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Skullcandy's new Crusher ANC headphones deliver bone-rattling sound with noise cancellation

The next-generation vibrating Crusher headphone with Sensory Bass is the company's first to feature active noise cancellation.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
David Carnoy
3 min read
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The Crusher ANC is shipping now for $320.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Over the years Skullcandy has brought the concept of bass you can feel to its line of vibrating Crusher headphones. Its latest model, the Crusher ANC, is the first to have active noise canceling, USB-C charging and a custom tuning feature. In development for three years, according to Skullcandy, it also offers improved sound and a more premium look and feel, which you'd hope for in a headphone that sells for $320 (£250; no word yet on Australian pricing but expect it to be in the AU$400 range). It's available now in black and deep red, with a black and tan version coming exclusively to Best Buy on Oct. 6. 

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I've been playing around with an early sample and the first thing I noticed about it is that when you turn off the sensory bass (there's a slider that gives you a greater degree of control over just how much bass you want to feel), the headphone sounds more balanced than last year's Crusher 360, with better bass definition and better overall detail.

It's also comfortable, with memory foam ear pads and decent padding at the top of the headband. That said, at 10.9 ounces (308 grams) it isn't the lightest noise-canceling headphone and it's not as comfortable as  Bose 's or the Sony WH-1000XM3. (Its noise-canceling is pretty effective, but not quite in the same league as the Sony or Bose Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones.)

Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2019

Skullcandy Crusher ANC

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Skullcandy says the active noise cancellation not only muffles ambient sound but "plays a critical role in keeping the broader bass range absolutely pure." There's also an ambient aware mode that turns off noise canceling and allows you to hear what's going on around you. The other bonus feature is the inclusion of a Tile tracker so you can locate your headphone using the Tile app on a mobile device. That Tile tracking feature is also available on Sennheiser 's new Momentum Wireless 3 headphone.

The company is touting the personal sound feature that gives you the option of calibrating the headphone to your hearing (you just have to do the hearing test once and your profile is saved to the headphones). But ultimately what makes the headphone unique is the sensory bass feature that's at the core of Skullcandy's "Music you can feel" Crusher marketing slogan. As the headphones vibrate on your head, you can literally feel the bass.

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The slider for adjusting the amount of sensory bass.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Some people love the sensation. Others are less thrilled with it. Personally, I like it more with movies and gaming . With music it can lead to some distortion, particularly if you crank the slider up for maximum vibration. A track like Nirvana's All Apologies turns into a muddy mess that you can feel. It can add a new dimension to hip hop and electronic dance music, however. The club comes to your head, so to speak.

Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, plus there's a rapid charge feature that gives you three hours of playtime from a 10-minute charge via the headphone's USB-C port. A cable for wired listening and a decent carry case are included (the headphones fold flat into it).

It's certainly a different kind of headphone listening experience. As I said, it's not for everybody -- and the headphone is probably a little too expensive -- but it's easily the best Crusher to date, with more refined sound and sensory bass.

I'll post a full review after I've spent more time with the Crusher ANC and jury tested it with other CNET editors, if only because it's fun to see people's reactions to a headphone that vibrates on their heads.