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" Simon Cowell is following the likes of Dr Dre and 50 Cent by launching his own line of headphones.  As part of a joint venture between Syco Entertainment and electronics giant Sony, the TV judge yesterday unveiled a new set of Sony MDR-10 headphones branded with his X Factor talent show.   The shiny silver and red cans will be showcased at the US season premiere of The X Factor in Los Angeles on Tuesday (September 11), and feature on the programme throughout the new competition as the official headphone partner.  Cowell&amp;#039;s X Headphones will compete with Beats Electronics&amp;#039; Beats by Dr Dre products in the highly lucrative market for premium headphones. Beats, founded six years ago by Dr Dre and Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, has gained a 30% of the market by offering high-end products boosted by their connection with celebrities, such as Lady GaGa.  But other well known names have also launched their own line of audio gear, such as rapper 50 Cent and UK star Tinchy Stryder.  According to Forbes, Dr Dre earned $100 million from the sale of a 51% stake in Beats to HTC last year. The Taiwanese smartphone maker later offloaded half of its stake after it did not perform as expected.  Cowell said that his X Headphones, which were recently spotted in his hand as he left St Tropez, offer a sound quality that is &amp;quot;like being in the recording studio when the records are made&amp;quot;.  &amp;quot;I chose to make a set of headphones with Sony because I simply wanted something better than what is in the market today. I&amp;#039;ve tried all of them, literally every single one,&amp;quot; he said.  &amp;quot;Sony and I set out to create the best headphone in the world. We are absolutely blown away by these. With the X headphones, it&amp;#039;s like being in the recording studio when the records are made. The sound is that clear.&amp;quot; The partners said that the headphones bring together Cowell&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;expertise seeking perfection in music with Sony&amp;#039;s legendary audio engineering.&amp;quot;  The X Headphones will &amp;quot;offer music lovers the truest sound reproduction along with the utmost in style and quality&amp;quot;, they added.  Andrew Sivori, the vice president of Sony&amp;#039;s personal audio division, said: &amp;quot;Our X Headphones are for the true listeners, the music fanatics who share Sony&amp;#039;s uncompromising passion for music and precision in sound.  &amp;quot;Created by Sony and Simon Cowell, the new X Headphones deliver an amazing listening experience wrapped up in a cutting-edge design for the ultimate in self-expression.&amp;quot; The X Headphones will become available in Sony Stores, the firm&amp;#039;s website and authorised retailers this month, priced at $299 (\u00A3186). "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/the-x-factor-us/news/a405238/simon-cowell-partners-with-sony-for-x-factor-branded-headphones/>