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Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator headphones review: Jay-Z-approved

The style-savvy Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator headphones earn our recommendation for balancing a unique thematic design with exceptional clarity in spite of a slightly passive low-end response.

Justin Yu Associate Editor / Reviews - Printers and peripherals
Justin Yu covered headphones and peripherals for CNET.
Justin Yu

Watch this: Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator Headphones

Skullcandy continues to pursue its youthful listening-device niche with the Aviator headphones, a collaborative effort with Roc Nation, a music publishing and entertainment company founded by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Roc Nation Aviators are the first set of headphones we've seen from Skullcandy with a subtle aesthetic--the rest of the company's offerings redefine the meaning of words like "bulky" and "overbuilt," but the Aviators bring an elegant flavor to the product lineup with three color choices (Black, Brown Gold, and White) that feature a pliable leather headband and light branding on the silver connection points and inside the earcups as well.

At $150, the Roc Nation Aviator headphones are among the priciest cans Skullcandy offers, and while it's true that you can spend less on a basic over-ear model, their attractive retro design, in-line remote control/microphone, and impressive sound quality earn an overall CNET score of 7.3 (3.5 stars) and our recommendation to anyone shopping for a new set of headphones.

Check out our full review of the Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator headphones.