www.smsby50.com
An ever-evolving smart phone landscape continues to remind us that, in many ways, the future is now.  But the quality of the default headsets that come with those pieces of tech wizardry seem forever rooted to a past exemplified by the iconic, low-fi, brick-sized Walkman. In short, if you don’t upgrade those crap earbuds, you’re missing out.   Instead, compliment the high-quality world of your device with a pair of SMS Audio’s Street by 50 Headset.  The svelte aesthetic, with its polished finish, soft-leather memory-foam cushions, blue highlights, and a shatterproof, adjustable headband, strikes us as more stylish than the Beats by Dre headsets that are flooding market. And, as you’d expect from a headset associated with hip-hop mogul 50 Cent, the audio quality is spectacular, with crisp upper and mid notes and bass that fills out audio and movie tracks with the thunderous authority ear buds will never be able to match. Your favorite songs will suddenly have depth and details that you never knew were there.  The Street series is also tailor-made for the rugged traveler; the custom plastic polymer construction is impressive durable; you can literally twist the band without breaking it. The ear pads wrap fully around your ears, which assures both solid audio performance and passive noise cancellation. This latter detail means that most ambient noise is swallowed by what you’re listening to, without the interference of the dampening hum that accompanies active noise cancellation (which also means you can wear ‘em while flying when “use of all electronics are not allowed”). The memory foam padding proved surprisingly comfortable for day-long use, and the removable no-tangle chord has built-in mic and smart phone controls.  Minimalist travelers may scoff at the large size, but audiophiles (and those who suddenly realize what they’ve been missing) know that sound wins out over size, every time.