Our Verdict
Average mixed-usage headphones. The Crusher Wireless have a great battery life and a decent but overly bass-heavy sound. They also have a better build quality than all the other Skullcandy headphones we've tested so far, and they're fairly easy to use. Unfortunately, they're quite tight on larger heads and do not block enough noise for very noisy environments like those involved in commute and travel. They also have a bit too much latency, like most Bluetooth headsets, to be suitable for watching a lot of video content and gaming.
- Great battery life.
- Good build quality.
- Easy-to-use and good controls.
- Overly bass-heavy sound with or without the slider.
- Tight on the head.
- Poor noise isolation.
Decent for neutral listening. The Crushers Wireless have a bass-heavy sound profile that may sound exciting for some but slightly drowns the instruments and vocals in the mid and treble range. However, unlike Hesh 3, they also come with a bass slider that lets you adjust the level of low-end thump and rumble. At the max setting, it gives them a ridiculous amount of bass that rattles and shakes the headphones and makes them practically unusable even for fans of really bass-heavy music. They won't be the ideal choice for more neutral listeners, and they do not have the soundstage of open back over-ears, but if you're a fan of bass, then you might want to check the Crushers out just to know your limit.
Average for commuting. They're easy-to-use and decently portable. They also have a long battery life for road trips and flights, but unfortunately, they do not block a lot of noise so they won't be ideal if you have a very noisy commute.
Decent for sports. They're relatively lightweight and tight enough to stay on your head when jogging. Their good wireless range also makes them suitable for most activities. However, they get fairly warm due to their poor breathability, and they're still somewhat cumbersome over-ears so they won't be the ideal choice for more intense workout routines.
Average for office use. The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless do not block a lot of noise so you will hear what's going on around you and they leak quite a bit at high volumes so you may distract your colleagues in quieter conditions. On the upside, they're easy-to-use and have an all-day battery life.
Sub-par for gaming. The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless have a bit too much latency, an average-at-best mic, and no customization options. They're also a bit tight on the head which might not be ideal for longer gaming sessions.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 20, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 04, 2019: We've updated the battery section of the review as we couldn't confirm that these headphones have a standby mode.
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Compared To Other Headphones
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless a are decent mixed usage over-ear headset with a unique bass slider feature that was introduced by the original, wired Skullcandy Crusher. They have a good build quality, easy to use controls and an excellent battery life. They also deliver a decent but overly bass-heavy audio reproduction that you can further enhance with the bass slider. This makes the entire headphone vibrate with each low-end thump and rumble, which is not recommended for more critical listeners but may be appreciated by some dedicated fans of really heavy bass (they're one of the best bass headphones that we've tested so far). The Crushers Wireless are a decent option for most use cases but their lack of a good app and an actual EQ means they won't be as customizable as some of the headphones compared below. See our recommendations for the best wireless headphones and the best noise cancelling headphones.
The Skullcandy Hesh 3 Wireless have similar performance to the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 2016 in most aspects. The Hesh 3 have a greater wireless range, a slightly better-balanced sound, and a lighter and more comfortable design. They also tend to block a bit more noise passively, although not by much. On the other hand, the Crusher Wireless have a much better build quality than the Hesh 3. They also have longer battery life and an adjustable bass slider that makes them slightly more customizable.
The Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless are better than the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 2016. Both headphones have a bass-heavy sound profile and a haptic bass slider to add extra boom to audio. The Evo are more comfortable and have a companion app with EQ presets. However, the 2016 edition have a more stable fit.
The Skullcandy Crusher 360 Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 2016. Both models have a similar build, but the padding of the Crusher 360 is more comfortable. Their sound is also more accurate, and their haptic bass feedback isn’t as ridiculously intense as the Crusher Wireless. The 360 model also support the aptX codec for overall better performance and have a more unique style. The Crusher Wireless perform better across different users and have power-saving features, but this won't compensate for the better overall performance of the Crusher 360.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 2016 are better headphones than the Skullcandy Crusher 2014 thanks to their wireless design you can also use wired. The wired Crusher 2014 have a more lightweight design and a better-balanced bass when not using the bass slider. They're also a bit more comfortable than the wireless variant since they're not as tight on the head. On the other hand, the Crusher Wireless have a better range, a more durable build quality, and easier to use controls, and they can be used wired and wireless which makes them a lot more versatile. They also have a better default sound.
Test Results
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless look more premium and better designed than the original wired Crusher. They have a lot more metal in their build quality, with a modern look that's comparable to Beats Studio3 Wireless or the Bose QuietComfort 35. They still do not look quite as premium as some other wireless over-ears like the Bowers and Wilkins PX or the Sony WH-1000XM2, but it's a big set up from the original wired design (see our recommendations for the best over-ear headphones). They even look better than the Hesh 3, which were released much later than the Crusher Wireless, and have the same look but a much lighter and weaker frame that's mostly plastic. Overall, the Crusher Wireless are good looking headphones, especially for their price and they come in two color schemes to better match your taste and preferences.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless are a bit too tight on the head, which may get a little uncomfortable after a while. The ear cups are decently well padded, and although they're heavier than the Hesh 3, they're still fairly lightweight headphones that won't cause any pain or soreness on the top of your head even after hours of listening. Unfortunately, the headband is a bit too tight, and the ear cups are fairly small. They fit decently well around most ears but won't be the most spacious ear cups. Also, the clamping sensation does get a bit bothersome during longer listening sessions, which may be a deal breaker for some, depending on head shape and size. We suggest taking a look at the Crusher 360 Wireless for similar headphones that are more comfortable.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless have an efficient and easy-to-use control scheme. They provide track-skipping, call/music, and volume controls, as well as a bass slider on the left ear cup. The buttons may be a bit difficult to distinguish by touch alone at first, but don't take long to get used to and deliver good tactile feedback.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless are not very breathable headphones. They're tight on the head and create a fairly good seal around your ears which prevents a lot of airflow. That combined with their closed-back over-ear design makes you sweat more than average if you use them while working out or running. Your ears may also get quite warm after a couple of hours of critical listening.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless fold into a more compact format that's decently portable. They won't be as easy to carry around as in-ears or on-ears, but on the upside, they're not as bulky as some of the other over-ears we've tested. Also, since they do fold, they will be a lot easier to carry around in a bag or backpack than the similarly designed skull candy Venue.
These headphones come with a simple pouch that feels rugged and sturdy enough to protect the headphones from scratches and scuffs when carrying them in your bag. Unfortunately, it won't offer as much protection as a hard case against impacts and drops, which may still damage your headphones.
The build quality is a big improvement over that of the original wired Crusher. The design looks and feels more modern, with dense oval ear cups and a sturdy metal headband that will easily survive a couple of accidental drops without getting damaged. This puts them almost on par with headphones like the Beats Studio3 Wireless or the Sennheiser HD 4.50, which is great considering the lower price point of the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless. Unfortunately, they still have plastic yokes that won't be as durable as the rest of the design. They also have slightly exposed cables between the ear cup and headband that could get damaged by wear and tear or get hooked by something in your hair, which is not ideal. Overall though the Crusher Wireless are better built and feel a lot more durable than the Skullcandy Venue and Hesh 3.
These headphones have a tight fit on the head that makes them stable enough to go running with. They're also wireless, so they won't get yanked off your head because the audio cable got hooked by something. However, like the Hesh 3, they still have a somewhat cumbersome over-ear design that won't be ideal for more intense workouts, since the headband will occasionally slide off your head when tilted. They're a decent option to take to the gym, but they won't be ideal for demanding physical activities.
The frequency response consistency of the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless is decent. In the bass range, we measured about 4dB of variance in the bass response across our 5 human subjects. This will be rather noticeable. In the treble range, they were a lot of more consistent across multiple re-seats.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless have an above-average bass. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz which is excellent. However, the response throughout the bass range is quite overemphasized, by at least 3dB. This results in quite a heavy and thumpy bass, which will overpower vocals and lead instruments in the mid and treble ranges, but fans of heavy bass may like it. It should be noted that these headphones were tested with the bass slider set to minimum. Their bass will be even more overpowering with the slider engaged, which is not recommended. If you'd prefer something similar but without being overdone, look at the nice haptic feedback of the Razer Nari Ultimate gaming headset.
The mid-range is above-average. The response throughout the range is quite even and flat but consistently underemphasized by about 3.5dB. This recess in the mid-range nudges the vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix by giving more emphasis to the bass frequencies.
The treble performance is very good. The response throughout the range is rather uneven and underemphasized. Low-treble is underemphasized by about 3.5dB and mid-treble is underemphasized by about 0.4dB. This results in vocals and lead instruments to lack a bit of brightness, detail, and presence.
The imaging is decent. Weighted group delay is at 0.7, which is decent. The GD graph also shows that the response between 40Hz and 80Hz is over the audibility threshold, resulting in a bit of a slow and loose bass in that region. The group delay performance in the mid and treble ranges, however, are below the audibility threshold. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video games effects) in the stereo image.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless have a sub-par soundstage. Their PRTF response doesn't follow our reference very closely, and there doesn't seem to be much pinna interaction happening anyway. This results in a soundstage that is perceived to be small and located inside the listener's head. Additionally, the closed-back design will make them sound less open and spacious, compared to an open-back headphone.
The isolation performance is sub-par. These over-ear headphones don't have active noise cancellation (ANC), and therefore do not provide any isolation in the bass range. This means they will let in all the low rumbling noise of airplane and bus engines. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they isolate by about 9dB, which is about average. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts the achieved 33dB of isolation, which is quite good.
The leakage performance is average-at-best. The significant portion of their leakage is spread across the mid and treble ranges, between 400Hz and 4KHz. This is a relatively broad range which results in the leakage being fuller sounding than that of in-ears and earbuds. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage averages at 43dB SPL and peaks at around 57dB SPL at 1 foot away, which is just below the noise floor of most offices.
The microphone has a mediocre recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 265Hz results in a recorded/transmitted speech that is relatively thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.8KHz indicates a speech that's noticeably muffled and lacks detail. Also, the response between the LFE and HFE points is rather uneven. However, speech will still be relatively intelligible since speech comprehensibility is mostly dependent on the 500Hz-4KHz range.
The noise handling of the integrated microphone of the Skullcandy Crusher Wireless is average. In our SpNR test, it achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 17dB. This means they are best suited for quiet and moderately loud environments but may struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise in louder places.
They have a great battery life and a fast charge time. They have about 36 hours of continuous playtime on average and charged completely within 2.4 hours. They should easily last you throughout the day and the fast charge time means even if you forget to charge them overnight you can always get a couple hours of playtime from a quick 10-minute charge. Unfortunately, they do not automatically switch off when inactive which would have been ideal.
Update: 4/4/2019: While testing the Crusher 360 Wireless we noticed an error in the Venue and Crusher Wireless reviews. They do not have a standby mode. Both reviews have been updated and the scores adjusted to reflect this.
These headphones don't have a companion app. If you're looking for similar headphones with an app that lets you customize their sound, check out the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless.
These headphones connect via Bluetooth but do not have multi-device pairing or NFC support.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless have about 162ms of latency which is not ideal for watching a lot of video content. It's a bit better than most average Bluetooth headphones with no low latency codecs, but if you want to watch a lot of video content it's best to use them wired with the provided 1/8" TRS audio cable.
The Skullcandy Crusher Wireless come with a regular 1/8" TRRS audio cable with an in-line remote and microphone. This means you will be able to use them with your Xbox One and PS4 controllers but may need a headset adapter for PCs.
These headphones do not have a base/dock. If you want a versatile headset with a base that you can also use wired, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7.
