Skullcandy Smokin' Buds Ink'd Earphones - Red Reviews

• Good for the price

  
  By A35KZ5WD51H7PK on 2007-11-24
  There are more reviews for this on the black version, but I got the red one, so I thought I could also comment on the looks of the specific color in addition to the general quality. I got these on impulse, to replace my iPod's default buds (which have been a literal pain in the ears).
  
  Regarding the appearance and materials: They seem to be color-matched to the red 2nd generation iPod Nanos, but I don't have one to test this hypothesis. Like the 2nd gen Nanos, they have the appearance of anodized aluminum, but I suspect it's just plastic. They've also got the trademark Skullcandy skulls on the ends, underneath a small plastic bubble. I'm not too fond of the way Skullcandy emblazons their products myself, but in this case, it's tiny enough to be bearable. Unhappily, the cords are this weird easy-to-tangle rubber (more so than Apple's buds) that appears ugly and crooked from a distance and rather annoying from close-up. You'll probably want a cord wrapper unless you're really good about keeping your cords untangled. I can also see the cords getting worn out in time (they seem flimsier than the free Apple buds)... but they're cheap and not painful to replace
  
  Now on the buds in general... They're really great sound isolation buds for the price, but with the following points:
  
  - Good sound requires deep insertion of the silicone tip into the ear canal. Your ear canal needs to be totally sealed by the tips, or the sound will be bad and you'll hear a lot of ambient noise. These are much easier to put in than the Etymotic 3-flange tips, but they also don't dampen ambient noise as well. However, these are still VERY comfortable for long periods, and I'll happily take the ease of insertion for a little less noise dampening (I actually prefer being able to hear oncoming traffic and people talking to me when I've got my earbuds on).
  
  - The SLIGHTEST bumps to the cord will travel straight to your ears in the form of loud BANGS. This is true of all in-ear buds, and especially true of deep-insertion types. You can ease the noise if you clip the cord to your shirt (so most of the sound vibrations will dissipate into your shirt before reaching your ears). Wearers of dangling earrings may also find that their earrings might bump into the cords for the same effect... you'll have to rotate the buds to position the cord out of the way of your earrings.
  
  - The sound is quite good, with nice bass and... well, I'm not enough of an audiophile to comment much on the rest of the spectrum, but it sounds very nice and full to me (though I find other reviews putting it higher than Shures a bit hard to swallow... having never tried Shures myself). However, I'm not sure if this is JUST my unit, but there is an audible static hiss when my buds are plugged in. It's faint enough so my music usually covers it, but it's apparent once the music stops. I don't really mind, though, since I will mostly be using this outside, when ambient noises will probably cover up the hiss. I'm mainly just pleased to actually hear bass coming from my iPod.
  
  - There is absolutely NO differentiation between the left and right buds (they are completely symmetrical and identical). While it's understandable because they're accessories meant for the 2nd generation iPod Nanos, it limits their use to things in which the left and right channels don't really matter. 3D sound effects in action movies and shows might be lost if you switch up the left and right buds.
  
  
  All in all, I'd recommend these as a good set of cheap earbuds with changeable sound isolating tips. They're not AMAZING, but... well, remember the price tag ($10 or less, or you're not bargain-hunting hard enough) and be pleased.
  
  

• Amazing Deal

  
  By A184XVI33B9H86 on 2008-04-15
  These buds are simply amazing, for the price there is not another pair of buds that can compete. I have owned several pairs of headphones around same price and they either turn to crap right away, are uncomfortable, or sound like a 12 year old made them in science class.
  
  All in all I give these a 5 out of 5 simply because i cant rate it them any higher. Seriously the sound quality is amazing, most buds i have tried dont have any bass what so ever but these thinks have a nice crisp rip to them without the cheap distortion you may be all to familiar with.
  
  They are super comfortable as well and stay firmly in your ear. You would think for 15-20 bucks that they would rip apart or the wires would become loose in spots but these things are tought too. I sent them through the washer and dryer twice now and they still play as good as new!
  
  Save your money, don't bother with ipod headphones or those other spendy buds, please take my advise and buy these bad boys, you wont be disappointed.
  
  

• Tinny sound....

  
  By A6UONSUT6D70X on 2008-06-27
  After purchasing a Creative ZEN, I decided that the earbuds that came with it were too big for my ears. They kept falling out. (They weren't the earbud type....just a single sized soft foam type....too big).
  
  I bought these. From the very first song that I listened to, it sounded very "tinny". Almost no base at all. All other songs sounded the same way. I thought it was me....but I retried the originals that came with the ZEN and it was much better. I even had some old headphones that I tried. They too sounded better.
  
  I returned these....I gave it a "2" for the fact that they worked at all.
  
  

• Boomin' Bass

  
  By A1T6ZAZ7J09GV7 on 2008-05-30
  I was skeptical at first when I thought of buying these, but then realized they are a name brand. The Bass is great, way better than the buds that came with my painful iPod buds. I think it is because they are more isolated into the ear canal. Would I recommend these? Yes. Plus they look really cool. I have the red ones.
  
  

• great sound.

  
  By A2MN3TYY4ESGRX on 2008-06-05
  Great sound and noise blocking. Far more comfortable than IPod headphones. The wire seems to have worn out after 6 months of daily use, with no visible tears in the rubbery cover. First pair was a gift, I'll buy another pair because of the price.
  
  

• Skullcandy INK'D Earbuds - Dark Grey
• Skullcandy Ink'd Smokin' Buds earphones - Blue
• Skullcandy Smokin' Bud, 3.5 - White
• Skull Candy Lowrider Headphones (Black and Silver)
• Ink'd Smokin' Buds Headphones - Green