Skullcandy

I've spent a lot of my life being down on Skullcandy.

I know I'm a headphone snob, and Skullcandy has the excellent reputation of creating some of the most stylish headphones out there for a premium price. Here, see what I mean:

On the left, the beautiful Kate Upton modeling a pair of swanky red Aviators. On the right, the "budget" priced Hesh 2.0. ($50).

(In fairness, Skullcandy has headphone models cheaper than $50.)
I would tease friends about these things, joking that they traded substance for style. My brief experience with Skullcandy 'phones was ten years ago, and they were tinny and harsh. Everyone at that time seemed to have the Skullcandy earbuds, anyway, so I was going to dislike them for their popularity.
I still have that problem with popular headphones, so I still hated Skullcandy as a brand. Beats once had a chance, due to the high-profile design by Dr. Dre, but Beats fell off the wagon once I heard a pair.

Times change. Apple now bundles a new kind of headphone with their iPod, something far less ear-shattering. Now, it's far more common to see a pair of Beats than anything else. (You usually can't see Gumys anyway.) Every so often, I catch someone with expensive Sennheisers or AKGs in public places.
That's not something you do. Those headphones should be your baby.
They should not be in a place where someone can punch you in the stomach and run off with a life-changing listening experience.

Skullcandy started showing up on popular Hi-Fi audio blogs. I couldn't believe it, so when I saw a display at Target for two of their models, I gave it a shot.

SOLD.

I really spoiled myself, actually. I listened to the Uprock, and it was alright. I didn't dance. It was too open.
I tried out the Hesh 2.0, and couldn't truly believe the difference between the two. The Hesh 2.0 was tight, active, and clean. I rocked out.
I tried out the Sony display next to it. Perhaps Skullcandy planted it there, because the Sony sets were muted and muddy. I put them back, audibly saying, "Gross!" The guy nearby gave me a funny look. The Beats fared better, but the sound is heavy. It overstates the low end, kind of like riding in a car with a trunk-rattling subwoofer. The Skullcandys let the bass keep its punch and let the high end jam on top.

I think it's time to own a pair of Skullcandy headphones. If it sounds this good, I'm ready to be stylish.

  - Flash

Edit: I was lucky enough to get the above Gridlock-design Hesh 2.0 headphones pictured above. Yes, they are sweet. But even more important is that these are SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from the black model I tried at Best Buy. Here:
- The gridlock has a fabric covered padded band, feeling organic. The black has a rubber headband with no padding or fabric, feeling rugged.
- The gridlock seems to fit nicely around my ears without much extra effort. The black takes a little bit of work to fit my ears inside, and seems to leave a gap between my head and the pad.
- The black, overall, feels like a workhorse.
- The gridlock, overall, feels fun, like a party.

So the black would, in theory, spend its days in my briefcase, and the gridlock for home listening.