Skullcandy Smokin BUDS

Author's product rating:   

Sound Quality	Excellent
Comfort	Excellent
Looks & Design	Excellent
Durability	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Sound, Style, Comfort .  .  .  . Everything
Disadvantages:	Nothing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I am currently using these headphones to listen to a C.D. playing through my laptop. (This C.D. coincedentally happens to be the Mash Up Mix C.D. that i have recently reviewed..... hint hint, take a look..... )

*****APPEARANCE*****

Starting from the jack itself. (The part you plug into the device, i.e. laptop/mp3 player.) It is a thick black plastic that is curved, and looks similar in shape to the tip of a bullet, with the wire connection just before the end. Again, this is black with some small grooves in it. This is to enable it to twist and be bent around. As alot of people will be using headphones while the device is in their pocket. Obviously, by enabling this part of the jack to bend alot it reduces the risk of breakages and snapping. (Which has happened to me with the last 2 sets of iPod headphones that i have bought.) The wire is then approximately 1 metre in length.This gives enough room for even the tallest among us to have their iPod or whatever mp3 player you have in the back pocket and still feel comfortable. Without being strangled everytime you take a step.

Around 3/4 of the way up the wire their is a volume control. This, again has a curvecious shape, with a small indent in the middle, which makes it more comfortable to hold. It is the same colour as the rest of the wire. (black, as you already know.) At the top and bottom of the volume it says Max and Min. Obviously for a higher and quiter volume limit. I personally have got it on high, as this means that you can hear the bass and background sounds a lot better. Though, the sound is not lost if you have it on the minimum setting.

Around 3 inches after this, the wire branches into the left and right sections. With the earphones at the end of them. Where the wires split there is a small piece of hard plastic, which holds the divide itself. This means that the wire is unable to come apart further down than it is designed for. This is a fault that i have found with cheaper headphones.

Now we have arrived at the masterpieces themselves. The actual earphones. The connection to the wire is a dull grey colour and is very bendy. Once again, this is to prevent breakages. This colour goes straight up the end of the earphone and becomes more solid as it goes around the edge. On this part of the earphone is where you find the standard L and R. Indicating which ear to put each one in. Some people might think that this doesn't make a difference, but in a lot of headphones, they are designed specifically to fit that ear. That doesn't seem to be the case with these though. However, in some songs there are different sounds coming from each side, that is the other reason they are labelled for the left and right ears. The main body of the headphone, has a very similar style to the jack shape. I like this because it shows that the designer has paid good attention to detail. The fact that they match makes it look even more stylish. The earphone is just a little bigger and a little more shiny than the jack. On the outside of the right earphone are the words "Skullcandy" (the name of the company). On the outside of the left earphone is the Skullcandy logo. Both in white writing. These are bordered by the silver trim that seperates the bud, from the speaker part of the earphone.

The speaker seems to be incased in silicone or something along those lines. Again it is a dull grey colour. In keeping with the style of the headphones. Everything is matching and goes together well, each complimenting one another. This part of the earphone is perfectly rounded to fit in the ear and is slightly less than 0.5 c.m long. Both earphones have the Skullcandy logo embossed onto them.

*****Comfort*****
When you put the earphones in your ear they sit in there perfectly. The softness of the silicone feels extremerly comfortable on the inside of your ear, and they slide in and out easily. I have felt no discomfort at all in using these headphones. You would hardly know they are there. Maybe i am just lucky and have the right shaped ears for these ones. They do not irritate me after using them for a long time as some headphones can do, i have used them for around 2 and a half hours and they are still just as comfortable as when i put them in. This is a very important feature in headphones i believe.

*****SOUND*****
After me waffling on for ages you are probably wandering what the sound is like from the headphones. After all, that is THE most important feature.

Well, here is my opinion on the sound of the headphones....

PERFECT!!

As soon as you put the buds in your ears, the background noise of your surroundings is completely muffled. This is without even having any music on! That surely is a good sign that they will keep the sound in, as well as keeping other noises out. I think that the sound is funnelled into your ears from the silicone tunnels. (But i'm not an expert). On play.com it says the earphones have Ear fitting noise reduction sleeve and Direct-to-ear high fidelity acoustic. (http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/3354290/Skullcandy-Smokin-B ud-Headphones/Product.html) The noise reduction sleeve is highly evident, as i have previously explained. I am not sure what the direct-to-ear high fidelity acoustic part means. But i imagine it means that again less sound is lost, as it is direct to the ear and it is of better quality. Again, i feel that this is the case.

When you do have music on you can hear every single beat. From bass and treble to the melody and vocals everything is extremely sharp. I am currently using them to listen to dance music, and they are the giving me the best sound i have ever heard. Emphasising the bass and complimenting my E.Q. setting perfectly. However, they also give a very good result when listening to other types of music, from rock to rap and hip-hop. Obviously, changing the EQ setting also helps this.

I cannot explain enough how sharp the quality of every single note is. I can hear everything that is going on in every song that i listen to. It makes the quality of the mp3 sound even better. I am finding underlying notes and tunes in some songs that i didn't even realise were there. Because, i can hear everything that is in each song.

The sounds just vibrate through your head, and none of them are drowned out at all. I can see why they company is called "Skullcandy". They are definitely sweet for my head.

*****Conclusion*****
Overall, i would say that these headphones are absolutely faultless, i cannot think of anything wrong with them at all, they look good, they are comfortable, they sound absolutely perfect and they are not expensive by any means. On play.com they are £9.99 and that obviously gives free delivery. An absolute bargain, i would recommend these to anyone who listens to music on the go and wants a subtle and stylish pair of headphones, with, as far as i know, un-rivalled sound!!

5/5 From me!!!

P.S. Listening to things like The Prodigy, Pendulum and Dizzee Rascal just makes me want to cry with joy these headphones are so good. Every time i use them i just have a huge grin like the cheshire cat on my face!!