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In April 2025, “agents” (and executives) from Park City, Utah-based personal audio company Skullcandy gathered in New York under the direction of brand ambassador Tony Hawk to host a “SoundHeist.” Although, truth be told, it was more of a steal of silence, as the big reveal was a partnership with Bose to bring advanced active noise cancellation to affordable headphones. Now, 15 months later, the masterminds behind this sonic plan have reunited on the Capitale stage in New York for a caper with even higher stakes.
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The Method 360 ANC headphones saw Skullcandy break into the Sound by Bose vault, but quickly became a crowded vault with similar releases from Noise and Baseus, among others. So for its latest operation, Skullcandy has gone all in on the crown jewels. The new Crusher 1080 ANC ($279.99 MSRP) is the first non-Bose headphone to feature QuietControl adaptive ANC (six microphones, real-time fit and seal monitoring), Bose TrueSpatial spatial audio with head tracking for more immersive sound staging, and the Bose WaveForm audio engine that keeps everything full and balanced without letting distortion affect the mix. But there’s more that makes this update to Skullcandy’s flagship bass headphones a multi-dimensional experience, because it’s a Crusher with Sound by Bose, not just a Bose in disguise.
The Crusher 1080 ANC still features dual drivers, one of them dedicated to boosting noise. But turning that wheel in the past has cost some clarity. Skullcandy claims to have solved this problem with a newly developed “live edge” diaphragm, made of a stiffer material, so its pistonic movement is more controlled. This should mean higher fidelity to match the feel. Powering the Crusher 1080 ANC is Bluetooth 5.3 + LE Audio with Auracast and up to 60 hours of battery life with ANC mode off (50 hours with ANC mode on).
Available in four color combinations (black, caramel, primer and cement), the flat-folding Crusher 1080 ANC comes with a lined roll-up bag that’s easy to clip to a backpack or stow away when you don’t need it.
We will update this post with impressions from the event and the headphones.
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