Dr Dre may have been the first major hip hop artist to enter the headphone market and take over, but 50 Cent has been trying to do the same with his headphones through SMS Audio. Just as Beats by Dre have primarily been over-the-ear headphones, SMS tends to focus on those as well however, it does have an in-ear version of the Street by 50 headphones.
The Street by 50 in-ear headphones may not be the best when it comes to audio quality (in the price range) but they are very stylish and seem to resemble Beats when it comes to their features and benefits.
Check out the Street by 50 in-ear headphones HERE
While most people probably do not care about packaging, SMS Audio did put some effort into designing the Street by 50 box and plastered 50 Cent’s signature on it.
At the same time as the marketing appeared to be professional, it also made some claims regarding the quality of the headphones which simply cannot be substantiated. Despite claiming that the audio quality is “crystal clear” it is really only the same as what you would get from a generic pair of $50 in-ear headphones.
This is not a bad thing and means that you get what you pay for, but the marketing is a little over the top for what the in-ear Street by 50 headphones actually are.
Coming in at $70, it would have been nice for SMS Audio to throw in foam tips instead of six pairs of silicon ones. I’m generally fine with silicon but for the price, the inclusion of foam tips seems like it would make sense.
Check out the Street by 50 in-ear headphones HERE
An Apple in-line control mic with volume control is built in and works as you would expect. Outside of the silicon tips and the Street by 50 headphones, SMS includes a hard-cover carrying case which does its job, but is nothing too special.
One of the really nice things about the in-ear Streets is that they are not too heavy on the bass. The decision to focus primarily on bass is what hurt the Beats line of headphones and prevented them from appealing to everyone. With Street, every aspect of the sound is balanced meaning that any sort of music does sound good when using them.
Lastly, the Street’s cable is one of the best that I have seen in a long time. While most companies do tend to include “tangle free” cords on their headphones, the Street’s cable is one of the most resilient that I have seen.
Had SMS Audio put out the Street by 50 in-ear headphones at $50 instead of $70, I would have been able to recommend them without a second thought. However, the slightly higher price range pits the headphones against a much stronger group of competitors.
Rating: 7/10
Cost: $70
