Our Verdict
The Skullcandy Crusher are mediocre for mixed usage. They're comfortable and have a decent sound with an adjustable bass slider. Unfortunately, they won't be ideal for loud environments because they do not block a lot of noise. They also leak quite a bit at loud volumes which makes them less practical in some situations.
- Adjustable bass response.
- Comfortable and lightweight design.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Cheap build quality.
- Leaky at moderate-to-high volumes.
Average for neutral listening. These headphones are not intended to deliver the most neutral sound. Their unusually springy design and bass slider make them geared towards a powerful low-end that if turned all the way up, sounds overly bass-heavy. This may be exactly what some fans of bass are looking for. However, in most situations, they will sound too uneven and poorly balanced for neutral listeners, except when the bass slider is at 0.
Not ideal for noisy commutes. They poorly isolate listeners in loud environments and will let a lot of ambient noise seep into your audio, especially on a lively bus or train ride.
Mediocre for sports. The Skullcandy Crusher headphones are too bulky and unstable for high-intensity exercises, like running. They also have a poor control scheme.
Mediocre-at-best for office use. Although they're decently comfortable headphones, the poor isolation will not block a lot of office chatter. They also leak a quite a bit at higher volumes and may distract your colleagues.
Average for gaming. The wired design of the Crushers means they have practically no latency when gaming. They also have a decently balanced sound, that thanks to the bass slider, makes some games sound more exciting. Unfortunately, they do not have many customisation options. They also make your ears a little warm when gaming for a while and they do not have the convenience of a wireless design.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
Check Price
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The SkullCandy Crusher have a simple wired design with a unique bass slider that lets you control the amount of bass they deliver. They have a decently comfortable design with spacious ear cups but unfortunately, they feel somewhat cheap and not as durable as some of the headphones compared below. Their sound quality is also average at best and gets a bit too thumpy and muddy when turning the bass slider to the max settings. On the upside, that just might be what some fans of bass are looking for.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 2016 are better headphones than the Skullcandy Crusher 2014 thanks to their wireless design you can also use wired. The wired Crusher 2014 have a more lightweight design and a better-balanced bass when not using the bass slider. They're also a bit more comfortable than the wireless variant since they're not as tight on the head. On the other hand, the Crusher Wireless have a better range, a more durable build quality, and easier to use controls, and they can be used wired and wireless which makes them a lot more versatile. They also have a better default sound.
The Skullcandy Crusher 360 Wireless are noticeably better headphones than the regular wired Skullcandy Crusher 2014. Their sound quality is better, their wireless design offers more freedom to move, they're better built, and their control scheme is good and easy to use, with a unique haptic bass slider. They even offer the same amount of battery life than the wired Crusher, which need AA batteries. If you have the budget to afford the Crusher 360, they're better headphones in practically every category.
The Skullcandy Venue Wireless are better than the Skullcandy Crusher 2014 in pretty much every way. They're wireless, are better built, have an active noise cancelling feature, have volume controls, and have better audio reproduction. They have 24 hours of playback thanks to a rechargeable battery, while the Crusher uses AA batteries. The only test where the Crusher 2014 performed better was their microphone performance, which isn't enough to make them an overall better choice over the Venue.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
