Review: Skullcandy’s Slyr headset provides sweet sounds at a sweet price

The Skullcandy Slyr may be short a some vowels, however it doesn’t skimp about performance or comfort. Audiophiles will probably do better for music plus films, yet this headset is tuned for gaming, plus provides a sturdy value proposition —whether you’re about a system, handheld device, Mac or Windows PC.

As far because appearances go the Slyr is comparatively tame for Skullcandy gear. I reviewed the black variant, that sports yellow accents about translucent side panels plus inside the ear cups (it’s equally obtainable in blue plus white, when you’re feeling a bit more ostentatious). The Slyr’s plastic body is strong, yet I’ll acknowledge it doesn’t truly inspire self-confidence. The ear cups wobble a bit too freely, rattling from the frame when I moved the headset about. The variety of motion is doubtlessly intentional plus ensures a comfortable fit however I’d nevertheless choose a more rigid chassis, very whenever yanking the headset about or off my head. The headset’s band provides a fair deal of flex, sliding well about my skull plus latching about firmly without pinching. The Slyr is regarded as the many comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn: it’s rather light, with thick foam padding which didn’t feel sweaty or bothersome following long gaming sessions.

The sound standard is great; the headset lacks help for 7.1 surround, yet that’s not surprising for a headset inside this budget, plus provided the internet surround sound implementation available inside many games we possibly won’t even see. Music plus games both sound good by the Slyr, that capably pumps out bass plus hits excellent notes without distortion. The headset could receive truly, fairly loud, plus whenever cranked up too far there’s a slight however, perceptible hiss inside the background. I was told by bystanders which the sound didn’t bleed from the foam cups a lot, however I not cranked the amount up too loud.

The headset is easy plus mostly without bells plus whistles, that is really quite refreshing. The left side of the headset hosts the sound input jack as well as the fold-out microphone, however the headset controls are relegated to the GMX In-Mixer dongle connected to the wires, a hands-breadth within the headset jack. The GMX has the square four-way nub which controls the headset amount, changes the sound plus voice amount degrees, plus mutes the microphone. A switch running over the side of the dongle serves because a easy equalizer, plus has 3 modes: Bass, Supreme, plus Precision. I usually left it inside the standard “Supreme” position, that has the good flat sound profile. Precision mode is a bit punchier, attracting out positional cues like footsteps inside games. Bass mode does exactly what it states found on the tin, nevertheless I found its heavier sound frequently altered music plus films.

The GMX dongle provides a square four-way nub which controls the headset amount, changes the sound plus voice amount degrees, plus mutes the microphone.

The microphone folds from the left cup, coating up with my mouth plus choosing up my voice clearly. I’ve owned several headsets, plus many had detachable microphones — that’s usually fine, nevertheless whenever there’s a abrupt call-to-arms whilst playing an MMO or I simply desired to shout a rapid “Hello!” or “Watch out!” to a friend, without to futz about about my messy desk for a dongle to connect had been a good change of pace. The microphone’s short stick equally stayed perfectly from the method, however, it doesn’t mute itself whenever we tuck it into the earcup thus you’ll wish To ensure you’re muted before creating disparaging comments regarding the teammates.

The Slyr is a wired headset, with cabling which are ludicrously lengthy. I detest cables, even so they weren’t too troublesome here; the size had been a boon whenever I required to reach over my living area to connect the headset into my Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, plus left enough wriggle space for comfortable movement. The headset draws energy from its USB connector, thus you’ll should connect which inside too. On a PC the Slyr just demands which USB connection, as well as the additional size isn’t an issue; I merely forced the cable into the rat’s nest behind my desk plus promptly forgot regarding it. A 3.5mm cable links the headset to the GMX dongle, plus you are able to connect which cable to additional equipment like a telephone or pill whenever you’re found on the go; the Slyr’s compatibility with all equipment is a sturdy benefit, plus absolutely value the expense of entry.

Should you purchase this headset? I’d state yes — cables may constantly provide me pause, yet the comparatively inexpensive cost we pay for the good sound standard of the Slyr outweighs the ease of being capable to walk about with it about the head. Compatibility with a wide range of equipment is a definite and, as well as the demure shape signifies I wouldn’t feel silly wearing these inside front of witnesses. Great sound, a palatable price, plus universal compatibility create for a desirable value, plus we won’t be dissatisfied with Skullcandy’s newest headset.

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