Skullcandy Hesh ANC review: Your money is more than worth it
A TEST REPORT from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on May 04, 2021, 12:00 am | Write a comment
With the Skullcandy Hesh ANC, the American headphone specialist "Skullcandy" is launching affordable over-ear headphones with ANC. We tested them.
The design of the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is classic and yet very modern. The Hesh ANC are well made, but they can't with the Miami by Urbanista keep up. Urbanista is ahead when it comes to the quality of the plastic and the sliding mechanism, but these also cost more. The scope of delivery includes a USB-C to USB-A cable, a small bag and a 3,5 mm jack cable.
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- The Skullcandy Hesh ANC are classic and yet modern in design. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- There is still room for improvement when it comes to processing. (Image: TechnikNews)
Wear comfort and sound of the Skullcandy Hesh ANC
They are very comfortable to wear. The headphones sit well on the ears, do not press, and filter out ambient noise well even without ANC activated. The only problem is that they do not provide much insulation from the outside. In offices, other colleagues can also hear the music if the volume is very loud. However, they are light, easy to transport by folding them up, and can be easily found again thanks to the Tile ecosystem. The low weight in particular has a positive effect when worn for several hours (in the home office, for example). If the headphones are too tight or too big for you, you can adjust this using the headband. The "ear space" should be large enough for all ears.
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC sit very comfortably on the ears. (Image: TechnikNews)
The Hesh ANC have a good sound for their price. The bass range is not "audiophile-tuned" and precise, but rather loud and thumping, as is typical for Skullcandy. This may bother some listeners, but I liked it (since I am probably the target group for this kind of sound). The mids and highs are well tuned. However, they sometimes seemed unbalanced and some voices were a little weaker as a result. The stereo image is also good. There were no problems in several films and series and it was clear where an object was and who was speaking.prohas.
The ANC mode is convincing, but you shouldn't expect miracles for the price. In the case of lower noises in particular, it partially amplifies the noise (such as the hum of a lawnmower), but does a good job with higher noises. Voices are filtered well, and so are natural sounds. The headphones are controlled via four buttons on the side, this works very reliably.
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The Hesh ANC are connected via Bluetooth 5.0, this connection remains stable. The headphones cannot be connected to several devices at the same time, and Skullcandy does not have an app for setting equalizers and software updates in this price range. The latency is low, however, and there was hardly any lag when playing videos or mobile phone games. The built-in microphone works well. People in video conferences and on the phone found my voice clear, but a little dull.
Battery
The battery life of the headphones is good. The manufacturer states a battery life of 22 hours with activated ANC, I can confirm this. The headphones are charged via USB-C, but with quick charging, three hours of battery life are available after just 10 minutes on the power supply. The headphones cannot be used while charging, without using up the battery, the headphones can be used via the 3,5 mm jack. There is no energy saving mode.
The battery of the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is sufficient for one week. (Image: TechnikNews)
Conclusion
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC are more than fair to their price of 115 euros. The headphones sit comfortably, have a good sound and the battery life is sufficient for a week of moderate use. There was a saving in processing and a missing app. If you want cheap over-ear headphones with ANC, a long battery life and popping bass, you will be very happy with the Skullcandy Hesh ANC. As mentioned: Improvements should be made in the processing, for the future I would also like an app with equalizers.