u/MatthewSkead

I tested the Crusher 540, Crusher 720, and Crusher 1080 back-to-back, so I figured I’d post my impressions in case anyone else is trying to decide between them.

For some extra context, I’ve owned quite a few Crushers over the years. I started with the original Crusher Wireless, then moved to the Crusher Evo, then the Crusher 540, and now I’ve tested the Crusher 720 and Crusher 1080.

I’m not really including the Crusher Wireless in the main comparison because, in my opinion, it’s not even in the same ballpark as the newer models in terms of overall sound quality.

For the actual testing, all three headphones were tested back-to-back on an M5 iPad Pro with the factory audio settings/effects disabled. The Skullcandy app was set to Music Mode for all of them, and I kept the app settings the same wherever possible. The 720 and 1080 were also tested using the same Personal Sound profile, while the 540 used its own Personal Sound profile.

Crusher 540
These still have the best bass of the three in my opinion. The bass hits hard and is a lot of fun.
One thing I noticed is that I could simply hear more instruments in songs on the 540 than I could on the 720. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better separated or better blended into the mix. Some instruments can still sound muffled or like they don’t have enough volume or presence, but more of the different parts of the song were audible to me overall.
Build quality is pretty good. Nothing amazing, but they feel solid enough.

Crusher 720
The bass is still very good, although I don’t think it hits quite as nicely as the 540.

My biggest issue is that the music itself sounds pretty muffled. Compared with the 540, I found that some instruments just seemed to disappear or get buried more in the mix, so I wasn’t hearing as many of the different elements of the song. At the same time, hi-hats and cymbals can sound weirdly sharp and stick out from everything else. They don’t feel very naturally integrated into the rest of the music.

Build quality is actually the best of all three in my opinion. They feel really nice in the hand. One annoying thing is that the joystick on my pair can rattle during bass-heavy songs. I’m not sure if that’s just a defect with my unit.

I also had the software completely crash once. The headphones started making a buzzing sound and became totally unresponsive until I unpaired them and did a hardware reset.
The Stay Aware mode is much better implemented on the 720 than the 1080. You can quickly turn it on by double-pressing the power button, and the app lets you adjust how much outside sound comes through.
Volume behavior can also be weird. I’m not sure if this is an Apple/iPad-specific issue because I’ve seen other people mention similar things, but if I turn the volume all the way down and then back up, the sound sort of fades back in. They also aren’t as loud as the 540 at maximum volume.

Crusher 1080
These have the best actual audio quality of the three by a pretty noticeable margin. Instrument separation is excellent, but everything still blends together naturally. You can pick out the different parts of a song without them sounding like they’re completely disconnected from each other. They’re obviously not producer/reference headphones, but for Crusher headphones they get surprisingly close in terms of clarity and separation.

The downside is the bass. Compared with the 720, and especially the 540, the Crusher bass on the 1080 is honestly pretty mediocre. If bass impact is your main priority, I don’t think these are automatically the best choice just because they’re the newest or more expensive model.

There are also a few weird things I noticed. The voice prompts like “Power On,” “Connected,” and “See Ya” actually sound slightly muffled compared with how crisp and clear they sound on the 720.
I’ve also had music randomly pause several times in a row on the 1080. I never experienced that on the 540 or 720.

Build quality is good, but surprisingly I think the 720 feels nicer and more premium.

ANC is also a little strange. It definitely reduces outside noise, but it isn’t anything like the isolation I get from AirPods Pro. Voices still come through pretty clearly, to the point where I can have a full conversation with someone while ANC is enabled.

As far as I can tell, the Stay Aware mode on the 1080 isn’t adjustable, either. You basically get whatever level Skullcandy chose.

My overall ranking so far:
Best bass: 540 > 720 > 1080
Best sound quality: 1080 > 540 > 720
Best build quality: 720 > 1080 > 540
Best Stay Aware implementation: 720
Most fun for bass: 540
Best for hearing detail and separation: 1080

The weird thing is that I don’t think there’s one model that completely replaces the others.

The 540 has the most satisfying bass out of the three and lets me hear more of the individual instruments than the 720, even if they aren’t always presented perfectly. The 720 feels the best built and has the best Stay Aware implementation, but its muffled overall sound and sharp cymbals are probably my biggest complaints. The 1080 sounds by far the most refined and detailed, but it sacrifices some of the Crusher bass that made me like these headphones in the first place.

If Skullcandy could basically combine the 1080’s clarity and instrument separation, the 540’s bass, and the 720’s build quality and features, that would probably be my ideal Crusher.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention about the Crusher 540. For the concrete color, a few months of daily use turned the ear cups a brownish color. After washing them they still had a slight brown tinge. My guess is a buildup of sweat, pretty gross as they’re advertised as sweat-resistant.