Skullcandy and Bose reunite for the new Crusher 1080 ANC, a headphone full of firsts

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In April 2025, “agents” (and executives) from Park City, Utah-based personal audio company Skullcandy assembled in New York under the direction of brand ambassador Tony Hawk to stage a “SoundHeist.” Though, truth be told, it was more of a silence heist, as the big reveal was a partnership with Bose to bring advanced active noise cancellation to affordable earbuds. Now, 15 months later, the masterminds behind this sonic scheme have reconvened on stage at Capitale in NYC for a caper with even higher stakes.

Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC with Sound by Bose ($279.99)

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The Method 360 ANC earbuds saw Skullcandy breaking into the Sound by Bose vault, but it was quickly a crowded strongbox with similar releases by Noise and Baseus, among others. So for its latest operation, Skullcandy has gone for the crown jewels. The new Crusher 1080 ANC ($279.99 MSRP) is the first non-Bose headphone to feature QuietControl adaptive ANC (six mics, real-time fit-and-seal monitoring), Bose TrueSpatial spatial audio with head tracking for more immersive soundstaging, and the Bose WaveForm audio engine that keeps things full and balanced without letting distortion crash the mix. But there’s more that makes this upgrade to Skullcandy’s flagship bass headphones a multidimensional experience, because this is a Crusher with Sound by Bose, not just a Bose in disguise.

Gathered on July 15 in the Beaux-Arts foyer of the former Bowery Savings Bank Building, we’re introduced to what Skullcandy says is the outcome of one simple initiative: “Make the greatest headphone ever.” Something that will, if you trust the promo clip played, make you levitate, vibrate, radiate. While transcendence is a lot to promise and the competition is fierce for the greatest overall title, this could well be the greatest basshead headphone ever.

The Crusher 1080 ANC still features dual drivers with one dedicated to ramping up the rumble. But cranking that haptics wheel in the past has cost some clarity. Skullcandy claims to have addressed this with a newly developed “live edge” diaphragm made of stiffer material, so its pistonic motion is more controlled, as well as input from its partner. This should mean increased fidelity to match the feel. Feeding the Crusher 1080 ANC is Bluetooth 5.3 + LE Audio with SBC/AAC/Auracast and up to 60 hours of battery life with ANC mode turned off (50 hours with ANC mode turned on). All controls are physical inputs (some assignable) and, honestly, not having to deal with touchy capacitor panels is a welcome change. And all your analog selections, including an animated Crusher wheel that reflects your level in real-time, are mirrored when paired with the Skullcandy app.

Skullcandy brand ambassador and sound lab consultant Tony Hawk was in attendance, in spirit and likeness. Tony Ware

We’re ushered into the back, under soaring 65-foot coved ceilings, projection-saturated scrims, and dozens of Crusher headphones suspended from the rigging. As a DJ ricochets hi_NRG EDM off of the marble mosaics and Corinthian columns, we’re invited to A/B with headphones wired directly into the feed [3.5mm and USB-C cables are supported/included]. ANC on, adjustable sensory bass set to kinetic but not combative, it’s possible to both shut out and lock in a live experience.

I don’t have access to the block diagrams, microphone topology, or ANC control-loop design, so I can’t comment on how tightly integrated all the systems engineering was. But having spent some time with the Crusher 1080 ANC on the train from NYC to DC, I can say it feels like a far more refined architecture than A (Skullcandy) + B(ose) = C(rusher). With feedback-fed ANC pumping counterwaves and a force-generating actuator pushing air, the potential is there for one to trigger the other and create a motorboating sort of interference. But despite the limited physical space for all components, the enclosed system doesn’t appear to introduce issues as intensity increases.

As for that intensity, it’s not going to be for everyone or everything. Out of the box, the full-range driver’s mids are elevated, and the soundstage isn’t particularly open, though it’s no more egregious than your average closed-back headphone. Crusher bass allows you to balance things out with your personal taste in fun over function. Personally, I’m typically going to reach for a much more “reference” tunings, and I might even be somewhat of a treblehead in recent months, so I’m typically only interested in overwhelmingly immersive subtleties. But, thinking about the showcase from my seat, I played around with genres until I found my synergy. Put on a concert recording or festival set, like Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Weld or Daft Punk’s Alive 2007, with ANC on, TrueSpatial (Motion) on, and Crusher bass somewhere in the low-middle, and I was back under the stars in front of the main stage, bassbins pulsing, demanding, magnetizing. Sure, the haptic effect can be comical, but in moderation, with the right material, it can also be captivating. There are already great headphones that will let you track transients. With the Crusher 1080 ANC, find something reverberant … doesn’t even have to be recorded live … and rinse in it.

Available now in four colorways—black, candy [pink], primer [khaki], and cement [grey], all visible below—the flat-folding and collapsible Crusher 1080 ANC comes with a lined rolltop bag that’s easy to clip to a backpack or stash when you don’t need it.