Customer Reviews

Skullcandy Hesh Over-Ear Headphone with In-Line Microphone and Control Switch SGHEBZ-15 (Kevin Garnett)

5 star:		(204)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(47)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

When I was considering buying these headphones, I was reading a lot of reviews on them that made me not want to buy them. People were saying they were the crappiest headphones ever & that they're a waste of money. Truthfully, these people are just plain wrong. They're expecting way too much out of $50 headphones. I think that these are pretty beast for $50 headphones. They sound amazing & the bass is awesome as well but not so overpowering that it distorts the sound. They also do an awesome job of blocking out surrounding noises. I know there are a lot of people who say these hurt your ears after wearing them for too long, don't worry about that too much. Just a simple readjustment will stop that from happening. The only thing that's a bad thing is that they do leak some sound. But that's not that big of a deal for me so to me, this product is flawless. Another thing: everyone is saying that these are made out of some cheap crappy material that breaks easily. Once again, wrong. If you don't yank them off your head & actually make an effort to take care of them, they should last a while. & even if they do break, Skullcandy will either replace it at no charge or replace it for 50% depending on what happened. So if you're not planning on buying these because of all those reviews that say this product sucks, you should just go ahead and buy them. You'd be surprised at how amazing they are & how all those reviews were just a bunch of bs. These headphones are just so amazing. My very first pair & I couldn't ask for anything better for such a cheap price. Oh yeah, they're also stylish as well (;

Considering I bought these headphones for $50, the sound quality is very good. I also own a pair of $120 Able Planet NC Headphones and of course there is a significant difference in sound quality. Do not buy these if you are looking for a pair of traveling headphones as they do not assist in reducing the low humming of voices or car engines. However, they are good headphones with decent enough quality to play a wide range of music. And I would agree with other reviews... I have never heard a non-powered headphone pair sound this LOUD when simply plugged into my iPod.

I strongly recommend these headphones to anyone on a budget who is looking for a decent pair of comfortable, over the ear headphones. Personally, I use them when I play the drums. They cancel out enough of the noise from the drums and they're loud enough to still hear what you're playing (without spending over $300 on Studio headphones).

I'm used to using the separate headphones where you rotate this awkward piece of plastic behind your ear because those are cheap, but I decided to buckle down and get some nice over-the-ear headphones because the original ones I'm referring to never seem close enough to my ears. I love the style and color; I feel like Skullycandy is all about expression. I read the reviews before my purchase and I took note that these leak sound (which is unusual considering the style), but I truly don't mind. I usually only wear headphones when I'm walking outside or at home, not in public places anyway. This product also comes with a pouch which is really neat; I just store these and my iPod in there so I always know where they are. I also love how the cord doesn't get tangled and ruined like most headphones! Whatever material they used for the cord is ingenious.

There are absolutely better headphones out there to enjoy music on, that should be 100% obvious. But I would assume someone with a budget, who can't spend more that a few bucks, isn't going to consider a $300 pair of cans when shopping around. I'm going to be as objective as I can be and only review the Hesh based on its price range.

MY EXPERIENCE: I've loved listening to music for years. I'm 27, and was raised listening to all genres/formats. I have what I consider to be a trustable opinion on how each genre should sound when you hear it. Professionally, I've been in a career for 5 years now that involves using my highly trained ears to do hours of critical listening. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say that almost every day I wear a nearly 2 lb headset for around 12 hours straight. I hope that you will trust me with at least the technical aspects of this review.

THE BUILD TYPE: The Hesh is a pair of Closed Back Circumaural (around the ears) 50mm driver headphones. The two main types of circumaural headphones are closed back and open (or semi-open). Most likely, you won't be able to find a set of open-back headphones for under $50. That shouldn't bother you though, since open-back headphones have an airy sound (tinny sound to the unexperienced). Most people who want to 'enjoy' their music will prefer a closed-back set, this allows for a typically deeper sound, with more natural bass. The soundstage may become more cramped, but I would say people who are going for the Skullcandy are looking for a more exciting extraction of the music they listen to. This is to say that the main demographic of Skullcandy consumers is those who want Beats by Dre but can't afford it. You want bass, you want it in your face, and no less. I get that, and hopefully Skullcandy gets that enough to include some quality in their production.

THE BUILD QUALITY (4 out of 10): I've already seen a fair share of negative reviews criticizing the build quality of these cans. Know one thing, something made of thin plastic is easier to break than something made of metal or wood. It shouldn't take a genius to realize that its more affordable to build something out of plastic than other nicer materials. The Hesh is made of cheap plastic, so it can be sold cheap. Increase the material quality = increase the price, duh. That being said, there are a few things to be realized. I am a responsible adult when it comes to taking care of my electronics. When I buy something that lacks durability, I treat it as such, and am careful with it. Most Skullcandy users are probably the young crowd, teens or whatever. A younger person can't be expected to be as responsible with their possessions, especially since their parents probably paid for it. Parents, if you're complaining this headset falls apart after a short period of normal use, you should probably re-evaluate YOUR definition of 'normal use'. A kid will probably break this headset before an adult does, this is just the nature of responsibility (in my opinion). Continuing, here's what I think of the quality. The worst offense, I'd say, is the ear-cushions. They are very stiff right out of the box. The first few hours/days of wear time will be somewhat uncomfortable until the stiffness loosens up. I hope in time they will soften up, because I'm use to gel-filled pads with my work headphones, and soft leather ones with my studio reference cans. The earcups are also somewhat on the small side. I have a larger head, with medium size ears so I was a little surprised how small the earcups were when putting it on for the first time. The head band is also cheaply made, with minimal cushioning against the head, but not completely awful. Wear times longer than an hour or 2 could get pretty uncomfortable, and perhaps sweaty. I don't think these headphones were made for very large heads either (like I was saying, more for teens) as the compression on my head is fairly tight. The cable is shorter than would like it to be, its about the same length as my earbuds cable. I would prefer at least 6 feet for circumaural cans, a cable as short as this one just makes the headphones feel more like a toy. The build quality of the cable is also pretty cheap, and will probably be damaged by accidental crimping, tangles, tie-ups, etc. To avoid this I just have to treat with care, like I plan to. To summarize the build quality, I will just say two things you should expect: cheap plastic, stiff cushioning.

THE LOOK (6 out of 10): This brand (and market) of headphones is usually more about style than substance anyways. Quality costs more, but looks cost almost nothing. These are larger headphones, so wearing them may make you look goofy; but only as much as any pair of larger headphones you put on. They look okay, and there are several flashy styles/colors to choose from. If looks is more your thing, get Skullcandy.

SOUND QUALITY (2 categories)

1. BURN IN- 10 minutes (5 out of 10): Right out of the box they sound like expected. Unrefined across the
entire spectrum (w/IPOD). But know that almost all headphones need a break in period (called the burn-in).
The burn-in period could be 24 hours of play-time or it could be 200 hours of play time. It really depends.
At the time of only 10-30 minutes of play time, I find it to be too strong in the low-mids and also
high-mids. The bass at first seems to be attractive, but I realized after a few minutes that it was
actually the pumped up low-mids that sound like bass frequencies (they are just above the bass frequencies).
The chief problem with boosted low mids (or any part of the mid frequencies) is the problem of listening
fatigue. Some headphones are so well balanced in sound that you could listen all day and your ears won't
be tired or worn out. I already listen to headphones all day professionally, so listening fatigue is extra
irritating to me. The last thing I want while listening to my music is a headache from boosted dB in any
part of the frequency spectrum. It just shouldn't be there, but at $50 or this kind of deficiency should
be anticipated. You should also know that at this point I've only tried these on an IPOD, which I'll go
over soon. My opinion at 10 minutes of burn-in: Almost poor. It needs more time to break in, then I'll
re-evaluate it.

24 hours (combined playtime): When I get there...

2. FORMATS: IPOD (5 out of 10)- Most customers of the Hesh will probably use it primarily for the IPOD.
EVERYONE should realize the problem with listening to an IPOD with any kind of headphones: The audio source
quality is just as important as the headphones thru which you listen to it. If you plug a set of $300
headphones into an IPOD, do NOT be surprised if it sounds just as crappy as a $20 pair of headphones.
The IPOD, while it is a great media for playing music on the go, is not made for the HI-FI market. You
MUST expect a lower quality of audio when plugged into it, and should NOT be surprised when your music
sounds like junk listening to it thru any set of cans. This problem is exacerbated when you listen to a
compressed audio file (MP3). To truly evaluate the headphones, without unfocused or unknowledgable bias,
I have to check the IPOD against other formats. As a tip, if you're going to listen to music on the IPOD
with these, select R & B or Classical as the EQ setting. I find either one of those settings covers most
music genres nicely, and makes them more pleasant to listen to. Bottom line, the IPOD is far from the
most ideal listening source, when it comes to audio fidelity.

Laptop (6 out of 10) - Not much better than the IPOD, with one exception: I can control a 10
band eq with most audio programs I use. The key to using the EQ is you want to subtract the right
frequencies rather than boost anything. This will help to avoid listening fatigue, which if you don't
know by now I HATE. It in any program (such as ITUNES) try these settings: Boost 32hz and 64hz 4 decibels,
cut 125hz and 1khz by 3 decibels, boost 250hz and 500hz by 1 and 2 decibels, respectively. Boost 2khz and
4khz by 1-2 decibels. Boost 8khz by 2-3 decibels and leave 16khz alone. This might help bring better
sound out of the headphones even if only marginally.

Computer w/sound card - Haven't tried, will let know when I do. Its very desirable to put an
independent sound card into your computer though if you plan on wearing headphones all the time. Its
especially desirable to get one with a DAC (digital to analogue converter) or built-in headphone amp. I
repeat, very desirable.

DAC - Don't have one, not planning on it. If I happen to test these on one, I'll post the
review.

Headphone Amp - I will be buying a tube driven (adds warmth) headphone amp soon for listening
to vinyl records as well as using it for home recording studio use. When I get it, I will put these
headphones to test on it; and, of course will post the results. My firm opinion will always be to get a
dedicated headphone amp, they are built specifically to drive headphones and make incoming audio sound
better. If you can afford it, get a headphone amp.

Stereo system - I have a surround sound A/V reciever system at home. When I try the headphone
output, I'll post the results here.

Thanks for reading folks, this is the first draft of this review. After a few weeks, I hope to add something positive to this review. I know the Skullcandy Hesh is a cheap piece of plastic to most, even me. But its not made for HI-FI snobs, its made for the affordable crowd who want a flashy pair of cans with pumped up bass, even if the listening spectrum is somewhat unfocused. If $50 or less is your budget, I say get them. But be prepared to give them time to adjust to being played, treat them with care, and plug them into a good audio source. Later.

I love these headphones. They are very snug and good for simple music listening. There is no volume adjustment, so you would have to adjust the volume from your mp3 player or computer speakers instead. These headphones definitely take away all the extra sound around you.

The headphones sound really good. Dont listen to the other people saying it is easy to break there not i mean there made of plastic but i use mine everyday and if u just give a little effort to protect them they will be fine.

I ordered these headphones for my boyfriend's birthday. I selected the free supersaver shipping and it actually got here early! The product was still in the package and is actually a Really great product. He loves them and so do I. I've even thought about buying a pair for myself. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for great quality headphones.

I got these for my daughter's 14th birthday and they have been a huge hit. She was using the cheap iPhone earbuds that Apple provides and even tried some of the noise isolating earbuds (cheap ones). She kept losing and/or breaking earbuds or the rubber pieces that actually seal them into your ears. My daughter is really into fashion. So, when she saw the Paul Frank monkey headphones, she wanted them. She's not really concerned about sound quality or even how sturdy they are. But, I was. After reading several reviews, I was a little concerned about how sturdiness. After having had them for a week, the quality seems to be decent. They aren't exactly built like a Mack truck. But, I think if cared for properly they will hold up. The cord seems to be pretty decent quality. The sound is really good. Definitely as good as I would expect for the money paid. One knock on them is the plastic used for the cushions on the cans doesn't breathe at all. So, your ears can get very hot and sweaty very quickly in these. The look is very cartoonish. But, it's perfect for a teenager or a pre-teen. She gets lots of compliments on them. Overall, we are very happy with our purchase.

These headphones can play really good sound. I have had them for a couple months now and they are still serving me great. they are big and soft and comfortable and can play really loud without people around you being able to hear it. I have been walking to school since I started college and so they also worked really well as ear muffs :) They kind of feel fragile at times but they haven't broken at all. Overall definitely the best buy of headphones I have ever gotten.

I saw these online before they were released so I did a lot of looking around online to see where I could get them the soonest and cheapest... Amazon had them for $5 cheaper than everybody else plus I signed up for a free month of Amazon Prime and got free 2-day shipping.

The headphones are SICK... I get rave reviews about them from everybody, plus I can answer my iPhone calls and then it automatically switches back to my music (even with pandora) when the call is done.

However, if you snowboard at Bear Mountain, don't buy these, or else I will kill you.