Pros
-
Balanced, spacious and full-range sound -
Extensive and stable control options -
Ergonomic and comfortable earbud design
Cons
-
Not the most dynamic or assertive listen -
Pointlessly large charging case -
Restricted Bluetooth codec compatibility
Key Features
-
Bluetooth connectivity
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC codec compatibility -
Water resistance
IPX4 protection against splashes -
Battery life
40 hours battery life
Introduction
Say what you like about Skullcandy (and people always do), it’s difficult to confuse its goods with those of any other brand.
Even where true wireless headphones are concerned, a product where form follows function very closely indeed, the company manages to deliver one or two points of difference. Whether you find these points of difference attractive or not is really a question of taste.
For the Method 360 ANC, Skullcandy has partnered with Bose. It’s not quite as jarring a collaboration as, say, Adidas and Kanye – but nevertheless, they don’t immediately strike me as the most likely bedfellows.
So has Skullcandy been Bose-ified, or has Bose decided to let its hair down in the Skullcandy manner?
Design
- Earbud design more than a little reminiscent of Bose
- Remarkably large charging case…
- …and yet the earbuds are fiddly to get in and out
Anyone familiar with any of the Bose range of QuietComfort true wireless headphones, especially the QuietComfort II, is going to find the Method 360 ANC more than a little familiar.
Skullcandy may have included its little stylised skull logo at the bottom of the outside of the stem, but the overall shape, as well as the use of swappable stabilising fins and ovoid ear-tips, is going to set bells ringing.
This, of course, is in no way a bad thing. The Method 360 ANC come with a selection of both fins and ear-tips, and getting a comfortable, secure fit is no trouble at all. At 11g each the earbuds are far from the lightest around, but thanks to the way they position themselves they’re no kind of burden to wear.
And on the subject of ‘far from the lightest around’, the charging case in which the earbuds travel is much, much bigger and, at 77g, quite a bit heavier than the established norm. The earbuds sit in cutaways in the sliding portion of the case, where they’re weirdly difficult to take out and put back despite the generous amount of space on offer.
There’s a circular clip attached to the top of the case so that it can be attached to a bag or a belt, or function as a keyring – none of these functions, though, goes any way towards explaining why the case itself needs to be such a biffer.
An IPX4 rating for the earbuds isn’t too bad, though, and it means the Skullcandy should be absolutely fine in any realistic environment. As is pretty standard, the charging case is not rated and should therefore not be left in even mild peril.
Features
- Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC codec compatibility
- IPX4
- 40 hours battery life
Bluetooth 5.3 is a very decent standard of wireless connectivity in the context of the price of the Method 360 ANC. Compatibility that extends only as far as the bog-standard SBC and AAC codecs is less so – very similar money spent elsewhere will buy you aptX or LDAC action, sometimes even both.
At least the Skullcandy have the ability to pair to two devices at once, and Google Fast Pair is available for those devices that support it.
In any other circumstance, the battery life on offer here – 9 hours from the earbuds with ANC switched on, 11 when it’s off, and roughly another 2.5 charges in the case – would be pretty impressive.
When you consider the outrageous size of the charging case, though, it’s actually pretty disappointing – you’d think there would be room for plenty more than 23 hours (ANC on) or 29 hours (ANC off) in a case this size. 10 minutes of charging via the USB-C on the bottom of the case should be good for a couple of hours of non-ANC listening.
Once it’s on board, sound is delivered by a couple of 12mm full-range dynamic drivers offering a claimed frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz. In addition, each earbud features four mics taking care of telephony and active noise-cancellation – Clear Voice Smart technology is on board to help with call quality at each end of the conversation.
The Skull-iQ control app lets you explore your ANC options – there’s Stay Aware transparency, ANC off and ANC on, and this last option has a slider that adjusts the intensity. The app also allows you to investigate a trio of EQ presets as well as use a five-band equaliser to create some custom settings.
There’s a defeatable low-latency setting, an indication of battery life, and the option to rearrange the meaning of taps and presses on the capacitive touch surface at the top of either earbud.
The touch controls are reliable and rapid in their response, and you can take control of all major playback and telephony functions. In addition, you can use the touch-controls to wake your player’s native voice-assistant, for Spotify Tap, and even to prompt your phone into taking a photo.
Sound Quality
- Open, controlled and tidy sound
- Nice tonal balance and careful frequency response
- Short of dynamic potency and general animation
In some ways – quite a few ways, in fact – the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC are an enjoyable and even quite admirable listen. They’re not without shortcomings, though – and these shortcomings go quite a long way towards spoiling the overall listening experience.
Let’s go with the plus points first, though. Bose has done an impressive job in making the Method 360 ANC presentation so open, spacious and nicely defined – the soundstage these earbuds can create when playing a FLAC file of Jockstrap’s Greatest Hits is wide, deep and properly controlled.
Every element of the recording is secure in its space, every element has the elbow-room it needs, and the midrange projects in an unforced and naturalistic sort of way. If insight is what you crave, there’s plenty for you here.
The tonal balance is carefully judged, and there’s a pleasant neutrality about the frequency response (both in terms of emphasis and tone) that makes the Skullcandy sound more like they’re getting out of the way of a recording than they are attempting to exert and influence on it.
The sweep from the very bottom of the frequency range is smooth, and detail levels are high at every stage. Transient or minor occurrences are identified and contextualised without the Method 360 ANC sounding in any way demonstrative about it.
Control of the lowest frequencies is just as evident as it is at every other point – but the straight-edged onset of bass sounds means the Skullcandy have no problem in expressing rhythms with confidence. At the opposite end, meanwhile, treble sounds have enough substance to prevent them becoming splashy or hard even if you like to listen at significant volume.
The issues centre around dynamism and energy – or, more correctly, the lack of them. The Skullcandy are either unwilling or unable to put much distance between the quietest and the most raucous and/or intense moments in a recording.
Once through Mogwai’s Helicon 1 is enough to demonstrate this lack of drive and animation – there are far greater shifts in emphasis and sheer volume in this tune than the Method 360 ANC seem able to reveal. There is a flatness and a shortage of energy to the overall sound of these earbuds that sucks a lot of the life from a recording and renders it limp and, ultimately, rather unengaging.
Should you buy it?
You’re a Skullcandy fan
You want everyone to know you’re a Skullcandy customer by hanging your Method 360 ANC from your belt or by using them as a keyring
That charging case is chunky
You don’t want true wireless earbuds that come in a gratuitously large charging case
Final Thoughts
In theory, it’s the correct way to go about things: Skullcandy does that thing it does where design is concerned, while Bose takes care of the serious business of sound quality.
In practice, though, the lack of sonic animation that Bose has delivered undermines Skullcandy’s rather self-conscious attempts to appear young and alternative – instead, the considered and undemonstrative sound of the Method 360 ANC makes the design seem try-hard and ultimately a bit cringe.
And regardless of the way these earbuds sound, I simply cannot get over the sheer size of the charging case. Why? Why?
Trusted Score
How We Test
I wirelessly connected the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro and to a FiiO M15S digital audio player, both of which are loaded with Presto, Qobuz and Tidal apps – the FiiO is in one of the images to give you some idea of just how large this charging case is.
In addition, the FiiO features a lot of high-resolution content on its internal memory – although given the Method 360 ANC top out at AAC where Bluetooth codecs are concerned, that stuff probably constitutes overkill.
I listened to lots of different styles of music, in a number of different file types and sizes, for well over a week, indoors and outdoors.
- Tested for several days
- Tested with real world use
FAQs
There are five, and for reasons best known to Skullcandy they’re called Bone, Primer, Plasma, Leopard and, um, True Black.
Yes – quite unusually, the Skullcandy will function when one earbud is still in the charging case.
Full Specs
| Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £99 |
| USA RRP | $129 |
| EU RRP | €119 |
| CA RRP | CA$149 |
| AUD RRP | AU$189 |
| Manufacturer | Skulllcandy |
| IP rating | IPX4 |
| Battery Hours | 40 |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
| Weight | 88 G |
| ASIN | B0DWC512JJ |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| Audio Resolution | SBC, AAC |
| Noise Cancellation? | Yes |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Colours | Bone, Primer, Plasma, Leopard, True Black |
| Frequency Range | 20 20000 – Hz |
| Headphone Type | In-ear |
Trusted Score
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