Hey gang, Valkor here. It’s been a while since I've reviewed headphones that didn't meet Val-Cave standards. With Skullcandy, the Crusher Evo crushed it in the cave. I must say, though, that I was somewhat surprised by the Icon ANC, their newest addition to arrive at TechView. And while it’s not all bad news, I have to say that the Icon ANC gave me more of a workout than most I've tested.
First up, the Skullcandy Icon ANC headphones look amazing thanks to their cozy headband and plush, cushioned earcups, which remain comfy even after extended use. The top button on the right cup controls Bluetooth pairing and turns on and off the headphones. The second is a toggle button, which hands all the other headphone functions such as toggling up or down to raise/lower the volume, toggling left or right to change tracks, and pressing to pause your music or answer a call. Lastly, there's an aux connector and USB-C port directly beneath the right cup (cables included).
With the internals of the Icon ANC, you get a host of features such as active noise canceling, Bluetooth v5.3 LE Active noise cancellation, and Bluetooth v5.3 LE Audio are just two of the many capabilities that come with the Icon ANC's internal features. You can effortlessly move between multiple devices and media with multipoint pairing. Next, you get stay-aware mode, where you can adjust the headphones to hear what's happening in your surrounding area. And if you want to take your sound quality further, you can download the associated app to better fine-tune your headphones to your standards.
The Skullcandy Icon ANC's externals and internals both sound great. However, it's the sound quality that makes or breaks the product. And if you ask me, it's in that department where things take a turn for the worse. And I'll tell you why in the TOV Breakdown.
The Bang:
I was immediately impressed by a number of the Skullcandy Icon ANC's features. First up, I love the design. The headphones have a sweet mechanical look, and both earcups bear the Skullcandy logo, which is a feature of most of their products. Next, they fit comfortably, though it might be a bit too tight on my noggin. Even so, I had no problems using the headphones for a lengthy amount of time. Finally, I dig the toggle feature of the Icon ANC, which makes going through the motions of changing volume or answering my calls a breeze. I dig the slide feature of the JBL Tune True Wireless, but nothing beats having a physical button. With that out the way, let's dive into the meat of this review.
The Slack:
This one will hurt because the Icon ANC's sound quality is so bad. The audio quality is unimpressive as soon as you put on the headphones and tune in, regardless of the song chosen. Even after adjusting the headphones with the app, I still couldn't find an option I could settle on. The bass isn't rich enough, plus the vocals are too soft. And don't get me started with the background music because they don't shine as with most headphones I've tested. One of my favorite songs to test out any headphones is All the Stars by Kendrick Lamar/SZA (I Love The Black Panther soundtrack). But with the Icon ANC, the music falls flat. The bass is nice, but still, it doesn't get me amped. It could also be that I'm spoiled by the Crusher Evo and how well they thump! Finally, an update can resolve this next issue, but when the Icon ANC is connected to my Samsung Galaxy S23, my smart device lags when switching apps or the virtual keyboard freezes. I didn't understand what was happening when I first began testing the headphones because I assumed it was the phone acting funny. But when I unpaired the headphones, things went back to normal. I looked up possible fixes and saw an update available, but it didn't seem accessible in the app. In addition, I saw a lag when connecting the headphones to my PC. Again, there was some lag when switching between applications, but there was no issue with the keyboard. Then again, I'm on a PC with a physical keyboard. So, I would assume there would be no issue.
The Skullcandy Icon ANC is available now. However, I'd give these headphones a hard pass. Yes, you get comfort, noise cancellation, and a fantastic design. However, this isn't it if you expect good sound quality to go with it. Therefore I recommend looking elsewhere.
