Skullcandy , the brand based out of Utah needs no introduction in the first place since everyone knows that SKULLCANDY means BASS! Most of the audiophiles stay away from their products since they are more focussed on the low end while the rest of the frequencies and the technical aspects are missed out while most of the general consumers tend to buy their products with much interest since who doesn’t love BASS!
The crushers series of headphones are famous for their skull rattling bass and to improve that experience the Skullcandy has re-invented their series by releasing their new product named CRUSHERS EVO, the fun machine. In this review let’s check out how fun it is in your ears and that interesting Sensory Bass functionality.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Headphone Type: Bluetooth® Over-Ear
Connection Type: Bluetooth® 5.0
Impedance: 32 Ohms ±15%
Driver Diameter: 40mm
THD: <1%@1K
Sound Pressure Level: 95~100dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
Table of Contents
DESIGN AND FIT:
The design is ergonomic providing a nice comfortable longer listening session while the ear cups do tend to heat up a bit during longer listening but that’s the common problem with most of the ear cups. The ears do sit well inside the ear cups and thanks to that design. The headband is well constructed and feels well sturdy while flexing. The headband has a nice silicone cushioning on the top thus providing a pressure free wearing. The top portion of the headband has a unique rubberised texture giving the headphone a premium feel while touching.
The controls are nicely placed on the earcups and are easily accessible. They are available in three colours and can be chosen by the consumer while purchasing. The Sensory Bass slider is well placed and feels premium while sliding giving a nice reassurance of the quality of the product.
The headphones are collapsible and the ear cups can be adjusted in all directions with limited rotation giving a nice adaptable placement to the ears. Easy to carry in the provided pouch and talking about them the carry pouch is very good in terms of quality and unique in terms of design.
SOUND:
The sound profile of the Crushers Evo is more on a balanced side when the bass slider is completely turned down. The sound dramatically changes when the sensory bass slider is moved upwards making the whole experience an unimaginable one where the vibrators inside the head cups get activated based on the low frequency response of the track that’s being played which helps you to feel the bass physically by those vibrations.
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Surprisingly the sound signature doesn’t sound that muffled out like the previous generation headphones, rather this one has a good amount of clarity, open sound and the best part is the app where it is completely furnished and hence has a separate band EQ. When the sensory bass is slided up the mid range however gets slightly recessed out while the treble gets boosted up.
The Crushers Evo can be also used in the wired mode in case if the battery dies or if you have any high end dac to enjoy.
LOW END:
The name of the headphone itself says! CRUSHERS! The bass is a skull crushing type where those sensory vibrations make the whole experience to another level. When the sensory bass slider is levelled down the bass is pretty neutral hence the user can adjust the slider based on their taste and needs. A pretty neat little trick played out there by Skullcandy!
Both the sub and the mid bass are sweetly tuned where the sub bass can be felt physically by those vibrations caused by the vibrators and thanks to the Sensory Bass for that important role. This just gives you a cinematic experience. A movie on your smartphone and this Crushers Headphone are more than enough to give you a presentation of a portable theatre.
The separation, texture and the control of the bass is stellar in the Crushers. The sub bass reach is deeper while the speed of the bass is precise in terms where they neither feel too slower nor too faster giving a nice rumbling low end without compromising on the quality of it. The bass does get muffled up when the sensory bass slider is moved to the top most portion but it remains great for me when the slider is kept at 25 percent.
Overall, the bass in the Crushers is the star show here with some excellent fun reproduction and thanks to that innovative Sensory Bass slider which literally helps you to feel the bass physically. The texture, control and the attack of the bass is on point while the speed is made a little bit slower to provide that satisfactory rumbling sensation.
MID RANGE:
The mid range in the Crushers are well tuned for a well executed fun headphone. The mid range is not the cleanest around there but it’s really great in terms of tone and timbre of the instruments. The tonality is on the colder side but has that natural serene as much as possible and the instruments do sound really natural without any artificial or metallic sense.
The vocals are placed in a laid back position hence the staging appears pretty big and wide enough. The instruments in the background are slightly recessed in terms of placement hence the acoustic and classical music would sound a little bit duller. The lower midrange takes up the center stage due to that excessive bass presence while the upper mid range is less pronounced hence the stringed and high pitched frequencies sounds duller in comparison to the low end. The mid range tried to be as clean as possible but the mid bass excess prevents it which can be EQ’d and that’s the biggest positive aspect of this Crushers.
The track separation in the mid range is good but needs some improvement. If the upper mid range has been emphasized then the separation would have been a lot better. Overall the midrange is fuller, bodied and engaging but needs a bit of brightness and separation to make the presentation appear well detailed and clean.
TREBLE:
The treble section in the Crushers are more on a polite side rather than being exaggerated or well detailed. The headphones that usually are tuned towards fun will have a duller treble section but the Crushers has a good amount of treble boost as compared to that of the competitors in this tuning range.
First, the extension in the top end is average but definitely not the worst. The shimmer and the brilliance factor cannot be observed in this headphone but the truth is that it’s more focussed on the fun aspect rather than the technical aspect. The detail retrieval is on the moderate side.
The good aspects are the separation since the airiness and the clarity in the top end is pretty good. The staging being nice and wide helped in the bigger presentation making the instruments to sound less cluttered out. The cymbal crashes and the trumpets sound really natural with precise attack and decay making them more pleasing to listen to.
Overall the treble is well executed and nicely goes along with that tasty low end. They may not be the best technical headphones but if you need an excellent fun reproducing machine then the Crushers treble section would definitely satisfy you.
TECHNICALITIES:
STAGING: The staging in the Crusher is nice and big giving more room to the instruments and vocals to be played out. The presentation feels nice and grandeur without any noticeable constriction.
IMAGING: Being a fun set it’s slightly over thinking about the imaging since the big bass presence would make the imaging a bit hazy. Even then the imaging is found to be above average and even after raising the sensory bass slider to the top position the instruments found to be placed precisely. The channel sweep and the transient response were found to be pretty smoother and neat.
The detail retrieval and the separation are average and in my opinion, that fun reproduction easily compensates for the missed technical aspect of the Crushers.
BATTERY LIFE AND CHARGING:
The Crushers Evo is engineered with a 40 hrs of playback from a full single charge while the headphone takes only 10 mins to provide you a 4 hours’ worth of playback and that’s the fast charging you got in the Crushers.
They also got the Type C charging port hence you don’t need to carry an extra cable to charge out the headphones where your smart phone cable is more than enough to carry and sorry to the Apple users!
SKULLCANDY APP:
The Skullcandy app is well furnished and has a great amount of customisation providing the user a customised experience. The app has a separate band EQ and has a personalised audio tab to analyse individuals ear frequency response and it creates an EQ based on that responds to give the user a custom EQ which is personalised to them.
The controls and the user manual are embedded in the app hence the user can get an idea of how to use the headphones just by installing the app.
TILES APP is another added advantage to this headphone which helps you to find the lost headphone. The app needs to be installed on your device and the headphones need to be registered with the app.
VERDICT:
Crushers Evo, the latest offering from the house of Skullcandy a brand based out of Utah is a well executed fun reproducing machine! The Evo is the upgraded version of the already well renowned Crushers. This model particularly lacks the ANC feature but this is a well improved version of all the Crushers models out there.
The design is ergonomic with sturdy build quality and the earcups has a nice cushion providing a good extended listen without any disturbance to the ears. They tend to heat up a bit and that’s the con with most of the ear pads. Comfort wise they are very ergonomic and those rectangular shaped ear cups do give good room for the ear to place inside the ear cups.
The sound especially here is more mature and has a well established bass performance. The low end here is supported by the Sensory Bass which makes you experience the physical vibrations produced by the low frequencies. Despite the bigger bass, they tend to be cleaner, well separated from sub and mid bass regions and well textured too.
The mid range is slightly recessed but still they sound as natural as possible in terms of tone and timbre. The lower mid section appears nice and full with full bodied sound while the upper midrange is polite giving a nice pleasing extended listen. The treble section is calmer yet engaging, giving a nice bright serene to the overall presentation. The technical aspects like the detail retrieval and the imaging may not be the strong aspect of this headphone but the staging and the fun aspects are on point thus giving the consumers a best treat for their vibes.
Overall the Crushers Evo are the best in terms of fun, fun and fun!.. It sometimes gets boring after listening to a lot of analytical and critical headphones and after all, where’s the fun?! There comes this FUN REPRODUCER! a machine which is built to provide fun for the soaring ears.
PROS AND CONS:
Pros:
- Sensory Bass
- Tonality
- Staging
- Smoother Treble
- Fit and Design
- App Functionality
- Bluetooth and Wired
Cons:
- Recessed Mid Range
- Technical Aspects of the Sound
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
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I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
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This content is collaboratively crafted and vetted by Shubham, a Mechanical Engineering specialist. His passion for unraveling the intricacies of machinery and consumer electronics mirrors his avid interest in gaming. With his wealth of expertise, Shubham adeptly navigates readers through the complexities of audio, home appliances, and everyday products, guaranteeing a smooth and enjoyable shopping journey. For every product you read about on this site we do rigorous research and testing behind the scenes to bring you the best value for money options. For any query directly reach out to me at my personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shubhamgarg8024/
