Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC Unboxing: Bose ANC + Haptic Bass
Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC review: Sound by Bose noise cancelling, adjustable haptic bass and 50-hour battery. Unboxing, specs, pros and cons.
Josh With GenX Reviewed
Passionate reader, writer, and learner
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying through this link costs you nothing extra.
The Crusher 1080 ANC is the most grown-up headphone Skullcandy has ever made, and it brings Bose noise cancelling to a pair that still shakes your skull. That is the short version.
If you came up with a Walkman clipped to your jeans and foam headphones that leaked to the whole bus, Skullcandy probably felt like a brand for your kids. Loud colors, big bass, skate shop vibes. The Crusher line was always the fun one: earcups with built-in haptic drivers so you feel the low end, not just hear it.
What changed this time is the partner. Skullcandy says this is the first time Bose has put its proprietary audio tech inside a headphone that isn’t a Bose. The box says it right on the front: Sound by Bose. I unboxed a pair on camera, and here’s what you get.
Unboxing: What’s in the Box
The packaging is simple and clean. A white box with the headphones on the front, the Bose badge up top, and four orange feature icons along the bottom. Flip it over and the back covers the specs in fine print.
Inside, the headphones come folded in a black drawstring carry bag with the white Skullcandy skull on it. Here is the full haul:
- The Crusher 1080 ANC headphones
- Black drawstring carry bag with clip straps
- A short cable, wrapped with a Velcro tie
- Printed user guide
No hard case. For a pair north of $250, I would have liked one, especially if these are going in a backpack or a carry-on. The soft bag will keep off dust and scratches, but not much more.
Design, Build and Controls
The 1080 looks more like a business-class headphone than a skate-park toy. My pair is True Black, matte all over, with a small skull logo on the headband and earcups. If black is too plain, it also comes in Candy, Primer and Cement.
The earcups swivel and fold, which is how they tuck into the bag. The pads are thick and soft, and the headband has a padded underside. On the outside of one earcup is a round dial, and that is the star of the show: it sets how much haptic bass you get. You can also adjust it in the Skullcandy app, from a light touch to a full-body rumble.
The rest of the controls are physical buttons along the edge of the earcups. I’ll take buttons over touch panels every time. You can find them by feel, and they don’t fire when you adjust your hair. Charging is USB-C.
What Bose Brings to the Party
The Bose part is software and tuning, not Bose hardware. Skullcandy still builds the headphone and its bass drivers; Bose supplies the brains. Here is what that adds up to on paper:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bose QuietControl ANC | Six-mic noise cancelling that adapts to your surroundings |
| Bose TrueSpatial | Spatial audio with head tracking |
| Bose WaveForm Audio Engine | Bose’s sound tuning and processing |
| Bose SpeechClarity | Voice pickup for clearer calls |
| Multi-Sensory Bass | Skullcandy’s haptic bass, adjustable by dial or app |
| Battery | Up to 60 hours ANC off, 50 hours ANC on |
| Rapid charge | About 4 hours of play from a 10-minute charge |
Specs per Skullcandy.
That battery number is the sleeper feature. Fifty hours with noise cancelling on is a couple of weeks of commuting for most people. Early lab results are mixed but fair: SoundGuys rated its noise cancelling in the top half of over-ear headphones it has measured. Solid, if not class-leading.
First Impressions on the Head
On my head, the 1080 fits like a proper over-ear. The cups fully cover my ears, even with my glasses on, which matters to those of us who need readers now. They are big, though. Nobody will mistake these for earbuds, and they make a statement on a video call.
For myself I love the explosive bass that exists whether its rock, drum and bass, or other music and movies, this thing is impressive in its ability to shake your literal brain.
One fair warning from the reviewers: Bose tunes for accuracy while Crusher tunes for impact, and those goals don’t obviously agree. The good news is the dial. If the haptic bass is too much, turn it down. If you miss the subwoofer in your old Camaro, turn it up.
The Verdict
The Crusher 1080 ANC is the Skullcandy for people who outgrew Skullcandy. At $279.99, it costs about $170 less than Bose’s own QuietComfort Ultra, and it still has the one trick no Bose or Sony can do.
What I like
- Bose noise cancelling and spatial audio at a lower price than Bose
- Haptic bass you can dial up or down on the earcup
- Up to 50 hours with ANC on, plus fast charging
- Real buttons instead of touch controls
What I don’t
- No hard case, just a soft bag
- Big and bold on the head
- Haptic bass is a love-it-or-skip-it feature
Who should buy it: anyone who wants serious noise cancelling for flights and commutes but still likes music they can feel. If you only want flat, accurate sound, a plain Bose or Sony may suit you better.
