If you pay any attention to the watch world, you’ll be familiar with a recent by Swatch to collaborate with luxury brands to create affordable versions of high-end timepieces. Well, that mentality has now made its way to the audio industry, teaming up ubiquitous budget-friendly Skullcandy with the revolutionary hi-fi brand Bose on a pair of noise-cancelling wireless earbuds that just might change the future approach to such products.
Champagne on a Beer Budget?
The earbuds are called the Skullcandy Method 360 and they will cost just $130 after the introductory period where they’re just $100. Either way though, these are Skullcandy’s most expensive in-ear monitors.
Trying to position itself at the front of the budget ANC earbuds pack, the Method 360 is part of the Sound By Bose partnership, which ensures that each pair of earbuds are tuned and optimized by Bose engineers for clarity, depth, and overall sound performance.
However, this doesn’t mean that the buds will sound exactly like your $300 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds — though it should fit closely enough thanks to the similar ear tips and fins used for comfort and positioning. Bose still has the upper hand in terms of active noise cancellation which it helped to pioneer decades ago. The ANC tech here is by Skullcandy, not Bose. Instead, it uses Skullcandy’s four-microphone hybrid ANC setup .
As “Skullcandy’s most advanced audio experience to date,” the Method 360 does sport some useful premium features like transparency mode, Low Latency Audio, and customized EQ through Skullcandy’s phone app. There’s also a cool detection feature found on higher-end earbuds, where your music will pause when you take them out of your ear, and play again when you put them back in!
What Does This Mean?
This isn’t Bose’s first foray into lower-level earbuds. Last year, the Massachusetts-based company licensed its tech to Motorola for its Moto Buds+ — also at $130. However, considering Skullcandy’s reputation for being a flashy non-audiophile-caliber audio brand marketed towards younger listeners has been more than subverted here with the help of Bose.
In Case You Missed It
As opposed to the common clamshell-style earbud cases on the market, Skullcandy uses an unorthodox tube-like charging case, which slides the units on either side of the stick. Battery life will be below par with the Method 360 — 11 hours max, 9 hours with ANC turned on — but the case skyrockets these numbers up to 40 hours (32 hours with ANC). Also, the durable case is affixed with an O-ring for latching onto your belt loop or backpack.
Spec Sheet
Type: In-ear monitors
Noise Cancelling?: Yes
Battery Life: 11 hours (normal), 9 hours (ANC)
Case Battery: 40 hours (normal), 32 hours (ANC)
Water Resistance: IPX4
Pricing & Availability
Priced at $100 for the time being, the Method 360 ANC Earbuds will go up to $130 at a future date. They’re currently available in five colorways (black, white, red, gold, and leopard print) and can be found on Skullcandy’s website.
Recap
Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC Earubds
For just $100, Skullcandy leverages Bose’s tuning and performance optimization for their latest ANC wireless earbuds, featuring other premium features like wear detection and transparency mode.
