Skullcandy, a company dedicated to audio, collaborated with Burton, a snowboarding company. As part of this collaboration, a few special edition sets of audio devices were launched, including both headphones and earbuds, all wireless. While a collaboration like this seems bizarre at first glance, it makes sense once knowing that the founder of Skullcandy, Rick Alden, is a fan of snowboarding as well, and even had the idea for the company while being on a chairlift. Now it all makes sense! Cubed3 gets the chance to look at one of the headphones freshly launched, the Skullcandy x Burton: Crusher Evo Sensory Bass Headphones.
Headphones come in all shapes and sizes these days, and whether it is gaming, watching videos or listening to music, a good pair of headphones is always good to have. The box of the Skullcandy x Burton: Crusher Evo Sensory Bass Headphones looks promising. The Naughty Nature design is surprisingly subtle in person, and the colours are surprisingly beautiful. Once opened, the box reveals a soft bag. Inside the bag are the over-ear headphones, and it is immediately clear that these are not the standard cheap headphones one can buy anywhere.
The outside is covered in soft-touch plastic, and the Naughty Nature leopard print covers only part of the headphones, making the design even more interesting. The earpieces are covered with fake leather and sit comfortably over the ears. A soft, leather-covered sponge covers the bit for the top of the head, ensuring that the set stays comfortable even when worn for a long period of time. Both sides of the headphones can easily be extended, and the earpieces move around in different directions, promising ideal comfort. The set can be folded up and stored in the bag, and feels overall very sturdy and of high quality.
Now, Bluetooth headphones are great, after all there are no cables to worry about when moving around, but they only last as long as their battery. The Crusher Evo Headphones have a good battery life and can be charged via USBC. However, it is what it is, charging might be forgotten, or one is out and about for too long, and suddenly without a way to hide from everyday noise by listening to their favourite game soundtrack or podcast. Luckily, Skullcandy seems to know this dilemma and has provided backup: a simple AUX cable that can be stored in a net pocket inside the bag, alongside the charging cable. While using the cable does mean missing out on some functions of the headphones, it is an appreciated backup.
Usually, a hard case seems the safest option for transporting headphones. The bag provided for this set does have a beautiful design, all in the Naughty Nature theme, and the inside is soft and features the aforementioned net pockets to store the cables as well. The closing mechanism for the bag is also very interesting and allows for an overall small package once everything is inside – but, generally speaking, a hard case would have been preferred for such a beautiful set of headphones, if only for the safety aspect while travelling.
Sound wise, the Skullcandy x Burton: Crusher Evo Sensory Bass Headphones are amazing, both using Bluetooth or the AUX connection. The set is wonderfully sound cancelling as well, making it ideal for using in noisy environments.
While using Bluetooth, several easy to reach buttons allow for a good amount of control. This includes volume buttons that can also be used to skip forwards or back, the play button which can also be used to answer calls or activate the phone’s voice controls, and of course the power switch which can also be utilised to put the set into pairing mode. Additionally, a slider can be used to in- or decrease bass. This allows for a great experience when listening to music on the go, but the true kicker comes in when downloading the free Skullcandy app. This app allows for different listening experiences depending on whether one is listening to music, podcasts or watching a movie.
However, the best part of this app is the customised listening experience it can offer. By doing a quick listening test, the app is able to optimise music in a way that is personalised to the listener, and even allows for several accounts to share the experience with friends and family. After setting up a personal listening experience, music sounds like something never heard before. It is truly remarkable how music sounds when optimised to one’s own sense of sound.
While the app functionality sadly only works when using a phone for music, the wireless headphones work, of course, with gaming consoles or computers as well, so long as those have Bluetooth. So, for anyone playing Nintendo Switch games on the go, these work a charm for sure!
The Crusher Evo Headphones come with an integrated microphone. Bluetooth being what it is, the sound does come through as slightly muffled, however this is minimal, and the headphones’ microphone works fine for phone calls. An extra bonus is how the microphone muffles background noise, so that the only clear noise coming through is the own voice. It isn’t exactly what should be used for voice recordings, but nobody said that it was meant to be.
