Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless Headphones Review

The Skullcandy Sesh ANC have a minimalist monochrome design that's very similar to other models in the Sesh lineup. The body is mostly matte plastic, save for a shiny embossed manufacturer's logo on the control buttons, which take up the whole outer side of each bud.

These earbuds don't fit too deep in-ear or apply pressure to the ear canal, but a bump on the body can apply pressure to your outer ear over time. Additionally, pressing the buttons applies extra pressure to your inner ear, which feels uncomfortable.

The controls are simple to learn and have good feedback. There are voice prompts and chimes when making inputs, and the buds tell you if noise cancelling is on or off when you put them in your ears. However, pressing the physical control buttons pushes the earbuds deeper into your ear canal, negatively impacting their comfort.

On the right bud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends calls.
• Press twice: Raises the volume.
• Press three times: Activates your device's voice assistant.
• Press and hold for one second: Plays the next track.
• Press and hold: Toggles ANC on/off as well as Stay Aware transparency mode.

On the right bud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends calls.
• Press twice: Lowers the volume.
• Press three times: Activates your device's voice assistant.
• Press and hold for one second: Plays the previous track.
• Press and hold for three seconds: Toggles ANC on/off as well as Stay Aware transparency mode.

While the Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless Earbuds are a little bigger than the Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless, they'll still fit in your pocket without taking up much space.

These earbuds have a good case. It feels plasticky but durable enough to withstand some wear and tear. The four LEDs on the front of the case will indicate how many full charges the case has left. However, the hinge holding the lid of the case feels a little loose and prone to breaking. It's also bulky and takes up more space in your pocket than other wireless earbud cases.

Build quality is good. The buds are made of matte plastic all over and feel well-built. They're rated IP55 against water splashes, so they're less likely to get damaged during a run in the rain. Unfortunately, the case feels cheaper than the buds and doesn't have an IP rating, meaning it could get damaged with prolonged exposure to the elements.

The Skullcandy Sesh ANC have good stability. Once you get a good fit and seal, they don't move around during moderate exercises, like a jog. However, they still fall out during a more intense workout. Fortunately, they come with three different-sized ear tips to help you find the best possible fit.

• Skullcandy Sesh ANC headphones
• Charging case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• 3x tip size options
• Manuals

The Skullcandy Sesh ANC have a fairly neutral sound profile. There's a touch of extra thumpy low-bass, which compliments genres like hip-hop and EDM. The mid-range is very flat, ensuring vocals and lead instruments are reproduced accurately. However, the treble range is less balanced. Instruments and voices lose some of their detail and sibilants, like cymbals, sound piercing. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app's graphic EQ and presets let you fine-tune the mix to your liking.

The frequency response consistency is outstanding. As long as you get a good fit with the assortment of included ear tips, you'll get consistent audio delivery every time you use them.

These earbuds have fantastic bass accuracy. The range is flat and well-balanced, save for a slight boost at the lower end of the low-bass range. House tracks like So Let the Wind Come by Kerri Chandler have ample thump, rumble, and punch without overpowering the rest of the mix.

The mid-range is outstandingly well-balanced. Vocals and lead instruments sound clear, intense, detailed, and well-placed in the mix.

Accuracy in the treble range is okay. The low treble is underemphasized, which impacts how detailed vocals and instruments sound. An overemphasis in the mid-treble also makes sibilants, like the cymbals in Limelight by Rush, sound piercing.

These earbuds have a reasonable peaks and dips performance. A small peak in the low-bass adds tump to the mix, while a small peak in the high-mid makes vocals and instruments sound slightly honky and harsh. The treble range suffers the most, with a dip in the low-treble negatively impacting the detail of voices and lead instruments. A tall peak in the mid-treble also makes sibilants, like S and T sounds, extremely piercing.

The imaging performance is fantastic. Skullcandy generally has good quality control and ergonomics. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. Our unit's L/R drivers are also well-matched in amplitude, phase, and frequency response, meaning that sound objects are accurately placed in the stereo image. Keep in mind that imaging can vary between units.

The Skullcandy Sesh ANC have a terrible passive soundstage. You need sound to engage with all parts of the ear to create an immersive and natural-feeling soundstage. Since these buds deliver audio directly into your ear canal, their soundstage is perceived as closed off and unnatural, as if the sound is originating from inside your head rather than all around the room.

These earbuds produce clean and pure audio without distortion at moderate and high volumes. While there's a slight bump in the treble range, it's not audible with real-life content.

These are the settings we used to test these earbuds. Our results are only valid when using these settings.

The ANC on these earbuds is excellent. They isolate you from the low rumble of a plane engine, the mid-range chatter of nearby coworkers, and the annoying high-pitched whine of a PC fan.

Note: There's a high peak on our noise isolation graph in the high bass range. The volume in this range is being measured by our test rig as louder than we've heard during subjective listening passes. Thankfully it's not noticeable during everyday listening. We're currently investigating this and will update the review when we can.

Thanks to their in-ear design, these earbuds have outstanding leakage performance. There's some leakage in the treble range at high volumes, but escaping audio sounds thin and is only audible in quieter environments, like your living room.

The integrated mic has reasonable recording quality. Your voice sounds bright and natural, but thin and lacking in body.

The integrated mic has decent noise handling performance. Though moderate background noise, like a busy street or crowded mall, is always audible during your call, your voice still sounds clear and understandable. It performs decently with loud ambient noise as well but ends up blocking out your voice while trying to cut out louder interruptions, like a passing subway train.

The battery performance on these earbuds is just okay. They last nearly eight hours on a single charge. Battery life varies depending on use, though. Their extra four charges in their carrying case bring their total battery life to nearly forty hours, and you get two hours of playback from a ten-minute charge. However, they don't come with any power-saving features, so if you leave them on your desk overnight, you'll drain the battery.

For the first time in Skullcandy's Sesh lineup, these earbuds are compatible with Skullcandy's companion app. You can see how it works here. You can adjust the sound profile with the graphic EQ and presets, change the ANC settings, and activate Gaming Mode, which lowers audio latency while playing video games. These earbuds are also compatible with the Tile app, which lets you track and find them if they get lost. However, you'll need to pay separately for a subscription to this service.

These earbuds have decent Bluetooth performance. By default, PC latency high too high for gaming or streaming video content. iOS and Android latency fare better, which is great if you watch videos on the bus or play games on your phone.

However, when these earbuds are in their low-latency Gaming Mode, they perform much better. Latency on PCs is low enough for casual gaming and streaming without any noticeable sync issues. iOS and Android latencies also see an improvement. Keep in mind that some apps compensate for latency, though.

You can't use these headphones with a wired connection. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable to charge their case.

The Skullcandy Sesh ANC earbuds only have mic and audio compatibility with PCs via Bluetooth.

The case comes with four additional charges, which is one more than the Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless. Unlike the Sesh Evo, this case doesn't support wireless charging.