Skullcandy Smokin' Buds headphones (Black/Pink)

CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on:
The good: The Skullcandy Smokin' Buds earphones come in a wide variety of color combos, and the cloth-covered cable is thick and seems durable. They're affordably priced and offer some compelling extras, such as an inline mic.
The bad: The sound quality of the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds is not great, and the earbuds are not particularly comfortable.
The bottom line: Although sound quality isn't the greatest, the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds provide a funky design and some compelling features for the price. They're a solid budget option for music phone owners.
Skullcandy has made quite a name for itself in the headphone world, thanks largely to its focus on funky fashion and durable designs aimed at extreme-sports enthusiasts. Indeed, the company is known for a variety of things, and we seriously doubt you'll find subtlety among them. If ever a product could illustrate this point, it's the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds earphones ($30), with an in-your-face name worthy of their loud design. As we've come to expect from the company's earbuds, these 'phones aren't terribly impressive in terms of sound quality, but they do offer a solid ... Expand full review
Skullcandy has made quite a name for itself in the headphone world, thanks largely to its focus on funky fashion and durable designs aimed at extreme-sports enthusiasts. Indeed, the company is known for a variety of things, and we seriously doubt you'll find subtlety among them. If ever a product could illustrate this point, it's the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds earphones ($30), with an in-your-face name worthy of their loud design. As we've come to expect from the company's earbuds, these 'phones aren't terribly impressive in terms of sound quality, but they do offer a solid array of compelling features for the price. Teens and tweens will no doubt be more than satisfied with this set.
To be frank, the Smokin' Buds wouldn't be Skullcandy earphones if they didn't come in a plethora of crazy color combos. Here, you can choose from 22 varieties, including a relatively mild all-black version, a Jamaican flag-worthy Rasta configuration, and an ever-so-slightly marked-up ($32) Paul Frank model with a dual-toned cable. It's worth noting that the cords are cloth-coated and exceptionally thick, earning the earphones points in the durability arena. A short way down the left cable, you'll find an integrated mic with a call answer/end button for use with the iPhone or other music phones. Skullcandy also includes a volume slider farther down the cord, which is another nice offering at this price point. There's also a drawstring pouch in the package for storing the earphones.
Hide ReviewSince 2003, Jasmine France has worked at CNET covering everything from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices to MP3 players. She currently cohosts the Crave podcast and spends the majority of her time testing headphones, music software, and mobile apps.
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Specifications
See full specsQuick Specs
- Headphones Type: Headphones - Binaural
- Product type: Headphones
- Design: In-ear ear-bud