Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2
By Skullcandy · Noise-Cancelling Headphones · Audio & Electronics
- 40mm driver diameter
- Up to 60 hours battery (ANC off), 50 hours with ANC on
- Rapid charge: 10 minutes for 4 hours of playback
- Bluetooth v5.2
- Weight 332 g
Lowest price seen
~$239.99 (approx.)
from $239.99 at Amazon
- Amazon ~$239.99 (approx.)View at Amazon
- SkullcandyView at Skullcandy
- eBay (used) eBay: used, open-box, refurbishedView at eBay (used)
- eBayView at eBay
Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.
Summary
The Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 is a bass-first over-ear Bluetooth headphone, model S6CAW, whose real feature is the haptic Crusher bass system rather than its noise cancellation. Both independent reviews rate the ANC as only decent and the tuning as deliberately extreme, so buy these for the physical low end and accept the compromises.
Strengths
- Comfortable for long sessions, with memory foam ear pads and a cloth-covered headband that testers call tolerable.
- The Skull-iQ app is unusually deep: five-band EQ, remapping, adjustable ANC and Stay Aware levels.
- Battery is a strength, measuring 45 hours 23 minutes with ANC on plus about four hours from a 10-minute charge.
- Bluetooth 5.2 multipoint and a wired 3.5 mm fallback when the battery runs out.
- Folds into a supplied zip case, and the hardware bass dial gives quick control without the app.
Weaknesses
- Noise cancellation is only decent; most attenuation comes from passive isolation, and airplane drone and café noise still come through.
- The tuning is deliberately bass-heavy, and the Crusher effect can cause headaches or fatigue and loses its novelty.
- There is no auto-off or on-ear detection, so a unit left on can lose about half its charge overnight while idle.
- Codecs are basic, with AAC and SBC only and no AptX or LDAC.
- The battery is built in and not stated as user-replaceable, and there is no water or sweat resistance.
- At 332 g these are heavy, and testers note the multiple bass and EQ layers make tuning confusing.
Verified specifications
| Model | Crusher ANC 2 (S6CAW), released May 16, 2023. |
|---|---|
| Type | over-ear (circumaural), Bluetooth. |
| Drivers | 40 mm dynamic drivers plus a separate pair of haptic bass drivers operating roughly 10 Hz–150 Hz. |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz–20 kHz. |
| Bluetooth | version 5.2 with multipoint. |
| Codecs | AAC and SBC only; no AptX and no LDAC. |
| Noise cancellation | active noise canceling with four microphones. |
| Battery | rated 60 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with ANC on; a 10-minute rapid charge gives about 4 hours. |
| Measured battery | 45 hours 23 minutes with ANC on (SoundGuys standardized test). |
| Weight | 332 g. |
| Dimensions | case 213 × 185 × 58 mm; ear-cup opening about 58 × 48 mm; cable 1.5 m. |
| Wired listening | included 1.5 m 3.5 mm cable; charging over USB-C. |
| App | Skull-iQ (Android/iOS) with a five-band EQ, Music/Podcast/Movie presets, adjustable ANC and Stay Aware levels, Mimi sound personalization, Tile finding and voice control. |
| Controls | physical buttons plus a bass dial on the left cup, with extensive remapping in the app. |
| Body | matte texturized plastic, cloth-covered foam headband, memory foam ear pads; no water or sweat resistance. |
| Included | zip-up carry case, 3.5 mm audio cable and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. |
Full research notes and sources
The Crusher bass effect
The Crusher system pairs the 40 mm dynamic drivers with a second, separate pair of haptic drivers that vibrate between roughly 10 Hz and 150 Hz. SoundGuys measured the effect adding about 20 dB at 50 Hz when set to 80%, and both reviewers describe it as extreme: PCMag called it immediately uncomfortable at full volume, and SoundGuys said it can trigger headaches or early fatigue. PCMag also found a sub-bass limit, where the lowest note on one track was too low for the drivers and the rumble disappeared. Crusher adjustment needs power and the app and does not work in passive wired mode, though wired mode still gives boosted bass.
Noise cancellation and the app
Neither independent review treats ANC as a reason to buy. PCMag found low-frequency airplane drone still audible and a crowded-cafe recording barely changed between ANC on and off. SoundGuys rated ANC 5.7 and isolation 3.1 and concluded that most attenuation is passive. The two reviews disagree on whether ANC changes the sound: PCMag reports richer bass with ANC on, while SoundGuys says the signature stays similar, so treat any difference as minor and unit-dependent.
The app is where much of the value sits. Skull-iQ offers a five-band EQ, presets, adjustable ANC and Stay Aware, Mimi sound personalization, Tile finding and voice control. Voice control needs exact phrases and stays enabled to work, and the app opts you into analytics by default; turn that off under Settings, Quality Program, Share Analytics.
Battery, codecs and daily use
Skullcandy rates 60 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with ANC on, and SoundGuys measured 45 hours 23 minutes with ANC on, so expect the lower end of the claim. A 10-minute charge gives roughly four hours. The catch is that there is no power-saving mode and no on-ear detection, and SoundGuys saw the battery drop 50% overnight with only 90 minutes of listening. You have to switch them off yourself.
There are no advanced codecs: AAC and SBC only, so Android users get no AptX or LDAC. Bluetooth 5.2 does bring multipoint, and the included 1.5 m cable lets you keep listening if the battery dies. At 332 g they are on the heavy side, and the ear pads warm up over long sessions.
Reliability and repairs
There is no water or sweat resistance, and SoundGuys advises against intense workouts. Ear pads and the headband are consumables in practice, but no first-party replacement catalog was found in this check. The battery is not stated as user-replaceable, and firmware and app updates arrive through the Skull-iQ app. The only owner-scale feedback available comes from Skullcandy’s own hosted reviews, which are not independent; it includes complaints about earpad discomfort, support difficulty, battery degradation after several months and headband fabric peeling. Treat those as individual reports, not a failure rate.
Is it worth it?
SoundGuys lists the original price as $229.99, and Skullcandy’s own product page listed $239.99 before a markdown. At or near full price the value case is weak unless bass is your single priority; competitors at that price offer materially better ANC and better codecs, and PCMag points to the Bose QuietComfort 45 while SoundGuys names the Monoprice BT-600ANC and Sony WH-XB910N as better-ANC bass alternatives. On a deep discount, below about $150, the comfort, app and battery make it a defensible buy for bass lovers who accept mediocre ANC.
Which model this is
This page covers the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2, model S6CAW, released May 16, 2023. “ANC 2” is shorthand for Crusher ANC 2. Skullcandy lists many finishes, including True Black, Preppy Blue, Hazard, Drab, Plasma, Primer, Leopard, Bone, Realtree Edge Colors, Jae Tips and All Love; published hardware specifications are the same across them. The black US Amazon variant carries ASIN B0C9L8ZR6Q. Do not confuse it with the first-generation Crusher ANC, the Crusher Evo or the Hesh ANC, which are different models.
Sources
Manufacturer:
Independent reviews:
- PCMag: Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review
- SoundGuys: Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 review
- RTINGS Skullcandy headphones list — no Crusher ANC 2 review listed.
Owner reports:
No independent owner-forum threads were found for this model.