Review: Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Earbuds

Even when I was in high school, it was hard to take Skullcandy seriously. It was a new, hip brand for snowboarders, cigarette smokers, and degenerates that my posh, bespectacled jazz nerd persona couldn’t get behind. When I’d borrow someone’s earbuds to listen to whatever the latest, grossest pop punk or emo was, I’d find the sound lacking anything but bass and treble: All style, no substance.

Photograph: Parker Hall

In my professional years, I've found Skullcandy products that I actually like. The recent Bluetooth speakers have been utterly decent, as have a few of the brand's pairs of cheap wireless earbuds. I’d never go out of my way to recommend them to online buyers, but if you happened to be traveling, headphoneless or speakerless, and they were on sale, they aren't a terrible buy.

All that has changed with the new Method 360 ANC, a pair of Bose-collab earbuds that take higher-end models to task on both sound and noise cancellation. After a few weeks with the earbuds, I’m starting to rethink the brand entirely. Have the folks at Skullcandy finally grown up, or have they simply realized that making great-sounding headphones is a must in today’s saturated market? Either way, I love the results. If I were looking for a cheap pair of noise-canceling earbuds for the Trump Tariff Era, these would be my choice.

Less Money, Larger Size

Photograph: Parker Hall

The main downside to these earbuds compared to their higher-end brethren is the aesthetics. The candy-bar-sized charging case that comes with the Method 360 ANC is a lot bigger than the pillbox you get with Apple's AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) or Bose's QuietComfort buds (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Thankfully, it comes with a built-in key chain loop, so you can easily hang it from your bag, purse, or keys, and it has a firm, clicky slide mechanism that keeps the earbuds from dumping themselves all over the place.

The buds themselves, also on the larger side, store in the top of the slide-down case via magnets. You get two black, Bose-like earbuds with aesthetic elephant trunks and the typical Skullcandy skull on the tip. Silicone ear fins and a red-accented ear tip round out the look, which makes the buds look like a miniature punk rock version of the Bluetooth earbuds that we all wore 20 years ago. Aesthetically, they get a C: These aren't the prettiest you'll ever wear, but they're far from the ugliest.

Pop them in your ears and you’ll find a surprisingly comfortable fit with a great seal that really keeps the outside world at bay. Even the passive noise isolation is on par with the best from Sony and Bose, which is impressive for a pair that costs roughly a third as much.

Going Silent

Photograph: Parker Hall

Turning on the active noise canceling, I was wowed by just how much of the outside world these in-ears could remove, regardless of their affordable price. HVAC, lawn mowers, and even my 1-year-old's occasional joyous proclamations were no match for the excellent processing on board these buds. They don't quite reach the staggering levels of cancellation, at least to my ears, offered by the full-blown Bose models they're clearly copping their style and sound from, but they're truly not far off. Similarly priced favorites from Nothing, Google, Samsung, and others have what I'd call mediocre sound reduction by comparison.

Sound quality is also excellent, with a surprising amount of sub-bass content (hard to do on earbuds with noise canceling) and a very wide stereo image. I was really noticing some of the panning choices on recordings like Sam Evian's “Rollin' In.” The kick drum and bass really soaks through the bottom of the headphones without taking over the mid and high range, which can sometimes happen on cheaper earbuds. There is a real life to this listening experience in the midrange, with vocals, pianos, guitars, and other center-heavy instruments each occupying their own musical space. Even jazz sounds good on these, which I didn't expect. The brushes on cymbals in Ahmad Jamal's “Live at the Pershing” recordings sound smooth and clean, with the mumbles of the live audience and the clinking of glasses peeking through in the background just so.

Customizable Qualities

Photograph: Parker Hall

Like most buds these days, the Method 360 ANC come with an excellent app that allows you to change things like what the touch controls on the outside of each earbud do, the equalization settings, and to adjust noise canceling and transparency modes. I liked that I could easily swap the default long press (which is set to open Spotify) to make it adjust the noise-canceling settings. I also like that you can change what both the left and right earbuds’ buttons do to respond to presses, allowing a lot of personalization.

Multipoint pairing is excellent. I was able to connect to multiple devices like cell phones and laptops, and the buds never had any glitches when popping them out of the case and connecting, which does happen with other affordable models on occasion.

Photograph: Parker Hall

My only problem with the earbuds that took getting used to is that they go back in the case weirdly; the L and R to show you which bud goes where is woefully small and dark, and they go in the case upside down relative to the skull logo on the front. Luckily they have a nice satisfying magnetic click when they're properly seated in the case, so you can be sure when you've gotten it right. Honestly? It bothered me for a day and then I got used to it.

Otherwise, I really can't see a reason to spend more on noise-canceling earbuds unless you really need the absolute best reduction on the planet. If so, the higher-tier Bose earbuds are the finest in the land. If you're an average person after great sound, excellent silence, and a case that's so large it's next to impossible to lose, I highly recommend the Method 360 ANC. They're great buds, as long as you don't mind wearing skulls on your ears.