The Skullcandy Riff Wireless 2 are the next version of the Skullcandy Riff Wireless. They are wireless on-ear headphones that won’t break the bank. Skullcandy has made their headphones last longer on a single charge and added features like pairing with more than one device and using a companion app. This is good if you want to change the sound profile to suit your tastes. The app also has a “Game Mode” with low latency to help your Bluetooth audio devices work better.
Their cheap price reflects the fact that they are made of cheap plastic. The Skullcandy headphones we have tested before, like the Riff Wireless, have a bold, sneaker-like look. The supra-aural (on-ear) design comes in all black, all white, or gray/teal with spots on the earpads. It has a matte finish, and the skull logo is printed on the headband above the earcups. The earpads are made of perforated fake leather and have a lot of padding. They are very comfortable.
Since the pads are so comfortable, it’s a little strange that the headband is not cushioned at all. Overall, the fit is comfortable, but the headband could cause some fatigue during long listening sessions. The on-ear controls are on the right earcup’s side panel. There is a button that can be used to turn on/pair, play music, manage calls, and call up voice assistants. When you hold down the plus and minus buttons for three seconds, you can skip forward or backward through a track.
When volume and track navigation are on the same buttons, it’s too easy to skip a track when you want to change the volume. The headphones have a 32 Ohm impedance and a 40mm dynamic driver in each earcup. The frequency range is from 20Hz to 20kHz. The built-in mic is easier to understand than average. We could understand every word we recorded with the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s.
There were still some typical audio artefacts that made things sound a little fuzzy at times, but the overall quality of the recording is better than what most Bluetooth headphone mics can do. The signal from the mic is strong, and it doesn’t sound like it’s too far away. The only extra is a micro USB charging cable that plugs into an open port on the side of the right earcup.
It’s getting harder to find Bluetooth headphones that don’t come with an audio cable for passive listening, so it’s a shame that these don’t. Considering the price, this isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does seem like something that should be there. There is also no carrying pouch, but again, the price is low enough that these are minor problems. Skullcandy says that the battery life is about 12 hours, but your results will depend on how loud you play your music.
