Skullcandy Push Play Active Earbuds Review

Mountain Weekly News ~

A life of the happy grind goes better when you Push Play on some Skullcandy. A soundtrack makes long runs fly by, turns solo ski days into a movie, and helps you multi-task like a boss. That’s what Skullcandy was founded on, and their Push Play earbuds promise to hold on no matter what you’re doing while delivering functionality and sound quality that hits higher than its price tag.

Skullcandy Sound Quality

I’ll start this off by saying that I’m not a sound guy. I noticed that calls with my partner were clearer on these ear buds than a pair of comparably-priced ones I’d been using. The music sounded clearer, as did the book on tape I’d listened to during my regular runs around my block. But let’s throw around some numbers. With an impedance of 22 ohms, these airbuds are in the top 84^th percentile of earbuds, alongside such heavy hitters as the Audio Technica ATH (impedance is a measure of loudness vs. amount of energy needed). Its sound pressure level, meaning how loud you can get the Skullcandy Push Play Active, is 104 decibels, about the same as Apple AirPods 2. We could keep geeking out on stats but let’s just leave it with the fact that these little Skull Candy earbuds pack enough tech and power to compete with the best of them. I never ran the Push Play Actives at full blast for worry of damaging my precious ear drums but they were fully loud.

These earbuds were clear enough even when breathing heavy to hear (crisply) the dude talking about the Roman Republic from my audio book, to get through all the bass and the lyrics from my hip-hop-heavy run mix, or to talk to my lady even while wearing a beanie and, again, running (win for the Clear Voice Smart Mic).

Push Play Active Functions

With Push Play in the name, you know how to get these working. The buttons on the side need a slight push to turn up the volume, to pause a song, to pick up or end a phone call, or to turn Skullcandy’s Push Play earbuds off. Just make sure to note they only need a slight push, a tap tapperoo really. It took me a few beats to dial in the pressure of the push.

The battery life on these Skullcandy earbuds, though, is insane. They have 10 hours of functionality in the buds and an additional 24 hours in the case. Compare that with 5.5-6 hours on the AirPods 2. Yeah, AirPods may have more going on but how much do you need from in-ear music players and phone receivers?

The Bluetooth v.5.3 pairing is a cinch, like any other Bluetooth product and considerably easier than some cheaper ones I’ve had before.  Especially with the Google Fast Pair and Finder. They’re easy to use, beautifully simple, and simply perfect.

Build Quality

The Flexible Secure-Fit Over-Ear Hangers kept my Skull Candy Push Play Active earbuds on my head on trail runs even as I hopped rocks and scrambled up trees. When I went on my training runs around my neighborhood they weren’t affected at all by my sweat or by the rain and wintry mix that pelted me. With a weight of 67g they’re easily thrown into a pocket without notice, or hung by the little loop on the box. I never noticed them on my ears. And the ear hangers ensured Skull Candy’s Push Play Active never fell off no matter what I was doing.

Overall Impression

Skull Candy’s Push Play Active: Big where it counts, small everywhere else. I love the sound quality on Skull Candy’s Push Play Active earbuds ($89.95). I love the ease of use dropped by the Push Play Earbuds. I love the durability and the unyielding attachment of Skull Candy’s Push Play Earbuds. All of this, from tech to touch, slaps. But at a price of $60 or less, Skull Candy’s Push Play Earbuds are a fraction of the cost of “higher-performance” competitors. They’re 1/5 the price of Apple AirPods 2.

If you want performance and power, simplicity and sound quality, durability and dialed-in functionality, and would rather spend $300 on a pair of boots than sound jewels, Skull Candy’s Push Play Active ear buds needs to be the next purchase on your list. Bring that soundtrack to your cinematic life.

Related Earbuds & Headphones We Have Tested

1. Skullcandy x Burton Snowboards Crusher Evo Earbuds
2. Between 3ANC In Ear Headphones
3. Aleck Punks Helmet Audio Headphones

The post Skullcandy Push Play Active Earbuds Review appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Ryan Ariano.