It takes some getting used to, but thanks to the Crusher series, Skullcandy has been one of the big names among headphones for several years. The latest addition, the Skullcandy Crusher ANC, compliments the excellent sound of its predecessor with a number of hip features. The most important: active noise canceling. It is not a flawless headset. But believe me, if you have 300 euros left for headphones, then you should consider the Crusher ANC.
Skullcandy Crusher ANC
Price: 299 euros
Battery life: 20 hours with ANC and Sensory Bass
Frequency range: 20Hz – 20kHz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Functions: Active noise canceling, Sensory Bass, Ambient mode, Personal Sound, Tile
Connections: Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Weight: 308 grams
Included: 3.5mm stereo cable, USB-C cable, instruction book, storage case
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Construction and design
- Audio quality
- Sensory Bass
- Calibration
- Integration Tile
- Service
- Negatives
- Sensory Bass adjustment
- ANC moderate
- Limited app
A treat for the eye, that is this Crusher ANC without a doubt. Skullcandy has further perfected the sleek design of the earlier Crusher, and in addition to the design, this is also evident in the wearing comfort. You wear the Crusher ANC effortlessly on your head for several hours. Because the headphones are made entirely of plastic, they are nice and light (308 grams), but they are certainly not cheap or fragile. Especially nice when you see that you can partially fold the headband and turn the ear cups effortlessly in all directions. Earcups, incidentally, finished with soft foam that perfectly enclose your ears.
It is a pleasure to wear the Crusher ANC, also during longer listening sessions.
Stuffed with features
Where manufacturers increasingly opt for a minimalist approach when it comes to operation, is Skullcandy not afraid to use some old-fashioned buttons on his headset. It may take a while before you get to know all the functions, but in the end it works a lot nicer (and especially more reliable) than all those touch-sensitive panels. On the left earcup you will find the on / off switch (with which you also switch the noise canceling on or off), a series of LED lights that indicate the battery level, and a real slider. And those slider people, that’s what we need to talk about …
If you have ever had an older Crusher on your head, then you know that this slider controls the Sensory Bass. With the slider you open the drivers in the ear cups that provide a physical bass feedback with the music. A kind of subwoofer, but then on your ears. The low frequencies are not only triggered by a deep and rich bass sound, vibrations also ensure that you feel the bass physically. Yes, that sounds strange (and feels even stranger), but at the bottom of the line it provides an extra dimension to the audio experience.
At first I thought it was a funny gimmick that would lose its charm after a few listening sessions. But nothing is less true. The Sensory Bass actually gives music more depth. As if all the music you have been listening to for years has suddenly been given a polish. Sure, one song is more bathed in a heavy bass than the other. But because the slider is so prominent and easy to operate, you can adjust it flawlessly to the perfect level a la minute. It is a pity that the slider is not less extreme calibrated. If you open the slider further than 50 percent, then the bass really pushes out all other tones. Sure, it is impressive that it is possible, but this is really not going to be used by anyone at full power.
It is a mystery to us why the Sensory Bass is set extremely hard.
Active noise canceling in moderation
The biggest innovation on this version of the Crusher is the active noise canceling (hence: ANC). Due to this active noise reduction, ambient noise is excluded. Or at least, the headset is trying. The ANC works well if there is a constant noise (for example, if you are on the train or the plane), but is less able to handle sudden noises. Screaming people in the workplace. A speeding train. These are unexpected sounds that the headset often responds just too late. The technology does a great job basically, but does not match the latest headsets from Sony, Bose and Sennheiser.
In addition to noise canceling and Sensory Bass, Skullcandy has stuffed the Crusher with other features. Of course you can make phone calls (the quality of which is remarkably good), but there is also an Ambient mode built-in. You activate this by placing three fingers briefly on the left ear cup. Then voices and sounds from the environment are amplified and you can still understand your environment. Handy if you are at the checkout at the Appie, and if you don’t even want to take your headphones off as a real aso. Skullcandy has also entered into a partnership with Tile. The built-in Tile chip allows you to always check the location of the headset in the Tile app, which is quite a safe idea.
It is a pleasure to wear the Crusher ANC, also during longer listening sessions.
300-euro sound
If you pay 300 euros for headphones, you can expect that in addition to useful functions, a bit of decent sound will come out. And the Crusher ANC does not disappoint in that. The treble is lively and clear, and is complemented by a fairly dynamic mid-range that remains nicely intact even at high volume. The fact that you can manually tune the bass via the slider on the earcup ensures that the Crusher ANC offers a wonderful audio experience for daily use, which is completely delicious if you have a device that can handle the aptX HD support of the Crusher.
Especially dance, hip-hop and rock are genres that fit perfectly with these headphones. And that is really largely due to the power that the manual bass control gives you. The Bluetooth connection is generally fine, although interference occurs quickly if you are in an environment with many signals (such as a busy station hall).
Not completely satisfied with the standard audio configuration? Via the Skullcandy app you can calibrate the headset to your hearing to the extreme. You do a kind of hearing test through various sound tones, which adjusts the equalizer to possible hearing limitations or hypersensitivity. A feature that we see at several manufacturers, but the implementation of Skullcandy is exceptionally good. Small disadvantage: after this fun gadget you can remove the app, since it serves no purpose besides the calibration. It would have been nice if you could operate the noise canceling here, or create different sound profiles.
If the deep red color is a bit too striking for you, there is also a black and black / brown version on the shelves.
Cable, only in high need …
In terms of battery life, this headset performs well. According to the manufacturer, the Crusher ANC lasts around 24 hours, but that is highly dependent on the use of active noise canceling and Sensory Bass. With these two features constantly on, I tapped almost the 20 hours. Which is more than sufficient, especially when you consider that after ten minutes of charging, the Crusher already offers four hours of listening time. And if even that is not enough, you can always listen further with the included 3.5mm jack cable. However, the latter is only advisable if you are really in need of music. In this mode there is no noise canceling available and the Sensory Bass does not work, which returns the overall listening experience to something very mediocre.
Conclusion
The price tag of around 300 euros is substantial, but the Crusher ANC certainly meets the raised expectations. From construction to design, and from the audio experience to the extra functions, Skullcandy knows how to convince with this fashionable headset. It is unfortunate that the noise canceling is not yet at the level of the competition and that the app turns out to be a one trick pony, but that does not detract much from the fact that the Crusher ANC is a particularly good headset. One that offers a unique music experience thanks to the Sensory Bass and the personalized calibration, and that’s just what headphones are all about.
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