Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC review: A maverick, for better and worse

Though Skullcandy is a well-known brand of headphones, most people probably don’t associate them with high-end headphones. However, earlier this year, the brand released its most expensive ANC headphones to date, the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC. So how do they sound? We took them through the lab to find out.

What’s it like to use the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC?

The Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC is a set of mainly-plastic headphones, styled to look very much like its namesake. Though thsi isn’t the first Skullcandy Aviator headphones that have hit the market, they are the latest, and they sport a very similar build to the originals — save for accent, color, and more robust wiring. New to the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC is a water-resistant nano coating, but there is no ingress protection to speak of. These are probably a bad fit for the gym, or rainy areas.

Where the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC sets itself apart from the rest of the ANC headphone pack is its controls and information display. Instead of being content with an app handling some common phone-based features, Skullcandy made it so that the joystick on the right of the headphones can control far more than you might be thinking. For example, you can swap between EQ presets by pressing once, and control your playback with the same joystick. If you’re a bit lost, you don’t have to dig out your phone: the display on the back above the joystick will tell you what you’ve just done. On the left earcup is a knurled wheel that allows you to swap between ANC and transparency modes.

Because the headphones are quite large, and the padding fairly dense and thick, you shouldn’t have any issues listening to the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC for a long time — in terms of comfort, anyway. The mass is quite hefty at 290g, however, so people more sensitive to weight may have issues wearing these out and about.

These headphones seem to be built for commuters, especially given the ability of the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC to fold down and stow into a rather tiny travel case. Said travel case is made out of much of the same material as backpacks, and offers an adjustible strap that will allow you to wear the headphone case as a fanny pack or sling over your back, provided you’ve adjusted it prior. Inside is space to stash cables, the headphones, and maybe a couple other odds and ends.

What are the best features of the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC?

Though most people will come to expect their very-expensive ANC headphones to come with a boatload of features, the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC has a few off-the-wall ones in there that I appreciate. For example, being able to use your headphones as a remote camera trigger so you can get everyone in frame with you — as long as you’re wearing your headphones, of course.

There’s a lot of the standard asks for high-end headphones answered as well, like THX spatial audio, customizable controls, a hearing tuning test, custom EQ, and more. For those of you with a Spotify subscription, the headphones also have Spotify Tap enabled by default. If you leave the controls the way they are out of the box, three presses on the joystick will toggle the feature.

How does the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC connect?

The Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC can get audio from source devices over Bluetooth 5.3, or an analog wired connection via a 3.5mm TRS cable. Though this is a pretty standard collection of connection options, there’s no obvioud deficiency here. I would have loved USB-C digital audio, but I gather that Skullcandy may not have elected to make that possible in the design phase to make life easier on their team. Given that the impedance is so low, and the sensitivity is so high, even if you listen wired you should not need a DAC or an amplifier to get the most out of the headphones.

Luckily for those of you who like to flit from device to device, you can rely on the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC’s Multipoint function in order to store trusted devices to bounce around without having to manually re-pair every time to want to use a new source. You can also manage this through the app.

How long does the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC’s battery last?

Though we’re still running our battery tests, the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC boasts 60 hours of playback with ANC off, and 50 hours of playback with ANC on. Additionally, Skullcandy boasts a rapid charge, though for batteries that aren’t even half of what you’d find in most cell phones: that’s a little overkill.

How well does the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC cancel noise?

As the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC is heavy, large, and well-padded, the noise attenuation is quite good. The headphones are able to keep an average of 83% of outside noise at bay with the ANC unit enabled, and isolate you from 69% of outside noise (mostly concentrated in the highs and upper mids). While this isn’t a result that will make you forget the top-tier ANC headphones or anything, this is a perfectly respectable result.

You should still hear some sounds come through, but on the whole, they’ll be higher-pitched disturbances like tracks screeching, cars passing, and other environmental noise that you probably should listen for anyway. Should you want to focus on those sounds, the headphones do have a transparency mode that, while not incredible, will do the job adequately.

How does the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC sound?

Skullcandy isn’t exactly known for its products’ sound quality, but the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC does a fair job here, offering something that should appeal to most casual listeners.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Can you use the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC for phone calls?

As the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC is meant to be your main audiological interface with your smartphone, it’s no surprise, then, that it uses its microphones to enable voice calls.

Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Should you buy the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC?

If you’re someone who doesn’t need world-deleting ANC and just wants a fashionable set of headphones that can be relied upon, I can think of plenty of worse options than the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC. Just be aware that while it may not fit into the mold of “anyonymous ANC headphones everyone has,” that may mean you get a little set back by some of the tradeoffs. For example, all-manual controls, or a sound that’s likely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

But if you’re someone who likes the tactile controls, the clever features, and the often lower sale price, the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC could be a good fit for the right person. But it likely won’t be argued over amongst audiophiles. These headphones take a lot of chances — most of them paying off — but they also won’t make you forget the top-tier cans out there.

What should you get instead of the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC?

As far as alternatives go, the world’s your oyster. If you’re okay spending more money, you can grab the Sony WH-1000XM6 ($448 at Amazon), or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ($449 at Amazon). Both of these products have a bit more consumer-oriented sound with similar app features. Each of these products, though inferior in their controls to the Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC, is far superior when it comes to ANC performance and high-bitrate listening. The Bose cans can even use USB-C digital audio, which is pretty cool.

When you enter the tier of sub-$400 ANC headphones is where things get a little sticky. For example, the JBL Tour One M3 ($449.95 at Amazon) has seen its price change, as has the now-ancient Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless ($289.23 at Amazon). Normally, this is where I’d tell you to check out the Nothing Headphone (1) ($299.99 at Amazon), but recent issues with firmware updates make it a tough sell for me, as I outlined in a previous news post. This is likely where the Bose QuietComfort Headphones ($349 at Amazon), oddly named as they are, come in — they’re quite affordable nowadays, and provide a more direct competitor to the Skullcandy cans.

If you’re truly looking to save your money, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC ($79.99 at Amazon) and the Edifier W830NB ($79.99 at Amazon) are very inexpensive competitors.

Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC review: FAQs