Skullcandy Navigator Headphone w/Mic3 Black/Black, One Size

General Information

Navigate your music library in total comfort with crystal clear sound while wearing the Skullcandy Navigator Mic 3 Headphones. The smaller cousin of the Aviator, the Navigator delivers the same rich sound and deep bass as its larger relative thanks to the 40mm drivers, and you can still answer phone calls with the touch of a button with the Mic 3 in-line microphone.Product FeaturesMaterial: Driver: 40 mmFrequency Response: Input Connection: 3.5 mmCord Length: Weight: (without cable) 7 ozRecommended Use: jamming outManufacturer Warranty: lifetime

Latest reviews

FatherCat64

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good audio driver, if it wasn't muffled by the fabric
Cons: Uncomfortable ear cushions with cheap "memory" foam. Muffled sound from the fabric.
Design #######
These headphones are a poorly designed mess. The construction consists of a large memory foam ring ontop of the drivers, with fabric sown around the memory foam and a thinner layer of fabric above the sound hole to transmit the actual sound. This design causes many problems.
 
First off, the "memory" foam, isn't that soft at all, and it's thick dimensions combined with the already strong pressure from the head band, presses on your ears quite strongly, leaving them uncomfortable in just half an hour or less.
 
The second problem is the placement of the drivers in relation to your ears. The thickness of the memory foam pads, places your ears too far away from the drivers, and the fabric although thin, detracts from the sound. Basically it muffles or smooths out sounds at low volume levels. And the fabric also makes the unbalance of the left and right drivers more prevelent.
#############
 
Audio ########
On the good side, there's good audio quality and good enough sound isolation. The sound from the driver is extremely nice for the price point, and enjoyable in any kind of music (i'm talking about the raw quality of the drivers, disregarding the pad design). The foam also provides an acceptable amount of sound isolation, enough that you can wear them in public.
 
The two audio flaws, is that there's lower response in the low frequencies and slightly unbalanced drivers. The response means the volume increases very smoothly before the harmonics start to become loud; which isn't bad because you can still listen on high volume levels perfectly fine. The unbalanced drivers are also noticable in some cases, althought I think the user can get used to it given enough time.
 
So basically, they have good isolation, horrible comfort, and theoretically good drivers that are made overly-smooth/muffled by the fabric.
############
 
Modding ####
Then I decided to modify these headphones a bit to try and fix some of the problems.
 
I cut out the fabric over the sound hole and I tore out a lot of the memory foam. Now the headphones are much more comfortable than before, and the non-muffled sound drivers sound amazing and detailed. The difference is night and day between the fabric covering the drivers and not covering them. The only problem is, since i removed part of the memory foam, I've lost any usable sound isolation, making them useless for public listening. But compared to how these were before, they truley sound great. The drivers really are good, it's just how the pads were built which ruins their sound quality. Also this made the unbalanced driver problem go away.
 
To sum it up
Stock earphones - Good isolation, Horrid comfort, overly-smooth sound
Cut out sound holes - Good isolation, Horrid comfort, amazing clear sound
Cut out sound holes and memory foam reduction - Horrible isolation, good comfort, amazing clear sound
###########
 
So I would never recommend these to anyone. Unless you can put up with its horrible design problems, then you don't need to own these. The fact that I had to modify these to get good sound and comfort and also lose my sound isolation in the process, just gives another reason not to own these.
xylin6
xylin6
you say they sound great (albeit modified for your preferences) then give them half a star. which makes no sense whatsoever.what sound source are you using? i run these through my sony players and they sound fantastic with just the slightest EQ'ing.
 
and uncomfortable? you must have some incredibly sensitive ears,i wear these things for hours on end and forget they are even on my head.absolutely love mine,they have a very fun sound signature,are relatively inexpensive and (for most) are very comfortable.
threebeers
threebeers
Would you please post some pics of your mods and how you did them?  I picked up a set of these second hand, and would like to improve the sound without messing up the look too much.  Thanks

xylin6

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: extremely comfortable,lightweight,foldable,can be fun to listen to once your ears acclimate to the dark and murky signature. sub bass reaches deep
Cons: rolled off highs,proprietary cable,bass reaches deep but lacks detail
review under construction

tonyjones12

New Head-Fier
Pros: none
Cons: none
I bought them because I thought they would sound like aviators. I thought well they are made the same except on ear pad. They felt great as I put them on my ears ahhhhh.soft ear cushion..
then I played some of my music on them. after listening to them they didn't sound nothing like the aviators. aviators are way better. I love them. 

Comments

There are no comments to display.
Back
Top