Skullcandy Crusher ANC review: Noise cancelling still needs improvement

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Brand: Skullcandy
Product name: Skullcandy Crusher ANC
Key specs: Digital Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), up to 24 hours battery life, adjustable sensory bass, Bluetooth 5.0, and 40mm driver.
Price: Rs 27,999 (base model)
Rating: 3.5/5

Skullcandy joined the big guys in offering the most premium feature in headphones- noise cancelling. Skullcandy Crusher ANC headphones join the league of high-end heaphones like the Bose QC 35 II, Sony WH-1000XM3 and Jabra Elite 85h. The most recent ANC headphones entrant is also priced around the same at Rs 27,999 and it is available in India.

Noise cancelling is possibly the most popular feature for headphones this year with even wireless earbuds offering this technology. What it does is it eliminates ambient noise around you so the only thing you can hear is what’s playing on your phone. Coming back to the Skullcandy Crusher ANC, we’ve been using this pair of headphones for a few weeks now and here’s our experience of it.

Starting off with the design, Skullcandy Crusher ANC is fortunately quite subtle as compared to other Skullcandy products. It doesn’t have any flashy colours or designs running on it. The pair we had was the one in black which looked pretty normal and like any other pair of headphones. There’s one in deep red which is a much better looking one.

The headphones are pretty heavy though for me at least and because of this there was no steady grip. They would often slip off my head if I tried to even tilt my head a little bit backwards. While that was an issue for me, the comfort level was still good with the Skullcandy Crusher ANC. Even after prolonged use, my ears didn’t hurt from the headphones.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC does well with the bass output ( Skullcandy )

While the design is kept rather simple, there are quite a bunch of controls added to the headphones. On the left side you’ll find the power button, the LED indicators for battery life and a slider button for bass control. Speaking of which, users will be definitely be satisfied with the bass output on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC. Also the adjustable bass control slider comes very helpful. On the right side, the headphones house the play/pause and volume buttons which also double as the next/previous controls. The USB Type-C port and headphone jack are also found here.

What’s supposed to be the defining factor of the Skullcandy Crusher ANC headphones is sadly not its strongest suit. On the Skullcandy Crusher, the ANC is automatically turned on depending on the environment. If it’s a quiet environment, the ambient mode is switched on. While this works fine, noise cancellation on the Skullcandy headphones isn’t at par with its rival.

But what’s surprising is that the microphone on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC for phone calls is almost excellent. Taking calls on Bluetooth headphones is a mess especially in noisy places but there was no issue at all with the Skullcandy Crusher ANC. The same wasn’t experienced on the Jabra Elite 85h and even the Bose QC 35 II. Another standout feature of the Skullcandy Crusher ANC is its battery which is seriously powerful. The company promises 24 hours of battery life on its headphones. True to its word, the Skullcandy Crusher ANC does last for almost 24 hours. The battery life is very impressive and it was quite surprising as well. The Skullcandy Crusher ANC also works without battery through the AUX cable, a feature which is weirdly not available on the Jabra Elite 85h.

Summing up, my overall experience with the Skullcandy Crusher ANC was pretty good. Other than the not so impressive noise cancellation and its slightly heavy weight, the Skullcandy CrusherANC is definitely a good buy. If noise cancellation tops all of your priorities, then I would suggest the Bose QC 35 II or Sony WH-1000XM3.