more robust and cleaner, than what you'd ever hear out of those competing Bluetooth headsets.
On that note, I should say that I like the way this sound than a Ludacris and the Monster Beats by Dre and it's also pretty cool that if you do loose power on the rechargeable battery, you can just connect this cable they gave you and keep on listening.
Getting rid of the wire though, is a pretty good way to listen to music and the frequency response will definitely appeal to fans of music with heavy beats and synthesized tones.
At the same time, you won't find active noise canceling on these headphones, like you get on the competitions.
So, you maybe happier with those other ones, if that's an important feature for you.
Regardless though, 400 bucks is a pretty ambitious price tag for...
I advise that it feels more like a 100 bucks.
I'll give Clear Digital credit for the lost less audio tech, but SMS Audio needs to really work on the build integrity before they can compete with other $400 headphone.
Now, you can read all the details in our For Review on CNET.com.
So, that's gonna do it for me.
I'm Justin Yu and you just took a first look at the SMS Audio Sync by 50 Cent Headphones.
