Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Review: More Than Just Eye

Yes, the bass thumps, but the Crusher ANC 2 headphones have much more to offer.

The idea behind Skullcandy Crusher headphones has always been to deliver enough bass to someone's ears that they might perforate.

Okay, that's an overstatement, but Crusher headphones come with a reputation for pushing bass over everything else, even if there is a great set of headphones we could also be talking about.

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is basically what I expected—but also, surprisingly, so much more than just a bass-heavy, skull-rattling set of cans. The Crusher ANC 2 are comfortable for long wear periods, have good ANC (and multiple ANC modes), and look great, too.

Should you take a chance on some bass-forward Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones? Or is the bass just too much?

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 are a bass-forward set of headphones that force you to give your head a wobble. But once you get over or turn down the bass, there is a good set of headphones there, with extensive battery life, comfortable earcups and pads, a companion app with numerous options, and a strong sense of style (even if borrowed from elsewhere).

First up: comfort. I'm impressed with the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2's comfort levels, with each earcup covered in a soft, pleather material housing some memory foam or similar. The earcups pivot over more than 90 degrees, which means they can adjust to your head and ears easily. The adjustable headband is covered in a different textured material but houses the same memory-form padding and is easy to adjust.

The Crusher ANC 2 is comfortable out of the box. There is no awkward clamping pressure that takes a few days to subside, and they're enjoyable to wear immediately.

The build quality of the headphones is also good. The headband and earcup hinges are all metal, meaning the ANC 2 headphones should last a long while.

Stylistically, the Crusher ANC 2 bears a strong resemblance to Sony's award-winning XM4 headphones. If you're going to take inspiration from anyone, why not take it from the best in the business?

The Crusher's sleek, molded plastic looks wonderful and feels smooth to the touch, adding a nice touch of class to these headphones. Another nice touch is the hard-shell case the Crusher's arrive in. Popping them back into the case for travel will help keep your cans in pristine condition and protect them from accidental damage. It looks decent, too.

Like most headphones, the Crusher ANC 2 features an array of buttons around the bottom of the earcups.

The red power button and the bass-intensity dial are on the left. Pressing this dial moves the Crusher ANC 2 headphones through 20, 50, and 80 percent, though using it as an actual dial didn't seem to have much effect. The left earcup also features a 3.5mm input and a USB-C input.

The right earcup features three buttons. The top and bottom buttons control volume, while the middle is used to play/pause, access the Spotify integration, and other functions. There is also a small slider-style button at the base of the earcup that controls the ANC settings.

The Crusher ANC 2 does not have touch controls.

I'm impressed with the Crusher ANC 2 battery life. Skullcandy reckons the headphones can last between 50 and 60 hours per charge (depending on ANC usage, volume, voice controls, etc.), which seems accurate.

Wireless connectivity comes from Bluetooth 5.2, using the AAC and SBC codecs. There are no high-res codecs on show here, but the Bluetooth connectivity is decent, and I didn't experience any dropouts between the headphones and my laptop, desktop, or smartphone.

The lack of a high-resolution Bluetooth codec isn't really surprising, given the Crusher's focus on boosting bass. You don't need the absolute best in audio streaming if you'll crank the bass to 80 percent and cause your eyes to wobble.

The Crusher ANC 2 has two sets of drivers: 40mm dynamic drivers and a secondary set of haptic drivers that produce additional rumble when you CRANK THE BASS. It's certainly notable and almost unbearable when you push the bass up to its maximum level, and is absolutely beyond the pale if you push the volume up simultaneously. Given that most people don't listen to music at that volume or with that much bass, it's not something I spent much time testing.

But at more reasonable levels, the bass response is fun. I spent my testing switching the Crusher ANC 2 between around 20 to 50 percent bass (given this is how the ANC 2 headphones should be used, it seems pointless to spend time configuring a unique, flatter tone—that's not why you buy these headphones, so what's the point?), and despite the apparent overdrive from the bass, Skullcandy has built a decent sounding pair of headphones.

Starting with the bass, it can quickly overwhelm any track. The additional rumble delivered obscures the low-end minutiae in a soaring soundscape track like Hans Zimmer's Mountains. It still sounds decent but lacks finer detail. At other times, the additional bass conflicts with vocals, particularly those with low vocal ranges. I stuck on Guru & Donald Bird's Loungin, and the depth of Guru's voice with the already bass-heavy backing track combine at times, leaving the words difficult to hear.

But then, something like Derrick May's Strings of Life, or more recently, Nia Archives Baianá, and the additional rumble and oomph across the low-end is welcome, bringing some extra life to already pumping tracks. You already want to dance; why not take that further?

As said above, these headphones aren't all about the bass. I mean, they are. But other music also sounds good. Given that you can slide the Crusher bass down to absolute zero, other music sounds fine. For example, Hall and Oates' Sara Smile still picks up most of the full range of Hall's vocals, catching his pitch nicely. The punchy electro-bassline on I Can't Go For That still sounds funky but clear, and the sax solo has enough pop; the Crusher's still deliver the undeniable groove of this track (and Hall and Oates in general).

Having the option to slide the crushing, thumping bass down to zero gives the Crusher ANC 2 headphones a chance to act as normal headphones. You're not forced into listening to every track with pounding bass, and because of that, the Crusher ANC 2's are more versatile than you might think, and certainly what most of the marketing would suggest.

The Crusher ANC 2 has two active noise canceling modes, using a four-microphone system. The full ANC mode does an okay job of blocking background noise, helping to keep my focus on work while at a busy cafe. But once a cacophony of different frequencies builds, the Crusher ANC struggles. But they did well against the background noise of a train in a half-full carriage.

The ANC pass-through mode works well enough, allowing you to keep in touch with your surroundings.

Both modes can be adjusted through the Skull-IQ companion app using the slider, which is handy if you want finer control.

The Skull-IQ is one of the most comprehensive companion apps I've used, with extension options for ANC controls, button controls, custom EQ, voice controls, and more. The app presents the options as tiles, each one delivering a different set of options.

Voice controls are one of the most exciting features of the Skull-IQ app and the Crusher ANC 2 headphones. As with most headphones, you can access your voice assistant of choice. But the Crusher's take this a step further and have their own wake phase: "Hey, Skullcandy." Now, I have to say I didn't use this at all in public for understandable reasons (I don't use voice-controlled apps in public in general, mind). So, for example, you can say, "Hey Skullcandy, more Crusher," a patently silly phrase, but it does work and has a few uses in the app.

Elsewhere, the custom EQ has five frequencies to tune, and you can create a completely custom sound profile using the app's hearing test.

But do note that this is the Skull-IQ app and not the regular Skullcrusher app. Connecting to the latter will find your headphones, but refuse to connect.

The Crusher ANC 2 retails for $230, which effectively puts them competing directly with the Sony XM4, the previous generation to the XM5. That's a difficult comparison, for sure. Let's face it, if you want audio at its best, you're probably going to opt for the XM4 at its current pricing of around $220-230. That's a tough break for the Crusher ANC 2 because these very similarly styled headphones are fun, comfortable, and pack in some decent features, too.

I like the Crusher ANC 2, way more than I thought I would. I'm far from an audiophile, but am relatively discerning when it comes to audio. So it's fair to say these are great fun, bring any track to life, and keep the music and party going for more than a couple of days, all positive qualities in a set of headphones.

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 are a bass-forward set of headphones that force you to give your head a wobble. But once you get over or turn down the bass, there is a good set of headphones there, with extensive battery life, comfortable earcups and pads, a companion app with numerous options, and a strong sense of style (even if borrowed from elsewhere).

Gavin is the Technology Explained Section Editor, co-host on the Really Useful Podcast, and a frequent product reviewer. He has a degree in Contemporary Writing pillaged from the hills of Devon, and more than a decade of professional writing experience. He enjoys copious amounts of tea, board games, and football.