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Skullcandy is as much a lifestyle brand as it is an audio company. Although I enjoy their Crusher headphones (they’re ideal for watching movies and playing video games), I’m a bit outside of their younger ski/surf/skate demo (though even I can appreciate their association with Tony Hawk).
The Method 360 ANC Earbuds are a different beast. On looks, it’s pure Skullcandy — chunky, aggressive colors, meant to be seen as well as heard. But this one’s a bit different: Bose’s technology is powering the Method 360, meaning the company is hoping to lure in a different kind of customer. They’re calling these earbuds “the perfect fusion of best-in-class sound and fearless design” — but can two brands on opposite ends of the audio spectrum co-exist in one product?
When these launched at $99, my answer would have been “definitely.” Now that these ‘buds are a bit more expensive, I’m curious: Who are these for? I tested the Method 360 ANC earbuds for a few weeks to see how they’d fit into my more commuter-based, home-workout, non-Tony Hawk lifestyle.
The specs
- Adjustable 4-mic active noise cancelling
- 32 hours of battery with ANC, 40 hours without (with case)
- IPX4 sweat and water resistant
- Adjustable stay-aware mode
- Skull-iQ app
- Multipoint pairing
- EQ with three presets and a 5-band customizable mode
- Customize button functions
- Auto on/connect
- Bluetooth 5.3
What works
The Sound by Bose hype is real. The audio is great — powerful, balanced and (usually) quite clear. It’s not a warm sound and it’s certainly not Spatial Audio, but I’m surprised how quickly I adapted to these after years of using Sony, Apple, Jabra, Master & Dynamic and other higher-priced earbuds that are typically thought of as audiophile-friendly. Not everyone agrees with my audio assessment, but I found a lot of depth and detail here, alongside the bass-friendly vibes.
The ANC is quite strong — it wiped out subway and street noise as well as any earbuds I’ve used outside of Jabra’s Elite Active buds — and both the noise cancellation and stay aware modes are customizable.
Unlike a lot of touch/tap controls, the Method 360’s buttons are easy to use (and customizable, which is something Skullcandy is good at across their various headphones).
And not surprisingly, given the extreme sports angle at Skullcandy, the Method 360s were a snug fit that stayed on during quick walks, runs and HIIT workouts.
Review: Skullcandy’s Latest Headphones Bring an Impressive Amount of Low-End
The Crusher ANC 2 is both bass-heavy and heavily customizableWhat kind of works
You’re either going to dig the bulky case (which is admittedly satisfying to grasp and open/close), the skull-adorned protruding buds and the in-your-face colors (Plasma! Leopard! Primer!) … or you won’t. There’s no in-between and if you’re looking for refined or pocketable, these are not the earbuds for you.
After launching with truly excellent $99 intro pricing, the Method 360 buds have now increased modestly to $129.
What needs work
The voice notifications (if you’re changing ANC modes, for example) are strangely distorted and loud. The battery indicator isn’t quite accurate and the battery percentage fluctuates after a slight amount of use, though they seem to hold a good charge. I plugged them in once in two weeks and never got much below 100%.
That said, there’s no wireless charging, which is tech you’d think Skullcandy could include in such a huge case.
Final thoughts
Skullcandy’s Method 360 ANC Earbuds are an interesting and largely successful attempt to bridge the gap between Bose’s more expensive QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Skullcandy’s active lifestyle aesthetic. Would I prefer a design and a size closer to those Bose buds? Probably, but I’m not the target audience. I won’t be carrying these around this summer — if something doesn’t fit in my pants pocket unobtruisvely, I’m not carrying it — but for people with big pockets (or purses/bags) and a desire to make their earbuds a visible accessory at an affordable price, this is an impressive collaboration.
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