Skullcandy 50/50

April 26, 2013

Until recently I hadn't paid much attention to Skullcandy's headphones and headsets-the company's focus on extreme sports, punk- and hip-hop-inspired aesthetics, and too-clever product names (case in point: "Smokin' Buds") suggested I might not be in the target audience. However, many of Skullcandy's products-particularly its inexpensive "canalbud" models-have gotten good buzz from headphone geeks at HeadRoom (an online headphone dealer) and on the Head-Fi headphone forums, so I was curious to see how the Skullcandy 50/50 compared to other canalbud headsets I've tested. A quick refresher: Canalbuds are headphones that essentially split the difference-in design, and often in price-between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal ("canalphone") models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, they can block some external noise and form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don't block as much sound as true canalphone models, and, as with canalphones, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener's ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking. The 50/50 (named, according to Skullcandy, because they're "half mic, half bud, and all boom") comes with pairs of small, medium, and large rubber eartips, as well as a circular, black-nylon carrying case. The 50/50's earpieces are primarly white plastic with green-plastic and metal accents (including the Skullcandy logo). The right-hand section of the 50/50's green cables hosts a white, Apple-style, three-button (control, volume up, and volume down) inline remote/microphone pod. A white-plastic piece connects the left and right cables, and the cable ends in a white-plastic, straight miniplug. The plastic feels dense and resilient, and it should hold up well in active use. The 50/50 is also available in black/chrome, white/chrome, black/blue, and black/red versions. The 50/50's earpieces are easy to fit properly in the ear, and they rest at a moderate depth that provides good isolation from outside noise. However, the earpieces hurt my ears after an hour or so, thanks to the large, short earpieces-though this issue may be specific to my ear anatomy. The 50/50's inline remote works well, although I had a little trouble distinguishing between the three buttons; I would have preferred the buttons to be better defined. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.macworld.com/article/152942/2010/07/skullcandy5050.html#tk.rss_reviews