Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2: Immersive audio and customisable experience
Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2. Picture: Noel Campion.
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is a feature-packed headphone that promises to deliver an immersive audio experience. With its powerful drivers, active noise cancellation, and voice command capabilities, it aims to provide users with a versatile and customizable listening experience.
The Crusher ANC 2 has a zippered, fabric-covered hard-shell case for storage, a USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm audio cable. The headphone's earcups fold in for compact storage, and a large L and R are inside the case to ensure you place them in the correct orientation.
The left-hand earcup houses the Crusher ANC 2's power button, thumbwheel for adjusting the Crusher effect, USB-C charging port, and 3.5mm aux input.
The right-hand earcup features three buttons for play/pause, volume control, and call management, along with a slider for toggling ANC and enabling Stay Aware mode, which allows external sounds to be heard.
Despite its mostly plastic construction, the headphone is comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. The ample memory foam padding on the ear muffs is large enough to fit my ears comfortably, and the soft padded fabric headband underside meant I didn’t feel the weight too much despite these cans being on the heavier side of typical at 330g.
The clamping force is a little tight, but that’s a good thing as it does loosen over time. Also, there’s a decent range of adjustability in the sliding headband.
The soft rubber finish looks great and makes the Crusher ANC 2 nice to hold, but I’m not sure about the single orange button on the left earcup, which stands out from what is otherwise a fully matte black design.
Equipped with 40mm drivers and a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz, the Crusher ANC 2 delivers impressive bass response even without enabling the special Crusher effect, which not only increases the bass response but also vibrates the headphones so that you will also feel as well as hear the bass. However, the Crusher effect, which operates at frequencies from 10 Hz to 150Hz with a peak around 40Hz, can be too much at higher levels, creating a sensation of pressure on the ears. I asked several people to try them, and everyone loved the effect of the Crusher.
I only occasionally utilised the Crusher mode, and I discovered that it depends on the style of music you enjoy because it may make some tracks sound unnatural while boosting the energy of others.
The beauty of the system is that you can turn it off completely or use the dedicated Crusher dial to increase or decrease the effect.
Most listeners will love the sound signature of the Crusher ANCs, but the audio purist should look elsewhere. They’re a good option for non-competitive gaming and watching moves.
The Crusher ANC 2 features four microphones that monitor environmental noise to cancel it out. Toggling the active noise cancellation on and off using the slider on the ear cup did not significantly impact the audio performance, ensuring a seamless listening experience without compromising the music quality. The ANC is adequate but weaker than the best from Sony or Bose.
Skullcandy has incorporated voice command capabilities into the Crusher ANC 2, allowing voice control of various functions hands-free. With built-in Alexa and device-specific instructions, users can easily play, pause, adjust volume, skip tracks, and even initiate music streaming from Spotify or iHeart Radio.
If you want to use your phone’s assistant, you must say, “Hey, Skullcandy, assistant”. The Skullcandy voice commands are on-device, so that you won’t need a data connection, but Alexa will. These are optional and can be disabled if you don’t want to use them.
The voice commands feature works well and makes doing things hands-free much easier.
The headphone comes with SBC and AAC but lacks support for aptX codec and Sony's high bitrate LDAC, limiting the audio quality for Android users.
The Crusher ANC 2 don’t have wear sensors, so playback won’t automatically pause when you take them off. Also, there’s no auto power off — you must remember to turn them off manually.
Skullcandy claims up to 60 hours of battery life with noise cancellation disabled and up to 50 hours with ANC turned on. A 10-minute rapid charge provides approximately four hours of battery life. However, the lack of a sleep mode means that practical battery life will be reduced if the headphone is not manually turned off when not in use. On the positive side, the headphone can operate passively when connected to a source via the included 3.5mm audio cable.
The Skullcandy IQ app, available for Android and iOS, offers extensive customisation options for the Crusher ANC 2. Noteworthy features include Personal Sound Processing, which utilises a hearing test to suggest a custom EQ setting that can be further adjusted. However, the effectiveness of this personalisation may vary. The app also provides EQ presets for different audio types and allows users to create their own EQ modes using five sliders.
You can also customise the button mapping and enable multipoint pairing, which means you can connect the headphones to two devices simultaneously and easily switch audio playback between them. The Crusher ANC also come with support for Tile built-in. This allows you to find them if misplaced using the free Tile app. The app supports firmware updates which are always welcome.
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is a feature-packed headphone that delivers an immersive audio experience. The design and comfort are commendable, with foldable earcups and ample padding. The sound quality, especially the bass response, is impressive but may not suit all music genres. The active noise cancellation is decent but falls short compared to top competitors. Voice commands work well, and the Skullcandy IQ app provides extensive customisation options. Battery life is excellent, but the absence of sleep mode is a drawback. Overall, the Crusher ANC 2 excels in audio and customisation, making it a solid choice for non-competitive gaming and movie watching.
Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 €230 Skullcandy
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