Skullcandy Budweiser Headphones? It is Super Bowl Sunday as I type this out and it almost feels appropriate that the King of Beers has partnered with Skullcandy on a collection of limited edition headphones.
When I was approached by Skullcandy with the opportunity to review this selection of headphones, I was both flattered and surprised; it’s nice to know that our headphone coverage is getting noticed, and that audio companies are starting to understand the importance of branding opportunities with global brands outside of the category.
Music and alcohol consumption are not strange bedfellows and this wouldn’t be the first time in recent years that a company has done something like this.
Grado Labs offered a limited edition headphone with ear cups manufactured from a Bushmills Whiskey Barrel which sold out in one day.
Linn offered a special edition version of the Sondek LP-12 Turntable also made from a Scotch Whisky barrel and it wasn’t exactly inexpensive.
The Skullcandy Budweiser Headphones are a collection of the brand’s most popular models; the Crusher Evo, Dime, Sesh Evo, and Indy Evo.
All four models have been reworked and the partnership makes a lot of sense for a myriad of reasons; Skullcandy have worked really hard at owning the sub-$100 headphone market and their marketing has targeted teenagers and young adults with their branding.
The brand has made a strong effort since launch of emphasizing its roots in Park City, Utah, and is actively engaged in the community and the sports that helped make it a really popular brand with skaters and teenagers.
Budweiser really doesn’t need a formal introduction but it clearly understands that young people love listening to music on headphones and that they tend to drink alcoholic beverages when they party with their friends.
We certainly don’t condone teenage drinking so resist the urge to complain in the “comments” section; young people are going to drink regardless of what a bunch of white-haired audiophiles have to say about it.
What’s in the Case?
The samples arrived packaged in a red Budweiser box decorated with the Skullcandy logo mixed with the Budweiser can logo design, and a skull wearing the Budweiser crown on the side.
Opening the box revealed a black interior (Skullcandy’s color of choice) with red accents and all of the supplied kit; which includes a pair of Crusher Evo headphones, a carrying case for the Crusher Evo, cables, and manual.
All of the items utilize the Budweiser color palette and logo with the Crusher having red ear cups and gimbals, a black headband with the skull wearing the crown above each gimbal, and Budweiser branding on the headband.
The case is a black leatherette bag with a red nylon web tie with the Budweiser bow tie on the clip and a white tag with the Budweiser name in red attached to the lower side of the strap. Subtle.
The Dime 2 TWS Earbuds came with the Crusher Evo but they are not offered as part of a package together.
The Dime TWS Earbuds have a red case top with the white bow tie logo and a black case body with the Budweiser name embossed on the front of the case. The earpieces also sport a transparent red exterior shell and metallic red underside combined with black ear tips.
The skull logo on the exterior of the buds is unchanged from the original Dime model and is not wearing the crown like its larger sibling due to space constraints on the smaller surface.
Earbuds & Headphones
I reviewed the original Skullcandy Dime TWS Earbuds in 2021, but the model offered in the Budweiser package are the updated Dime 2 TWS Earbuds.
It doesn’t appear that very much has changed externally; the shape and size of the earbuds are the same and the case still leaves the stick portion of the buds exposed through the lid.
The exposed portion contain the touch controls which worked well on the version that we reviewed and it’s good to know that Skullcandy realized that the design didn’t need to be changed.
The battery life is still listed at 3.5 hours for the earbuds and 8.5 hours for the charging case so these features are also unchanged.
The big difference between the Dime and Dime 2 is the addition of Tile to the Dime 2; including this “find my earbuds” feature on a $34.99 pair of earbuds when it regularly appears on Skullcandy’s $80 wireless IEMs is a nice addition.
Crusher Evo
The $209.99 Crusher Evo True Wireless Headphones are made primarily of impact resistant plastic with a metal headband and metal hinges for added strength. The headband is padded with a rubber-like material over memory foam for improved comfort.
The pads are memory foam coated in a protein leatherette material; the cups rotate a full 180° on the vertical axis and have roughly 15° of tilt on the horizontal which helps with fit.
The clamping force is fairly high initially, but that won’t be an issue if they relax over time. I did find that the Crusher Evo became warm on my ears when used for longer listening sessions, but was otherwise comfortable.
The provided bag is a nice touch as it should keep the red mirrored surfaces from getting scratched up and it fits easily inside a backpack or laptop bag.
The controls are laid out with the left ear cup having the USB Type-C charging port, a 3.5mm port for wired use, bass slider, and finally the power button/LED combo at the top.
The right ear cup offers 3 buttons along the rear face; the top and bottom are volume controls while the middle button lets you play or pause the music.
When powered on for the first time, the Crusher Evo automatically goes into pairing mode but did not trip the Google Quick Pair function on my Android test phones.
After first pairing, the power button serves as the pairing control as well with a long press (5 seconds) of the power button putting the headphone into pairing mode with the LED blinking red/blue in rapid succession.
Once connected, there is both a voice prompt and a visual LED change to a slow blue blink. The Crusher Evo supports SBC and AAC protocols and worked well with both my Samsung and Apple devices. It does not support Bluetooth aptX or LDAC.
The 40 hour battery life claim really depends on volume levels and the amount of bass boost.
To Skullcandy’s credit, the Crusher Evo delivered close to 50 hours when used at 75dB with the bass boost disabled; that’s a significant level of performance over their published specifications but I suspect that most listeners will listen at louder levels and with the bass boosted — shortening the battery life.
The battery charge time specification might be slightly optimistic; ten minutes yielded slightly under 3 hours of listening time which is still quite respectable but not quite the claimed performance.
The Sound
The heart of the Crusher Evo is its 40mm dynamic driver with a nominal impedance of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of roughly 102dB/mW.
Even on its lowest setting, the Crusher Evo delivers a tremendous amount of bass; for some listeners it will prove to be too much and I can totally appreciate that. If you listen to music with a lot of bass, these headphones can deliver a jarring experience at higher volume levels.
What’s interesting though is that the bass response (on the lowest setting) doesn’t dominate the overall tonal balance and presentation — which is often the case with similar headphones. The midrange is actually quite acceptable on these headphones; the midrange is slightly recessed sounding and the bass and lower treble are definitely tilted, but they are still quite listenable.
Nobody from Skullcandy has ever claimed that these are audiophile-level headphones and nobody should expect that level of performance at the asking price.
The smart play with these headphones is to keep the bass slider at its lowest position which still provide solid bass performance but without any form of bleed into the midrange; this is as close to neutral as you’re going to get with these.
As you increase the bass, it does begin to bleed over into the midrange and the bass loses its definition and the overall presentation becomes less clear.
If you want a headphone that will rattle your teeth — these can actually do that but they lose most of their value when that happens.
Vocals cut through the instrumentation rather well at moderate levels and the guitar has just enough energy and detail to keep one engaged.
This is not the headphone for strings; I found that the violin lost most of its energy and texture making classical music quite dull. The overall tuning does not provide a lot of top end detail so those looking for an “airy” treble will have to look elsewhere.
Conclusion
Who should consider this Skullcandy Budweiser headphone packages?
Putting aside the branding on the products and packaging — which Skullcandy have done a really nice job with, the Crusher Evo are for a certain type of listener.
If you love listening with a lot of bass, this entire package which includes the Crusher Evo is a solid buy for the overall sound quality and battery life.
The $34.99 Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless Earbuds are a rather good deal and deliver above average sound quality and battery life.
The $59.99 Sesh Evo offer an IP55 rating for use at the gym and outdoors and deliver 24 hours of battery life. The $79.99 Indy Evo True Wireless Earbuds offer all of the features of the lower priced models but with Apple AirPod-like sound quality for a lot less money.
The Budweiser branding isn’t too much and I think Skullcandy have done a really nice job on these limited edition headphones.
Where to buy
- Skullcandy x Budweiser Crusher Evo True Wireless Headphones – $209.99 at skullcandy.com
- Skullcandy x Budweiser Indy Evo True Wireless Earbuds – $79.99 at skullcandy.com
- Skullcandy x Budweiser Sesh Evo True Wireless Earbuds – $59.99 at skullcandy.com
- Skullcandy x Budweiser Dime 2 True Wireless Earbuds – $34.99 at skullcandy.com
For more information: skullcandy.com
ORT
February 15, 2022 at 11:58 am
I own an use a pair of Skullcandy ANC Crusher headphones. They are pretty nice too. They are, of course, bass oriented but I listen to LOT of real Jazz and the acoustic bass those ‘phones put out really does rattle my head, LOL!
Skullcandy makes a decent product, one that I recommend to friends and family. My youngest brother is a Budweiser Fan and likes music. I could see him using these with a smile on his face. And that is exactly what a product such as this should do. Make you happy you got ’em!
Thank for the wonderful review, “Mr. Minion”! Well done, indeed!
ORT
W. Jennings
February 15, 2022 at 2:26 pm
Thanks ORT! I agree that we all need to remember that headphones that are just plain fun are not only OK, they are needed. There are plenty of times where something like the Skullcandy offerings make perfect sense and where a high-end audiophile headphone is not warranted. I wouldn’t take an LCD(anything) on public transit, on a canoe trip, or out by the pool. I’d take any of these new Budweiser/Skullcandy offerings all three of those places without hesitation. My wife was the one that dubbed me the Audiofool and the minion kind of came with that. The whole thing is a bit tongue in cheek, but I figure you need to be able to laugh at yourself, and remember that this is a hobby to be enjoyed and not nearly as serious as many try and make it.
Scott Wiggins
March 7, 2022 at 9:08 pm
I was pretty excited when I was checking my emai and had one from both Budweiser and shop beer gear about these. I live an hour and a half southwest of St Louis so Budweiser is naturally a popular product in my area. I have an ever growing Budweiser collection of collectibles, bottles and cans that are limited edition, mirrors and Budweiser stuff I’ve made with my woodworking over the years. I’m not an “audiophile” but I do like higher quality sound than the cheapest headphones and earbuds on the market of course. I’m definitely going to snatch up a pair of these Skullcandy’s. I was thinking about a pair of Plantronics before. I have a plantronics headset for my Xbox and love how comfortable they are and how good they sound but shut up and take my money Skullcandy.