[kansei]

I bought Smokin' Buds for my commute when my Ultimate Ears broke. Since I listen to recorded talk radio during my commute it was tough to tell how bad these were until I tried some music. These have very muddy highs and mids, strong but questionably accurate bass. I'm currently searching for a better pair of IEMs for my commute because the comparison test drawbacks bothered me greatly.

I like the design, but the sound is pretty bad.

 

[Logistics]

I haven't taken a set apart, yet and I was wondering if the little metal mesh at the end of each side is actually part of the driver. Because if it could be removed, I would do it. It probably has a lot to do with why the highs are not that great.

I have a set of OLD multi-media speakers I modified heavily back in the day, and removing the plastic tri-star shaped plastic from in front of the tweeter helped to improve the highs. I know it is part of the driver in some cases, but in this case it was just part of the face of the plastic cabinet, which served no purpose, in my opinion.

I seriously think these things need a re-cable as well.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

my buddy has dropped 200$ on skullcandy products in the last year. I tried to get him to see the light with a pair of grados or sennheisers but apparently he wanted them to look cool.

Dave

 

[jonathanjong]

But they don't look cool...unless you're 12 or summin.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

If you met my friend he is very uhh, ostentatious.
I personally think they look like a piece.

Dave

 

[chinesekiwi]

The main reason why people diss the crap outta Skullcandy is mainly because they all sound like crap and is overpriced to lap up the suckers. The looks and the mass appeal of them due to the dumb public who more than not take looks over anything else in a product, only adds to the dislike.

However, you can still have a "cool-looking" headphone and still make it sound alright. e.g. Alienware Ozma 7, which is a rebranded Ultrasone DJ1

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superpang /img/forum/go_quote.gif They sound bad in my opinion for their cost. If I was going to get a economical IEM, I would get the EP-630.

or the SoundMAGIC PL-30. You cannot beat the Koss KSC-75 SQ wise in the price range. You can't, no matter what type of headphone (full-size, in-ear, clip-on doesn't matter).

 

[DJGeorgeT]

the stupid name

 

[jonathanjong]

@dac: ah ok. green hair and piercings?
@chinesekiwi: those are cool!
@djgeorget: you mean "skullcandy"? i thought that was pretty clever, actually...

 

[JamesL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickdawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've browsed past threads about Skullcandy and read similar posts. Criticism of SQ is OK, we all have different ears an no one headphone fits all tastes. But I do take issue with other criticisms. Like criticizing the name or the marketing or the appearance of the product. I'm willing to bet that many of the Skullcandy bashers there as well as on this one may not have tried any of their products before. This is supposed to be a website dedicated to discussing sound quality of headphones, not criticizing other people's style. Not discussing and criticizing manufacturers websites. As I've stated, I have used the Skullcandy Ink'd. For a low-end headphone, it is not bad. It's not high-end, but for an under $50, it's decent. Any of the under $50 IEM contenders are an improvement over standard earbuds. I would like to throw a suggestion out there for future product criticisms: If you've used the product, mention that in your post. Criticisms are more helpful when they come from someone who has used the product.

I completely agree.
It seems everybody wants to contribute, and just can't help but jump on the bandwagon when it comes to skullcandy/bose "bashing".(not critiquing)
As for me, the ink'd earbuds I had simply didn't fit my ear, and had terrible microphonics.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif @dac: ah ok. green hair and piercings?

You only guessed one color? Sorry you lose! Haha gauges are the only piercing but he tends to wear a lot of vibrant colors, kind of like if you took 8 different highlighters and randomely drew with them on a piece of paper, youd b close.

Dave

 

[krmathis]

Let me see...
* Design.
* Looks.
* Sound quality.
* Sound to price ratio.

 

[mark_h]

There you go!

 

[Pneumaniatic]

Fit. I tried on a pair once, and they had very badly designed earpads with little padding, didn't fit well at all and weren't comfortable.

 

[lostinsound]

Quote:

Skullcandies are cheap, dollar-store headphones that have been given a "fresh" (1991 style!) coat of paint and sold for twenty times the price their sound quality would warrant.

If you want inexpensive, I second the Koss suggestions. Or save up $70 (american) for some Grado SR60s. I think those are stylish enough to wear in public.

I've got a pair of SK smokin' buds that I use for daily school stuff. It actually has decent sound quality and noise reduction.