Skullcandy S2TTBZ-BZ Titan Earbuds, (Black)

I bought these because my Philips O'Neill set had a fatal cable flaw after seeing them several times at my local TJ Maxx. Here's my review of them: 

Design and Comfort

The Titans have a metal housing that is fairly durable, but also heavy. That is the first flaw of the housing: it has a tendency to not stay in the ear terribly well, cutting down on isolation. The second flaw is much, much worse from a comfort perspective: the housing is larger than the rubber tips provided, making it painful after just 30-40 minutes. Because the housing does not stay in the ear well, the edge of the housing, which is fairly sharp, rests on the ear in a very uncomfortable fashion that affects comfort for the long-term. The cable is cylindrical, which is much more tangle-prone than a flat design. Microphonics are present but not unbearable. Unfortunately, because I treated these fairly badly, the cable's connection to the plug is prone to making the sound cut in and out, so treat them well and keep them in the included case. 

Audio Quality

Sound signature is very bass-focused, as all low frequencies are emphasized. They are pronounced, but they don't overshadow the rest of the sound. They do lack clarity and punch, but they are decent for a budget set. The mids are what I always like about Skullcandy in-ears: warm and buttery. In this set, they are less pronounced because of the bass, but they still offer good separation. The clarity is not really there, but that is not what these buds are for. The highs are rolled off, but only at the extremely high frequencies is it incredibly bad. This does mean that they are not harsh, but warm. Overall, the clarity is not present in any frequency range, However, for anybody wanting warmth over clarity, these aren't too bad unless you hate bass. 

Verdict

In conclusion, the Skullcandy Titans are not terrible for budget earphones, but they pale in comparison to anything over $50, and other sets that sound better can be bought for similar prices. Bassheads, these ones are for those of you on a budget who couldn't care less about clarity.  

I was always a Skullcandy fan once I bought their Ink'd ear buds for the first time a few years ago. After going through my second pair of Ink'd, I decided to upgrade to the Titans to see how they compare to ear buds I had in the past, and let me say, they sound GREAT for the $40 I paid for them.

BUILD QUALITY

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical of purchasing these ear buds since a friend of mine had gone through a few pair of these that would fall apart on their own. However, I took a chance, and bought them regardless. Currently, I am on my second pair since I accidentally washed my first pair, but as far as build quality goes, I have yet to find any problems with how durable they are.

SOUND QUALITY

When I first purchased the Skullcandy Ink'd ear buds, I was fairly impressed with how they sounded, so I naturally had high expectations for the sound quality of the Titans. Overall, I am very impressed with their full, sound. If you like the bass to be a little more prominent in your music, these are the ear buds for you. They can get fairly low without ruining the overall tone while also being able to hit the highs that won't cause your ears to bleed. They seem to adapt to any sound quality you throw at them. (Unless you listen to extremely low quality music.)

COMFORT

For a pair of ear buds, these are quite comfortable. I listen to them for at least a total hour each day, and they are probably the most comfortable ear buds I've ever worn. However, over long periods of time, they can get a little uncomfortable. This is why I am looking into purchasing a pair of Skullcandy Aviators or Audio Technica ATH M50s.

OVERALL

In the end, Skullcandy outdid them selves when they produced their Titan ear buds. They are comfortable, sound great, look amazing, and built exceptionally well for a reasonable price. If you are in need for a pair of ear buds, Skullcandy is the way to go!

   These in ear monitors really impressed me, especially due to the deal I got on them. A friend of mine ordered a set of these for both himself and his wife and accidentally processed the order twice, so his find of a good deal became mine when he offered me the extra two sets for $25. The build of these are of a much higher quality then the ink'd line that Skullcandy sells with this model's driver housings being constructed in all metal in either black or chrome with the headphone's leads wrapped in a second clear protective casing which seems to hold up well (no discoloring) and seems to do the job (Neither I, nor my friend have had no trouble with any bad wire problems with any of the four sets). The included case is also very well made from a heavy black cloth, with a mesh cloth pocket inside the zipper on it's side of  it's flat round shape. Looks, build quality and a nice case don't matter much if they don't sound any good, but this is definitely not an issue. I listen to most variates of music, aside from country, and there are none of the issues I've noticed with some other in ear headphones. These have plenty of bass reproduction capability when needed and don't have any coloring when listening detailed acoustic or other more complex types of music. these also have a built in volume slider, also built of metal, on the cord at the split of the Y, I don't use it much but when I have it seemed to work well. These have weathered very well to what could probably be honestly called abuse on my part, I've accidentally submerged them in water, more than once, yanked and snagged the cord, and slept with them on and they still sound as good as when I first got them. After having having tried them out I would have bought them at retail if I didn't get them at a discount, and even at retail they are cheap enough to replace when I've either lost or abuse them past the point of breaking. These are a no brain-er for a replacement of the junk that is packaged with most mp3 players, Apple's Ipod definitely included.