- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Review Updates
- Best Earbuds
- Best Cheap
- Best Over-Ear
- Best Bass
- Comparison
- Lineup
- Page Updates
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently bought and tested 26 pairs of Skullcandy headphones. They're a fashion-forward brand with a decent variety of models for casual listening, sports, and gaming.
Updates
- 12/12/2022 Skullcandy Riff Wireless 2 reviewed
- 03/08/2022 Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless reviewed
- 01/19/2022 Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless reviewed
- 12/10/2021 Skullcandy Grind Fuel True Wireless reviewed
- 11/05/2021 Skullcandy Indy Fuel Truly Wireless updated
Best Skullcandy Headphones
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Best Skullcandy Earbuds
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel7.4Sports/Fitness8.2Office7.0Wireless Gaming5.8Wired Gaming5.7Phone Calls6.2Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesIf you're looking for lightweight and portable headphones, the best Skullcandy wireless earbuds are the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless. These sports-oriented headphones have an ear hook design to help keep the buds stable in your ears while you're running. They have a comfortable fit and are rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. Thanks to their bass-heavy sound profile, the extra thump, rumble, and boom added to mixes can help keep you pumped up during your workout. That said, there's a graphic EQ plus presets in their companion app if you prefer a different sound. You can also access Skull-iQ in the app, a smart feature that allows you to make voice commands.
The buds have a continuous battery life of over nine hours, and their carrying case holds roughly 3.4 additional charges. Unfortunately, they lack active noise cancelling (ANC) and do a mediocre job blocking background noise, like the low rumble of bus and plane engines. If you value a better noise isolation performance, check out the Skullcandy Indy ANC True Wireless instead. They're the best noise cancelling Skullcandy earbuds, as they do a good overall job of cutting down ambient sound, especially when it comes to bass-range noise like traffic. However, their continuous battery life is shorter.
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Best Cheap Skullcandy Earbuds
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel7.5Sports/Fitness8.0Office6.9Wireless Gaming5.4Wired Gaming5.3Phone Calls6.5Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesThe best Skullcandy earphones at a cheap price we've tested are the Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless. If you're on a shoestring budget, these wallet-friendly in-ears offer versatile performance in a simple design. They're the successor of the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless. Unlike their predecessor, they support Tile, which is a secondary app you can use to track your buds if you lose them, and they have a standby mode to help conserve battery life when not in use. However, that's pretty much it for differences in performance.
These buds are well-built, certified IPX4 for resistance against water splashes, and have a fairly comfortable fit. Their bass-rich sound profile delivers extra warmth and boom to mixes, but it doesn't overwhelm vocals and instruments. Even though they don't have ANC and struggle to passively block out the low rumble of bus engines, they do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter at the office. Unfortunately, they last just over three hours continuously, which isn't very long. The carrying case supplies an extra 2.4 charges if you need it.
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Best Skullcandy Over-Ear Headphones
Mixed Usage6.8Neutral Sound6.6Commute/Travel7.2Sports/Fitness7.1Office6.9Wireless Gaming5.0Wired Gaming6.6Phone Calls5.6Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesIf you prefer the fit and feel of over-ear headphones, you'll want to check out the Skullcandy Venue Wireless. They have a mostly plastic design that helps keep them lightweight. They also have an ANC system, which can block a decent amount of background noise. Although they don't do the best job of tackling commuter noise like the rumble of bus engines, they do a much better job of reducing ambient chatter at the office. They support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously.
Like many of Skullcandy's other products, these headphones have a pretty excited sound profile that delivers intense thump, rumble, and boom to mixes, making them a solid choice for genres like rock and pop. Vocals and instruments are also bright and sparkly, although mixes still sound a bit muddy and harsh. Unfortunately, they're not compatible with a companion app, so you can't adjust their sound to your liking. On the upside, they have 24 hours of continuous battery life, which should last through long days on the move.
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Best Skullcandy Headphones For Bass
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel6.5Sports/Fitness7.0Office6.5Wireless Gaming5.7Wired Gaming7.4Phone Calls6.3Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesThe best bassy Skullcandy headphones we've tested are the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless. If you're looking for extra thump, rumble, and boom in your mixes, these headphones are equipped with a haptic bass slider to help increase their bass to your liking. They're even among the best bass headphones that we've tested. On the lowest setting, mixes have more warmth and boom without muddying vocals and lead instruments. However, in their highest setting, they deliver a very intense thump, rumble, and body, which will please fans of EDM and hip-hop. If you still prefer a different sound, their companion app offers three EQ presets to help you adjust their sound to suit your tastes. Unfortunately, their bass and treble delivery can vary depending on fit, seal, and positioning. You may also notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses.
These headphones have over 34 hours of continuous battery life, and you can even use them passively with their 1/8" TRRS cable if you run out of battery life. They're also well-built and decently comfortable, but the ear cups can trap some heat over time. They have a poor noise isolation performance and struggle to block out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines around you.
Compared to other brands
- Colorful designs. Skullcandy offers some of the most colorful headphones on the market. If you like to match your tech accessories to your outfits, they tend to have several color schemes for each model, including two or three-tone variants as well as camo/military color schemes.
- Good headphone variety. Although we have yet to test Skullcandy's full lineup, they offer many models for different uses. While they don't offer any audiophile headphones, the variety is still quite good, especially considering their price range.
- Plasticky build quality. Most of the headphones from Skullcandy are pretty affordable. However, this may be due to their somewhat plasticky build quality. It's better than some super cheap brands, but they don't feel very durable compared to other affordable models.
- Mediocre sound quality. They have many models for casual listening, but there's nothing designed with critical listeners in mind. They also tend to focus a lot on delivering a bass-heavy sound, so if you want a more neutral sound, Skullcandy may not be the brand for you.
Skullcandy vs Anker
Anker and Skullcandy are both well-known in the budget-friendly to mid-price range for their bassy in-ears and over-ears. Anker's product range delivers a wider array of features like multi-device pairing, Hi-Res Audio support, and LDAC. Some of their headphones also have powerful noise cancelling, which rivals higher-end brands. Don't expect the same flashy look or graphic collaborations as Skullcandy.
Skullcandy vs JBL
If you've been looking for affordable headphones, you've probably come across JBL alongside Skullcandy. This manufacturer offers a lot of products at several different price points. Most have a companion app, which offers a parametric EQ and presets, and multi-device pairing. Their sound tends to be very well-balanced and neutral, although you still may prefer Skullcandy's bass-heavy sound if you like genres like EDM or hip-hop. Skullcandy also have flashier and more colorful headphones, but they feel more plasticky.
Overall, Skullcandy delivers a decent variety of fashion-forward headphones that come in many unique colors to match your taste, style, and preferences. They have sports and gaming headphones at an affordable price, too. Unfortunately, they don't have the best build quality, and their sound isn't the most balanced as they favor a bass-heavy audio reproduction over a neutral one.
Lineup
Skullcandy has a specific name for each model they release, so it can be unclear how their headphones are categorized. Sometimes, there are feature-specific variants of that model available. For this brand, we consider these variants (and their base model) as constituting a lineup. This includes the following:
- Hesh = Wireless over-ears.
- SLYR = Wireless over-ear gaming headphones with boom mics.
- PLYR = Wired over-ear gaming headphones with boom mics.
- Grind = Truly wireless in-ears with unique features like Skull-iQ Smart Feature support and hands-free voice control.
- Indy = Truly wireless in-ears with a stem design and non-detachable stability fins.
- Push = Truly wireless in-ears with ear hooks.
- Sesh = Truly wireless in-ears. They have a simple design and don't have companion app support.
Within these lineups, headphones come in feature-specific variations or colorways. Brand collaborations that impact design tend to be included in the headphones' name, like the Doritos Dime 2 True Wireless Earbuds. Following the lineup name, feature-related variants are denoted by the following:
- Active = Designed for sports and have better stability.
- ANC = Supports ANC.
- Evo = Base model.
- Fuel = Case supports Qi Wireless charging.
- Transparency = Transparent design.
- Ultra = Discontinued line. Tends to have better battery performance, rapid charging, higher IP rating, app compatibility, and Tile support.
In addition, there are also a handful of standalone models available. There may have been additional variants or previous generations of this model available in the past, but now there's only one model currently available from this manufacturer:
- Crusher = Wireless over-ears with haptic bass slider to add extra bass.
- Dime = Cheap truly wireless in-ears with a very simple design.
- Ink'd = Wired in-ears.
- Mod = Wireless in-ears with many customization features.
- Riff = Wireless on-ear headphones.
- Spoke = Discontinued cheap truly wireless in-ears. They don't have any extra features.
- Venue = Discontinued wireless noise cancelling over-ears that support multi-device pairing, which is rare for this manufacturer.
Recent Updates
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Jan 31, 2023: We've added comparisons between Skullcandy, Anker, and JBL to this article to provide a better overview of the market. We've also made minor changes to the text for accuracy, but our picks haven't changed.
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Oct 13, 2022: We've rearranged the order of the picks in this article and made minor updates to the text.
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Jun 29, 2022: Changed 'Best Over-Ear Skullcandy Headphones' to 'Best Skullcandy Headphones'.
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Feb 03, 2022: Replaced the Skullcandy Jib True Wireless with the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless as the Push Active have a more comfortable fit and better battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ and presets.
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Dec 02, 2021: Added the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless as 'Best Skullcandy Headphones For Bass' as they have a unique haptic bass slider that some users may prefer.
Conclusion
Skullcandy makes fashion-forward headphones. They have a pretty big selection of headphones for casual listening, sports, and gaming, but they lack a more specific lineup geared toward audiophiles. Unfortunately, they're not the ideal brand for those seeking a more neutral frequency response since most of their headphones favor a bass-heavy sound profile. They're also not as sturdy or as durable as some other headphones in their price range. On the upside, their models are relatively affordable.