Skullcandy's Crusher ears-on at CES: rumbling headphones that you'll actually want

@ 2013/01/11
Over the years, our ears have been treated (or tormented, depending on perspective) to a variety of rumbles from a multitude of wub-wub headphones. Typically, it's the gaming headphone sector that gets first dibs, but Skullcandy's Crusher is aiming to hit a few more targets. We had a chance to listen to a production version of the impending cans -- slated to ship in March for $99 in black, white and red hues -- and we were pleasantly surprised with what we heard. Er, felt. Actually, both. It's battery powered, but it'll continue to deliver tunes even if the cell powering the thumps goes dead. Moreover, it automatically disables when the music stops, preventing you from blowing through too many extra batteries.

There's a slider on the rear that raises and lowers the sensitivity of the rumble, and we preferred it at about half-cranked. Amazingly, the sensation was actually enjoyable -- and moreover, accurate. We probably wouldn't listen to an entire album with the vibration on, but for movies and games? Yeah, that's clearly the sweet spot. Better still, the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack means that it's as universal as these things get, and the overall audio quality was very much on par with what we'd expect for a Benjamin. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look.

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