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Back in 2019, I reviewed Skullcandy’s Crusher ANC headphones and came away impressed — these were over-the-ear cans ideally suited for movie watching or video games. I wasn’t going to use them on a plane or day-to-day office listening, but if I needed headphones for a true home theater experience, I had an ideal pair. Cheek Plates
Nearly four years later, the audio brand (which utilizes the tagline “We don’t want you to just listen to music. We want you to feel it.”) is back with the Crusher ANC XT2, which they promise offers a major upgrade on the original, bass-heavy headphones … at a lower price. Yep, these cans launched at $230, or $70 less than the original Crusher headset. Side note: While the packaging calls these the ANC XT2, the Skullcandy website and the included instruction booklet only refer to the headphones as the Crusher ANC 2, which is how we’ll stylize it from now on.
The specs promised some moderate upgrades, particularly with battery life and customization of buttons and controls. The new Crusher seems a bit bigger in packaging and lacks the color of the original headset — your choice of headphones is currently set at “black” — and there’s a new app to download. Otherwise, as the picture below showcases, you have a pretty similar setup, including a bass slider (which is now a dial) and tactile controls.
Is the well-priced upgrade worth me putting away the old Crusher set? I gave it a whirl with some music and movies.
Extremely simple: Download the Skull-iQ app (there’s a QR code to make it easy). There’s also a small instruction booklet and printed directions on the inside of the headphone packaging. Connecting took two seconds and a hearing test on the app took about five minutes.
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is, unlike my review of the previous model, really all about that bass. Even fans of the brand agree (the comments on Skullcandy’s site range from “BASS BASS BASS” to the very specific complaint that “the audio chime heard from maxing out the bass wheel can be distracting when adjusted in the middle of a song”).
This audio setup works wonders for movies and gaming — if your ideal home theater setup involves a soundtrack that you can feel in your chest, the Crusher 2 is a fantastic way to replicate the experience of watching an action movie in an actual movie theater. As well, the headphones are fine for music — audiophiles will certainly look elsewhere (Sony, Apple, etc.), but fans of bass-heavy music may opt for the power here over a balanced clarity.
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