The Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless are budget-friendly headphones. Simple in design, but durable and able to passively block out noise like the office chatter around you. Out-of-the-box, they have a bass-heavy sound profile that delivers an intense thump and boom. Some users may find they sound very muddy, but they come with a couple of built-in EQ presets to help you tune their sound. Unfortunately, the continuous battery life of around 4.7 hours may not be enough to get you through the day, although the case can be charged three additional times.
The stable fit and light weight allow you to keep it on your ear while running. If you want to be aware of your surroundings, you can also use the earphones in ‘mono’ mode with one earpiece in the case. The earphones are also IP55 dustproof and waterproof, although this has not been tested at present.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Sound leakage is minimal, so you can listen to loud music without worrying about disturbing your colleagues. It is also effective at blocking out chatter in the workplace. Unfortunately, they don’t last very long on a single charge, so you may need to charge them quite often.
Bill Callahan’s ‘Drover’ has a less bass-heavy mix that better characterises the sound. The drums on this track are bass-enhanced, but not in the roaring territory that is common with low-frequency oriented in-ears.
Callahan’s vocals also emphasise the richness of the lower midrange, but are balanced overall by the three-dimensionality of the mid-high range. Both acoustic and percussive percussive blows in the upper frequencies sound bright. The low frequencies are quite pronounced for an accurate representation of the sound, but Skullcandy has done well to ensure that the low frequencies do not dominate the mix.
The controls on the Sesh Evo are not the easiest to remember, as they depend on the number of button presses (or pinches). There must be a better way. Let me explain: one press starts and stops the audio. ‘You understand it well,’ says the monologue inside you.
Press twice to increase the volume, is this for the left ear or the right ear? Ah, the right ear (‘right up, left down’, you repeat under your breath). You try again, but this time you press it three times by mistake. Oops. You have launched the Smart Voice Assistant on your telecommuting laptop with earphones paired to it. No, Cortana is not helpful.