Good looking!
Design-wise, the Skullcandy Crusher ANC are classic over the ear headphones with a touch of contemporary. Although the headphones are majorly plastic, they do not feel flaky. They have a very sturdy, solid feel to them. There is metal in the headband which not only adds to the solid feels but also makes the resize transitions very smooth. The cans are padded with memory foam which is lined with faux leather. The pair can easily fit in an office environment but will not look out of place in an informal setting either. Skullcandy has quite a track record when it comes to design and their devices generally stand out in the design zone but the Crusher ANC have a more subtle, restrained look which we love. The headphones are available in three shades, black, black-tan, and maroon. The headband just above the cans carry the brand’s logo. The black variant is for those who do not like too many eyes on them while the maroon one will definitely get you some attention. Our personal favorite is the black-tan variant which seeks just the right amount of attention. One of the best things about the Skullcandy Crusher ANC are the controls. We never thought we would say this about a pair of headphones but Skullcandy has put in big enough buttons that can be accessed easily without making you feel like you have monstrous fingers. The left earcan carries the sensory bass slider which is quite lengthy giving you easy access to it. There are four tiny LEDs on the same earcup and the power button which also controls noise cancellation when tapped twice. The outer side of the ear can also has a touch sensor to control the ambient mode which turns off noise cancellation and allows ambient noise to seep in. The right one houses the play/pause button, volume controls, USB Type C port for charging, and 3.5 mm audio cable in case you want to wire up if the headphones run out of battery. Skullcandy pairs a wire with a mic in the box and USB type C cable as well. The headphones fold on the inside with ease and fit snugly in their case. And yes, there is a case in the box.
Bass-heavy sound..that you can control
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC come with 40mm dynamic drivers with a frequency response range of 20Hz- 20,000Hz. What’s more, they have an additional pair of drivers for punchy bass. They have Bluetooth 5 for connectivity, support for Qualcomm aptX HD Bluetooth Codec, and also have Tile integration which means you can locate your headphones if you have forgotten where you have kept them.
As for the sound, well, the name is enough. We feel the Crusher range has some of the most resounding bass we have ever heard. And that does not change with their ANC avatar. The headphones are bass-heavy (DUH) to the point of literally vibrating over your ears. But if you do not want to get your bones rocked (quite literally) all the time, you can use the sensory bass slider where you can customize the intensity of bass on the headphones. If you slide the bass all the way up to 100 percent, even 10 minutes will surely give you a headache but at 25-50 percent you will definitely (definitely) feel the bass. If you want a break from all the bass, you can slide it all the way down and the Crusher will not ‘crush’ anymore. As we pointed out in a recent article, too much bass CAN affect your audio experience.
And there’s ANC too
Skullcandy also has an app that is available on both iOS and Android platforms for free which allows you to create multiple personalized sound profiles for different users. The app has a hearing test which creates a profile based on the results. Once you have created and saved a profile, the headphones personalize sound based on that and creates a signature sound specifically for the user. We recommend creating a profile as it enhances the audio experience and the ANC which is otherwise mediocre also goes up a notch. Speaking of the ANC, it is just about decent – not in the class of Bose and Sony but adequate for drowning out a fair bit of ambient noise. Don’t expect the world to go silent, but you will see a significant dip in the noise levels around you! Skullcandy claims the headphones can last for up to 24 hours on a single charge but with ANC on and bass slider set to an even 50 percent, the headphones will likely stay up for about 18-20 hours. They also offer fast charge where it claims you can get battery life worth three hours with just ten minutes of charging. Not too bad, really, we think, although a little short of the thirty or forty hours we are getting from some of the new headsets.
At Rs 14,999, you CAN give in to Bass-ic Instincts
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC might not have been the ideal proposition at Rs. 27,999 where they would have got into the zone of the Bose QC 35 II and the Sony WH – 1000 MX3, but at Rs. 14,999, the Crusher ANC become a solid option for anyone looking for a bass-heavy pair of wireless headphones with support for ANC. Buy them if bass is what you are looking for in a pair of headphones because it does not get any more Crush-ing than this.
