Skullcandy INK'd Earbuds (Black/Red)

by Skullcandy

• 11mm drivers with neodymium magnets for full-range sound
• Two sizes of silicone gel earbud sleeves for a perfect fit
• 1.3-meter nylon braided cable with gold-plated 3.5mm plug
• In-ear design allows for passive noise isolation
• Lifetime limited manufacturer's warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1.5 inches ; 2.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003GIJTR8
• Item model number: S2INCZ-034
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,209 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 23, 2009

Product Description

Color: Black/Red

Skullcandy's best-selling INK’D earbuds feature a customizable fit and 11mm speaker drivers that tattoo your temporal lobes with full-color sonic art. Select colors include an inline mic and control switch to keep you in touch with your tunes and the outside world. Skullcandy's INK'd earbuds come with three separate sizes of silicone eartips (small, medium, and large) to help you get the perfect fit to go with your sound.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

781 of 791 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Retired My JVC Gumies For These July 4, 2010

By George Sand

Color Name:Pink

Note: These have an excellent, no-hassle warranty. Skullcandy will replace them for any reason, whenever - just go to their website, register your product, and fill out the warranty form. You will receive CREDIT for their website that you can use on whatever you like, as well as free shipping. The amount of credit will depend upon the current price of your product on THEIR website - so for the standard INK'D buds, you will get a $20 credit. You do not need any proof of purchase, and it does not matter how much time has passed - just pop the broken buds into a small envelope and you're good.

Firstly, I want to mention a few important tidbits that you should know.

1. Pay attention to the L and R (engraved on the stem) on these earbuds, which can be hard to see. Do not reverse them, as doing so can affect fit and sound quality. I find putting a piece of colored tape on the right cord makes life easier.

2. Don't assume you know which gel size will fit you best; make sure you try on all 3 gel sizes that come with these, as using the wrong size can dramatically decrease sound quality and comfort. If your earbuds are uncomfortable or the sound quality does not meet your expectations, then you likely have the wrong size gel installed. For myself, I automatically went with the smallest size because my ears are small, but those made the earbuds sound like cheap garbage. It wasn't until I tried the next size up did I get the full quality of sound that these are designed for. So pay attention to this, since it really matters.

3. These have a straight plug, not an L-shaped plug. So you will need to be extra careful as a straight-plug design increases the amount of pressure both on the plug, and the headphone jack of your player. This leads to frayed wires or a loosening of the headphone jack, or both, which ultimately lead to the classic problem of only one side having sound.

4. The cord is long - measures approximately 4 feet, 5 inches.

5. Burn-in works with these. Slightly.

Now, as for the build quality - I'm impressed. They are not cheaply made earbuds, despite their low price. The wires are nice and solid, and feel very well made - not flimsy or plastic-y. The silicone gels (tips that go in your ear) are very soft and pliable, and even have the Skullcandy logo engraved on them. Nice touch.

They feel good, too. Really good. Both the material, and the way they fit my annoyingly small ears. And they don't fall out constantly, although I do sometimes get the sensation that it's getting sucked into my left ear.

And yes, these come with 3 different size gels.

Sound is great. These handle bass extremely well for mid-tier earbuds, and highs aren't so shrill and piercing as with other comparable brands. Some of this really depends on your player, too. Even between iPods, sound quality does differ.

As far as functionality goes, I find I am able to run with these with no problem. The wires do not get tangled, and you can easily adjust the split in them with an attached slider (that has 'Skullcandy' written on it in the corresponding colour), which I find very convenient. I do not hear this thumping sound that others claim to hear from wire-movement, so I can't confirm that.

The only things I dislike are the straight plug, and the lack of a case. Otherwise, I am thoroughly impressed with Skullcandy. The craftsmanship, the quality of sound, and all the little extras that Skullcandy does that really lets you know that they are paying attention, and that they care about their products and end-users.

Worth every penny.

UPDATE 12/31/2011 - My current pair has seen daily use for over a year now with no issues.

102 of 104 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the price July 7, 2010

By Evan

Color Name:Silver/Black

Purchased the headphones about a week ago and I'm very pleased. I previously had the JVC Marshmallows and loved those headphones, but one of the earbud sleeves came off and the new JVC's are designed differently so I decided to give these a try. They produce very clear sound with solid bass. I was also surprised by the fit on the silicon caps that come with these. I have a difficult time finding silicon caps that will stay in my ear so I usually stick to foam, but these headphones came with three different sizes of caps and the smallest size fits and stays in without a problem. I will also say that I bought the Comply Foam Tips recently and am currently using those on these headphones (since I already had them) but once these wear out then I will stick with the silicon tips that came with these headphones because they will probably last longer. All in all, great purchase!

120 of 126 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value, great sound! July 1, 2010

By Zatch

Color Name:Black/Black

I purchased my Skullcandy Ink'd ear buds almost two years ago, and now that I need to lay them to rest I thought I would write a review on them.

First off, don't think that they are cheaply made because mine broke. From what I have been reading, two years is a good deal of time to have working headphones, especially at the low price of under 20 bucks! If I have to say, I provably contributed to the heavy wear of the jack that plugs into my computer (it is in the front of my laptop, so when the computer slides close to my lap the jack gets pinched).

Construction:
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Being my first pair of non-stock earphones, I don't really have much to say in terms of construction, but as previously mentioned they lasted a helluva long time, so that should carry some weight. Speaking of weight, these buds feel light, but not so much that they feel cheap. Even after a couple of years the wires are intact, and I have had no problems with them up until a couple days ago (one ear bud stopped working, probably due to abuse). The only problem I would say has carried any weight in this department has to be the the fact that the rubber coated wires make a noticable sound through the buds when tapped or rustled (almost sounds like a heartbeat). This could probably be fixed with some comply foam tips instead of the stock silicone ones.

Sound Quality:
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I listen to a variety of music genres through these things, and I can safely say that the sound quality is great across the spectrum. Anything from the highs and mids from classical to the deep undulating bass from dub-step can be heard clearly. They might not hold in a battle against some $100+ buds, but for this price they are awesome.

All in all, I am rating the Ink'd buds a 4/5, only because of the sound producing wires (see 'Construction'). If I could give it a 4.5 I would.