The brand’s newest low-cost entry are the Skullcandy Mod XT true wireless earbuds ($59.99). With great bass depth, long battery life, and a water-resistant design, the duo impresses on many fronts. Although the out-of-the-box sound lacks balance and the on-ear button controls won’t be appealing to everyone, the primary problem is that the earbuds don’t provide any innovation in the market. The Editors’ Choice-winning Anker Soundcore Life P3 ($79.99) delivers effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and a more practical companion app, so we advise investing a little bit extra for it.
The Mod earpieces, which come in black, are large and prominently branded with Skullcandy. The in-ears are well-fitting and ought to remain in place for most mild exertion. To ensure a perfect fit, the kit contains three pairs of silicone eartips. you can buy this product from Skullcandy’s official store.
Internally, 6mm dynamic drivers offer a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response. The pair is Bluetooth 5.2 compliant and works with the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX. The earbuds stand out for their multipoint connectivity, which enables you to link them with multiple devices at once.
Skullcandy Mod XT review: Design
True wireless earphones are available as part of the Skullcandy Mod XT. It’s only available in matte black, and anyone who is familiar with Skullcandy goods will recognise the straightforward but recognisable design. The separate earbuds have an oval shape and three different sizes of silicone ear tips.
The case is matte black, while the Skullcandy logo is glossy black on the side of both the case and the earbuds. Although the case opens smoothly, the hinge feels a little fragile. The buds are locked in place by magnets, but if the case is moving about in your bag’s bottom, it will probably open and the buds could wind up all over your possessions.
The Skullcandy Mod XT is cosy to wear. Although they occasionally fall out of my ears after a few hours, which is common for me but may not occur with you, the small ear tips fit me pretty nicely. In the next part, I’ll discuss how utilising touch controls can also cause the earbuds to fall out. Exercise won’t be the greatest with the Mod XT even though it boasts IP55 water and dust protection because there is no stabilising ear wing to keep it in place. However, if you are trapped in the rain or the buds fall into a puddle or the ground, the IP rating can be useful.
Skullcandy Mod XT review: Connection
Using Bluetooth 5.2 and the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, the Skullcandy Mod XT establishes a connection. This implies that there isn’t a high-quality Bluetooth audio option for Android, but considering how inexpensive they are, that’s not surprising. Because it supports Bluetooth multipoint, switching between your computer and phone is simple. If multipoint is configured, and you receive a call while using the headphones on your computer, they will instantly switch to your smartphone.
Skullcandy Mod XT review: Sound quality
We mostly used the Music EQ setting in order to test the Mod earphones. The in-ears produce a resonant low-frequency response for songs with heavy sub-bass content, such as The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” Even at lower volumes, they create strong sound without distorting the track.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a song with significantly less deep bass in the mix, more accurately captures the duo’s sound. The drums on this track receive some significant bass enhancement, although they don’t go all the way to unnecessarily thunderous levels.
Callahan’s baritone vocals acquire enough high-mid presence and low-mid richness to avoid sounding muddy. However, because of the audio signature’s slight lean toward the lows, you might not hear as much detail as you would want. The in-app EQ makes changing the sound quite simple, though. The kick-drum loop on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild” gets just enough high-mid presence to keep its power, but the high-mids aren’t extremely prominent.
The background vinyl hiss and crackle advance due to the addition of some bass depth to the drum loop’s thump and some shaping of the highest frequencies. The beat’s sub-bass synth hits are delivered with a strong low-frequency wallop. Once more, you might want to use the EQ to further equalise the lows and high-mids.
Skullcandy Mod XT review: Battery life
More on the quick charging case. You can play your earbuds for around an hour after five minutes of charging (with rapid charging). The case has a total playtime of roughly 34 hours and charges using a USB-C cable (which is thankfully included in the box). Without it, each bud will only be able to playback for roughly seven hours, which is still respectable.
It is impossible to overestimate the charging speed you receive for the price. This is a pair of wireless earbuds that cost around $60 and come with a case that charges quickly enough to compete with the $149 ATH-CKS50TW from Audio Technica. While your sound might not match anything of greater quality, your earphones will at least be quick to charge, making it an important aspect that should be respected.
The earbuds themselves have a charge indicator that lights up red to indicate that they are charging. It’s unfortunate that there is no such indicator on the case. However, it’s not really difficult to flip open the top to inspect your earbuds.
Final Words
The Skullcandy Mod XT may be a viable option if you’re looking for a reasonably priced set of genuine wireless earphones. The Mod XT does what it does well with an IP55 rating, a cosy and secure fit, and decent sound. The app’s EQ choices increase the sound profile’s versatility, which is slightly but not too bass-heavy.
If you prefer using your device for controls anyway, it can be simple to ignore the obtrusive buttons on the earphones. However, if you prefer to control your music largely through touch controls, those buttons are a considerable drawback.
