Skullcandy versus Edifier: which is the better brand of headphones?

Skullcandy versus Edifier: Which Brand is Better?

        Headphones and earbuds have become rather essential to some people, including myself, who listen to music throughout a good chunk of their day. When looking to buy a pair of headphones or earbuds, most people would find aspects such as sound quality, durability, phone compatibility, battery life, and storage to be some of the most important deciding factors when deciding what to buy. Skullcandy has dominated the industry, making high quality products, yet Edifier also makes high quality products, just at a fraction of what Skullcandy charges. When looking for higher quality and durability, Skullcandy is really good at meeting the standards of regular headphone users such as myself. I travel a lot, and I use my headphones for school as well, so they spend a lot of time in my backpack, which is why I tend to need a durable set of headphones that can survive that without breaking or having the cushion of the cuffs to tear at the seams, as well as surviving my frequent usage. This is where Edifier has come in handy. While Skullcandy may be a leader of the industry, Edifier offers a cheaper alternative, and is still rather durable with really good sound quality and noise cancellation. Skullcandy tends to be really expensive, so if price is not an issue, then this would be the brand for you. If price is an issue, though, Edifier has a lot of high quality headsets for less than $100 dollars. All of their products are compatible with Tile, so if you lose an earbud or your headphones, you should be able to find them through Tile.               

 When looking at earbuds, Skullcandy has it nailed down in terms of what they sell, as well as quality and durability. Their earbuds tend to be cheap, and I have had sets survive being sent through the spin cycle and get dropped in the toilet. Skullcandy earbuds also have rather exceptional sound quality and noise cancellation, on top of the exceptional water resistance, as pointed out above, making them a go-to necessity for people like myself who have a bad habit of leaving earbuds in the pockets of pants and forgetting to take them out before washing that pair of pants. Though I haven’t used earbuds from Edifier, it’s still an option for those who want to opt out of Skullcandy. 

Some of the cons of Skullcandy headphones would be the prices and what you can get for what you pay. If you want a really good set of headphones from them, you can expect to pay upwards of $200 or more. They do have cheaper options, but those cheaper options may not deliver the experience that consumers would like to derive from the product without having to pay $200 or more for a pair of headphones. The noise cancellation on Skullcandy headphones, at least on the cheaper end, is rather disappointing, while Edifier tends to offer better noise cancellation, even in cheaper headphones. When it comes to pricing, you can get headphones from Edifier for as little as $50 on Amazon. To get even decent quality headphones from Skullcandy, you can expect to pay around $100, not including the cheaper alternatives. 

Both brands have good battery life options, but Edifier delivers better battery life than Skullcandy, especially in cheaper headphones. For example, my current headset from Edifier comes with 49 hours of battery life, while my old Skullcandy headset only came with 40, with the Edifier set cheaper by about $30. Both headsets charge quickly, with my Edifier set charging quicker. The Skullcandy headset I had has a built-in microUSB charging port, while the Edifier set has a built-in USB-C port. While this may not seem like much of a difference, it makes it a little inconvenient for the Skullcandy set to have micro-USB when most electronics use USB-C or an Apple lightning cable, meaning that if the cable broke, you likely wouldn’t be able to use your phone charger and would have to wait for a replacement, and likely be unable to use the headphones until you obtained the replacement cord. On the outside looking in, it may look like no more than a little inconvenience, but for someone like myself who frequently forgets to charge headphones, it can be derailing, since it would deter me from using my headphones, and would steer me in the direction of my earbuds or in the direction of my PC headset, which can be inconvenient if I’m not home and I don’t have my earbuds in my pocket. 

In terms of storage and phone compatibility, both brands seem to do well in that realm. Both brands are compatible with Android, Apple, and even with almost any laptop, making it easy to work with any brand’s ecosystem, whether it be Apple or Samsung. In terms of storage, Skullcandy headphones fold up for easy storage in backpacks, suitcases, and bags, making it a go-to option for frequent travellers like myself. Edifier headphones don’t always fold up, at least the pair I’m currently using doesn’t fold up like my previous set of Skullcandy headphones. This does make it a little difficult for when I travel, as I have to allot more space in my backpack to place my headphones in. Though the cuffs do rotate at a 180 degree angle, allowing them to lay flat in my backpack and around my neck. Allowing them to lay flat around my neck is rather convenient when I take off my headphones to talk to someone, or when I just would like to walk around and allow my headphones to be readily accessible for when I decide to listen to music. 

Designs tend to differ between brands, in terms of color options and the build of each pair of headphones. Skullcandy has a wider variety of colors and patterns, as well as the way they structure their headphones. Most Edifier headphones tend to have a similar build, as well as a limited choice of colors, while Skullcandy has a wider variety of headphones to choose from in terms of builds, designs, and colors. 

Overall, both brands have quality aspects along with their downsides. Skullcandy is a good option for those who are looking for higher-end headphones if money isn’t an issue. Edifier, on the other hand, gives better economically friendly options with high quality. If you’re looking for earbuds that are cheap, durable, and last through a lot of usage, Skullcandy is the better option to go with.