Skullcandy is back with a new pair of wireless headphones, and this time, they’re going big on sound by Bose.
The $279.99 Crusher 1080 ANC will have several new Bose technologies that are the first to be marketed in a non-Bose pair of headphones. Among those firsts is Bose’s QuietControl ANC, which allows users to finely adjust the level of ANC so that it’s better tailored to their environment. It’s also adaptive, meaning it can change automatically depending on the loudness of your environment. This isn’t novel, exactly, since a lot of headphones allow you to control ANC levels, but it’s more granular than other similar features, which usually only have a few levels.
Another first-ever for the Crusher 1080 ANC is TrueSpatial audio with head tracking, which is designed to make music sound like it’s playing from speakers in front of you, adding a sense of dimension to stereo tracks. I don’t love spatial audio features most of the time, but Bose does a decent job as far as AI-enhanced audio goes.
Bose’s WaveForm audio engine also makes its debut outside a Bose product here. This is a proprietary audio processing technology from Bose that’s meant to balance acoustics and dynamics and keep voices and music clear, even at high volumes or with a lot of background noise.
Speaking of voices, the Crusher 1080 ANC will also have Bose’s SpeechClarity voice pickup, which is meant to boost voice clarity on calls (though this isn’t a first).
Outside of the assist from Bose, Skullcandy says it’s improved the headphones’ drivers generation over generation. Specifically, the company says it’s made use of a “stiffer material” that creates more “pistonic movement” of the diaphragm and equates to less harmonic breakup. There’s also an enclosed acoustic cavity that’s meant to improve ANC performance and improve detail/separation of sound. Skullcandy says the Crusher 1080 ANC have up to 60 hours of battery life with ANC mode turned off and 50 hours with ANC on.
Obviously it’s hard to say how all of these tweaks and Bose tech add up experientially without trying the Crusher 1080 ANC myself, but on paper it’s a solid price for how much Bose tech is inside. For context, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) cost $449 MSRP, so that’s a huge premium. That being said, I’m skeptical that Skullcandy can actually challenge Bose’s wireless headphones in the ANC department—Bose has to justify its own wireless headphones somehow, right?
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