The Skullcandy Hesh Evo is a cool looking pair of wireless over-ear headphones. For $99.99, you get an extremely comfortable fit and a bass-driven experience, but not much else. There’s no app, no active noise cancellation, no workout-focused features … these are just wireless headphones, plain and simple.
That’s fine with us, but the focus is on the sound, and it’s decent here, but not outstanding. The bass isn’t as deep as you’d expect from Skullcandy, and the high mids aren’t as clear and defined as they could be either. These headphones don’t sound bad by any means, but there’s nothing that stands out in a field of better options, either in the feature department or in audio performance.
The Hesh Evo headphones have a circumaural (over-ear) design and are available in black, blue/white, or gray. The ear cushions and the bottom of the headband are padded with memory foam and covered with a leather-like material. The fit is exceptionally comfortable and secure, even during extended listening sessions.
On the right ear cup is a control bar with a central multifunction button for playback, call management, and voice assistants, as well as plus/minus buttons for volume and track navigation. We are not fans of combining volume and track navigation on the same button, as it is too easy to accidentally skip a track when trying to adjust the volume. The multifunction button doubles as the power button (press and hold for two seconds to turn off), and there’s also a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button on the panel.
Skullcandy includes one of the shortest USB-C to USB-A charging cables we’ve ever seen. The cable connects to a USB-C port on the right ear cup, where there’s also a jack for the included audio cable to enable passive listening. Skullcandy estimates about 36 hours of battery life, but results will depend on volume.
For tracks with intense sub-basses, such as “Silent Shout” by The Knife, the headphones deliver strong low-frequency response. At high, unthinking volumes, they deliver decent thump without distorting, and at more moderate volumes, the bass is still very present on this bass-heavy track.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less low end in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Hesh Evo’s overall sonic signature. The drums in this track can make an overly thunderous impression with bass-driven headphones, but here the drums sound full and big without sounding overly boosted. Callahan’s baritone vocals get a bit more fullness in the low mids, but it’s paired with a relatively crisp reproduction of the high mids that keeps things defined.
The highs sound turned up as the tape hiss in the background takes a big step forward, while the higher percussive beats and acoustic strums are noticeably bright. In other words: We have a distinct sound signature with rich lows and bright highs. On the whole, it offers a solid balance, but this is not a sound for purists who value accurate reproduction, nor for bass lovers.