The new flagship headphones blend Bose audio and big bass.
James Trew for Engadget RATING : 7.8 / 10 Pros Solid ANC Well-balanced sound Unique bass experience Cons Dated design Heavy for prolonged use Skullcandy has spent years carving out its own niche in the headphone market. While brands like Sony, Bose and Sennheiser were fighting over which had the best sound quality and noise cancellation, Skullcandy leaned into its reputation on one thing above all else: bass. The Crusher line, with its signature haptic bass system, has always been unapologetically over the top and front and center for the brand.
But times change, and there are hints that the company wants to grow out of that niche. The new flagship Crusher 1080 headphones come with audio credentials borrowed from Bose. Specifically, they carry Bose's QuietControl active noise cancellation (ANC), TrueSpatial directional audio and WaveForm tuning. This isn't the first Skullcandy headphone to be part of the Bose Sound program , but it's the first with such deep integration.
At around $270, though, Skullcandy is entering a fiercely competitive segment where Sony , Bose and Sennheiser already have pricier, well-established favorites. That means the Crusher 1080 has to be more than just fun — it has to be genuinely good. Thankfully, for the most part, it is.
On paper, the Crusher 1080 checks just about every flagship box. There's the aforementioned ANC along with wear detection, a claimed 60 hours of battery life, fast charging, multipoint Bluetooth, Auracast and an EQ with customizable controls via an app. The over-ear design is reminiscent of older Crusher models, with a reassuring, but hefty build and an understated aesthetic that feels a bit 2010's in a non-intentional way. There are some nice metal accents in the headband which make it feel premium, but overall it's a larger, more robust headset compared to the sculpted lines of current Sony or Bose models.
Skullcandy hasn't really ventured into the realm of gesture and touch controls, and they remain absent here. The physical buttons are all quite large which generally makes them easy to locate. The biggest is the dedicated haptic bass dial, which is so large it's part of the aesthetic. Nestled beside that is a switch for toggling between ANC and transparency mode. This pressable switch also cycles through listening presets (Music, Podcast, Movie and Custom). These two controls are close enough to each other that I often accidentally deactivate ANC when I want to adjust the haptic bass. The right-hand side has a mini joystick style control for volume and media, plus a button for power/pairing. The Crusher 1080 also supports regular 3.5mm and USB-C wired connections.
With 50 hours of battery with ANC active or 60 without, the Crusher 1080 is already pretty longevous. I still appreciate the fast-charging feature as quick top-ups can provide enough juice for a long commute or cafe work session on the occasions you forgot to plug them in.
The standout feature on the Crusher 1080 is no longer the haptic bass, although that, too, has been given a makeover. This focus here is on the Bose-powered audio. Skullcandy already dabbled with Bose Sound on the Method wireless buds , but that was more of a general tuning. With the Crusher 1080, Bose's fingerprints are all over the audio, from the main WaveForm audio engine to the TrueSpatial dimensional feature and, of course, the Bose-powered ANC.
The result is a clear sonic upgrade. I…