Now there’s a name you don’t often hear anymore. Skullcandy has built its reputation over the years by offering a more affordable set of audio products — mostly headphones — to the general public. Only in recent years has the company upped its tech with the ‘Crusher’ lineup, venturing into R3,000+ territory. The company’s latest set of over-ears, the Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC, pushes the range to its limit. With a little help from Bose, of course.
The company is calling it the “most advanced headphone we’ve ever created.” It would say that, though. But with ‘Sound by Bose’ technology at its back, it’s probably true. That all comes with a pretty hefty price that we’re not used to from Skullcandy. Picking up the Crusher 1080 ANC will set your wallet back $280, or R4,500 locally.
Skullcandy and Bose sitting in a tree…
Even if it does demand a fair bit more than you’re used to from Skullcandy, it makes sense once you lay eyes on the suite of technologies Bose has brought to the party. First, there’s Bose’s QuietControl ANC, which is a must-have for many buyers in 2026. Then there’s Bose’s WaveForm Audio Engine, TrueSpatial, and SpeechClarity.
Pair that with Skullcandy’s ‘Crusher’ bass, and you’ve got what looks like a mighty pair of headphones. A whole lot is riding on the company’s new redesigned dual-driver system, which muddied the audio when boosting the bass too hard in previous Crushers. Skullcandy reckons it’s addressed that particular issue with a stiffer “live edge” diaphragm. It supposedly delivers enhanced clarity, though we’ll have to have a go before we say any more.
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Whatever it ends up doing in the audio department, it’ll last ages on a charge. Turn ANC on, and you’ll get an impressive 50 hours of life from these cans. You’ll get ten additional hours with ANC off, though if Skullcandy’s claims that a 10-minute charge is enough to supply four hours of life is true, you can go ahead and leave ANC on, yeah?
All the usual bits you’d expect from a premium pair of headphones round out the Crusher 1080. There’s wear detection, pausing the music when taken off, Auto Connect, Bluetooth 5.3 support, and LE Audio with Auracast. The cans officially launched today in four colours: black, candy, cement, and primer. There’s no official word on a South African launch just yet, but considering its history, it’s safe to assume they’re headed here eventually.
