Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless Headphones Review

The Skullcandy Dime 2 look identical to the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless with a simple, non-descript style. There's a brand logo on each stem. Unlike the previous generation, they only come in four color variants: 'Black', 'Light Grey/Blue', 'Dark Blue/Green', and a limited edition 'Doritos Red'.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 are fairly comfortable. They don't put much pressure inside your ear, and they come with three differently-sized pairs of ear tips to help you get the best fit. That said, they have a deep in-ear fit, and their design is a bit bulky, which can put pressure on your ear. You need to hold the bud in place when using the controls to avoid putting additional pressure on your ear.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have okay controls. like the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless, most controls can be done on either bud. There's audio feedback when you're pairing, connecting, and disconnecting the buds. There are also chimes to let you know when you're reached min and max volume, although it's the same sound used for both extremes. However, the buttons aren't very clicky, and using the controls can put pressure on your ear. You also have to press the controls a few times to adjust the volume.

On the left earbud:

• Double press: Lowers the volume.
• Press and hold for one second: Restarts the track. Also returns to the previous track.

On the right earbud:

• Double press: Raises the volume.
• Press and hold for one second: Skips the track forward.

On either earbud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends call.
• Triple press: Activates your phone's voice assistant.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have a very portable design. They're small, lightweight, and can easily fit into most pockets without an issue. They also come with a small carrying case that can fit into most pockets and bags without issue.

These headphones have a good case that's small and lightweight. There are two openings on the lid that allow you to see the buds. However, you can't see the battery light on the buds when the lid's closed. There's also a small LED light on the case near the charging port, which lets you know when the case is charging.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have a similarly good build quality as the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless. Like their predecessor, they're mostly plastic, which feels solid and durable. They're also certified IPX4 for resistance against splashes of water. However, the ear tips seem like they're prone to ripping with continuous use.

These headphones have good stability. Even though they stick out of your ears a bit and lack stability fins, they stay in place. They shouldn't fall out of your ears during a run in the park or if you're listening to audio at your desk.

• Skullcandy Dime 2 earbuds
• Charging case
• Micro-USB to USB-A charging cable
• 3x tip size options
• Manuals

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have a slightly bass-rich sound profile that adds a bit of extra boom and warmth to mixes. That said, it shouldn't overwhelm vocals and lead instruments, so they're suitable for a variety of audio content. However, they lack customization features, and you can't adjust their sound to suit your tastes.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have excellent frequency response consistency. Once you get a proper fit using the provided ear tips, you should achieve consistent audio delivery each time you use them.

The Skullcandy Dime 2's bass accuracy is excellent. The response is slightly overemphasized across the range, which adds a touch of extra thump, rumble, and warmth to your mixes. However, it can sound a little boomy.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have excellent mid accuracy. The response is fairly flat, so instruments like the Vienna horn and trumpets in the theme from Jurassic Park sound clear and intense. However, there's some overemphasis coming from the bass range into the low-mid, which muddies the mix a bit. Vocals in the first bridge of Norweigan Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by The Beatles sound a little cluttered alongside the sitar and acoustic guitar. A dip in the mid-mid also slightly nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have excellent treble accuracy. The low-treble is slightly recessed, so vocals and lead instruments are slightly veiled. However, sibilants like cymbals are bright but not piercing.

The Skullcandy Dime 2's peaks and dips performance is great. There's a peak in the high-bass to low-mid that affects the right driver a little more prominently, adding boom and a bit of muddiness to mixes. A dip in the mid-mid also affects the right driver more than the left, nudging vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. A few small dips in the low-treble slightly veil vocals and lead instruments while the dip and peak in the mid-treble make sibilants like S and T sounds alternatingly dull and piercing.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have an outstanding imaging performance. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. Also, the L/R drivers of our unit are well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement of objects, like instruments and voices, in the stereo image. Although there's a small peak in the phase response's mid-mid, which skews a little to the right, it's not very audible with real-life content. Imaging can vary between units and can indicate a manufacturer's quality control and ergonomics.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have a terrible passive soundstage performance, which is on par for in-ear headphones. One of the key components in creating a large and speaker-like passive soundstage is that the outer ear activates with sound. However, their design bypasses your outer ear. As a result, sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance of these headphones is very good. There are a couple of peaks in the treble range at normal listening volumes, but they're very minor and shouldn't be noticeable with real-life content. All frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

The Skullcandy Dime 2's noise isolation performance is satisfactory. They have some trouble blocking out the low rumble of bus and plane engines, which can be a bit annoying if you travel or commute to work. That said, they do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter as well as the high-pitched hum of an AC unit.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have an outstanding leakage performance. They don't leak much audio at high volumes. If you're listening to your favorite songs at a high volume, others around you won't hear it unless you're in a quiet environment.

The Skullcandy Dime 2's recording quality is decent. Your voice sounds clear and understandable but lacks body and seems a little unnatural.

The mic has a sub-par noise handling performance. It struggles to separate your voice from background noise. If you're taking a call from a noisy environment like a busy street, your voice can be drowned out.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have a mediocre battery performance. They're advertised to last 3.5 hours continuously, and we measured a similar amount. While this won't be enough to last you through long days on the go, their carrying case holds roughly 2.4 additional charges if you need it. You can also use one bud while the other charges. Unlike the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless, they have a standby mode that helps conserve battery life when you're not using them. However, Skullcandy doesn't advertise this feature anywhere.

The Skullcandy app is poor. It doesn't offer many features, and there isn't an EQ or presets to help you customize their sound. That said, you can see the battery and volume levels as well as the firmware version. You can also check out the FAQ section and register your buds. You can find your buds via Tile if you lose them, but you need to download this app separately.

The Skullcandy Dime 2's Bluetooth performance is okay. While they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing, they have low latency on iOS and Android devices, which is good if you like to stream video. However, their latency on PCs is much higher, and your audio and visuals may be out of sync. Some apps and devices compensate for latency, though.

You can only use these headphones wirelessly. They come with a micro-USB to USB-C cable to charge their carrying case.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 are only compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can't connect them in any other way.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 come with a carrying case that supplies roughly 2.4 extra charges. There's a micro-USB input so that you can recharge the case, but there aren't any other inputs.