11
I felt guilty enjoying the outrageous bass of this Skullcandy gaming headset — but one aspect holds me back from a full-throated endorsement
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720: two-minute review
The Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 is an open-back headset with a bass-heavy sound designed to impart as much impact as possible when playing games.
For a gaming headset, the Crusher PLYR 720 has quite a muted appearance; even the RGB lighting is restrained. In fact, the most prominent feature is the sheer bulk of the drivers, which are hard to ignore and aren’t exactly flattering when cupped over your ears.
The entire headset is built to a high standard. The materials feel premium and sturdy, and the various buttons and controls operate with a reassuring solidity. All this means the Crusher PLYR 720 ranks among the best wireless gaming headset in terms of construction.
Wearing the Crusher PLYR 720 is largely a joy, despite that aforementioned bulk. Even when wearing glasses, I experienced little fatigue on my ears or head, even after long sessions.
This is partly due to the thick padding of the earcups, although their inner circumference is smaller than you might imagine from the outside, which may be a problem for those with larger lobes.
The headband is also supremely comfortable. It has a second layer that stretches across the top of your head, therefore eliminating the soreness that single-layer headbands can cause — even those with soft padding.
However, the fit isn’t all that secure. Whenever I leaned my head back, the entire headset almost fell off completely, only saved by the grip of the headband.
Both the desktop and mobile apps for the Crusher PLYR 720 are easy to use and full of useful tweaks, complete with handy graphs and visualizations to help you make them. In my time with them, they ran smoothly without any glitches or stability issues.
The overall sound quality of the Crusher PLYR 720 is excellent. When gaming, every detail is audible and impactful, even with the bass dialed back. However, it perhaps lacks the treble clarity of the best headphones around. This is somewhat forgivable when gaming, but less so when listening intently to music. I still found the Crusher PLYR 720 enjoyable for the latter purpose, though, and it’s a better gaming headset than many in this regard.
Given the name, it’s no surprise that Skullcandy’s Crusher feature is the sonic highlight. This allows you to crank the bass of the Crusher PLYR 720 to frankly absurd levels. How much you need to dial in depends greatly on the specific source, but at its best it adds an unparalleled amount of weight to low-end frequencies, from gunshots to kick drums.
The Crusher PLYR 720 also gets THX Spatial Audio support. The head-tracking feature works well enough, although it lacks precision and subtlety. The surround sound distance adjustments also fail to impart a sense of space all that accurately.
Along with these features, there’s also the obligatory EQ graph, with four presets and four custom slots for tuning your own. However, I didn’t find any tweaking useful, as the default flat mode was sufficient for every scenario.
The microphone offers plenty of clarity, too, rendering my voice without distortion. It’s a small shame the stalk can’t be manipulated to the same degree as gooseneck designs can be, but I found the positioning adequate nonetheless.
Connecting the Crusher PLYR 720 to various devices was quick and easy, whether it was via the 2.4GHz USB dongle or Bluetooth. Also, being able to connect to your smartphone and your gaming system simultaneously is a blessing, as this allows you to alter settings in the mobile app mid-play.
The battery life of the Crusher PLYR 720 is quite impressive. Skullcandy quotes a time of 48 hours, and I believe this figure. Over the course of several days, when used with a variety of platforms, all sonic features activated, and RGB lighting on, it still had juice left.
All of these quality features come at a price, though, as the Crusher PLYR 720 sits firmly at the premium end of the market. There are great wireless headsets for considerably less, such as the Razer BlackShark V3 and the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless, but if you need untold amounts of bass in your life, the Crusher PLYR 720 scratches that itch like nothing else.
Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 review: price & availability
- $269.99 / £229.99 / AU$449.99
- Available now in two versions
- Top-end of the market
The Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 costs $269.99 / £229.99 / AU$449.99 and is available now. Two editions are available: Xbox and multi-platform. Both are the same price.
If you want to save some serious money, then the Razer BlackShark V3 might be for you. In our glowing review, we highlighted its comfortable, lightweight design that felt more premium than its mid-range price tag suggests, as well as its impressive noise isolation and versatile sonics. For these reasons, we think it ranks among the best PC gaming headsets around right now.
For those who prize audio quality first and foremost, the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless is a better option. We were impressed with its immersive sound stage, although we were less taken with its microphone. This headset is also a lot cheaper than the Crusher PLYR 720.
Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 review: specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
|
Price |
$269.99 / £229.99 / AU$449.99 |
|
Weight |
0.78lbs / 354g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS |
|
Connection type |
Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C, 3.5mm AUX), 2.4GHz wireless (USB-A dongle) |
|
Features |
THX Spatial Audio, Crusher bass enhancement, eight-band EQ, 4 sound presets, Sidetone mode, plug-in mic |
|
Battery life |
48 hours |
|
Software |
Skull-HQ (PC), Skullcandy mobile app (Android and iOS) |
Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 review: design and features
- Very comfortable
- Excellent build quality
- Plenty of audio-based features
For a gaming headset, the Crusher PLYR 720 has a reasonably muted style. The design is devoid of any gamer-aesthetic touches typical to many in this sector. The premium-looking and feeling matte black finish even lends an element of sophistication.
The RGB lighting is similarly subtle: there’s some illumination strained through small strips and a honeycomb mesh on the drivers, but the lion’s share is reserved for the inside of the earcups — which, of course, you won’t see when wearing the Crusher PLYR 720.
I should also highlight the build quality of the Crusher PLYR 720, as it’s excellent. Despite it being a relatively light unit, it feels sturdy and well-made. I particularly liked the 180-degree rotating drivers, which is convenient when you want to take a break and hang the headset around your neck.
What makes the headset stand out above all else, though, is the bulky drivers. They’re very wide, which makes the Crusher PLYR 720 less than ideal as a travel companion; not only because the drivers take up a lot of space, but also because they don’t look particularly fetching around your ears.
Despite this bulk, the actual inner circumference of the earcups is quite small. Personally, I didn’t find them too small for my ears, but it’s possible others might.
In fact, I found the Crusher PLYR 720 exceptionally comfortable all-round. There’s plenty of padding on the earcups, yet its fabric is more breathable than many. Also, as a glasses-wearer, I can confirm that the cups don’t present any issues when sat on top the arms of frames.
The headband is solid yet flexible, and feels reassuringly durable. You don’t get any padding here; instead, there’s a supplementary band, made from an elastic material to fit snugly on your head, running underneath the main one. I found this incredibly comfortable; I didn’t experience any aching or fatigue at all, even after long sessions, as I have with many other headsets.
The adjustments for the earcup height are also excellent. They have a sufficient range to accommodate various head sizes, and the operation of these adjustments is very smooth with no notching. Despite this, the cups remain at your chosen height setting with a surprising amount of stability, which impressed me.
However, the overall fit of the Crusher PLYR 720 isn’t particularly secure. The earcup padding provided little friction to the side of my head, so whenever I tilted my head back the entire headset moved with it; only the grip of the headband kept it from falling off completely. However, this wasn’t an issue during normal use, so it’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept for the supreme overall comfort of the headset.
The switches and other controls on the Crusher PLYR 720 operate with a satisfying solidity and smoothness. There are three main buttons, all of which are easy to reach, thanks to their convenient positioning and generous size. One is named Custom, which is misleading, since as far as I can work out, can only be used to toggle THX Spatial Audio Head Tracking on or off.
The joystick for adjusting volume and other parameters is easy to use for the most part, although there isn’t much feedback when you move it. At least it’s hard to trigger accidentally, by, say, leaning against the back of your chair — something I’ve experienced numerous times with conventional volume wheels.
It’s a slight shame, though, that the jumps between the volume increments are quite large, meaning it’s hard to dial in a very precise volume with the joystick; for such purposes, you’d be better served by the volume settings of your connected device or inside Skullcandy’s software.
Thankfully, the Crusher wheel doesn’t suffer from accidental triggering or overlarge increments. It’s tactile and smooth to operate, while the small point that sticks out makes it easy to know where exactly you are in the setting.
There are three ports on the Crusher PLYR 720: a USB-C port for charging and playback, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the microphone input. All are located on the left-hand driver. The various cables fit securely in these ports, and what’s more, they’re nicely recessed for protection from accidental disconnections.
The microphone appears to be as well made as the rest of the headset. The soft rubber feels more upmarket than many others, but while it can bend around, it’s not a true gooseneck, so gamers who are particular about their mic placement might be a little disappointed by its lack of maneuverability.
Skull-HQ, the desktop app for the Crusher PLYR 720, is feature-packed and quite easy to use. It has a faux-retro interface that employs the terminal font, tapping into that mid-nineties hacker vibe. It ran smoothly during my time with it; I didn’t experience any slowdown or bugs.
The layout is clear, although I was a little disappointed by the lack of explanations for certain features. Some are only denoted by symbols, which aren’t always self-explanatory. A tutorial for the joystick controls would’ve been appreciated, too, rather than having to always refer to the manual.
There are plenty of tweaks that can be made to the Crusher PLYR 720 in the app. These range from rudimentary RGB customizations and basic adjustments volume, game mix, and the sidetone function.
Beyond these, there’s an parametric EQ with FPS, RPG, Music, and Default (flat) presets to choose from. There are also four custom slots, allowing you to save your own sculpted sound. This is achieved by dragging eight points on a graph, with a range of 32Hz to 16KHz, to cut or boost frequencies by 12BD.
Various adjustments for THX Spatial Audio are available, too, including the ability to set speaker distance. Strangely, however, there isn’t a toggle for the Head Tracking function, as there is in the Skullcandy mobile app (which has a better, cleaner interface than Skull-HQ, by the by).
Then there’s a section for the Crusher bass enhancement. Here, you can alter the cut-off points for the low and high frequencies on another EQ graph. This is rather overkill for such a setting, but nonetheless I always welcome a visual representation for sonic settings. It’s also accompanied by a humorous ditherpunk face depicting various expressions depending on the strength of the Crusher setting.
Skull-HQ even features a hearing test, designed to calibrate the Crusher PLYR 720 based on your individual hearing. What’s more, a knock-off version of Space Invaders is buried in the app, too.
Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: performance
- Skull-shaking bass feature
- Great overall for gaming and music
- Clear mic
The general sound of the Crusher PLYR 720 is punchy and clear, with all frequencies represented well. Overall fidelity isn’t quite up there with the best wireless headphones, though, which is most apparent when listening to music. This is due to the slight lack of crispness and clarity at the high end.
It’s the bass response that the Crusher PLYR 720 is sold on, though — thanks to its Crusher feature. Whether this is something you like comes down to personal preference, but I have to say that when the mood struck, I loved cranking the wheel to maximum and letting the drivers shake (and they really do shake) to my favorite bass-heavy tracks or to gunfire, something I certainly noticed when playing Counter-Strike 2.
However, you’ll find yourself riding the Crusher level frequently, as the prominence of the bass enhancement can vary widely between sources; even those you thought had a relatively tame low-end suddenly become a booming mess, causing the drivers to audibly rattle — even before you’ve enabled the extra Crusher Bass Boost on top. In fact, I wouldn’t want maximum “Crushing” for an entire session, even for sources that can handle it without distorting.
The THX Spatial Audio is reasonably effective. With Head Tracking enabled, changes to the audio space react quickly to head movements, without being too disconcerting or disorientating.
However, you’ll have to move your head by large degrees to notice the effect. Also, it’s a shame that the sensitivity of the effect can’t be adjusted, as it lacks the precision and subtlety of some of the best THX headsets and headphones. Adjusting the virtual distance of the surround sound speakers noticeably changes the soundscape, but at the cost of reducing fidelity. What’s more, I found it largely ineffective at imparting a realistic sense of space.
The microphone for the Crusher PLYR 720 is clear and largely free of distortion. The Sidetone mode allows an appropriate level of ambient noise to spill through, so you can hear your own voice more clearly.
During my time with the Crusher PLYR 720, it proved easy to connect to the various devices I tested it with. The 2.4GHz USB dongle allows for instant plug-and-play, and merely requires the flip of a switch on the dongle itself to change compatibility modes from PC to Xbox.
In terms of connectivity to Microsoft’s console, then, the Crusher PLYR 720 up there with the best Xbox Series X headsets. It also connected to my Nintendo Switch just as easily, via the dongle and Bluetooth.
Oddly, even though I had the Xbox version of the Crusher PLYR 720, it still worked with my PlayStation 5 via the dongle. There’s conflicting information as to whether this is intended or not: the printed manual states that the Xbox variant only works with the PS5 when connected via the 3.5mm audio cable, while the product page on Skullcandy’s website states that wireless play is possible with Sony’s console. If the latter is correct, it then begs the question as to why there are two versions of the Crusher PLYR 720.
It connected seamlessly to my Android smartphone via Bluetooth, with no discernable drop in audio quality. Better yet, you can connect to your phone and console or PC at the same time; during my testing, I was impressed by the ease with which it established and maintained these simultaneous connections. The benefit of this is that you can adjust settings in the mobile app on the fly, taking effect while playing your game.
Even with this multiplatform use, the battery of the Crusher PLYR 720 endured admirably well. Skullcandy claims it can last 48 hours, but with all the bells and whistles enabled, you can see lifespan deplete at a considerable rate in the software readouts. Still, it managed to last several long sessions over a few days, which, in addition to connecting to various devices, also involved activating all its various sound features and keeping the RGB lighting on.
Should I buy the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless review: also consider
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 |
Razer BlackShark V3 |
Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless |
|
Price |
$269.99 / £229.99 / AU$449.99 |
$149.99 / £149.99 / AU$350 |
£159 (around $210) |
|
Weight |
0.78lbs / 354g |
0.6lbs / 270g |
0.7lbs / 336g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS |
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile |
PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck |
|
Connection type |
Bluetooth, wired (USB-C, 3.5mm AUX), 2.4GHz wireless (USB-A dongle) |
2.4GHz wireless, wired (USB), Bluetooth |
Bluetooth, wired (USB-C), low-latency 2.4GHz wireless (dongle) |
|
Features |
THX Spatial Audio, Crusher bass enhancement, eight-band EQ, 4 sound presets, Sidetone mode, plug-in mic |
THX Spatial Audio, detachable Razer HyperClear Super Wideband 9.9mm mic |
Five-band EQ, 10 sound presets, Sidetone mode, custom button settings, plug-in mic with noise reduction |
|
Battery life |
48 hours |
70 hours |
50 hours |
|
Software |
Skull-HQ (PC), Skullcandy mobile app (Android and iOS) |
Arctis Companion App |
Beyerdynamic app |
How I tested the Beyerdynamic MMX 150 Wireless
- Tested for several days
- Used for various scenarios and with multiple platforms
- Experience reviewing gaming headsets
I tested the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 for several days. Not only did I use it for gaming, but I also listened to music and watched videos with it on.
I tested it with a Windows PC, an Xbox Series S, a PlayStation 5, and a Nintendo Switch, connecting to each of these devices with the USB dongle. I also tested Bluetooth connectivity with the latter console, as well as with my Android phone. I used both the desktop Skull-HQ app and the Skullcandy mobile app to try out all the various features.
I’ve been gaming for decades, using a variety of headsets, headphones, and speakers for the activity. I’ve also reviewed a number of headsets professionally, all the way from budget wired offerings to premium multiplatform wireless options.
- First reviewed: February 2026
- Read more about how we test
