Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless Headphones Review

The Skullcandy Dime 2 look identical to the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless with a simple, non-descript style. There's a brand logo on each stem. Unlike the previous generation, they only come in four color variants: 'Black', 'Light Grey/Blue', 'Dark Blue/Green', and a limited edition 'Doritos Red'.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 are fairly comfortable. They don't put much pressure inside your ear and come with three differently-sized pairs of ear tips to help you get the best fit. They have a deep in-ear fit, and their design is a bit bulky, which can put pressure on your ear. You need to hold the bud in place when using the controls to avoid putting additional pressure on your ear.

The controls are okay. Like the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless, most controls can be done on either bud. There's audio feedback when pairing, connecting, and disconnecting the buds. There are chimes to let you know when you've reached min and max volume, although it's the same sound used for both extremes. However, the buttons aren't very clicky, and using the controls can put pressure on your ear. You must press the controls a few times to adjust the volume.

On the left earbud:

• Double press: Lowers the volume.
• Press and hold for one second: Restarts the track. Also returns to the previous track.

On the right earbud:

• Double press: Raises the volume.
• Press and hold for one second: Skips the track forward.

On either earbud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends a call.
• Triple press: Activates your phone's voice assistant.

Like most earbuds, they have a small, lightweight design and easily fit into most pockets. They also come with a small carrying case that can fit into most pockets and bags without issue.

They come with a small, lightweight case. Two openings on the lid allow you to see the buds. However, when the lid's closed, you can't see the battery light on the buds. There's also a small LED light on the case near the charging port, which lets you know when the case is charging.

They have a good build quality, like their predecessor, the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels solid and durable. They're also certified IPX4 for resistance against splashes of water. However, the ear tips seem prone to ripping with continuous use.

These headphones have good stability. Even though they stick out of your ears and lack stability fins, they stay in place. They won't fall out of your ears during a run in the park or if you're listening to audio at your desk.

• Skullcandy Dime 2 earbuds
• Charging case
• Micro-USB to USB-A charging cable
• 3x tip size options
• Manuals

They have a slightly bass-rich sound profile that adds a bit of extra boom and warmth to mixes. That said, it doesn't overwhelm vocals and lead instruments, so they're suitable for a variety of audio content. However, they lack customization features, and you can't adjust their sound to suit your tastes.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 have excellent frequency response consistency. Once you get a proper fit using the provided ear tips, you'll achieve consistent audio delivery each time you use them.

Their bass accuracy is excellent. The response is slightly overemphasized, so your music has a little extra rumble, punch, and body.

They have excellent mid accuracy. The response is fairly flat, so instruments like the Vienna horn and trumpets throughout the theme from Jurassic Park sound clear and intense. However, some overemphasis comes from the bass range into the low-mid, which muddies the mix a bit. Vocals in the first bridge of Norweigan Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by The Beatles sound a little cluttered alongside the sitar and acoustic guitar. A dip in the mid-mid also slightly nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix.

They have excellent treble accuracy. The low-treble is slightly recessed, so vocals and lead instruments are slightly veiled. However, sibilants like cymbals are bright but not piercing.

Their peaks and dips performance is great. A peak in the high-bass to low-mid affects the right driver a little more prominently, adding boom and some muddiness to mixes. A dip in the mid-mid also affects the right driver more than the left, nudging vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. A few small dips in the low-treble slightly veil vocals and lead instruments, while the dip and peak in the mid-treble make sibilants like S and T sounds alternatingly dull and piercing.

They have an outstanding imaging performance. Most Skullcandy headphones we've tested have good imaging, indicating the brand's quality control and ergonomics. The weighted group delay for our unit falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. Also, the L/R drivers of our unit are well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement of objects, like instruments and voices, in the stereo image. Although there's a small peak in the phase response's mid-mid, which skews a little to the right, it's not very audible with real-life content. However, keep in mind that imaging can vary between units.

These buds have a terrible passive soundstage performance, which is on par with in-ear headphones. One of the key components in creating a large and speaker-like passive soundstage is that the outer ear activates with sound. However, their design bypasses your outer ear. As a result, sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is very good. There are a couple of peaks in the treble range at normal listening volumes, but they're minor and won't be noticeable with real-life content. All frequencies fall within good limits, producing clear and pure audio reproduction.

They have a decent noise isolation performance. They don't have ANC but do a good job of passively blocking out higher-pitched sounds like background chit-chat or the hum of an A/C unit. They can block out bass-range noise like rumbling engines, but not very well.

They have an outstanding leakage performance. They don't leak much audio at high volumes. If you're listening to your favorite songs at a high volume, others around you won't hear it unless you're in a quiet environment.

The integrated mic has a decent recording quality. Your voice sounds clear and understandable but lacks body and seems a little unnatural.

The mic has a sub-par noise handling performance. It struggles to separate your voice from background noise. Your voice can be drowned out if you're taking a call from a noisy environment like a busy street.

They have a mediocre battery performance. They last for just around 3.3 hours of continuous use, just under the advertised 3.5 hours, although battery life can vary depending on usage. The battery won't last you through long days on the go, but their carrying case holds roughly 2.4 additional charges if you need it and you can also use one bud while the other charges. If that's not enough for you, you can check out the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless, which have a continuous battery life of 8 hours. Thankfully the second Dime version have a standby mode that helps conserve battery life when you're not using them, which is an upgrade on the original Skullcandy Dime True Wireless.

The Skullcandy app is poor. It doesn't offer many features, and there isn't an EQ or presets to help you customize their sound. That said, you can see the battery and volume levels as well as the firmware version. You can also check out the FAQ section and register your buds. If you lose them, you can find your buds via Tile, but you need to download this app separately.

Their Bluetooth performance is okay. While they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing like the Skullcandy Dime 3 True Wireless, they have fairly low latency on iOS and Android devices, so they're suitable for streaming videos on your phone. However, their PC latency is much higher, so you'll notice that your audio and video are out of sync. Some apps and devices compensate for latency, though.

You can only use these headphones wirelessly. They come with a micro-USB to USB-C cable to charge their carrying case.

These buds are only compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can't connect them in any other way.

The Skullcandy Dime 2 come with a carrying case that supplies roughly 2.4 extra charges. There's a micro-USB input to recharge the case, but there aren't any other inputs.