Skullcandy - Crusher ANC Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Red/Moab

Excellent all-around cans, make music FUN Foreword : I loosely define music as “organized sounds”, and consider it an art form largely subjective, devoid of objectivity, different for every listener. YMMV - Your mileage may vary. I’ve reviewed various headphones for specialized purposes that I’ll refer to for comparison sake. Also note, I took the time to “break-in” this product, albeit a controversial procedure open to debate. Having owned a home theater retail business for over a decade, I feel, as with high-end expensive speakers, optimum results can best be achieved after approx 40-50 hours of “breaking in” new drivers, playing most genres of music as well as white and pink noise. This process essentially massages stiff cones ultimately smoothing frequency response. Headphones, even tiny ear buds, have much smaller drivers, yet fundamentally similar material physics. Kindly disregard if you don’t subscribe to this philosophy. Let me start by saying unequivocally, ... These Skullcandy Crusher ANC are “the most FUN” set of cans I think I’ve reviewed over the years. They truly pay attention to the details and opening the package felt like the magical experience a brand new Apple product gives you. TACTILE BASS My experience with bass heavy headphones in the past hasn’t been a positive one, I tend to prefer a natural flat response. I fully expected this bass slider (left can) to be a gimmick, fearing a thumpy muddying up of the sound stage with unnatural distortion. NOPE, I was wrong. It really works and I’m now a believer! Remind you, I am NOT a fan of hip hop, rap, or other bass-emphasized genres where these would really shine, instead focus on guitar-oriented rock, but having immediacy of that EQ point is fantastic design. Regardless, the tactile bass is just plain fun, even though I keep the level close to minimum, with occasional boost to taste — except to blow someone’s mind in a demo ;-) These sound better than most of the headphones I’ve auditioned (best SkullCandy product by far). SOUND QUALITY Because the sound signature is on the active side, these are not intended to have a flat response curve, nor replace the Sennheiser HD-598 that I mix with and use for critical listening. “Deeper Dimensions of Sound” is the tagline, and it’s pretty descriptive of what you get. Totally enjoyable for anything you might throw at it. GAMING I’ve yet to perform extensive tests connected to a PS4 Pro, and default to the dedicated LucidSound LS-20 wired set with decent headset mic. Will append after this is complete. I will note though that I’ve had previous bluetooth products that had far too much latency for iPad games like SongPop 2, and lip-sync issues on YouTube videos. These are flawless in that regard. ANC Active Noise Cancellation works decently, though the background hiss I would rate it well below the best-in-class Sony WH1000Xm3 (and AirPod Pro ear buds). Though these Crusher ANC being mid-size cans, I was able to operate a loud gas-powered backpack leaf blower on 2 occasions and found myself consciously paying attention to vibration for how hard the engine was running, full-tilt scattering mulch about the yard, without engine sound as my guideline. Cupping your hand over the left cup switches to Ambiance mode which passes outside world sounds in, — repeat to enable ANC, where they again seal out the sound of the outside world, leaving you in your sound cocoon to enjoy yourself. GUITAR One additional usage test case was paired to a 2017 iPad Pro 12.9, for use playing electric guitar through the amp sim BiasFX (Positive Grid). Bluetooth connections introduce too much latency between picking a note and hearing it, a bane for 16th or 8th note rhythms. I’m not surprised these are no different, but the inclusion of a 3.5mm cord is thoughtful and welcome (be advised that this disables your PSP personal sound profile as it appears to be engaged in Bluetooth mode only). CONCLUSION These Skullcandy Crusher ANC are a LOT of FUN. Best product they’ve produced. PROS + Personal Sound Profiles (like Neurophone) = Works Great !! + outstanding sound quality (ANC off) + FUN active sound signature + crisp highs, smooth midrange, tight bass response (tactile adjustable) + dual-device capabilities + excellent battery life + bluetooth 5.0, range ~100-foot + Codec support for aptX HD + Rapid charge 10 minutes for 3 hours usage (2.5 hours full) + balanced, well-padded, and comfortable + solid build, design, despite plastic casing + built-in Tile Tracker + 3.5mm inclusion CONS - Slight background hiss, sounds like running water or AC - App user-profiles are nice but lack equalization - lack water resistance / not recommended for working out - Slightly pricy but on par with inferior competition

This is definitely one of if not the best set of headphones I’ve owned. The Skullcandy Crusher is flat out impressive, from the great sounds it delivers all the way to the wonderful packaging. As soon as you open up the box the first thing you’ll notice is the thought and quality that went into the design of the headphones. This model is equipped with personalized sound, it gives you a quick sound test on both ears and afterwards lets you create your own customized sound setting. If I had to narrow it down I would have to say the feature I really enjoyed the most is the noise canceling feature, it works great when I’m trying to enjoy some R&R time in a crowded noisy environment. These Skullcandy Crusher wireless headphones will make a great gift or a nice treat for yourself. The only reason I’m not giving this a 5 out of 5 is because in some applications when using the phone jack you can’t control the volume up and down feature but besides that it’s thumbs up all the way. Design: -Elegant two tone color that is also padded to add comfort for longer wear. -Controls are readily available on the headphone for some quick adjustments. -The Skullcandy Crusher is foldable and comes with a carrying case to protect and store your quality investment. Features: -Noise canceling is top on my list because I can really get rid of all the unwanted noise around me and really focus on the music the way the artist wanted you to hear it. -The Skullcandy app help you take the customizing to another level. Best way to get more quality sound out of your premium headphone. Ending view: You will not be disappointed on the purchase of the Skullcandy Crusher wireless headphone if you take the time to learn the app and features. The sound quality is superb compared to other headphones I used. Download the app and adjust the different settings until you get your perfect setting. These are my new go to and I’m glad I now own them. I’m recommending them because of the great sound quality and comfort.

I have been a fan of Skullcandy before they even made crushers, and I am still a fan now. I’ve owned almost every crusher as well and I have to say this is one of the best ones yet. Inside the box comes a nice clothlike hard-case inside which has the headphone and an audio cord and a usb type c charging cable. Very simple and straight to the point. Right out of the box the Crusher ANC feels just right the weight seems to be balanced in my opinion and when wearing them for a long time they didn’t bother me at all (note I have a big head, so I am sure it’s comfortable for smaller heads too). There is also ample cushioning on the earcups and headband that add greatly to the overall comfort. The primary construction seems to be mostly plastic so you don’t really get that premium feel but that didn’t bother me at all, they still feel like with proper care they will last a while. The only concern I have is the swiveling earcups that swing 90 degrees in either direction. The points of swiveling tend to be weak points in headphones with this design but only time will tell. So, what really stands out? You can’t really talk about the crushers without mentioning the outstanding bass, this is what they are known for and nothing has changed. The bass, you literally feel it, it’s like cinema quality head thumping booming, which you can control with slider on the left earcup. Everything benefits from this, from movies to video games and especially music. The bass is not all though, the midrange is decent and so are the highs (most of the time). Another feature I like is that Crusher Anc can be paired to a mobile app that allows you to tweak the sound in such a manner to make it very personalized. This is especially useful for the older crowd and those who have suffered hearing loss. Unfortunately, this is the only feature offered through the ap, meaning the app doesn’t offer an equalizer or any additional features. I must say it does do a good job of providing a custom sound tailored to the person that completed the sound test through the app. I allowed a couple friends to try to create their own profiles, which they did, and each of us had a different profile which indeed sounded different over the same track. Lastly there is the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). I think this may be the first time they have been implemented in a Crusher and the most I can say is that it is ok. It’s a nice feature to have but it is not the best that is out there, and it did a standard job of cancelling out more than 50% of the outside noise. With music on though, I was not hearing any noise even when the volume was at a low level, so in this case you’ll be fine. Another feature I must mention is that holding you hand on the left earcup halts your music and allows the ambient sound to leak into your earphones. This allows you to hold short conversations without needing to remove the headphone entirely. I recommend the Crusher ANC, especially for the bass lovers out there. This is the best you can get.

I really wanted to like these headphones. They are a Best Buy exclusive color combo, a nice 'Steampunk-esque' black and tan. The packaging is very sleek, and a nice experience to open to get to your new headphones. The headphones themselves are nicely built, predominantly plastic, but their weight makes you think otherwise. They are pretty heavy, especially noticeable when walking around. But they do look really nice, and different, being that black and tan color. They came pretty much fully charged which was a nice surprise, meaning I could use them right out of the box. The first thing I noticed when turning them on after pairing with my iPhone 8 was a really annoying hiss from the Active Noise Canceling (ANC) feature. It warbles in your ear, when you are expecting to be cocooned in a near vacuum. And in my experience, you had to turn the volume up to at least 1/3 volume just to mitigate the hiss from the noise canceling functionality. At this price point you are up against market leaders from Sony and Bose, and this just doesn't cut it. Once you mitigate the noise canceling hiss, the sound is nice and crisp. They really do have a nice full sound, with plenty of bass, good mids and clear treble. They do offer a decent listening experience at a higher volume, but at a lower volume or with quieter music, the ANC hiss is just too distracting. After wearing the headphones for about 45 mins, you feel your ears getting quite warm and sweaty, or at least I did. But during that time, they were perfectly comfortable. On the left cup is a 'sensory bass' slider, which is a little gimmicky in my opinion. I would rather have control over the bass feedback through the app, rather than a slider, which is a little cheap feeling. This feature actually introduces a little haptic vibration in your ear to make you 'feel' the bass more. The slider increases and decreases the intensity of the feedback. And talking of buttons, the power on button is not particularly easy to use, or work out if it's been pressed or not. It's hard to get a good solid press on it. And the pre-recorded voice is a little choppy and cut off, making you wonder what mode you have them in. Within the Skullcandy app, you have the opportunity to set up a Personal Sound Profile. This was a nice concept, but with the background hiss from the noise canceling, it was difficult to gauge if I was getting a true profile for my ears, or just trying to dial out the hiss. That however is about the only thing you have control over, as the 'settings' button just allows you to register your new headphones and that is it. A little disappointing when compared to the segment leaders apps. Again, at this price point, the app should be really dialed in. They do offer a strong battery life at 24 hours, and a 'Rapid Charge' feature that allows you to charge them for just 10 minutes for an additional 3 hours of playback time. That's a nice feature right there. Another feature is that you can pair the headphones with the Tile app, the app that allows you to find and track items if you've lost them. It's one of those things you set up at the beginning and really hope you never have to use! As per other Skullcandy headphones, they rely a lot on timed presses of buttons to get different functions to work, and that becomes fiddly if you don't hit that power button just right. Another feature is if you put your hand over the left cup, after about 3 seconds, the headphones switch to ambient mode, so that you can hear what's going on around you. There are some clicks and buzzes as the headphones switch between modes which can be a little uncomfortable to listen to. Overall, it's a tough call. They actually do sound decent as headphones when the volume is up. But listening at low volume, there is too much distracting hiss to make these a viable go-to option. It's a real shame, because I really wanted to like these headphones.

These are hands down the best extra bass headphones on the market. They give you that subwoofer bass sound like you hear in a car or the club. Skullcandy not only added noise cancellation but they finally addressed the highs and mid range. I was pleased with the sound quality for music, movies, and mobile games. Positives: Great bass, long battery life, noise cancellation, USB-C to charge, comfortable to wear, great Bluetooth range, and sound good for music, games, and video content. Negatives: Slight hiss when not playing music, price, and they look basic. Bottom line...I love the sound of these headphones and they deliver the bass. I think being priced over $300 is expensive for most people but they are worth it. The noise cancellation is average but good enough on an airplane so you only hear your music.

I’m not a huge fan of the Crusher ANC headphones, but that is mostly due to personal preference. I think there’s a lot of people who are really going to love the sound these put out, especially the bass. They just don’t feel like they should cost as much as they do. For the money there are other headphones with better sound and better noise cancelling, but if bass is really your thing these are worth a look. In the box you get the headphones, carrying case, a charging cable, and a 3.5mm cable. I like the case especially and it feels like it should be able to stand up to some light crushing. The build quality of the headphones is okay, but there’s a lot more plastic than I would I expect in this price range. Still, the leather on the ear cups and headband is nice and soft and overall they’re very comfortable to wear. The sound quality is just okay. It’s not particularly clear and there isn’t very much separation between different sounds in the audio track. It’s not bad, but again I would expect it to be better at this price. The adjustable bass slider on the left ear cup does work as advertised though and adds a nice punch to the music, but anything above the halfway mark on the slider felt unnecessary to me. At the maximum setting it literally felt like they were going to vibrate off of my head. If lack of bass is a concern for you though there’s certainly nothing to worry about here. Noise cancelling on these headphones is also just okay. There’s a noticeable hiss when no music is playing and in general it’s not as good as I’ve heard in other headphones. I haven’t run the battery all the way down yet, but it seems to be holding up to more or less hit the 24 hours stated by Skullcandy. Other notes: - The buttons are nice and big and easy to find with your fingers. The play/pause button is also indented to help you differentiate it from the volume buttons. I do wish they were a little clickier though. - I was not able to get the bass slider to work when using these wired. It appears to only work over Bluetooth. - I couldn’t find it listed in the box or online, but my phone does show these headphones with aptX HD audio, so that’s nice to have. - Holding your hand over the left ear cup triggers an ambient mode to let you hear your surroundings. It works fine, but I found myself accidentally turning it on a lot while adjusting the bass slider. If these were priced a little lower I think my review would be a little kinder, but there other options around the same price that have better sound and noise cancelling. I don’t think anything matches the crazy bass these put out though.

Skullcandy has really upped their game with these headphones. With much to be expected, you will not be disappointed. When compared to other high end headphones, these include nice features that make it a worthwhile choice to try. As a music lover (although I wouldn't consider myself a supreme audiophile), I felt the headphones sounded too boomy. They have an adjustable bass slider that allows for you to increase the bass feel on the headphones. Very nice feature and can see some people liking this feature! I was not a big fan of this and tuned my headphones via the Skullcandy app. After the personalized tuning done via playing tones to your ears, I felt the sound much clearer, cleaner, and overall to my liking. Now for comfort. I was able to wear these headphones comfortably and can move around with them as well. While I hoped for real leather on the headphone cushions, the genuine leather did fine although I sweat with them a little. Overall I liked the headphones and definitely recommend anyone trying them to tune them via the app. It makes a difference! Big thumbs up to Skullcandy for developing these nice looking and sounding wireless, over the ear headphones. I did feel the headphones too boomy for my taste and for that I deducted one star.

These headphone got too much bass and I love it , pricy but I like it.