Skullcandy Hesh 2 review

Born to please.

Skullcandy it is a relatively young brand, at least for the market. Its DNA, transgressive and rebellious, is probably the result of a certain permeability of the company to the trends and atmospheres of the city of Park City, in the state of Utah, the headquarters of the company but, as evidence of what I said before, also location of one of the most important independent film festivals, the “Sundance Film Festival”. The character of the brand is clearly noticeable in the design of all its headphones, which have now also become a fashion accessory among young people in the most fashionable European capitals such as Madrid where, on a recent trip, I happened to see them wearing them several times. skaters and young people with a well-kept look. Compared to Apple's Beats though, Skullcandy continues to pay some attention to the wallet by offering good quality solutions at an affordable price.

Headphones Hesh 2 wired version object of this test are version 2.0 of one of the company's best-known products, which has recently also been available in a wireless version. The package, rather spartan, showcases the design of the headset, dominated by two large circumaural memory foam pavilions covered in synthetic leather and with a rather pronounced curvature. Our version, completely in white, is just one of the many possible color combinations: from black to green, passing through purple, blue, the serigraphs of the main American baseball or football teams, such as Barcelona and dozens of other combinations (to get an idea, just search on Amazon). The great variety of colors available, probably the largest we have ever seen for this type of product, is an indication of the company's extreme attention to the aesthetics of the product, destined to be, as we said, as well as a tool of utility, too fashionable accessory.

The version tested is the one with Removable 3.5mm jack cable e with microphone and in-line commands that allow you to manage calls, adjust the volume and control music. The equipment is completed by a comfortable black bag for transport.
The headphones are quite compact (18,5 cm W x 17 cm H) but unfortunately it is not possible to fold the two pavilions towards the headband inside the headphone, which would certainly have favored portability. The weight is low and this, together with the very soft memory foam padding and a not excessive grip on the temples, favors the listening comfort which I found very good even for those who, like myself, wear glasses. The headphones are constructed of medium-quality glossy plastic which, while not giving a premium appearance, appears durable enough and does not give rise to strange creaking sounds. The headband, on which the Skullcandy logo is engraved, is coated in rubber in the same color as the cap but does not have a cushion in the part in contact with the head and this, for some, could be a problem. In my case, however, this absence did not lead to any comfort problems.

The most important change compared to the previous Hesh model concerns the sound rendering. The headphones have a 50mm neodymium driver with response between 20hz and 20Khz, with a balanced equalization but also able to add a certain note of warmth, very pleasant, to the music listened to. However, these are headphones that tend to be more neutral and the note of warmth we were talking about before only serves to mitigate one of the main defects of compressed music, namely the asepticity and inexpressiveness. In the listening test, the lower frequencies of the sound range are sufficiently powerful and precise, without distortions even at fairly high volumes, thanks to a good sensitivity of 105db. The mid and high range are also reproduced very well: voices like that of Eva Cassidy in “Somewhere over the Rainbow” are always clear and crystalline, without distortion at higher volumes. The headset, however, gives its best with R&B songs such as "Bonnie and Clide" by Jay-z and Beyoncè (able to put even the most famous headphones in difficulty) or Hip Hop as "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West, with the his intro made of very deep bass. The combination of a good mid and high range with deep and precise bass, without the exaggerations of some products in the same price range, also makes it perfect for songs like "Jubel" by Klinkande and other electronic music, or for songs like "Heroes ”By the unforgettable David Bowie.

A few more perplexities with classical and jazz music in which, although no distortion is noticeable, the equalization tends to dirty the sound performance a little too much.

The presence of the in-line microphone makes the Hesh 2 perfect for use on the move, connected to your smartphone. During conversations the microphone behaves quite well reproducing a clear audio and very little influenced by background noise, while the conversations in the headphones are always clear and the voices crystal clear.