It’s not often I get worked up enough about a product to want to review it. It’s even less often I feel compelled to write a negative review. But after picking up the Skullcandy 50/50 Earbuds w/ Inline Mic late last year, that’s exactly where I find myself. Here’s why you should avoid making my mistake.

Photo from www.skullcandy.com

Maybe the reason I’m so bitter is because up until I bought my Skullcandy 50/50 buds, I had nothing but great things to say about the company. My previous earbuds had been from Skullcandy, and when I bought them I had been blown away by the quality of their 11mm drivers’ sound compared to the stock Apple in-ears. The lows were rich and full, and the highs were crisp with no noticeable clipping. I heard plenty of bang for my buck. Plus, the buds were comfy.

Hell, I even had a pleasant experience with their Customer Service people. When the wire snapped near the inline mic thanks to my fidgeting with it, I emailed them and they simply had me send in the broken buds, then emailed me a voucher for a new pair (complete with hilarious redeem code). That new pair never gave me an ounce of trouble in the two years I owned it. In fact, I was so impressed with Skullcandy that I bought my cousin an identical pair as a birthday present, and she too was impressed with the quality of the sound and the product build.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago, when my trusty buds finally gave out after a tragic vinegar spill. Naturally, I went out and bought new Skullcandy buds to replace them. I didn’t even look at what was on the shelf; I just went straight for whatever their updated offering of my trusty buds was. What I walked away with was a pair of Skullcandy 50/50 Earbuds w/ Inline Mic, for roughly the same price I had paid last time. Unfortunately, it turned out the 50/50’s were comparable to my old buds by name and price only.

One of the first things that irked me about the 50/50’s when I started using them was that they just wouldn’t stay in my ears well enough, no matter which of the removable cushions I tried. This made wearing them while running impossible. Which was fine- I had cheaper, crappier earbuds lying around that I could use at the gym. So, I shrugged off that little oversight. The second time the 50/50’s got on my bad side, however, I was much less patient.

For whatever reason, the 50/50’s wire is wrapped in a thick rubberized coating, unlike my previous buds which were wrapped in a glossy, smooth plastic. Because of this rubber surface, the wire would create friction on any surface it touched, and pull on the earbuds. If I so much as turned my head, the wiring threatened to tug the buds out of my skull, like an annoying a three year-old trying to get my attention. Wanna know something a fun fact about me? One of my biggest pet peeves is having the buds yanked out of my ears while I’m listening to my music. It’s jarring, and pulls me out of my music-induced zen-like state. With the 50/50’s, this happens all, the fucking, time.

What bugged me the most about this shortcoming is that it was a design choice made by Skullcandy. Did they really not test these things? If they had, surely they would’ve caught this obvious flaw? Unfortunately, when I discovered the third and most damning flaw in the 50/50’s design, it became painfully obvious that Skullcandy had not, in fact, tested this product before shipping it out. Soon after I started using the 50/50s with my aluminum-body MacBook Pro, I noticed a quiet hum coming through the buds, whether music was playing or not. Touching the MacBook’s case stopped the buzz, so I knew immediately what the problem was- these fuckers weren’t grounded properly. That’s when I noticed that the silver stripe ‘aesthetic touches’ Skullcandy had slapped onto the 50/50’s plug and buds were actually ungrounded metal strips, placed in the most asinine places imaginable- right up against the plug’s connection, and right up against the drivers.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, not only did these metal strips create a buzz through the speakers, they also conducted static electricity. After sitting still for so much as a minute, if I moved an inch I would be shocked by a loud crackling in my ears. It was like some absurd behavior modification to keep me from fidgeting in my chair. That was the final straw. It was abundantly clear that Skullcandy had not spent one second testing this train-wreck of a product. They had simply come up with some sexy-looking casing to place around their existing 11mm drivers, and sent them on out. Did they technically sound as good as my old buds? More or less. The bass still sounds rich and deep, the middle levels are clear and the highs are crisp. But the emphasis on form over function, as evidenced by the utterly shit-headed design Skullcandy had come up with, resulted in a product that has managed to completely disenfranchise this loyal customer.

It’s a real shame, too. Because the tech behind Skullcandy’s products is still solid; the sound their products produce is still very, very good for the money. But the design of the Skullcandy 50/50 buds is uncomplimentary to the point of being detrimental. The things could be pumping the sounds of a ten-thousand siren orgy, and it still wouldn’t change the fact that wearing them for any extended period of time is frustrating as hell.

Now, the same may not be true of Skullcandy’s other products. They may not suffer the obvious defects of the 50/50s. But the fact that they even made it past the testing phase leads me to believe that Skullcandy has placed a higher priority on how their products look than how well they work. From where I stand, that casts doubt on their entire product line.

Like I said, I once held Skullcandy in very high regard, and maybe someday I will again. But it’d take a lot to regain my (and my wallet’s) trust. Until then, I unfortunately cannot in good faith recommend their products.