Today, I’m reviewing the limited-edition Skullcandy “All Love” Crusher Evo Headphones which partnered with To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. I love a good opportunity for money to be sent to organizations like TWLOHA, the Trans Lifeline, Trevor Project, and more. For me, that’s a favorite part of these special editions products, the opportunity to give to a community and celebrate Pride Month.
Skullcandy & Bluetooth Heaven
I own a pair of the previous “Crushing Inequality” headphones and they’ve lasted for some time now. The quality of sound, base, and ease of access is similar to previous editions of the Pride-themed headphones. These tend to have a much easier time accessing Bluetooth and work great going between my iPhone and my Mac compared to headphones I’ve used in the past. The Crusher Evo Headphones don’t tend to have the capability of blocking louder environments, but they do tend to block out a good majority when something is played through them. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that will include noise reduction, this might not be the pair for you.
“All Love” Sound Quality & Appearance
When it comes to the sound quality coming from the Skullcandy headphones, it is often smooth and balanced. I find no difficulty switching between the multiple genres in the large variety of music in my Spotify library. From Lorna Shore to Noah Kahan, there’s an easy transition between the different sounds of these artists. The same can be said for other media such as podcasts, TikTok, Twitch, and others. While much of the sound can be smooth, when it needs to conform to the energy of a song or piece of media it is able to do so with perfect ease.
Skullcandy had a unique look with previous headphones, like the “Crushing Inequality” pair, but this edition feels lackluster in comparison. The bag/case for holding the headphones is similar and includes a soft interior to protect from getting scratched or dirty. There’s also space for the cords and charging cable that comes included with the headphones. What felt weird was having to tear off a small bit of fabric on the front Skullcandy logo to reveal a slightly more colorful faux-leather exterior.
If a creative choice, it wasn’t a good one, and more intricate portions of the logo had difficulty when removing that layer of fabric. I almost thought it may have been a manufacturing error, but likely it is not. That combined with a pale and light color choice for the outside of the headphone bag feels a tad boring for a product meant to celebrate Pride Month.
Left Not Feeling Very “Proud”
The feel of the “All Love” Skullcandy headphones is smooth and has a lot of comforting cushion for the top of the head. The adjustments work really well for someone who has hair that changes with the level of humidity. It does get a tad warm around the ears but that doesn’t happen unless you’ve been on them for some time (or you are me). The colorful portions of the headphones themselves are really pretty but it feels toned down when paired with the large off-white color present on them.
I would have expected a lot more color involved and visual joy in these limited edition headphones. While they work wonderfully and last a long time, these specific ones don’t evoke as much of a sense of queer joy and pride compared to others. Muted and dispersed colors don’t scream “Happy Pride!” to me and that sucks to see. Even if some color was muted in the pair of headphones themselves, there could have been color added to the bag that holds them. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
This is a fantastic and quality pair of headphones but when it comes to being a limited edition and celebrating Pride Month in 2023 it’s not enough. Muting the colors of pride feels a little too close to home with what’s happening in consumer products today. It also ends up doing a disservice to TWLOHA and the queer community (who feel pushed into the closet more and more by society at the moment).
