With features such as Skull IQ, waterproofing and Spotify Tap and Tile support, the Skullcandy Grind Fuel is quite similar to the Skullcandy Push Active. However, there are a number of differences, so that your choice may still fall on the other model. The difference is not only in the price, but also in an exclusive function such as Personal Sound. Read more about it in this Skullcandy Grind Fuel review.
Skullcandy Grind Fuel
Recommended retail price €99.99
Color black
Link Bluetooth 5.2
battery life 40 hours (total)
Weight 76 grams (charging box)
Features microphone, ambient sound mode, IP55, voice control
Load USB-C, wireless
Website www.skullcandy.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Wireless charging
- IP55 certificate
- skull IQ
- Personal Sound
- Negatives
- Go deep in ears
- No real noise cancellation
- Buttons on the earplugs
With a price of 99.99 euros, the Skullcandy Grind Fuel is already fairly close to the limit of the cheap segment of wireless earplugs. But that is not entirely without reason. The set offers quite a lot for that money. There is the technology called Skull IQ, which we first encountered on the Skullcandy Push Active. This is voice control technology.
With a simple command (“Hey, Skullcandy”) you speak to the earplugs and execute a command. Think of pausing or playing music or taking a phone call. In addition, you activate Spotify, thanks to Spotify Tapand call up your own voice assistant.
Skullcandy is listening to you
Unfortunately, you only use Skull IQ in the English language. So you do not give Dutch commands, such as with the Google Assistant or Siri. For use it makes little difference which commands you want to learn by heart, but even then it might go faster if the Dutch language is available in the Netherlands.
Skull IQ responds quickly and accurately. No matter what we were doing, we never ran into a time when the platform didn’t hear us. What is a pity: to be able to use this function, you must always have your location turned on. This results in higher energy consumption on your smartphone, so that is something to take into account.
Fortunately, alternative operating methods are available. You can always control the music via a music streaming service of your choice. Yes, the Skullcandy Grind Fuel works closely with Spotify. But since you connect the earplugs via bluetooth (version 5.2), you decide which service you use.
The earplugs support actions via the built-in button on the devices. Within the app you set what tapping once, twice or three times does; the same goes for pressing the earplug for one second. You can choose from a number of smart functions. Think of activating Spotify, calling up your voice assistant or activating Stay Away mode.
Smart Features
The free Skullcandy application offers a number of smart features. For example, you can turn the voice control on and off, set the equalizer for audio, and listen to the same music from one device together when you use a supported Skullcandy product with someone else. The equalizer has four standard profiles, including Custom, and can be combined with the Personal Sound function. This is an option that is not present on the Push Active.
With Personal Sound, the app adjusts the audio quality to your hearing, just like the company does with the Crusher Evo. As a result, certain elements of the music may come out a little better than you are used to.
Another nice feature of the Skullcandy Grind Fuel is the Stay-Aware mode. This is transparent mode. Ambient sounds are amplified when you activate the function, so you can always hear what is happening around you while running or cycling. The earplugs don’t have active noise cancellation, but they can keep out some noises when you turn the mode off.
Don’t expect miracles, but the noise reduction that is there is subtle and you can really appreciate it at times. In addition, you can take a photo with a press on the earplugs and you can always find the earplugs thanks to the built-in Tile support.
Room for warm tones
The Skullcandy Grind Fuel have fairly large 12-millimeter drivers. They are therefore twice as large as in the Push Active. This aspect, among other things, ensures that the audio quality is of a higher level. There is much more room for audio experience. Tones are warmer, richer and deeper. In addition, they also expand nicely, so that you get a lot of the different layers in the music.
Admittedly, in addition to a more expensive product from Sennheiser, you really do hear a difference, but for 99 euros you can find much worse. However, with such a statement we do not do this set justice, since the sound quality can be called really good.
The equalizer can play a major role in the audio experience. Especially when you activate the personal sound. In the case of the undersigned, the higher tones came out a lot better, without this really being at the expense of the lower tones. Perhaps that makes the tones in the middle disappear a bit into the background.
A disadvantage of the earplugs is that they go deep into the ear canal and that can cause irritation, but that is what you feel is most comfortable for yourself. Another drawback is that not every genre is suitable for Skullcandy’s products, a caveat we often make. The earplugs thrive with electronic music.
Skullcandy Grind Fuel – conclusion
There are many things to love when it comes to the Skullcandy Grind Fuel. We are impressed by the audio quality (within this segment) and Personal Sound makes the music really personal. In addition, they look slightly better than the Push Active earplugs and we are satisfied with the various controls.
The battery in the earplugs lasts slightly less than the Push Active at nine hours, but a total battery life of forty hours is nevertheless more than enough for most listeners. Can it be better? Yes, but you pay 99 euros for this. Charging is possible via USB-C or wirelessly; so you don’t have to mess with wires.
In this review we compared a lot with the Push Active from Skullcandy. That’s not surprising, because the earplugs share a base and came out in quick succession. But within this segment you will of course find much more beautiful things. If you are in the market for a new set of earplugs for about a hundred euros, you can also consider the 1More ColorBuds2. Otherwise, you would do well to consider the OnePluds Buds Z2 or the Nothing Ear 1.
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