Skullcandy Grind Wireless Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Last year Skullcandy finally made a headphone I liked: the Grind, an on-ear model that’s comfortable and sounds really good for its relatively modest price (it costs less than $50 online). Now the company has introduced a Bluetooth version — The Grind Wireless — which hits stores in April for $90. No word yet on UK or Australia pricing, but that price converts to about £65 and AU$125.

From a design standpoint the Grind Wireless is very similar to the Grind and will come in six different colors at launch (I asked for the simple black version). The pre-production sample I got sounded very good for a sub-$100 Bluetooth headphone and features the same well-balanced sound as its wired sibling. There’s only a little bit of treble and bass push.

The Skullcandy Grind Wireless ships in April and will come in multiple color options for $90.

Skullcandy

This is a good Bluetooth headphone for what you’re paying. I’d call it quite competent, actually. But it’s still a Bluetooth headphone, so you’ll get that touch of Bluetooth dullness when you listen to it — especially if you compare it to a good wired headphone.

The headphone does come with a cord if you want to listen in corded mode (yes, it sounds good in corded mode) and I found this wireless model just as comfortable wear as the original Grind.

Battery life is rated at 12 hours, but you’ll probably do better than that if you listen at a more moderate volume. As with all Bluetooth headphones, there’s a built-in mic for making calls. But there’s no carrying case included.

My only small gripe is with the button controls. Typically, the “multifunction” button on the integrated remote (it’s in the right ear cup) doesn’t allow you to skip tracks forward and back. Rather, you have to press and hold down the volume controls to make the tracks skip forward and back. Not a huge deal, but it takes some getting used to.

As I said, the Grind Wireless ships in April and we’ll have a little more in depth write-up of the sound once we get a final production sample. As a rule, CNET does not do rated reviews of pre-production units.