Skullcandy’s Crusher Evo headphones: the closest electronic music enthusiasts can get to a live show amid COVID-19 [Review]Screen Shot 2020 09 16 At 9.33.13 PM

Skullcandy’s Crusher Evo headphones: the closest electronic music enthusiasts can get to a live show amid COVID-19 [Review]

With festivals and standalone shows on pause for the foreseeable future amid ongoing COVID-19 health concerns, Skullcandy is bringing electronic music enthusiasts the next best thing: Crusher Evo. After a multi-day trial run of the headphones, which represent the newest technological addition to the Crusher family—Skullcandy’s most popular franchise—Dancing Astronaut can unequivocally declare the following: the Crusher Evo is the closest that dance aficionados can get to a live music experience in the pre-vaccine COVID-19 period.

The Crusher Evo is a bullseye for Skullcandy, which specifically set out to not only optimize bass streaming technics but also faithfully replicate live shows to the extent possible via the introduction of two specific audio advancements. These enhancements include an improved version of the Crusher family’s existent feature, Skullcandy’s patented Sensory Haptic Bass, and the addition of Personal Sound from Audiodo, an audio personalization technology enabled through the Skullcandy iOS/Android application.

Sensory Haptic Bass, specific to the Crusher line, has been a defining feature/characteristic of this audio series for a while now, affording listeners the opportunity to control just how bass-boosted their respective streaming sessions will be. By sliding a button up the bass scale to increase the low-end’s prominence or alternatively, sliding the same button down to attenuate it, Crusher Evo users can exercise unparalleled authority over the bass, lending a high degree of personalization to the Crusher Evo listening experience.

Skullcandy’s Crusher Evo headphones: the closest electronic music enthusiasts can get to a live show amid COVID-19 [Review]Screen Shot 2020 09 16 At 9.32.28 PM 1
Featured image: Skullcandy

The functionality is a must for rail riders and headbangers, Dancing Astronaut can attest, while adding that those who do not fit this profile should nevertheless also consider adding the Crusher Evo to their virtual shopping carts due to the headphones’ ability to better listening quality for other songs that are not necessarily of a bass-heavy nature. While the Crusher Evo headphones unsurprisingly invigorated high-octane, bass-laden releases such as “Griztronics” and “Frontlines,” their Sensory Haptic Bass technology also effectively enhanced productions that would not necessarily fall under the bass categorization, such as Cardi B’s viral hit “WAP.”

Those unfamiliar with the Sensory Haptic Bass technology will be likely to wonder how they’d not previously had it at their disposal upon trying the Crusher Evo headphones, while those acquainted will recognize the new technological update—the addition of more multi-dimensional haptic vibration patterns across a wider range of bass frequencies—as a caliber-heightening change. In contrast with other headphones on the market, the Crusher Evo doesn’t appeal only to the auditory senses. Skullcandy’s latest audio hardware transmits sound that can be distinctly felt, not just heard, thanks in large part to Sensory Haptic Bass.

The propensity for a tailored Crusher Evo listening experience is furthered by the introduction of Audiodo’s Personal Sound technology.

“We know that everyone’s hearing is different, so it’s no surprise that what one person may deem as ‘great sound’ may not be great for someone else. The Personal Sound feature enables everyone to find that ideal balance of audio levels that are matched precisely to them and only them,” Jeff Hutchings, Skullcandy Product Officer said in a press release.

To tune their headphones, listeners need only to download the Skullcandy application and take a quick hearing test, the results of which will comprise their unique Personal Sound Profile.

Skullcandy’s Crusher Evo headphones: the closest electronic music enthusiasts can get to a live show amid COVID-19 [Review]Screen Shot 2020 09 16 At 9.32.36 PM
Featured image: Skullcandy

When the Personal Sound Profile has been set up, the Audiodo technology automatically adjusts incoming audio levels to optimize sound to the listener’s individual Sound Profile-specified needs. Having used the Crusher Evo before enabling Personal Sound and thereafter, Dancing Astronaut recommends immediately completing the Audiodo test in the Skullcandy application, because true to Skullcandy’s promise, it is indeed possible to hear layers and sounds not previously perceptible upon setting up a Sound Profile.

Although many of us continue to spend many of our hours at home these days, the Crusher Evo comes equipped with various features that will only increase in value as we progressively return to a more normal, pre–COVID-19 state, presumably in the months to come. Among them is the Evo’s 40-hour battery life and rapid charge capability; just 10 minutes of charging yields four hours of battery life.

With the Crusher Evo, Skullcandy also offers a solution to misplaced headphones: built-in Tile, allowing Tile users to locate lost headphones simply by “ringing” them. Other Crusher Evo functionalities include the ability to take calls, change songs, adjust volume, and active device assistants such as Siri without touching their phone, thanks to a full suite of media controls.

Skullcandy’s Crusher Evo headphones: the closest electronic music enthusiasts can get to a live show amid COVID-19 [Review]Screen Shot 2020 09 16 At 9.33.00 PM 1
Featured image: Skullcandy

The aforementioned features are easy to use, and the headphones plush, weighing less than two pounds. Crusher Evo’s over-the-ear design heightens the immersive quality of the Skullcandy listening experience, and although not noise-cancelling, we did not find outside noise to be intrusive let alone generally perceivable when wearing the headphones. This is likely partly due to the thickness of the headphone pads.

Users should expect a slight amount of sound bleed when listening at an elevated volume, but the bleed is minimal and certainly not a discourager for would-be purchasers. Listeners would just want to consider this before cranking the volume all the way up in a quiet office setting, for instance.

Retailing at $199, the Crusher Evo is an affordable piece of highly-tailorable listening technology that reproduces the live event experience in a portable fashion, at a price point that is a bargain for the level of personalization and technological performance offered. Learn more about the Crusher Evo headphones here.

Featured image: Skullcandy

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