Skullcandy's Crusher wireless headphones are comfortable, fun and offer an excellent battery life for a reasonable price. Though they’ll appeal most to bass-lovers who’ll enjoy playing with the haptic slider, they also offer fairly well-rounded if slightly bass-heavy sound for those looking for more balance. As long as you don't push it too far up the adjustable bass and vibrations also make these fun headphones for movie watching and playing action-oriented video games. We Disliked Equalizers & Hearing Modes: Can be turned on/off or selected to meet your changing noise environment and listening preferences.

As Bluetooth requires a battery, this cell is also used to power the Crusher’s unusual “haptic bass” chamber. The original Crusher pair needed batteries to work. Without haptic bass engaged the Crusher last for up to 40 hours, which is fantastic.The bass feature is likely to decrease this longevity, but it’s hard to say by how much because I couldn’t stand to have it on for long at all. Bassheads would be better off with the Urbanista New York, which have gut-punching sub-bass. Or you could just buy the Hesh 3, which are cheaper and leave out the haptic bass feature. Verdict From a glance the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless look similar to the Skull Candy Hesh 3. They are actually rather different, with a bulkier, brasher appearance that retains a little more of the classic Skullcandy design DNA. They still fold-up to take up less space, though. If I touched my face and then put the headphones on, my makeup immediately left fingerprints and it was even worse if I took them off and they brushed my face as I did so. This is partly my fault, but even natural oils produced by your skin throughout the day leave their mark and I’d rather not have to use an alcohol-based hand gel every time I decide to listen to some music.

More often than not we kept the bass slider down low, sometimes off completely. When it was off we found the headphones had a reasonably well-rounded and rich sound that still favored bass but didn't drown out other frequencies across all genres. You're not going to get any excellent levels and detail or separation in the sound but for headphones in this price range it'd be ridiculous to expect that kind of depth. For the general listener they'll be more than enough.The Crusher Wireless aren’t close to “best in class” with their unadulterated sound, but I’ve enjoyed them, and they don’t have any glaring tonal issues.

That’s a lot of responsibility for three buttons to bear and sometimes it can be frustrating. For example having to hold the plus or minus button for three seconds to skip a song makes a process most people want to be instantaneous far too long.

HEADPHONES WILL NOT CHARGE

The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless look more sophisticated than their predecessors. Where the old model looked like a pair of ear defenders, these are much closer to a standard pair of stylish street headphones. Bass-heads would be better served by the Urbanista New York, which have natural bass thrills you’ll find more satisfying.

The treble is very prominent too. When the haptic bass is used, it doesn’t get lost completely. This is likely the idea. Treble is a little brittle, a little unrefined, but not hugely sibilant or harsh. I also find the Crusher more comfortable than the Hesh 3. Where the smaller pair has a tendency to clamp down on your earlobes, making them sore after a while, the Crusher have just slightly more room for your ears. Personal Sound: Tune your Crusher ANC, Crusher Evo, Indy ANC or Dime XT 2 to your unique hearing. Take a simple hearing assessment to generate your personalized sound profile. Hear your music like never before.This criticism of the treble sums up the sound’s limitations. It’s not that subtle or refined, but does generally give you a good time.