CES Days 2 and 3: Skullcandy. That's right...Skullcandy. - Page 5  

  I might characterize them as groovy. 

First impressions regarding the Aviators (brown and gold)...

The packaging is very solid.  Not blister packaging, but everything was very well secured, and I had to manhandle it a bit to get the accessories out of the back end (behind the display part).  Build quality is okay.  The driver sections themselves feel pretty good, but the headphone cable is very thin, kind of disheartening for $150 headphones (paying for looks, I know, I know), and the headband section feels a bit flimsy.  The addition of a soft case and cleaning cloth are nice touches (the case kind of looks like a purse for women's hygiene products, though).  They're smaller than I thought.  Some might argue that the Denon D1001s are supraaural, but when I had them, they were circumaural for me.  The Aviators have smaller ear sections, and they feel a bit claustrophobic.  For someone with larger ears, they'd almost certainly be supraaural.  That doesn't mean they're uncomfortable, though.  They're quite lightweight and comfortable, and there's not a lot of clamping force.  Still not quite in the class of the upper-level Denons, but decent enough to where I could see myself wearing these for a few hours.  I might mention also that they're fully extended on my noggin, so if someone has a big head, they could get uncomfortable (reference:  my D5000s are three notches extended).

Comfort and aesthetics only get you so far.  How do they sound?  Well...they're not bad.  With no EQ, running straight out of my uDAC-2, they sound a bit wonky.  Good bass impact, but the highs can sound a bit shrill, and they sound a bit thin/hollow.  There's decent instrument separation and detail, though.  They have a forward sound to them.  I don't give up that easily, though, and tried them with my E9 amp, as well as activating the Bass Booster EQ, to add a bit of warmth.  This is more like it.  The bass impact is great, and has the nice addition of some warmth; they don't sound as hollow/thin anymore.  Still good detail and separation.  Pretty forward, but in a fun, enjoyable way.  I might characterize them as groovy.  IIRC, they remind me a fair amount of the D1001s, although perhaps a bit brighter.  Are they worth $150, when my mistress DT 150s are only $50 more?  No, I don't think so.  But is Skullcandy headed in the right direction?  Yes.  I could see someone paying in the $100 range for these.  Of course, YMMV, but with my setup, and Bass Booster on, I think they're certainly worth a listen.  Good start, Skullcandy.  But please, change your name.  It just has a bad taste in my mouth.  (I like the Toyota/Lexus idea.)

I will add pictures shortly.

Imagine a fully balanced aviator lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcusd 

 

Imagine a fully balanced aviator lol

That reminds me of this guy who decided to recable stock earbuds with Cardas cable xD

The thing is though, at that price range you have TONS of options. TONS of competition, from brands that have already secured their place at the top. For a 'new' brand to join them up there, they'd have to pull off something amazing and then some. I don't think it's about what they sound like all that much, it's about why anyone would choose Skullcandy over, say, Grado, Sennheiser, beyer...

If you had 100k€ to spend on a car, would you rather spend it on a 100k€ Merc, BMW, Audi, Aston etc. or a 100k€ Lada (if Lada had a model that expensive), Skoda...?

Of course it's the right direction, but I personally can't get over the whole gimmicky image they've created -- and the logo is just plain embarrassing, even though the Aviators do look nice.