Skullcandy is an American headphone company that debuted in 2003, but hit their major break in 2008 with the 2XL headphones.
Skullcandy is definitely one of the popular brands out in the market today, with a lot headphone models and series to their name. It fits right into the group with the Bose, Sony and Beats headphone brands.
From the analysis we’ve done over time, Bose makes the best headphones (not specialist headphone though). That’s quite a known fact, but that doesn’t mean other headphone brands don’t come close. The Skullcandy headphones are reputed for blasting sound quality, and they are quite budget-friendly.
How are Skullcandy Headphones Good to Buy
Most people think that affordable stuff are not as good as the insanely priced ones, but the Skullcandy headphones have actually laid that mentality to rest, because yes, they are good. They are not 100% perfect and flawless, but not even the Bose have acquired such landmark.
They have wonderful designs, incredible bass presence, good battery lives, they are durable and best off all, and you don’t have to go bankrupt to buy a set. Here’s a run-down of reasons why the Skullcandy headphones are worth the purchase.
Great Sound Quality
I’ve used a lot of headphones from a lot of brands out there, and I can confidently tell you that the Skullcandy sets have one of the best sound qualities I’ve actually heard.
The Hesh 3 Wireless Headphones for instance has 50mm ultra-large speakers that deliver a bass boom you’d definitely smile at. Older models do have a sort of rashness to naturals in sound, but the more recent models have this problem thrown in the trash.
This is actually a signature feature of Skullcandy. If you are a bass headphones lover and you need that boom in your sound, you’d love this brand. The highs, lows and mids in sound come off quite naturally, even though there may be a slight quality leak when the volume is turned down, but nonetheless, the clarity of the sound is a one-up.
The Crusher Bluetooth model actually comes with 40mm drivers with haptic stereo technology that delivers the sound just right with a good thumping presence.
The Hesh 2.0 comes with the cool supreme sound technology that enhances speaker performance and sound quality. Skullcandy always delivers a good deal on crispness and clarity of sound.
Dual Connectivity
All the recent headphones from Skullcandy normally feature a wireless functionality with a wired connectivity feature as well.
They mostly come with a highly compatible Bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1 versions, with several connection profiles. They can connect over a 33 feet or 10 meter range, and 8 feet through a solid obstacle. The sound doesn’t crack or leak over the Bluetooth function, and it’s greatly adapted for receiving phone calls.
If for some reason you can’t use the Bluetooth, you can use the 3.5mm audio cable supplied with each of the headphones. Most people think sound is much better over the wired function, but that’s not true with the Skullcandy. The sound quality remains about the same over both connectivites, and you enjoy zingy bass on both counts.
Durable Design
This brand goes all-out on design. The headphones are made of durable high quality materials that give you just the comfy feel.
I personally love the design of the Hesh 3.0, with its macho jet-black color, comfortable sit, foldable build and quite solid frame. Made with high-grade premium plastic, and the head bands and ear cups are always cushioned with noise-reducing memory foam and protein leather.
This feature actually gives the headphones great PNC, that’s Passive Noise cancelling. It’s almost as good as the active form, where you need a digital circuitry to isolate noise. But the design of the Skullcandy headphones gives them great isolation, especially the Crusher. The build is quite suited to noise isolation.
Design Flaws to keep in Mind
One downside to the design of the Skullcandy headphones is that they are not so portable. The Hesh 3.0 is the only one that’s quite easy to fold.
Others just sit smack the way they are and can’t be compressed into a more compact unit, except for a slight inward bending of the cups. They are all adjustable to head size, though people with large heads are going to experience a lot of discomfort, but that’s always the case with any headphone brand (no offence to our large-headed pals though).
Accessibility of the controls is quite easy, as they are mostly lined on the right ear cup.
Another downside with the design of these headphones is the weight. The heavy-duty materials give them all a heavy weight. But then again, great bass boom needs a sizable source. It’ll probably feel awkward if you get such good sound from a light weight set.
Skullcandy In-Ear Options
The in-ear phones are quite cute too. The S2PGGY-397 Dime women’s In-ear model is just about the cutest looking in-ear set you can get.
The ear buds fit just right in and were designed to the specifications of the female inner ear (not sure how that’s different for men but that’s how the product has been described). So the name is not just about the cute design, it really was made to suit a woman’s ear tract. They come in array of feminine colors and have a control pad on the right cable. All in all, Skullcandy always has great and comfortable designs.
Super Battery Life
Great battery life is always a desirable feature in any headphone set. That means you don’t have to interrupt your playback to go plug the set in. Skullcandy headphones all have amazing battery life and fast charging actions.
The Crusher has the highest battery life in the brand, living out a full 40 hours of playback time for music, and 44 hours over phone calls. The only other headphone brand I know that lives out this long is the Bluedio headphones. After a full six-hour charge, you can enjoy 40 hours of playback on the Crusher.
The Hesh 3.0 doesn’t last as long, but still has an impressive life of 22 hours over music play and 26 over phone calls. Full charge time is four hours, and that’s pretty good due to the fast charging action feature of the headphones.
The battery life impressiveness does go down as we go further down the chain. The Hesh 2.0 has an averagely impressively life of 15 hours of music playback and 18 hours over phone calls. A full charge lasts 3 hours.
The Skullcandy brand makes headphones with great battery life, because that’s a very important feature. Some people claim the Crusher doesn’t last that long, and I don’t know why, because I’ve used the Crusher, and if you charge it fully, it does last 40 hours… approximately.
Affordable Prices
Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to put a dent in your account to buy a pair of Skullcandy headphones, which you kind of can’t avoid with most other brands.
Good headphones are always known to be outrageously expensive, but Skullcandy headphones definitely rank high and are budget-friendly, ranging from low priced sets to some newer models that are fairly-priced. For example, the Hesh 2.0 is priced on Amazon at about $50 USD.
With the newer models, the prices go up a wee bit with the feature-packed Crusher priced at about 100 USD. The Hesh 3.0 goes up further, but still within a reasonable range.
These are really affordable headphones, in comparison with headphones like the Beats Solo wireless 3.0, sitting at a high, and the costly Bose Soundlink, and trust me, these two aren’t even the best in their brand’s series.
No one wants to dish out 400 USD on a pair of headphones, but everyone wants a serviceable set that delivers right on the basic fronts. The Skullcandy sets make this dream come true.
Some Interesting Brand Statistics
If you are a statistics buff like myself, it will interest you to know that 17 percent of American headphones owners own a Skullcandy headphone. 30 percent being the highest for Sony. This tell a story about this brand…. the product is good and quite a number of buyers vouch for it.
If you are not aware, Skullcandy is quite a popular brand. According to Statistica 46 percent of respondents say the know Skullcandy has a headphones brand.
Wrap Up
From the points above, I guess the question (are skullcandy headphones good) has been clearly answered. The Skullcandy headphones are very good. They are not perfect, but then again, no brand makes perfect sets.
They have unquestionable sound quality, cool and durable designs, great battery life, easy connectivity, special sound technology feature, and are affordably priced. My favorites are the Hesh 3.0 and the Crusher which have great sound qualities and very comfortable designs.
The Skullcandy headphones may be heavy and sometimes uncomfortable, they may lack some high-end sophistication you get in the bigger names likes Bose and Sony, the older models may have unimpressive battery lives, but they are a still a great brand on headphones that serve just right.
Verdict: if you see a more recent model in Skullcandy you like, go for it. They are good.
