Skullcandy Crusher ANC review: Pricey, but a treat for audiophiles

Its bass-heavy tuning is amazing and sensory bass feature a treat; battery life, comfort and Tile feature are all very good, but the headphones may still be too expensive for Rs 24,999

Most high-end headphones these days look good, sound as they should, and possibly carry a new feature or two to catch audiophiles’ attention. Skullcandy's Crusher ANC has all these and a little more — its bass-specific tuning sets it apart from others in the high-end headphones space.

When we say high-end, it means, among other things, a hefty price tag. Sure, at Rs 24,999, the Crusher ANC is no cheap toy. Is that a deal to go for? Let's find out.

The most common challenge that high-end headphones face is that there are just a few players and each, with its own appeal, is vying for the attention of a small set of discerning buyers. The Crusher ANC’s appeal lies in its noise cancellation and its unique and impressive sensory bass feature. Additionally, there is an in-built Tile Bluetooth tracker to help you locate the headphones using the Tile app on your smartphone.

Design

 

Skullcandy follows the conventional design for its over-the-ear headphones; they are collapsible, so keeping them in a bag or carrying around is not difficult. The padding on the earcups is soft, and so is the one on the headband. Their size is big, so you cannot jump around wearing them, but you can keep wearing them for as long as you want without tiring your ears.

Talking of downsides, the Crusher ANC weighs over 300 gm, and it does feel heavy. Also, given its weight, it is difficult to say if the plastic for earcups and headband will withstand an accidental fall.

 

We reviewed the Deep Red model (the other variant is Fearless Black), and, frankly, the plastic material did not impress us much. There are three playback buttons on the right earcup for playback, volume and calls. There's a USB-c port for charging and a 3.5mm AUX port.

The left earcup has a slider for Sensor Bass and a button for Auto Noise Cancellation (ANC). The left earcup also has a touch-sensitive patch for the ambient mode, which allows you to hear the surrounding noise.

Audio

 

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC’s sensory bass feature will definitely amaze everyone. When you turn up the slider on the left earcup, the bass gets so immersive that it appears to be coming from somewhere else. You can also enjoy the sensory bass while gaming. The noise cancellation may not be the best in class, but it is not bad at all.

Attending calls while wearing the headphones is not very easy. The standard tuning, geared towards bass, is good, but the treble is clear. We juggled with various music genres and felt the sound output was convincing, something that is a given in expensive headphones.

You can also switch to the personal sound feature using the Skullcandy app for Android and iOS. This feature is good if you are too finicky about the sound quality.

Battery

 

The headphones promise a battery life of up to 24 hours — and they keep the promise during normal use. But if you use noise cancellation and the Tile feature, the battery life gets reduced. It takes around two hours to charge the headphones fully.

Verdict

 

Those who like bass-heavy tuning will definitely love the Skullcandy Crusher ANC. Its sensory bass feature is a treat to the ears. Overall, the battery life is great, the headphones are comfortable, and the Tile feature is a good addition. However, at Rs 24,999, the Skullcandy Crusher ANC might still be too expensive.