A less expensive model of Bose’s finest earbuds, with a couple of key sacrifices

Skullcandy isn’t a reputation that often involves thoughts once you consider premium headphones. The Utah-based firm has primarily made its title within the price range house, promoting extra on low costs and loud, sports-heavy advertising and marketing than the promise of fantastic sound high quality.

With the brand new Method 360 ANC, the audio maker is making an attempt to alter that by latching onto one other model totally. Skullcandy proudly boasts that its newest wi-fi earbuds characteristic “sound by Bose,” which is to say that Bose has equipped the acoustic tuning, ear suggestions and total form of the machine. In reality, the brand new buds look fairly just like Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds from afar. However that upscale pair retails for $299 and the Methodology 360 ANC solely prices $130 (or as low as $100 at third-party shops of this writing). So has Skullcandy managed to seize one of the best of Bose at a extra reasonably priced value? Type of.

Design and options

The Methodology 360 ANC is certainly roughly as snug because the QuietComfort Extremely. Every earpiece is barely heavier and extra plastic-y — and Bose’s pair was already on the cumbersome aspect — however the smooth ear gels and stability fins assist them match cosy with out creating an excessive amount of stress. I had no points with them coming unfastened over a number of weeks of testing. The earbuds have an IPX4 water-resistance ranking — not one of the best, however sufficient to outlive most individuals’s exercises. The bigger body creates more room for the aspect contact panels, and all of the controls do work reliably, which isn’t a given within the $100 vary.

These earbuds additionally include many of the options you’d need from a contemporary pair. There are energetic noise cancellation (ANC) and ambient sound modes. Battery life is okay at eight to 11-ish hours, relying on ANC utilization. They’ll dependably join to 2 gadgets concurrently, and so they work with Google’s Quick Pair tech on Android gadgets. They assist put on detection, too, and there are three completely different units of ear gels and fins within the field. Any settings tweaks I’ve made in Skullcandy’s Skull-iQ app have taken impact rapidly, and normally the software program is simple to navigate. The one main omissions listed below are the dearth of wi-fi charging and a brief one-year guarantee.

Sound high quality

When you begin listening to the Methodology 360 ANC, although, you begin to see why it’s priced below $150. The default sound signature is extraordinarily V-shaped: The bass is very large, the treble is brilliant and every little thing in between is recessed. Bass lovers ought to recognize this with hip-hop, dance music and plenty of pop songs. A observe like Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” turns into significantly straightforward to rock to: The low-end is deep and impactful, whereas an enormous spike across the higher midrange retains the vocals clear all through. On the whole, the Methodology 360 ANC is a step up from the Anker Soundcore Space A40, the longtime high decide in our information to the best earbuds under $100. That pair is way extra muffled within the treble, whereas the Skullcandy pair’s crisper, extra prolonged highs are inclined to make songs really feel much less closed-off.

That stated, it’s very straightforward to see how this sort of signature might get fatiguing over time. It’s constantly intense, and the recessed mids trigger it to lose particulars in reasonably intricate compositions. An indie rock observe like Hop Alongside’s “The Knock” is a little bit of a multitude, because the bassline and crunchy rhythm guitar overwhelm the lead guitar riffs and rob the raspy vocals of air. With America’s “Ventura Highway,” the folksy acoustic guitar comes by means of clearly, however the overemphasized treble makes “ess” sounds a contact too sharp.

The QuietComfort Extremely doesn’t precisely sound impartial, nevertheless it all the time comes off as extra balanced by comparability. Skullcandy has additionally omitted assist for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs, so it solely helps the essential SBC and AAC. All of that is nonetheless better-than-average for bassheads purchasing on this value vary — simply don’t count on it to compete very far past that. Fortunately, you possibly can rein in a number of the default profile’s excesses with a customized EQ in Skullcandy’s app.

ANC, ambient sound, name high quality and one funky case

Skullcandy’s ANC is completely respectable for $130, and it’s nice you possibly can customise the depth of the noise-canceling impact by way of the app. Nevertheless it’s not on the extent of the QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds and even the step-down QuietComfort Earbuds. It cuts out a good chunk of the bassy rumble of an NYC subway prepare, however higher-pitched screeches and cease bulletins are very a lot audible with music taking part in at reasonable volumes.

The “Keep Conscious” (ambient sound) mode, in the meantime, is satisfactory however nothing extra; it’s a kind of offers the place you might want to maintain the quantity considerably low to make sure you can hear your self clearly. Name high quality isn’t nice, both: The mic does properly to restrict background noise, nevertheless it struggles with wind and makes your voice sound noticeably skinny and processed. My testing companion stated it made me sound like I used to be in an elevator.

My greatest grievance, nonetheless, is with the ginormous tube of a case. It’s comically massive subsequent to pairs just like the QuietComfort Extremely or House A40, a lot in order that I’ve to query simply how spacious Skullcandy thinks most individuals’s pockets are. There’s a built-in clip that permits you to hook the case to a bag or belt loop, however as a resident of New York Metropolis, I’ll by no means be snug sauntering round with something of worth dangling on my individual. Truly snapping the earbuds again into the case is cumbersome as properly: You need to slide the case open, then flip the earpieces the other way up and insert them on reverse sides. I can perceive eager to make one thing distinctive, however that is an occasion the place boring would’ve been higher.

Wrap-up

The Methodology 360 ANC has its issues, however most of them aren’t too shocking for a comparatively reasonably priced pair of wi-fi earbuds (outsized case apart). Don’t be fooled into pondering the Bose branding means you’re getting a Bose-level product — the real-deal QuietComfort Earbuds are higher if you happen to’re keen to pay extra. However that is nonetheless a tier above most price range pairs we’ve examined. It has practically all of the options we’re in search of (in contrast to, say, the Beats Solo Buds), it’s snug and the sound signature will hit proper if you happen to’re hungry for bass. At its regular $130, it’s properly value contemplating for bassheads who can go one rung above the cut price bin. For $100 or much less, it’s a terrific worth. Simply make room for that case.