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Skullcandy revives the Crusher ANC with a lower price and Skull-iQ

By Simon Cohen Updated May 16, 2023

Woman wearing Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2. — Skullcandy

Skullcandy has a new version of the Crusher ANC. The noise-canceling version of the company’s extra bass headphones disappeared from Skullcandy’s lineup a few years ago, but now it’s back as the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2. They’re a $230 set of bass-forward cans that the company says has been completely redesigned with a new acoustic formula that pays close attention to the interaction between active noise cancellation (ANC) and Crusher Technology — the adjustable, bone-rattling bass drivers inside the headphones.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2. — Skullcandy

The new headphones feature hands-free voice control that is augmented by the company’s Skull-iQ technology. With Skull-iQ, you can use your voice to modify the features of the headphones like changing tracks, changing volume, or switching into Stay Aware (transparency mode). You can also use it to access other voice assistants, like Amazon Alexa.

The Crusher ANC 2 also pack impressive battery life — up to a claimed 60 hours when ANC is turned off and up to 50 when it’s on. A 10-minute quick charge will buy you an extra four hours of playtime. That’s a big jump over the previous model’s 24-hour capacity.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2, folded. — Skullcandy

A big change for those familiar with the Crusher series is the way the Crusher tech has been applied. Instead of a slider control, there’s now an indexed thumbwheel that can be clicked to turn the feature on or off. You can also use your voice to adjust the degree of bass enhancement.

The new cans have personal sound tuning and Skullcandy has also added the convenience of Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting the Crusher ANC 2 to two wireless devices simultaneously. As with most of Skullcandy’s products, you can use the built-in Tile tracking feature to locate them if they go astray.

Finally, the Crusher ANC 2 has customizable controls and EQ settings from within the Skullcandy app for iOS and Android.

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Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…

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B&W’s flagship Px8 headphones cost way more than they were supposed to

Woman wearing B&W Px8 wireless headphones in tan.

Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has finally released its Px8 noise-canceling wireless headphones, which it had previously teased at the launch of the Px7 S2, but the price is far higher than what we were initially told. In June 2022, the one detail the company was willing to share was the Px8's price: $549 -- a $150 premium over the price of the Px7 S2. Now, however, we've been given a new price for the Px8. It costs an eye-watering $699. You can order them starting September 28 from bowerswilkins.com.

This makes the Px8 one of the few sets of wireless headphones to break the $600 barrier, joining the $899 B&O Beoplay H95 and $999 Mark Levinson No. 5909 as some of the most expensive models you can buy. Digital Trends reached out to B&W representatives to ask for an explanation of the sudden price change, and we received this response:
When we revealed our new Px7 S2 headphones earlier this year, we chose to announce our new flagship headphone model, the Px8, at the same time. This announcement was made much earlier than Px8’s planned on-sale date, but it was a conscious choice: we felt it allowed our customers to make their own decision on which model of Bowers & Wilkins headphone would be right for them. However, while that message was sent out with the best intentions, we mistakenly communicated a selling price for Px8 that was not an accurate reflection of the true final price.
The company also said that it believes the Px8 "truly offers great value at a competitive price" given their ability and position in the market.

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Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 close-up.

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Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in silver.

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Sony plans to keep selling the older XM4 model alongside the new XM5, at least for the foreseeable future. The biggest change to Sony's design for the WH-1000 series is a move away from the traditional flat-headband plus earcup forks design to an integrated approach. The headband sliders are now tubular and connect to a hidden pivot inside the tops of the earcups, creating a similar profile to both the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the Apple AirPods Max. The new design means that, unlike the XM4, which can fold flat, then fold again to take up less room, the WH-1000XM5 can only fold flat.