Customer Reviews

Skullcandy Smokin' Buds Ink'd Earphones - Red

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

UPDATE 10/2011: Just wanted to say... THESE THINGS DON'T DIE. I thought for sure the cords would wear out, but they just got indelibly stained over time (don't use them near a printing press, apparently). They worked for over 4 years, though they didn't make the cut in my recent trans-Pacific move.
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There are more reviews for this on the black version, but I got the red one, so I thought I could also comment on the looks of the specific color in addition to the general quality. I got these on impulse, to replace my iPod's default buds (which have been a literal pain in the ears).

Regarding the appearance and materials: They seem to be color-matched to the red 2nd generation iPod Nanos, but I don't have one to test this hypothesis. Like the 2nd gen Nanos, they have the appearance of anodized aluminum, but I suspect it's just plastic. They've also got the trademark Skullcandy skulls on the ends, underneath a small plastic bubble. I'm not too fond of the way Skullcandy emblazons their products myself, but in this case, it's tiny enough to be bearable. Unhappily, the cords are this weird easy-to-tangle rubber (more so than Apple's buds) that appears ugly and crooked from a distance and rather annoying from close-up. You'll probably want a cord wrapper unless you're really good about keeping your cords untangled. I can also see the cords getting worn out in time (they seem flimsier than the free Apple buds)... but they're cheap and not painful to replace

Now on the buds in general... They're really great sound isolation buds for the price, but with the following points:

- Good sound requires deep insertion of the silicone tip into the ear canal. Your ear canal needs to be totally sealed by the tips, or the sound will be bad and you'll hear a lot of ambient noise. These are much easier to put in than the Etymotic 3-flange tips, but they also don't dampen ambient noise as well. However, these are still VERY comfortable for long periods, and I'll happily take the ease of insertion for a little less noise dampening (I actually prefer being able to hear oncoming traffic and people talking to me when I've got my earbuds on).

- The SLIGHTEST bumps to the cord will travel straight to your ears in the form of loud BANGS. This is true of all in-ear buds, and especially true of deep-insertion types. You can ease the noise if you clip the cord to your shirt (so most of the sound vibrations will dissipate into your shirt before reaching your ears). Wearers of dangling earrings may also find that their earrings might bump into the cords for the same effect... you'll have to rotate the buds to position the cord out of the way of your earrings.

- The sound is quite good, with nice bass and... well, I'm not enough of an audiophile to comment much on the rest of the spectrum, but it sounds very nice and full to me (though I find other reviews putting it higher than Shures a bit hard to swallow... having never tried Shures myself). However, I'm not sure if this is JUST my unit, but there is an audible static hiss when my buds are plugged in. It's faint enough so my music usually covers it, but it's apparent once the music stops. I don't really mind, though, since I will mostly be using this outside, when ambient noises will probably cover up the hiss. I'm mainly just pleased to actually hear bass coming from my iPod.

- There is absolutely NO differentiation between the left and right buds (they are completely symmetrical and identical). While it's understandable because they're accessories meant for the 2nd generation iPod Nanos, it limits their use to things in which the left and right channels don't really matter. 3D sound effects in action movies and shows might be lost if you switch up the left and right buds.

All in all, I'd recommend these as a good set of cheap earbuds with changeable sound isolating tips. They're not AMAZING, but... well, remember the price tag ($10 or less, or you're not bargain-hunting hard enough) and be pleased.

After purchasing a Creative ZEN, I decided that the earbuds that came with it were too big for my ears. They kept falling out. (They weren't the earbud type....just a single sized soft foam type....too big).

I bought these. From the very first song that I listened to, it sounded very "tinny". Almost no base at all. All other songs sounded the same way. I thought it was me....but I retried the originals that came with the ZEN and it was much better. I even had some old headphones that I tried. They too sounded better.

I returned these....I gave it a "2" for the fact that they worked at all.

These buds are simply amazing, for the price there is not another pair of buds that can compete. I have owned several pairs of headphones around same price and they either turn to crap right away, are uncomfortable, or sound like a 12 year old made them in science class.

All in all I give these a 5 out of 5 simply because i cant rate it them any higher. Seriously the sound quality is amazing, most buds i have tried dont have any bass what so ever but these thinks have a nice crisp rip to them without the cheap distortion you may be all to familiar with.

They are super comfortable as well and stay firmly in your ear. You would think for 15-20 bucks that they would rip apart or the wires would become loose in spots but these things are tought too. I sent them through the washer and dryer twice now and they still play as good as new!

Save your money, don't bother with ipod headphones or those other spendy buds, please take my advise and buy these bad boys, you wont be disappointed.

If you like bass in your headphones....this will blow your mind. Theres nothing else that needs to be said. Buy this now!

I've been using Skull Candy buds for the past few years. They look good and perform much better than you would expect for $10 ear buds. I use these when I'm working out and running and the only issue I have is that they tend to stop working every few months. I realize this is because I get sweat in them so I just treat them more as disposable headphones. To get 3 months (at least) of use out of $10 headphones is a pretty good deal in my book. Especially with the great sound quality you get. Just be prepared to use them as "disposable" if you use them while running and get a lot of sweat in them.

I also have a pair that I use with my phone and they've lasted forever. So (as one would expect) less sweat = longer life.

For Christmas I specifically asked for headphones that would not go inside my ears. I used to think they would be uncomfortable and/or fall out frequently. Fortunately my request was overlooked. These headphones come with silicone buds in three sizes. The small ones fit my ears perfectly. Unlike the headphones the iPod comes with, I can keep these in for long periods of time. As a college student who has a 6 hr journey to get home for the holidays, that is a big plus!

These are very good earphones, with awesome sound quality and they block out almost every sound in the room you are in. You can listen to your music on a surprisingly low volume setting. The only thing is: they are only good for when you are sitting down. If anything touches or moves the wire, you can hear the vibration traveling through to your ears. It doesn't drown our the music or anything, but it is very annoying. Its kind of a low pitched sound like a heartbeat or something. Its especially bad of course if you are running or walking because the wire bounces off your legs and stomach with each step. These are very nice headphones, just not for exercising.

I purchased this initially for the aesthetic quality - I needed an in-ear earbud with a dark red to match my zune, and the skullcandy brand is renowned for its stylish products. However, as an avid audiophile I was thoroughly disappointed with the sound quality. The bass is really overpowering, and there is no channel differentiation. [Personally, as someone who listens to a lot of techno/trance, it was especially annoying. ]It irked me to hear my favorite songs get sullied by the poor sound quality.

The positive? Great, albeit incomplete, ambient noise-canceling. This is due to those squishy ear things that come with it. Being someone with small ears, it was a relief to find two other sizes to choose from included in the packaging. It is also relatively comfortable.

In short - consider something else. Look at popular name brands that actually care about sound quality, and THEN worry about aesthetics. Learn from my mistake!

First thing Id like to say is this is not Susan Sullivan its her 17 year old daughter Amanda, I just dont have an amazon account of my own and I was looking to buy some of these headphones. So hey everyone! Here it goes..

These buds have really good sound quality and fit very well in your ears, but not in everybody's, some of my friends complain how they don't stay in but for the majority of them they fit fine. They also work for me as a kind of sound canceling headphone. When I put them in it really limits the sound around me so car rides and subway rides are great because you don't have to blast your music to drown out the people around you. There also really cheap for the quality of the headphones, my second pair was only 14 dollars at staples, I would recommend looking there before you buy them off line you'll get a much better deal. One of the last things I can think of right now is they look awesome. They matched my blood red ipod nano(not the new nanos) and it was so sick, they have them in a bunch of colors too, not just red. There just an over all good thing except they don't last forever. The first time I got them as a gift and they worked so well for so long until the constant wrapping around my ipod made the wires loose? thats the only way I think this happened because then I had to hold the wire at the base at the right angle for it to play music. It almost had a cool effect because wile you move it around it changed the music, it would change the bass level and volume of the singers voice or instrumentals. But then it just had an underwater noise so I decided to get some more. Unfortunately my second pair did the same thing, mind you this was after several months of abuse on my part. I highly recommend these earphones just keep in mind that you might have to buy some more about a half year or more later

Summary: Too pricey for crappy quality
Pros: Comfortable, good seal to keep out external sound, metal instead of plastic looks nice. Rubber pieces can be removed for cleaning

Cons: Any slight rub or brushing on the cords makes a loud sound through the earbuds. You're much better off buying the Full Metal Jacket version, which includes an in-line volume control (the volume control essentially buffers 95% of any rustling noise you hear).