The new skullcandy Crusher ANC are just a whole lot of fun.
And if you’re considering getting these headphones you’re mainly concerned about
their bass cause it truly is insane.
But due to their price point and new features… a lot of people want to know how these headphones
compare to the Sony 1000XM3 and Bose NC 700.
Specifically their active noise cancellation.
Now the Skullcandy crusher ANC retails for $320 where as the Sony’s retail for $350,
but they sometimes go on sale now for $300.
So obviously the price difference between the Sony’s and Skullcandy’s could be a
dilemma for some people looking into getting a pair of ANC headphones…
And then theres the Bose NC 700’s which retail for $400.
If you want to pick any of these headphones up theyll be linked down below, and if you
want to learn more about any of these headphones please watch their full reviews cause we’re
only going to be going over the main differences here.
Now the first thing I want to address here is fit, cause simply put if your headphones
don’t fit right you’re not going to want to use them.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the Crusher ANC’s are the best fitting headphones out
there.
They fit ok but I can only wear them for short periods of time.
But if I try to watch movies with these headphones or even edit a video with them, I just can’t
do it, you never forget that they’re there.
First off the crusher ANC’s are a pair of very heavy headphones weighing in at 310 grams.
Where as the Sony’s weigh in at 253 grams and Bose weigh in at 262 grams.
And you’d be surprised how noticeable this extra weight is especially when you’re walking
around with them on or even just moving your head.
Now even though the crusher ANC’s do have fairly spacious ear cups compared to the Sony’s
and Bose… due to their stiffer padding and more synthetic feeling leatherette they just
aren’t as comfortable.
If I had to rank these headphones comfort wise it would go Sony 1000XM3’s, Bose NC
700, and then the Crusher ANC.
Now the Sony’s should fit most people just fine, but if you have larger ears or ears
that stick out a lot then you’ll be better off with the Bose.
Now the reason why I find the Sony’s more comfortable than the Bose is just cause the
Sony’s have less clamping force than the Bose.
If you have a smaller head the Bose will fit you just fine, but for me I go sony cause
all of my hats are XL.
But what im getting at here is that if you’re looking into investing upwards of $300 on
a pair of headphones then you should get a pair that fit well and a pair that you can
wear for hours on end so that you can comfortably travel with or binge watch Netflix or watch
movies with.
And personally I just can’t recommend the Crusher’s for that, you’re honestly better
off with the Sony or Bose.
And if your main concern here is Active Noise cancelation then you’re definitely better
off with either the Sony Or Bose.
The ANC on the Crusher’s block out a decent amount of road noise, which shouldn’t be
a problem for a decent pair of ANC headphones… but when it comes to chatter the Crushers
just simply can’t keep up.
But so that you can see for yourself, we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
Like you may have just seen, the active noise cancellation on the crushers just can’t
compete with the ANC on the Sony’s or Bose.
The active noise cancellation on the Crusher’s is honestly more comparable to a pair of mid
range ANC headphones instead of a premium pair of ANC headphones like we have here.
But also the active noise cancelation on the crusher’s does have a noticeable amount
of cabin pressure.
Now you’re not going to feel when you’re listening to music with these headphones with
ANC turned on, but you will notice it when you’re watching movies or TV with these
headphones.
Where as with both the Sony and Bose, their cabin pressure is significantly less compared
to the Crushers.
Personally I just prefer to use the Crusher’s with their ANC turned off.
Now even though the Active noise cancellation on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC isn’t is amazing,
its still very nice to have cause it can still come in handy when you need it.
But you don’t pick up the Skullcandy Crusher ANC if Active Noise Cancellation is your main
priority, you pick them up cause you’re serious about your bass.
These headphones offer a completely different listening experience that neither of these
headphones can come close to matching.
The bass on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC is like having constant explosions going on when
you’re listening to music.
Which is just a lot of fun, you literally feel your music, and it kind of feels like
being at a concert.
The reason you pick up the Skullcandy Crusher ANC is cause of fun.
Now even though the Crusher ANC’s have a ridiculous amount they also sound decent.
The bass on the crusher ANC is much more under control compared to their predecessors the
Skullcandy Crusher 360’s which means they’re not going to muddle the rest of your music
when the bass gets going.
But also the mids and highs on the ANC’s are little brighter than the 360’s so that
they can better cut through all of their bass.
Now obviously you can adjust how much bass these headphones have by using their bass
slider and personally I like keeping its around half way.
But unfortunately you don’t have full control of their EQ settings.
You can use their optimal EQ settings but personally I was never happy with how they
sounded, so I just don’t use that feature.
Now if we were to look at the completely opposite side of the spectrum here we would end up
with the Bose NC 700’s.
The Bose NC 700’s have a neutral sound signature which is better suited for easy listening.
Even though the bass on the NC 700 does resonate, you don’t actually feel it which is what
I know some people are looking for in a pair of headphones.
Instead the focus more on clarity, soundstage and instrument separation.
Where as with the Sony’s obviously they don’t come close to matching the Crusher’s
even with their bass turned all the way up to ten.
But for your average listener the bass on the Sony’s should satiate most people cause
they do have more of a kick to them compared to the Bose.
And also take into account that you have full control over the Sony EQ settings so you can
make them sound however you want deepening on the type of music you listen to.
So sound quality wise the safe bet here are the Sony’s cause you can make them sound
how ever you want but if you’re dead serious about your bass then the Crushers are the
way to go.
But the last major feature on the Crusher ANC is that they now have an ambient mode
just like the Bose NC 700’s and Sony 1000XM3.
For the most part the ambient mode on the Crusher is decent cause it sounds natural,
but technically its a little behind Bose’s and Sony’s ambient modes cause you can’t
actually adjust it.
Ultimately this isn’t a huge deal, but when you’re spending upwards of $300 on a pair
of headphones small things like this can add up.
But something that I do wish the Cursher had was a conversation feature like the Bose and
Sonys.
With the Bose if you press and hold on their Noise cancellation button for a few seconds
they’ll automatically lower the volume of your music and let in all of the ambient sound
so you can talk to someone without taking you’re headphones off like this.
And then when you press any button on these headphones they’ll go back to normal.
And I also want to quickly point out that Bose’s conversation mode is better than
sony quick attention cause both of your hands are free unlike the Sony’s where you have
to keep their touch pads covered.
And finally theres the microphone on these headphones… even though the 1000XM3’s
are my favorite and most recommended headphones, their microphone sucks.
Now the microphone on the Skullcandy Crusher ANC is a little better but you’ll definitely
have to speak up
But then theres the Bose which just have the best sounding microphone in the game.
But with all the being said, if you’re looking into picking up a pair of ANC headphones to
use in your day to day life, to watch movies with, to daily commute with or to fly with.
Then you’re obviously better off with the Sony’s or Bose.
Personally I recommend the Sony over the Bose, but thats a whole other video.
You simply pick up the Skullcandy Crusher ANC’s because of the sheer amount of fun
they offer.
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC offer a completely unique listening experience almost no other
pair of headphones can offer.
The amount of head rattling bass on these headphones is simply over kill, but you can’t
help but smile when you use these headphones.
And then the addition of active noise cancellation and an ambient mode on these headphones just
make them more versatile.
But like I mentioned at the beginning of this video, the Crusher ANC’s aren’t the best
fitting headphones out there espieaclly when compared to these other two headphones.
So I would only recommend these headphones for short listening sessions.
All in all, the Crusher ANC’s are like a luxury sports car.
They’re a lot of fun to use and they do offer some luxury amenities to make life a
little easier for you.
And you could use them as a daily driver if you’re crazy or brave enough.