Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $49.95
Today's Bonus: 17% Off
EDIT 8/5/2012: Removed extensive comparisons with other models considered to limit the length of my already somewhat long-winded review. If you care to read my in-depth thoughts on the other models, though, I plan to post a full review of each model in the next week or so.
I came fairly to choosing these while looking for a pair of over-the-ear headphones primarily for on-the-go usage with a portable media player. I've got a pair of Skullcandy 50/50 earbuds that are overall pretty good and have served me well, but I've realized after about a year that I just prefer the feel of over-the-ear headphones over in-ear for a variety of reasons including overall comfort, how easy it is to accidentally pull earbuds out of your ears, or lose the rubber tips, and so on. From the other side of the spectrum, I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD280 over-the-ear headphones that I use as my primary "at home" listening medium. Those are freakin' amazing and I love them, but their overall size and extra-long coiled cord would make them a bit unwieldy for portable use. So essentially what I got these for was to use as a good pair of over-ear headphones for listening to music on-the-go, typically for 1-2 hours at a time with a break here and there for various reasons.
Other headphones considered (in order of preference, descending):
V-Moda Crossfade LP2*
Soul by Ludacris SL150*
Sony MDR-XB500
Sony DR-ZX701IP
Skullcandy HESH 2
Beats by Dr. Dre Solo*
Skullcandy Lowrider
Skullcandy Skullcrushers
*see update(s) at the end of the review
Anyway, on the the review:
:::: Sound ::::
Overall better than average balance of sounds for the price range. I listen to a fairly wide range of music including most types of EDM (electronic dance music), classical, jazz, rock/metal and so on. My main staples of late are drum 'n' bass and dubstep, although a lot of what have become my long-term favorite artists tend to mix the "new" (rock/EDM) with more traditional musical styles and instrumentation... look up Korpiklaani, Amon Tobin, Banco de Gaia and/or Gogol Bordello for a few examples. I'm not a hardcore audiophile (or at last doesn't consider myself to be), but I am big music fan and want my music to sound good when I listen to it. For the most part, this model has proven to be no slouch in the headphone arena, especially given the price point. In fact, these cans have done surprisingly well across the board of my musical tastes.
On bass-heavy EDM tracks like the appropriately-named "Shudder" by Black Sun Empire/Crushington, these headphones deliver a visceral bass that you can definitely feel, while lighter songs like "Bedtime Stories" by Amon Tobin don't suffer from weak treble/highs. I haven't listened to a lot of rock/metal/punk in some time, but I pulled up a few of my favorite songs and they all sounded at least as good as I remember them. This style of music tends not to produce the same levels of visceral bass response that EDM does, but this is true on my significantly higher-end HD280s as well, so the cause is not a fault in these headphones. Because the mids/treble in a lot of EDM can accurately be described as a "whine" or "siren-like" sound, I also made sure to test these with music consisting almost exclusively of "organic" instrumentation... classical, jazz, choral and the like... with positive results. Potentially a superficial test, since I doubt the electronics in the headphones can differentiate between them, but I feel like it'd be easier to notice flaws in the sound reproduction of a poor-quality pair of headphones using this type of music than the heavily-synthesized sounds of EDM. Call it a hunch.
Overall, these headphones are a solid contender given the asking price for them. The Sony models were a bit better in terms of pure sound quality, but had other issues that made them less than ideal for me. The other Skullcandy headphones were substantially weaker, in my opinion, and these are the clear winners within the brand.
:::: Comfort ::::
These headphones fit tightly, which I like overall, but combined with the on-ear design makes them somewhat uncomfortable for extended listening. For the first hour, hour and a half or even two hours in some cases, these headphones feel perfectly fine. Strong bass seems like it might exacerbate the issue for bespectacled folk like myself, though, since having the side parts of the frames pressed between one's ear and one's head does get uncomfortable after a bit, even while listening to tunes on the "lighter" side of things/without heavy bass vibrations, although I admit to not having tested this while I had the headphones. I've also seen some complaints in other reviews about the lack of padding on the arch of the headphones, although with the way they fit (on my head, at least) this is a non-issue since the arch only slightly rests on the top of my head. For my uses, however, these issues don't become unbearable, since I'm taking off the headphones before they would start to set in 90% of the time.
Once again, at the price point these headphones are sold at, they offer a solid value in the comfort department even with the shortcomings noted above, especially given the "total package" in comparison to other similarly-priced headphones. I would say honestly speaking, though, that I would have to rate these headphones lower than all the other models tried in terms of pure comfort (although the Lowriders were only comfortable because they were so loose fitting that they fell off fairly easily, so I'm not sure how much that counts).
:::: Style ::::
These headphones are overall pretty decent looking. The 3/4 angle found in most stock photos is certainly the most favorable angle to view these from, with a straight-ahead view being the worst (the cups are almost perfect half-spheres, resulting in a "Princess Leia buns" appearance). One of the irritating things about over-ear headphones in general, of course, is that the better ones do have a tendency to be huge monstrosities that look awkward as heck when you wear them, so it requires some creative design in general to produce an aesthetically pleasing pair. In the end, these have enough style to them and sound good enough that the "buns" effect, while still somewhat irritating, is something I can live with.
Compared to other models I considered, the overall appearance of the Skullcrushers and Sony DR-ZX701IPs are much more to my liking. The lower profile of the DR-ZX701IPs also help to make them more aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion. If it weren't for the other issues, the articulating ear cups and collapsible/stashable design of the Skullcrushers/Lowriders would have been a major selling point for me, as well. The Lowriders I would rate lower due to being /too/ lightweight looking to the point of simply looking cheap, and the Sony MDR-XB500s just look ridiculous, and don't even have the articulation/stashable design of the Skullcrushers and Lowriders.
:::: Durability ::::
Gotta say that these feel like a rather solid pair of headphones, despite being almost 100% plastic aside from the wiring, driver magnets and ear cushions. As far as practical real-world durability, that's something I can't tell after only having owned these for a week or two. I'm fairly easy on my electronics, but being a computer technician and working with laptops, the casings of which are usually thin plastic pieces, has given me a rather precise sense for how much strain plastics can safely handle, and these headphones seem like they would require a fairly severe incident to break accidentally, and can handle normal wear and tear admirably.
The MDR-XB500s are more-or-less on par with these and, compared to the Lowriders or even the Skullcrushers (although to a far lesser degree), these feel like a veritable brick house of solid design. One advantage of these and the other Skullcandy options, though, is that they carry a lifetime warranty that gets you 50% off a replacement pair even if they break (most companies would just shrug this off as abuse and not do anything for you).
:::: Miscellaneous Thoughts ::::
Another reviewer, whom I don't remember if he posted his review on Amazon or elsewhere, unfortunately, brought up an interesting point he noticed about these headphones. According to him, an audiophile with a much more refined ear than mine if his self-description is at all accurate, it sounded like these headphones were emphasize the bass and bottom-end mids to give them the "awesome bass" that they have, which he felt to be a fairly strong negative point against this model. If I remember correctly his reasoning had to do with causing listening fatigue more easily than headphones where this technique is not used. So far this has not seemed to be an issue for me, though.
:::: Conclusion ::::
Despite the comfort factor being in favor of the Sony MDR-XB500 headphones and other factors for the most part being equal or slightly better, I do intend to use these headphones primarily in public, and the aesthetics of those are absolutely awful, so I had to pass. The DR-ZX701IPs are nice and low-profile/lightweight, but have volume issues (they just didn't seem *loud*, even at full volume on my music player). That said, these headphones are no disappointment in any category, even if they also aren't the best of the models I've tried in some areas, either. Another benefit of going with a Skullcandy model, since it's worth repeating is that they offer a lifetime warranty that even provides partial coverage against physical damage/abuse, so if the durability ends up being cruddy one would likely get their next pair for free or drastically discounted even if they didn't fail until 2-3 or years after the date of purchase.
**** UPDATED 7/27/2012 ****
Ultimately, I've ended up returning these and am now checking out some higher-end headphones. I guess I'm a pickier listener and/or more of an audiophile than I thought. The models I'm considering now are the Soul SL150 on-ear headphones (we have a live display of them where I work, and they sound pretty awesome) and a pair from a company called V-MODA (Crossfade LP2), which I've admittedly never heard of before, but was favorably mentioned in reviews of the SL150s. Part of the reason for this is that as I broke in the HESHes, they seemed to lose some of their "punch" across the sound spectrum. I found myself being able to listen to music with them on my phone at full volume for most music and still desiring it to be ever-so-slightly louder, whereas before they were loud enough that I had to turn them down 1-2 notches, depending on what I was listening too.
I'm not changing the main review, though, to include comparisons to these models, since they are in an entirely different price bracket. After all, for over 100% more $$$, the models I'm considering now had better sound significantly better. Despite my personal choice as a borderline-but-not-quite-audiophile to fork over a bit more cash to get a pair of headphones I'm truly excited about, I stand by my original assertion that the Hesh headphones from Skullcandy are a very respectable choice given the price range, and would serve plenty of people just fine.
**** Updated 8/4/2012 ****
Ended up absolutely falling in love with the V-MODA Crossfade LP2s. The Soul SL150s proved to be above and beyond any of the Sony or Skullcandy models and all-around extremely good, but the V-MODAs were another monumental step up even from there in my opinion. They are also the best constructed and best looking of all of the on-ear and over-ear headphones I've checked out by far, on top of being the best sounding. The warranty even offers a level of guarantee similar to Skullcandy's (100% coverage against normal use for 2 years, 50% off replacements for the life of the product if the failure is not a defect/normal wear issue or the product is older than 2 years).
As far as the Skullcandy HESH model is concerned, I still stick by my assertion that they are an overall solid product for the price point and a great choice for people who want something better than $10 earbuds, but still don't consider headphones an "investment" (especially bass-heads), but urge others that have better quality sound as their primary consideration to take a serious look at the V-MODA Crossfade LP2s, despite the significant price jump. I personally feel they will prove to be worth every penny.
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Pros:
nice solid build
detachable cord
the cups cover my ears
blocks out 86% of noise
great lows and punchy bass
really cool look
great performance for $50-60
Cons:
Mids and Highs are muddy and condensed
does not fold
no protection cases included
feels heavy after extended use
Conclusion:
Obviously its not gonna out perform Dre Beats or Bose quiet comforts ($300)
but for the price its destroys most in ear headphones out there...
Buy Skullcandy S6HSFZ-319 Hesh 2 Headphones, Gray/Black/Lime Now
If you are looking for great looking headphones that also produce great sound quality at an affordable price, then these are for you. I also own a set of Bose headphones and although I like the Bose better, the Hesh 2 headphones have high quality craftsmanship and cost a fraction of the Bose. I can honestly say that these headphones are the best in their class and worth every penny.
Read Best Reviews of Skullcandy S6HSFZ-319 Hesh 2 Headphones, Gray/Black/Lime Here
the first thing I noticed when I un-boxed these was the HUGE improvement in quality over the original hesh, they just felt much better in the hands and I was pumped to test them out. Plugged them into my iPod, put bassbooster on, and played "We run the night" First I thought wow these are much crisper sounding then my original hesh, which was a good thing, but then the bass hit and it was like "meh" it produced it just fine but just not very loud, then I looked down at my iPod and saw I was one level below max volume! My fave part about the original Hesh was the efficiency, they were quite loud at half volume. Not so with these headphones.
Next I plugged these into my headphone amp, and HOLY SHIT these cans came alive! bass was rock solid, highs were crisp and clear, loudness was perfect! These sound way better then the original hesh, skullcrushers and agent when amped.
These headphones are much more accurate then the original hesh, I've found that poorly compressed songs and low bit rate songs are much more noticeable on these headphones then my first hesh. These headphones replicate the recorded songs perfectly and you can hear every nuance.
They are also incredible for EDM, all my hardcore techno songs are getting a second life on these headphones and I think this is due to the high accuracy of the bass and highs on these headphones. Because they are more accurate it also means less listening fatigue, I can listen to these for hours with little to no listening fatigue.
These aren't as good for post-hardcore/screamo/metal etc. because they seem to be lacking a little in the mid-high bass, but they still sound great.
For rap and hip hop these sound pretty beast mainly due to the amazingly accurate low-end bass and crisp highs which can be prevalent in rap songs.
Dubstep is insanely good on these headphones, every subtle vibration is blasted into your brain with awesomeness xD
Because mainstream stuff takes elements from EDM, hip-hop, rap and even dubstep sometimes, all the top 40 songs will likely sound amazing on these cans.
EDIT: after blasting these with my amp for about an hour, the efficiency improved DRAMATICALLY, tested with iPod again and bass is now much better then the original hesh and the volume at half is about the same as original hesh at half. THESE HEADPHONES ROCK! BUY THEM! skullcandy just keeps getting better:)
Want Skullcandy S6HSFZ-319 Hesh 2 Headphones, Gray/Black/Lime Discount?
A lot of people have written long winded reviews about these... so i'll be extremely brief.
Went to (big box store) to try out headphones.
First priority was comfort, second was blocking out external noise.
Primary purpose is to listen to powerpoint and videos for my online class, usually in a noisy environment.
Of all the headphones I tried, two worked really well.
The first was a $400 pair of Bose... way out of my budget.
The second were these.
Almost bought them in store, but I wanted black, and the store only had white.
Also, the store had them for $60.
Ordered them here for almost $20 less. Got them quickly.
Tried them out with all sorts of music on multiple devices, and they exceeded my expectations.
Went to a loud diner, logged into my homework, watched a presentation with all the exterior noise blocked out.
Perfect.
Came home, lay on the couch for a few hours listening to more music.
Surprisingly comfortable.
These arent as trendy as the $200 headphones everyone has.
However, they work. Really really well.
