Skullcandy Skullcrushers---REAL Subwoofers???

I've heard rumors that they just vibrate the cans and don't actually produce bass. Not sure how much truth there is to that, because never in my life have I considered researching Skullcrushers.

 

You might want to check out the Sony XB500 or XB700. They don't have subwoofers, but they produce sub-bass like them.

Welcome to Head-Fi,

 

First, I wouldn't recommend you spend your money with Skullcandy. They're quality IEM's with dedicated subwoofers in them if that's what you are looking for. For headphones with thumping bass you should give the Sony XB series a try.

I had a pair a long while ago.  The "subs" aren't at all controlled.  Any song with sub-bass has a constant vibration, there are no notes.  You might as well strap some N-64 rumble packs to your ears.  The XB series like the others have suggested would be the much better option.

I had them. I think they were vibrators like those in the Playstation controllers. There was no sub bass response and the headphone felt like something was spinning inside.

The sony XB's aren't your only option for bass, check out the link in my signature/

Subwoofers? I don't think so.

You generally don't find real subwoofers with anything less than a 10" driver. You could make one with a 6.5" driver (or possibly smaller) with a large cabinet, properly tuned. My guess is that two of those cabinets, properly braced, would weigh in around 200 lbs. for the pair. Not including suitable amplification which would weigh another 30-50 lbs. If you want to go portable, add other 75-100lbs. of car batteries for suitable power.

It would be inconvenient to have two subwoofers strapped to my head that weigh more than I do.

If you want deep bass, you need to move a lot of air. Headphones rarely have more than a 50mm driver. They can't do it. It's physics.

I run speakers for deep bass. Headphones can't do it, but I still enjoy the ones that deliver a lot of clean bass. Or "bass light" to a lot of people, but I don't like sloppy, muddy bass.

Anyhow, whatever Skullcandy is doing is just a gimmick. Don't buy them. Get a good pair of headphones and look to speakers if you want truly low bass.

UE, are you talking about deep ie. very low frequency bass or are you using the term with a different meaning? Headphones are very capable of reaching down to 20 Hz, sometimes in a very flat way without roll off.

Read your thread. They've been mentioned several times.

Since you haven't really said you were into all bass and you are looking into Skullcandy.  If it isn't above your budget, the Aviator is better than the Skullcrusher.  There is a youtube vid comparing the 2, Skullcrusher can blast the music loud, but the Aviator has obvious better sound, even from a youtube video.  Matters if your willing to pay the price.

 

The Audio Technica AD series use 53mm drivers, but ironically enough they aren't bass heavy.

The Skullcrushers use tactile sound transducers. TSTs are pretty much identical to the vibrating things found in video game controls. The idea hasn't totally caught on, but TSTs can be applied to car stereos, video game systems, and home theaters (Buttkicker). Tactile sound transducers typically hook up to audio outputs, and, instead of drivers, they use motorized parts which vibrate/spin, usually tuned to move in response to sub bass frequencies. The plus side is that you get the sensation of movement from sub bass frequencies (which we can't hear anyways) without the ear damaging SPLs required to make woofers physically vibrate. The downsides are that they may not be perfectly tuned, or that people see these things as a break from tradition. The idea of applying TSTs to headphones is interesting to me. I have heard the Skullcrushers, and they don't sound very good, but I still sometimes think of adding a set to my collection. Now I just have to decide if I am willing to throw my cred out the window and get Skullcandy, or, even worse, fuss with batteries in my headphones.

Subwoofers are nothing more than a speaker tuned to produce only low frequencies, so there's really no special appeal to one in a headphone. The vibrators in the skullcrushers try to replicate the visceral thump caused by the sheer amount of pressure large diameter speakers produce, but it's mores a gimmick than legit workaround of a headphone's limitations. A good full range driver without a rolloff can definitely produce the deepest bass, but you won't feel it anywhere as much as a full sized speaker.