Taking active noise cancellation technology ANC as the initiative, Skullcandy Hesh ANC can win the hearts of users by doing well enough in all aspects, not feeling deprived.
Active noise cancellation technology is no longer a “luxury” thing, appearing only in the most expensive pairs of headphones on the market. There are pairs of In-ear headphones under the price range of 2 million VND like EarFun Free Pro that already own this feature! Skullcandy also follows this trend and equips ANC for low / mid-range headphones so that everyone can experience it, including the Hesh ANC pair that we will learn about today.
The ANC Skullcandy Hesh
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC is a cheaper option for active noise-canceling headphones (ANC). Its simple design will be liked by most people and won’t get a lot of attention. The battery life is better than average, and the Hesh ANC charges quickly and well. This pair of headphones does what it needs to do and stays true to the brand’s cheaper materials and bass-heavy frequency response.
How is the Skullcandy Hesh ANC to use?
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC is an over-ear noise-canceling headset made of plastic with a memory foam cushion on the band and thick memory foam ear pads wrapped in fake leather. The ear pads are snug, but they don’t bother me. People with bigger ears may have trouble getting the right fit. The inside of the ear pad is only 40mm by 60mm. Sony WH-1000XM4 ear pads, on the other hand, are about 50mm by 70mm.
All the interesting things are on the right ear cup. There is a row of buttons to control media playback or answer calls, and below that is a recessed port that holds the USB-C input and headphone jack. You don’t get buttons and touch controls like you do with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Instead, the Hesh ANC is an experience that can only be felt.
You can track your Skullcandy headphones with Tile, which we’ve seen on newer headphones like the Skullcandy Grind Fuel. This feature is on the Hesh ANC. You can connect the Hesh ANC to the Tile app so that you can always find it, even if you left it on top of the refrigerator or on the bus. Tile needs to know where you are to do this, so if you care a lot about your privacy, you might not want to use this feature.
How do you connect the Skullcandy Hesh ANC?
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC connects wirelessly with SBC or AAC Bluetooth codecs and Bluetooth version 5.0. You can use the 3.5mm wired connection to access your lossless media library. At this price, it’s not surprising that the Hesh ANC doesn’t have a high-quality Bluetooth codec like aptX that works well with Android phones.
How long does the battery in the Skullcandy Hesh ANC last?
Skullcandy says that the Hesh ANC can last for 22 hours, which is close to what we found when we tested it. The Skullcandy Hesh ANC’s battery life is 22 hours and 58 minutes when we play music at 75dB(SPL) for the whole time. This is longer than the battery life of the Sony WH-1000XM4, which is around 20 hours, and the battery life of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which is 21 hours. The Hesh ANC can be charged quickly, just like most other headsets. Just 10 minutes of charging with the USB-C cable will give you three hours of listening time.
How well does the Skullcandy Hesh ANC block out noise?
For how cheap it is, the Skullcandy Hesh ANC does a great job of blocking out noise. I often run a loud portable air conditioner, and the headset completely blocks out the low droning sounds. The soundproofing is just fine, and I can still hear a lot of random sounds like typing, snapping fingers, and dishes hitting each other. You’ll want to get the best fit possible around your ears to block out as much noise as possible and get the most out of the ANC. Even though the sound is a bit muffled, I can hear voices clearly when someone is right next to me and ANC is on.
How do Skullcandy’s Hesh ANC headphones sound?
Compared to our consumer target curve, the frequency response chart for the Skullcandy Hesh ANC shows a big boost in the sub-bass and a big boost in the treble. This means that the low bass frequencies will be louder than the music producer intended, which could make the bass so loud that it hurts the mid-range frequencies. You probably won’t like this frequency response if you want to hear music without too much sub-bass enhancement.
Low, middle, and high
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC makes music sound good. With the bass turned up, genres like EDM and hip hop will sound a lot more bassy, and if that’s your thing, you’ll love how the Hesh ANC sounds.
Last Nite by The Strokes has a strong bass line and a loud kick drum, but the bass frequencies don’t get in the way of the middle or high frequencies. The kick drum is easy to hear, Julian Casablancas’ voice can be heard over the bass line, and the guitar part is still very clear.
The Hesh ANC makes the sub-bass in Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” with Pharrell Williams very loud, to the point where it’s a bit jarring. Overall, the song still sounds good, but I find the sub-bass a little distracting. If you like to really “feel” your music, you’ll like how Daft Punk and other EDM sounds with the Hesh ANC.
Can you make phone calls with the Skullcandy Hesh ANC?
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC doesn’t have the best microphone, but it works fine for phone calls. Make sure there isn’t too much background noise when you use it to talk on the phone, because it doesn’t block out noise very well. It does an okay job of blocking out background noise, but some sounds that are hard to predict still get through.
Conclusion
Skullcandy Hesh ANC must have ways to save money since its price is only half that of the company’s best-selling Crusher ANC pair. The design of the headset isn’t as eye-catching, and it doesn’t have an on-ear slider to change the sound quality. The active noise cancellation is in the middle of the range, and the sound quality has a few small flaws as well. On the other hand, it has done enough to meet all of the users’ needs, especially by giving a very “already” sounding V-shape that can be impressive the first time you hear it.
