Tested the Skullcandy Ink'd + bluetooth earphones, made for sportsmen and for those who love to run, which have one of the main features in autonomy, and fast charging: it only takes 10 minutes to have 2 hours of autonomy.
There is no doubt that the Skullcandy Ink'd + headphones are born for sportsmen. Just look at their shape and design. These are bluetooth earphones, therefore wireless, connected to each other through a rigid rubber arch to be placed on the neck, which will allow you to keep the headphones in place, and not to lose them even during the race with the various oscillations. This design, of course, forgoes the minimalism of AirPods or other true wireless earphones, but it is a system designed specifically for those who listen to music during physical activity, and which ensure a rather high comfort / safety ratio.
The actual earphones are connected to this rubber arch via a small wire. On the ends of the arch, on the other hand, there is the control panel, which allows you to adjust the volume, pause or restart an audio track, as well as answer or hang up during conversations, but also to call the voice assistants on smartphone. It is a control panel that is very easy to reach, versatile and functional. Also on the same end there is the microphone, and the MicroUSB input for charging.
The comfort offered by the headphones is the traditional one of any pair of in-ear headphones. In the package there are several silicone rubber pads to be able to adapt better to the shape and size of the ear cavity, even if as already stated, there is no danger of losing them during the run, due to the rubber arch that is placed on the neck. They are really light, weighing just over 23 grams, while the support of the BT 5.0 connection ensures an always stable signal and always fast pairing.
How they feel
Given that it is a pair of headphones for sports, for jogging or other physical activity, they are not suitable for audiophiles who focus everything on sonic cleanliness. At first glance, whatever the song we heard, we noticed a particularly cold sound. Paradoxically, the bass is also present in the background, but overall the audio is oriented towards a cold sound. It must be said that during a run we don't pay too much attention to the body of the sound, or its nuances, and we had no particular problems in appreciating an energetic and rather lively playlist during the run.
The maximum volume is not that high, but enough to create a little feeling of isolation. Not total, of course, but enough to focus on the music, the rhythm and, therefore, the running.
We also felt the cold sound during telephone conversations, but here it is certainly an advantage, because they seem to highlight the voice of whoever is on the other end of the handset. The microphone is also good, which allows you to communicate without the problems that usually afflict these types of devices: our voice reaches the interlocutor clean and with a volume that is not too low.
Where, on the other hand, the cold sound seems to improve a bit is when playing multimedia content, or during videogame sessions. These are not headphones we would certainly choose to play with, but this also happened to us during rehearsals: in the latter case the background effects of the games seemed to have a slightly warmer tone.
Autonomy
And here comes the fun. Not only, and not so much, because the headphones on paper ensure 8 hours of continuous playback, but because they enjoy a fast charging system that allows, after only 10 minutes of charging, to obtain at least 2 hours of playback. Even if you do not actually reach 120 minutes, this system allows you to safely go for a run even if we forgot to recharge the headphones. And in fact, the time to prepare the bag, and put on the jogging shoes, the headphones will be ready to withstand the training session, without the danger of running out.
Conclusions
Skullcandy Ink'd + focus on running and are generally suitable for those who exercise. The sound is a bit cold during music reproduction, but at maximum volume they ensure the right (not total) isolation, which allows the runner to concentrate on the rhythm, without completely losing knowledge of what is around. Excellent fast charging, which in just 10 minutes ensures that you can use the headphones for almost two hours. Also welcome is the surprise in the box: a coupon to redeem 3 months of free music on YouTube Music.
PRO
VERSUS
RETAIL PRICE
On Amazon they cost about 50 euros, and can be purchased directly at this address.
