Review: Are the New $60 Skullcandy Mod Earbuds Worth Buying?
Table of Contents
Looking for the best wireless earbuds is part of my DNA at SPY. I have been reviewing audio products for almost a decade, and I am constantly on the search for a great pair of earbuds. Even better would be a great pair of affordable wireless headphones. I was intrigued when the Skullcandy Mod wireless earbuds came across my desk. Could these be a great pair of wireless earbuds for under $100?
If you’ve read my previous wireless earbud SPY reviews, such as the 1 More Evo or the Mobvoi ANC Earbuds, you’ll know I compare everything to my regular daily drivers, the AirPods Pro. And I have a handful of earbuds closer to the Skullcandy Mod’s price range to use for comparison.
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So do these Skullcandy Mod headphones possess the sound quality and features to be considered a great pair of wireless earbuds under $100?
Skullcandy Mod
Skullcandy Mod
Pros
Great battery life
All-day comfort
Adjustable EQs
Cons
Lacks wireless charging
Doesn’t feature ANC
Case feels a little flimsy
Skullcandy Mod earbuds Review: Setup and Design
Out of the box, I liked the design of the case, including the badass skull logo on the front. That being said, the build feels a little more flimsy — kind of cheap plasticky compared to cases like AirPods Pro or 1 More Evo. But aesthetically, it looks great.
Taking Skullcandy Mod earbuds out and pairing them with my phone was easy. Pressing and holding the built-in button in the earbud for a second turns on pairing mode, and voila, I found the Evo option in my iPhone’s Bluetooth selection and was ready to rock and roll. Easy peasy.
I’ve worn a lot of earbuds for long periods, and these Skullcandy Mod headphones are incredibly comfortable in my ears. They fit perfectly and snugly, and they didn’t protrude at all. It was a comfortable experience, and my ears never got tired.
Skullcandy Mod Earbuds Review: Features
When you add up the total life of the earbuds and case, you get 34 hours of battery life, with the earbuds lasting about seven hours. I listened to a wide range of music continuously for two hours at a medium volume (what I would consider regular listening volume) and still had 81% battery life. My AirPods would be closer to 50% at that point.
As for other features like active noise-canceling or wireless charging, you won’t find any of that with the Skullcandy Mod. And I have a tiny gripe with its 4-inch charging cable. That’s it? It charges via USB-C, so if you have a longer one kicking around, you don’t have to worry about stretching this tiny cable to an outlet or charging it on the floor.
Most of the features come via the SkullCandy app, which allows you to do some cool things like change between three different EQ presets or create a custom equalization setting for your listening preference. I found the music and movie setting to be more than satisfactory.
There’s also a passthrough feature like AirPods Pro “transparency mode” called “Stay-Aware Mode.” But again, no ANC. And it didn’t feel the “Stay-Aware” mode did much.
Skullcandy Mod Earbuds Review: Performance
There wasn’t as much bottom-end as my AirPods when listening to “Money Trees” by Kendrick Lamar, but the high-end melody keyboard was certainly more apparent during the chorus. That’s due to the bright nature of the sound quality produced by the Mod wireless earbuds.
I had a similar experience with “Irie” by Katchafire: brighter highs and mids compared to my AirPod Pros. I wouldn’t call the sound quality tinny, but it is thin, especially without the bass production. I even noticed while listening to podcasts that speakers’ voices were a little sharper and had more bite instead of the warmth and softness of my Airpods. The bottom-end was definitely missed in my listening experience.
The earbud controls are a bit of a disappointment. They aren’t touch-sensitive, so you can’t just tap an earbud to change a song or pause the music. Instead, you have to grip the top of the earbud with your finger and thumb to get a good press on the button. Because the earbuds fit so snug, you basically have to pull them out to use the controls.
The Verdict: Should You Buy Skullcandy Mod Earbuds?
Am I going to ditch my AirPods for the SkullCandy Mod wireless earbuds? No. But if my AirPod Pros aren’t charged, and I have to leave the house with the Skullcandy Mod in my ears, my parade won’t get rained on. The comfort and battery life alone makes these a great backup pair to your premium earbuds.
That verdict is a long-winded way to say that, at $60, we expect to lose extras like ANC and wireless charging. With this in mind, having earbuds this comfortable for all-day is worth the trade-off. So if you need a new pair of AirPods alternatives or a cheap pair of Bluetooth earbuds for work, Skullcandy Mod Earbuds are worth it.
Skullcandy Mod
Skullcandy Mod
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