Skullcandy vs Sony noise cancelling headphones, which is better? Skullcandy and Sony makes some of the best headphones with excellent noise cancelling features. Skullcandy headphone price is relatively lower than Sony. In most cases, the battery life of Sony is more than Skullcandy.
Skullcandy Crusher is the ideal headphone if you are looking for noise cancelling bass-heavy feature. The bass is way too much but you can easily adjust it. Skullcandy headphones also comes with a Tile feature where you can ring the headphone or track its location in case you lost them. These are closed-back headphones, so if you use it for long time, your ears may get warm.
They both focus on durability and comfort while designing a particular model. Sony makes some of the best noise cancelling headphones that produce balanced, clear, and rich audio. They take noise cancelling in a different level where the user’s altitude is taken into consideration.
Top pick:
Best sounding headphone: Sony WH-1000XM3
Best bass headphone: Skullcandy Crusher ANC
Why do you need noise cancelling headphones?
Noise cancelling headphones use active noise cancelling engineering to minimize the surrounding noise. The advantages of noise cancelling headphones over others is, they protect your ears, allows you to enjoy music anywhere. With these you don’t need to turn up your volume very high which in turn can cause hearing loss.
If you travel a lot, noise cancelling headphones are ideal to use. especially in plane or train journeys. With noise cancelling headphones less sound from the headphone will escape outside. With minimal amount of surrounding noise, you can enjoy rich and pure audio.
Headphone details:
Skullcandy Hesh ANC vs Sony WH-CH700N
Product differentiator:
These products deploy noise cancelling technique with excellent battery life. They are portable and supports Bluetooth for wireless connectivity.
Design:
Comparing Skullcandy vs Sony noise cancelling headphones, the major differences lies in battery life, portability, audio quality and cost. The Skullcandy Hesh is made of good-quality plastic and has a metal-strip. The headband is adjustable. The Sony headphones doesn’t fold but the ear cups swivel.
Unlike Sony WH-CH700N headphones, these have foldable hinges that makes it easier to carry. It comes with Aux cable which you can insert in stereo input. You can connect this with computer, laptop when you don’t want to use it with Bluetooth.
Sony WHCH700N is also made of plastic. Both these headphones are cushioned well with foam and padding which makes them very comfortable to wear for long hours.
How is the sound quality?
Skullcandy ANC headphones use USB-C and Sony uses microUSB for charging. This supports updated Bluetooth version than the Sony that works with SBC and AAC. The noise cancelling of Skullcandy is decent and you will be pleased if you don’t want to scrutinize details. You can easily switch between ANC and Ambient mode.
The Skullcandy audio quality has sharp highs, decent bass and clear vocals. However, you can get better bass with Sony. the audio doesn’t get distorted even at high volume. Sony uses Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation to analyze the surrounding noise in a better way and act accordingly.
The noise cancellation of these pair is moderate. The drivers lie parallel to ear canal to ensure precise audio representation. Certain low-frequencies like humming of engine will still be noticeable. So it doesn’t entirely block all surrounding noise.
The sound quality is pleasing with tight bass, excellent imaging but moderate soundstage. The sound shows a mixture of balanced and ‘excited’ profile. Sony is best for acoustic, or vocal-heavy music.
Additional features:
Comparing Skullcandy vs Sony headphone battery life, Sony has longer battery life and it also takes longer time to charge. You can fast charge both Skullcandy but not Sony. if you think you will stay outside most of the time and can only charge at nighttime, then Sony headphones will be best for you.
The phone calls are average in terms of quality if you receive them outdoors. Ambient noise will add up along with your voice. For controls, you will find power, volume, ANC on/off and pairing on the right earcup. The Sony controls are distributed in both earcups.
The Sony microphone also works pretty well with clear and loud vocals. Skullcandy also features a Tile app which tracks your headphone, show the place or position of it in case you can’t find it, and you can also ring it to know its position. With the 1/8″ TRRS cable, you can connect it with PS4 or Xbox One controller. Sony will also work with PS4 via wired connection.
The Sony headphones can be used with TV via Bluetooth or 3.5mm cable. Both these headphones work easily with voice assistants. It has NFC connectivity for quick connection.
Things to improve:
The Hesh ANC doesn’t have any bass driver. It is not water-proof or dust resistant. The Sony WH-CH700N doesn’t have any adjustable levels for noise cancellation.
Skullcandy Venue vs Sony WH-1000XM3
Product differentiator:
Skullcandy Venue has impressive ANC with other features that you can get at affordable cost. The Sony WH-1000XM3 has a ‘wow’ sound quality.
Quality
Skullcandy Venue ANC headphones are made of matte plastic, with foam padding they have both good sturdiness and comfort. The Sony WH-1000XM3 has better sturdiness with a premium feel. It is very comfortable to wear and use for long hours.
How is the sound quality?
Skullcandy Venue ANC Bluetooth allows to connect two devices simultaneously. The Skullcandy ANC effectively minimizes outside noise like AC units or planes. It has punchier bass along with rich and clear sound. The mids aren’t outstanding though. The audio can get bright at times.
It can get loud with 97.3dB SPL. It has excellent imaging that indicates precise low-end and high-end representation. You can easily use them while travelling but gaming won’t be the best with these.
The Sony headphone can get loud with a sensitivity of 104.5dB/m. It uses HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. With Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing, it can detect different altitudes and optimize sound accordingly.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 audio quality has wider soundstage and details. The bass is impressive, the high-frequency region has a certain spark and the audio is crisp. These are best for ‘dubstep and electronica’ as it has punchier bass. The mid and treble region are satisfying as well.
Sony WH-1000XM3 also has Virtual Sound that features 360-degree sound positioning. The noise cancelling technology can eliminate outside noise along with office noise. It has excellent SNR and lowest distortion. You can customize sound by adjusting presets or using the Sony | Headphones Connect APP.
Additional features:
Skullcandy Venue has several controls including: power button, ANC button, LED, multifunction button for playback/call/voice assistance, volume/track buttons. It has Monitor mode that allows partial surrounding noise to enter. It also works with voice assistants: Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa.
The call quality is good but the mic is super sensitive. It has a detachable 3.5mm AUX cord which you can connect to use the headphone as regular headset without ANC when the battery is dead. This cable can also be used to plug it with PC/Laptop. Similar to Hesh ANC, it works with Tile.
Sony has Smart Sense Engine that can analyze your activity like walking, travelling and adjust ambient sound accordingly. In terms of controls, it has touch sensitive options so you don’t have push each time. It is compatible with the Connect app.
Sony works with 4.2 Bluetooth and doesn’t allow multi-device connectivity. The phone call quality is good and it can eliminate noise with ANC turned on. This Sony WH-1000XM3 headphone is best for gaming with impressive sound profile but you can’t use the integrated mic.
Things to improve
For Skullcandy Venue, a certain amount of hiss is noticeable at high frequencies. It also doesn’t work with Skullcandy App. Sony WH-1000XM3 is often blamed to have a crackling noise. In this case, you can try resetting the headphone, or open the earpad, check for any condensation. Dry it out with soft cloth and use silica gel. This has worked with several users.
Skullcandy Crusher ANC vs Sony WHXB900N
Product differentiator:
Bass heads always love the extra rumble and thump in their low-end. These headphones are excellent choice if you like punchier bass.
Quality:
The Skullcandy Crusher build quality is decent. The earpads are cushioned well so you can wear them hours after hours without feeling any pain. However, they are comparatively heavy compared to other Skullcandy headphones.
The Sony WHXB900N is made of plastic. It is lightweight and easy to carry as the hinges fold. They are well cushioned as well with plush memory foams.
How is the sound quality?
The Bass Sensory feature is the main attraction of Crusher ANC. You can easily adjust the bass of the sound as per your preference. It is one of the best bass headphones that you can enjoy while playing games. The high-end frequency is clear. With 101 dB sensitivity, they can get quite loud.
Crossing the bass slider beyond 50% will change the music entirely into bass. Although bass heads may love this, but this is not something the engineers intended. The noise cancelling feature works well specifically in lower region like sounds of train and plane.
Comparing Sony XB900N vs Skullcandy Crusher, this Sony model is less expensive than the Skullcandy. With independent bass duct, the Sony WHXB900N has punchier and shaking bass which are best for EDM or hip-hop genre. This bass-heavy headphone also has decent mids and clear highs.
You can tweak graphic EQ and presets to change the audio as per your wish. The noise cancellation is average but works decently in cancelling out surrounding noise. They are also good for travelling.
Additional features:
On the right earpad of Crusher, there are playback, volume and calls controls. The left side has Sensor Bass, Auto Noise Cancellation (ANC) and touch pad for ambient mode. It works with Skullcandy app where you can customize to create your sound preference.
The mic has excellent clarity. You can connect this headphone with PC or Laptop easily. Sony WHXB900N control options include power button, custom button, 3.5mm and USB-C input. It has touch panel in the headphone housing. It works with Sony Headphones Connect app. It allows you to adjust the ambient noise.
The Adaptive Sound Control analyzes your movement and adjusts ambient noise. It works easily with Alexa and Google Assistant. It allows multi device connectivity where you can use one for playback another for call.
You can use it with PS4 or Xbox consoles via the 3.5mm audio cable. It has decent phone call quality where the surrounding noise might add up with the voice.
Things to improve:
The Skullcandy Crusher is quite expensive while the Sony WHXB900N has average noise cancelling feature.
Other alternatives:
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Bose QuietComfort 35 II has adjustable noise cancelling feature. It works with Alexa or Google Assistant. The dual microphones are noise free. They have good quality and comfort. The noise cancelling and audio quality are some of the best features of Bose.
This Audio Technica headphone has tri-level noise cancellation that cancels surrounding noise effectively. It has a balanced sound profile, the treble and low-end aren’t emphasized but just accurate. It is clear and focus on details. The build quality is also good.
Sennheiser Momentum 3
This Sennheiser headphone has a broad soundstage and pleasant sound. It is made of leather and stainless steel. It can automatically turn on and pair with a known device. The mobile app allows adjusting EQ modes and different noise cancelling levels. The audio synchronization makes it good for gaming.
How I rated Skullcandy vs Sony noise cancelling headphones:
While choosing headphones, each and every feature is important and useful. You can’t love a best sounding headphone with poor battery life and vice versa.
Sturdiness and comfort
If you are a frequent headphone user, then the quality of your product should be top notch. Users often complain their earcups fall off or wear out. Make sure you choose cushioned earpads and with good quality headband like memory foam.
The headphone should be built well so that you can use them for long hours without ear fatigue. They are also more comfortable to use than IEMs.
Battery life
This is the life of a headphone in case you don’t like wired connection. Wireless Bluetooth headphones from Skullcandy and Sony offer both wired and wireless connection. In some models, Sony headphone battery life outperforms Skullcandy but takes longer time to charge.
If you are going to use the headphones all day long without any scope of charging, make sure to check the battery lifetime specs. While checking, see whether the time mentioned is for both ANC and BT on.
Noise cancelling feature
Since we are looking for the best noise cancelling headphones, this is a crucial feature. Not all noise cancelling headphones can work in the same way. Check whether it can effectively minimize noise particularly the type of place you will use it, for instance office room or travelling.
Modern headphones have versatile features that include noise cancelling with respect to altitude or adjustable noise cancelling levels. Select the one which you prefer most.
Other features
The controls shouldn’t be too many or too much confusing. Some have button controls, other have touch controls. Some Headphone models also come with mobile apps, voice assistants, etc.
The headphones listed above are average for gaming. If you are a serious gamer, look for gaming headphones to get the best possible sound.
Conclusion
Sony is an older and well trusted brand name. it produces versatile headphones in different categories and price list. Skullcandy is relatively new but has gained trust of several consumers. Comparing Skullcandy vs Sony noise cancelling headphones, Sony might produce better audio quality with some models.
This is due to advanced engineering and years of expertise. If you are picky about your sound, Sony headphones are best for you. But, for that you might have to spend a little more. Is skullcandy better than sony? If you want budget friendly headphones that sound good, Skullcandy is best for you.
While using the headphones, make sure you handle them with care and use them as they were designed to use. for instance, you can use them in gym for casual workouts but they are not designed to do so. Excessive sweat or rough use may cause any damage to it.
FAQ
We hope you have enjoyed reading our article and that it has answered any questions or concerns. If not, the FAQ section below should be able to help out! We’re sorry for ending on a downer note but don’t fret- we’ve got your back no matter what with this handy FAQ list at the bottom of every page.
What are the different types of headphones?
There are two kinds of noise cancelling headphones: Active noise cancelling (ANC) and passive noise cancelling (PNC). The dual microphones
Passive noise cancelling uses physical method to prevent outside noise. They work great with sudden high-pitched noise like gunshots, baby crying or explosions.
Active noise cancelling produces an anti-noise signal that cancels the actual noise. They have built-in batteries or come with rechargeable batteries. ANC headphones are costlier than PNC.
How to use Tile in Skullcandy headphones?
Follow these steps:
- Install the Tile app
- Go to the app and press the plus sign on the screen
- Select Add a Device and choose the desired headphones
- On the Tile headphone, push the button and wait to listen a tune
- Wait for 10s, so that the Tile will connect to the headphone
Network Engineer and Tech Journalist. Read More…
