Skullcandy Aviator Headphone Black, One Size

So after trying many different headphones over the years i finally found one that met almost everything i would want (Besides the p5's but is too expensive for me). I have had a lot of experience with skullcandy before and I knew how popular they were. I remember years ago all the kids in my middle school would say skullcandy's are the best and it would irritate me since i knew they sucked. Now 4 years later I may have to change that.

I knew that the Aviators and Mix Masters were for the most part well received here. I tried them on before but they didnt impress me. Since I was looking for some portable headphones i decided to give these a shot. 

Look

These look really nice (to me at least). While style is at the near bottom of the list of things to look for in a headphone i can't deny i like the look of these unlike many other gaudy skullcandy products. I'm interested in the street wear and all that (even more than headphones *gasp*) so i appreciate the design.

Durability

So these are just ok in this department. These feel more cheap than they look. The headband seems fine. I cant imagine it breaking or anything. What i am worried about is the adjustment mechanism and cable. The adjustment mechanism feels cheap and like the cups will just slide over time. The cable is pretty thin and nylon braided. It is detachable though but skullcandy doesn't seem to sell the cable by itself so that kind of defeats the purpose of that. Skullcandy does have a lifetime warranty thats pretty good but since i live in Hawaii i could imagine the whole warranty process and shipping to take more than a month or two.

Comfort

These are really comfortable. It doesnt seem like it would be because of the weird shaped ear pads but for me they are really comfy and i could wear them for hours.

Isolation

These don't isolate well at all. If you need isolation don't get these. These almost dont block out noise at all. For me though i can handle it when in school or just walking around which is where id use them most. Oh and at home.

Travel

So these are pretty compact. These fold up nicely. The included carrying pouch is a bit small and its a bit hard to cram stuff in there but you get the hang of it after a while.

 Sound

So getting to the part 90% of you care about and just skipped to is the sound. These were pretty surprising to me. These after some burn in become a nice warm sound. At first they were a bit harsh and sibilant but i surely noticed a difference. The bass isn't overpowering but i find it's just about perfect and it can thump if the song calls for it. Although the sub bass is lacking. The mids are the best part. I heard details i never heard in my music before. This is coming from an owner of the m50's. I truly feel like im hearing all of my music which is awesome! Mids are nice and smooth. The treble is slightly recessed but still gives nice detail and i like it like that. It's not harsh or anything like that after burn in.

Overall i like these quite a bit. Like i said there are things that could be improved like the build and isolation and Skullcandy actually selling replacement cable (like whats the point of having a detachable cable if you still cant buy a replacement???). But i will be keeping these and feel like its almost worth $150. The sound is what makes me like these a lot. Thats awfully weird considering im talking about Skullcandy.

When I bought these headphones, I was looking for something different from the norm. Something that would set me apart from everyone I knew with the type of head gear I used. I have a few pair of Skullcandy headphones and was very impressed with the sound they produced and when I saw the Aviators I thought a premium set of headphones from a company I have come to expect great quality and sound from. 

Although they are not the "premium" cans that most people would think of, I have had no major issues from the sound produced and the quality of workmanship. Some things I wish there was more of was weight, the plastic ear cups do make them feel a bit cheap and can smudge rather easily, if you're like me and wear them all the time. I skate quite often and sometimes thats my mode of transportation though the city so style was important as well as comfort, durability, and sound quality. 

I have read many of the reviews on this headset and I have experienced almost all of the good and bad, I cannot turn them up too loud around others because they hear just as much as I do, but when they are up they have a great sound and feel. I did have an issue when I first purchased the pair, I thought the sound was weak and felt like something was missing, but as Ive worn them there has been a full turn around, so if your on the fence about grabbing a pair, just go for it.. but be sure to give them a bit of time to break in. 

I got the Brown ones from Skullcandy.com. They are very stylish, light, soft, and comfortable. I know Skullcandy gets a lot of flack from Audiophiles but for style and sound. I don't know anything like it.

Now my first impressions were very bad. When I put these on. I could notice great range and I heard things that I never heard with my Skullcandy Titan's, but I could no detect too much difference between the two. This disappointed me GREATLY. Bottom line: They sound like CRAP out of box and I've read many reviews before buying these headphones and 50% turn them away out of the box. And who can blame them! They sound like CRAP!

Now, this was a big purchase for me and I am new to the whole, Audio realm thing ya'll got going here. I read some great reviews by 2 noted audiophiles. Jude of Head-fi and Tyll Hertsens of InnerFidelity. So I stuck with the Aviators and "broke them in". I did this not by letting them play all day and all night, but by listening to them constantly. Yes, I did do one all nighter leaving them play while I slept but I also slept with them on a few nights because of their comfort. And what do you know. When I went back to my Titans, they started to sound cheap and pathetic when I once preferred them over the Aviators. 

So in conclusion, I think that people should not pass up Skullcandy's attempt into legitimate sound quality because people preferentially sidestep the name. Try these for yourself, don't let the status quo lead you. Blaze your own trail. They might not have WOW factor off the get go but they will wow you later on. Burn em in and enjoy them!

UPDATE:

It's been quite a few months since I've had these and in that time. I've had the opportunity to listen to some amazing phones when I re-cabled them. Specifically the Beyerdynamic DT770.

Now I compared these two and I can honestly say I like the Aviators as a all around package. I did not like the fit of the Beyer's and the bass gave me headaches. When I switched to the Aviators, I noticed the narrowness of the sound stage compared to the Beyer's. Both are superb but I still love the fit and feel of my Aviators. SQ wise, both are sameish, if you get over the bass on the DT770 it would sound better, but I enjoy my bass deficient Aviators.

Anyway just a update!

I was very surprsied to read Jude's inital thoughts on these headphones when he first reported that Skullcandy was looking to change up their headphones and when I first saw the Aviators and read the good things about them, I was just about sold. I had forgotten about them until I recently saw them at Best Buy out for demo. I gave 'em a listen through my iPod and tracks that sounded pretty sharp and nearly painful to hear (such as Fool on the Planet's loud guitar paired with Yamanaka's vocals) were, well, not painful. It sounded nice and that was enough of a change for me. Another track that really surprised me on these was Climbing the Roof, also by the Pillows. Previously I hadn't really heard the bass presence in the song, but it really comes through on these headphones.

Build:

These headphones aren't built too cheaply from what I can tell. I really don't feel like I'm ever going to break them and my main concern, if I had one anyway, would be cracking the plastic housing on the ear cups themselves. However, I can't think of a scenario where I would allow that to happen. I have no complaints about the build quality. It's sturdy and nice and they are by no means heavy, either.

Sound:

The sound is what surprised me the most about these headphones. Everything is really smooth on these and nothing seems bloated or too sharp, either. My favorite part has to be the bass. Whereas I was expecting the bass to be a subwoofer attached to my ears, I would describe them more as a soft landing pad for the rest of the music to fall onto. It's nice and has a little punch to it, but by no means takes away from the rest of the music. The highs and mids sound fine to me as well, though I can't exactly compare them to anything as I've never had the opprotunity to listen to more hi-fi branded equipment. I'll say that they do work here and I'm not disappointed in what I'm hearing. However, because I wasn't exactly thinking to myself that the mids or highs are exceptional and my mind wasn't blown by them, I can't say they're five star material. In comparison to my JVC HA-M750s, I have found myself picking these up more than I would pick up them. The JVCs absolutely have more bass than the Skullcandys.

Conclusion:

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. I don't feel as if I bit into more than I could chew and I'm not disappointed by the sound. Perhaps the price is a bit steep, but I'm willing to take the hit.

4/5

Recommended.