The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC headphones deliver really good audio for their asking price, though inbuilt ANC did leave me wanting.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Bose-tuned sound is genuinely good | ANC is on the weaker side |
| Good battery life | Huge battery case might not be flight-friendly |
| Comfortable to wear for longer periods or while exercising | Tap controls are predictably annoying to use |
Score: 4/5
 |
Buy The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones! | Buy On Amazon |
In this review
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Design
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Performance
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Battery
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Conclusion
Ethical disclaimer: The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC headphones used in this review were supplied to me by Skullcandy for the purposes of review. That gets them reviewed the same as any other product; Skullcandy did not have any editorial input into this review and they’re able to read it the exact same time you are. Which is as it should be, but in the current reviewing climate this kind of disclosure is, I feel, vital.
For more on ART’s Ethics policy, click here
Design
It has been a fair while since I’ve reviewed any products from Skullcandy, a brand that pitches both young and quite budget-centric; I can realistically only claim to fit into one of those definitions any more.
Skullcandy’s designs have long been eye-catching, but taking the Method 360 ANC Headphones, even I was surprised. Partly because these are true wireless headphones that come in a case that’s easily twice as big as just about any pair you’d care to name, but mostly because the item that the case design most brought to mind wasn’t in fact headphones at all.
With a carabiner loop at the top that also serves as a pull ring to open up the case, the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones most closely resemble a grenade. Adding the Skullcandy skull logo to the front does little to disabuse this notion, either.
Bold design choice?
For sure, and at this size you’re not likely to lose them easily, but at the same time, if I was packing for an overseas trip, dropping something that’s even passingly like a grenade for in-flight usage wouldn’t be my first choice.
I’m not just imagining that, am I? Comment below.
You do at least get a range of colour choices, with your choice of Black, Bone, Leopard, Plasma or Primer colours.
Leopard isn’t a subtle colour, that’s for sure (Photo: Skullcandy)
The case for the Method 360 ANC Headphones slides upwards to reveal each bud sitting to the side of a central sliding column that houses the actual integrated recharging battery. One slight catch here – really more of an issue of remembering that a straight up design flaw – is that the right/left orientation works from the ring pull side of the case. Open it the other way round and you’ll be looking at each bud the wrong way around.
Each of the Method 360 ANC Headphone buds are on the larger side, with a notable Skullcandy logo on the body of the bud sticking out of your ear. Skullcandy provides a range of tip sizes for fitting, though I found the default fitted buds to be a fair match for my own ears.
In terms of water resistance, Skullcandy rates the Method 360 ANC Headphones as being IPX4, which essentially means that they should be sweatproof, but not suitable for long ocean swims, not that Bluetooth really works that well in those situations anyway.
Performance
The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones are Bluetooth 5.3 compatible and out of the box they’re ready to pair with basically any Bluetooth device, but if you want more fine-tuning you’ll need to download Skullcandy’s Skullcandy IQ app for iOS or Android to manage firmware updates, active noise cancelling settings, multipoint pairing and touch control settings.
I’ve long noted that I’m not a fan of touch controls on buds beyond simple play/pause controls, and the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones did little to change my mind here.
Tap. Tap. TapTapTap. I’m not a fan of constantly thumping my ears with any buds, these included.
As an example, switching ANC modes involves a triple tap, but more than once I found it misinterpreting my taps and pausing music or skipping tracks rather than changing ANC settings. That frustration isn’t helped either by the fact that the headphones notifications for changes to modes are delivered at QUITE HIGH VOLUME RIGHT INTO YOUR EARBUDS EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Ahem. It’s not nice to be shouted at, Skullcandy. Maybe a slider to alter notification volume could be a firmware upgrade feature in the future?
The big selling point for the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones at their $189.99 AUD price point is that, rather like the Moto Buds+ they’ve been given the audio once-over treatment by Bose, which should mean that they offer better than the typical audio output you’d see in headphones at this kind of price.
That’s true enough for their general audio output, though at its default settings it does tend slightly bass-heavy, muddying up the signals sent out a little if that’s your preferred style.
The Skullcandy IQ app does allow for a number of presets plus equalisation to slightly bring that bass down, which I’d advise in general terms unless heavy thumping really is your style.
While the audio is laudable, the same isn’t quite true for the inbuilt active noise cancellation.
ANC is good to see on a set at this price point – though not entirely unheard of – with options for either ANC or Stay Aware, a passthrough audio mode that lets you hear more of the outside world around you.
You can adjust ANC intensity in the Skullcandy IQ app, but even at full whack, it’s not particularly strong. Certainly better than just relying on the isolating factor of having buds in your ears, but not up the to the standards of the best noise cancelling buds – including those made by Bose itself.
The inbuilt microphones on the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones are serviceable, but it’s immediately apparent to anyone that you’re talking to that you’re on Bluetooth headphones, with that typical slightly artitificial processing that so many cheaper bud microphones employ in play here.
Sound is serviceable for calls and acceptable within this price range, but some higher-priced buds definitely deliver a more pleasing voice sound if this matters to you.
Larger buds like these often come with a price to pay in terms of ear fatigue, but here I found the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones to be pretty good, with few issues around discomfort even after many hours of testing and wearing.
They sat well in my ears for run tests as well, which is always a pleasing result. That does also mean that I’ve sweated in them extensively, and while IP-rated water resistance is never a permanent condition, so far they’ve stood up to my sweat well.
Battery
Making a bigger battery case and bigger buds does give Skullcandy scope for better than typical claimed battery life, and that it does. With ANC enabled the claim is for 9 hours of battery life, or 11 hours with it disabled. I still don’t know why you’d buy ANC-enabled buds and not use that feature, but I guess people can vary in their intents.
In my own testing, 7-8 hours was more typically achievable, but that’s still quite good for a set of buds at this price point. The case will provide around 2.5 extra charges for ANC mode – 23 hours of use time – or 29 hours of use if you’re the no-ANC type. Recharging is via USB-C from a slot in the base of the charging case.
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones: Alex’s Verdict
The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones aren’t the cheapest headphones I’ve ever tested out, if only because I believe in suffering for the art.
However, they’re nicely inexpensive for what they actually do offer, mostly thanks to that Bose tuning. The larger size of their carrying case won’t suit everyone, and you do need to tweak their output unless you’re really keen on heavy bass music, but at this price, they’re quite decent.
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Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Headphones:
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