Skullcandy is a headphone manufacturer that immediately invokes derision from audio snobs.
Expectations inevitably sink because a.)
its a pocket money-friendly brand that targets the lower end of the market, and b.)
some of its earlier, cheaper products incorporated designs that were more vulgar than a rack ofEd Hardyt-shirts.
That means theyre often overlooked.
This combo earned the G.I.
a place on Gizmodos list ofthe ten ugliest headphones ever made.
With the Venue, Skullcandy has embraced a more conservative and conventional design approach, and its welcome.
These are cans Id be happy to wear in public.
Theres very little that betrays its origins.
These are the cut corners I alluded to earlier.
Similarly, the build on the cans themselves disappoints.
They have a plastic-y construction that, while undoubtedly rugged, feels exceptionally cheap.
Its also a magnet for fingerprints and greasy smears.
Performance
Where the Skullcandy Venue redeems itself is in overall audio and battery performance.
Well start with the latter, as its arguably the strongest point of these cans.
In my experience, thats a bit conservative, with real-world use surpassing that.
The Venue also benefits from fast charging.
When looking at the lower end of the headphone market, its essential to get your expectations in check.
If youve got aspirations of being encased in a sarcophagus of silence, prepare to be disappointed.
Instead, theyre going to de-emphasize the irritating voices in the background that would overpower the tunes youre playing.
Screaming babies will fade into a whisper.
The roar of an airplane engine will dampen.
Thats pretty much the case with the Skullcandy Venue.
It mitigates against the annoying external sounds that would otherwise bleed through into the music or podcast youre enjoying.
I experienced this earlier this week when flying from Belfast to Liverpool on an old propeller plane.
The Venue did an excellent job of stifling the drone of the Bombardier Dash 8s noisy turboprop engines.
With that out of the way, lets chat about audio performance.
Traditionally, Skullcandy hasnt performed exceptionally well here, but in fairness, it hasnt tried to.
As a brand, its emphasized affordability and design, leaving the prosumer and audiophile market to other companies.
While the Skullcandy Venue doesnt sound especially bad, per se, it wont exactly knock your socks off.
One of the songs we used to test the Venue wasHopoponofrom Mancunian jazz legendsGoGo Penguin.
Who should buy the Skullcandy Venue?
The Skullcandy Venue is an excellent mid-range effort from the Utah-based audio company.
Sound quality is listenable, but not exceptional.
I liked the conservative and subdued design, although wasnt blown away by the build quality.
The Skullcandy Venue is available from today.
If youre in the UK, you’re able to grab them fromHMV, andArgosfor 150-ish.
If youre in the US, you canorder the cans on Skullcandys website.
