Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Review

Our Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Headphones Experience

Before even holding the Skullcandy, our first thought was, is this the same brand offering cheap wired buds at the Walmart checkout? Do they make pricy noise-cancellation headphones? Honestly, we didn't have high hopes, but we were optimistic that maybe they had a hidden gem of mid-priced headphones we could crow about.

While not the worst in the group, they are among the lowest-scoring options costing over $200 we've seen. We don't consider price during testing; it doesn't influence scoring, but in the end, we felt these were overpriced for their performance, making the disappointing experience feel more egregious than it might have if they cost under $100.

The high points were the clearer calls and surprisingly good noise cancellation. Attending online meetings and chatting with family was enjoyable using these headphones. Longer chats became tedious because they were heavy and could get hot, but short-term engagements had good sound and represented our voices well, even in busy locations.

The sound quality is where everything takes a dive, with sound that is borderline offensive, even if heavy bass is your soul mate. The bass adjustment wheel on the headphone side is a pain, and frankly, no adjustment made the overall sound tolerable. Given the higher price of the Skullcandy, it felt particularly offensive.

Sound Quality

To say the sound for the Skullcandy is subpar is being generous. In our opinion, it is not just disappointing but, arguably, egregious for the price.

They have a mediocre sense of location and spacing of instruments and vocals. The blown-out bass creates a muddled, disorienting sound. In general, there isn't enough separation to differentiate instruments, and the soundstage feels artificial and unnatural

The Crusher is marketed as great for bass lovers and includes an on-headphone bass adjustment. Unfortunately, the lows are so overpronounced that they throw off the entire mix, and it just sounds tampered with. While less discerning bass heads might find the incessant thumping exhilarating, we think most listeners, even bass lovers, will find it puts them on edge, just like we did. We could literally feel the ear muffs vibrating against our heads as the bass hits, but it felt like our heads were being rattled. The lows are blown out and sound strange.

The mids sound recessed compared to the lows; it feels like they are fighting for space in the mix, even with the bass turned down. Still, they fare better than the highs, which are weak and underdeveloped. Details from beloved tracks were missing during testing, and it has a dark, lifeless quality with no sparkle. While it doesn't sound sharp or piercing, the mids and treble fell flat and veiled. It fails in most ways to track our preferred frequency house curve, which correlates to our on-ear experience and thoughts.

Comfort and Fit

These headphones are not comfortable, despite a good initial fit. The cup pads feel like memory foam and mold nicely against our heads. The top of the headband is also padded, but it is somewhat thick and can become a pressure point with prolonged wear.

These headphones are heavier than most, which could lead to neck discomfort for some. The foam gets hot over time, making the ears warm and the skin sweaty. We suspect that in warmer climates or for those who run hot, the discomfort could be too much.

The Crusher's headband is adjustable.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

The ear muffs on the Crusher have a soft memory foam-like feel.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

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Given the tighter clamping force, hot foam, and heavier weight, we weren't able to wear these as long as some competitors, with a limit just over 4 hours. They also caused the sides of our glasses to press against our heads, making them uncomfortable for those who wear glasses.

Noise Cancellation

The highlight of the Crusher really is the noise cancellation; it is quite impressive compared to most of the competition. In fact, for the price, it can't be beat, but at the same time, for the price, we'd thought it would be better.

We could hear some keyboard clacking and foot tapping while listening to music at work, but it is greatly diminished. Even when the room is pretty quiet, we can still hear the hum of the space heater. They perform better in our in-studio tests than in real life, giving them somewhat of an inflated score.

The Crusher ANC has an overall decibel reduction of 29.1, with its strongest performance in the treble and mid ranges.

Ease of Use

These headphones are below average for ease of use. The app includes images with no clear meaning, so we aren't sure which buttons to press, and it requires significant trial and error to find anything.

Controls

The headphone cups have a button for almost everything, which feels almost like too many buttons. They are similarly shaped and have little tactile difference, so it is also really easy to press the wrong one. Probably the worst offense is that the bass adjustment wheel is too easy to accidentally bump, and we've been blasted with bass more than once.

Customization

There is a lot of customization you can do for the Crusher, once you figure out what the icons mean. It includes a slider to adjust the level of active noise cancellation (ANC), tracking to find lost headphones, and a button to take pictures remotely. It has an awareness level, but it doesn't sound very good. Even when it is turned all the way up, the environmental sounds are really quiet; they also have a robotic tone and aren't super lifelike.

Battery

The Skullcandy battery life is listed at 50 hours, which isn't as much as some higher-scoring options, but certainly isn't the lowest in the group.

They also offer passive playback, which means they will continue to let you listen when the battery is dead if you plug them into the device you are listening to. This can really come in handy for making it through a long workday.

Call Quality

The Skullcandy does have call capabilities, and the result is pretty good. We were really impressed in our office setting with how clear the voices are. We had a few moments of choppiness, but nothing that would stop us from chatting it up for an extended time.