Skullcandy's Bluetooth headphones are usually designed to stand out, and their audio often features a bass-forward sound signature.
The company's $49.99 Riff Wireless headphones are no exception—these affordable wireless headphones are a stylish option for bass lovers.
There are just a few design choices here and there that make the Riff Wireless less appealing than they could have been—there's no padding on the headband, no cable for wired listening, and they're not suitable for exercise.
But if you're only after an affordable wireless pair and love bass, the Riff Wireless deliver solid, if highly sculpted, audio at a fair price.
Design
The Riff Wireless headphones continue the bold, sneaker-like look of previous Skullcandy models we've tested.
Available in all black, all white, or gray/teal with speckles on the earpads, the supra-aural (on-ear) design features a matte finish, with the skull logo emblazoned on the headband above the earcups.
The earpads are covered in perforated faux leather—they're generously padded and insanely comfortable.
Given how comfy the pads are, it's a bit of a surprise that the headband isn't cushioned at all.
The overall fit is comfortable, but it's easy to see the headband causing some fatigue during long listening sessions, though this will depend on your head shape and how tightly the headband is adjusted.
The lightweight plastic headband also feels a little clunky—its movements aren't terribly graceful when you adjust it for fit.
The right earcup's side panel houses the on-ear controls.
There's a multifunction button for power/pairing, playback, call management, and summoning voice assistants.
The plus and minus buttons control volume, and when held for three seconds, skip forward or backward a track.
We're never fans of combining volume and track navigation on the same buttons—it's far too easy to skip a track when you mean to adjust the volume.
Internally, the headphones utilize a 40mm dynamic driver in each earcup, delivering a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz with a 32 Ohm impedance.
The built-in mic offers better-than-average intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word we recorded, and while there were still some typical audio artifacts that made things sound slightly fuzzy at times, the general quality of the recording is stronger than most Bluetooth headphone mics can muster.
The mic's signal is strong and doesn't sound like it's far from the mouth, which helps.
The sole accessory, the micro USB charging cable, connects to an uncovered port on the right earcup's side panel.
It's becoming increasingly rare to see Bluetooth headphones ship without an audio cable for passive listening, and it's a bummer there isn't one here.
Given the price, this isn't a deal breaker, but it still feels like an omission.
There's also no carrying pouch, but again, the price is low enough that these are minor gripes.
Skullcandy rates battery life at roughly 12 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones deliver powerful low-frequency response that will appeal to big bass lovers.
At top volumes, the bass doesn't distort, and at moderate volumes, the lows still feel powerful.
Skullcandy matches the thunder with enough high-mid and high frequency presence to keep things from sounding muddy or unbalanced.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature.
The drums on this track sound almost thunderous, but don't veer too far into the unnatural territory—there's a lot of boosting here, though.
You hear it also in Callahan's baritone vocals, which have an extra dollop of low-mid richness applied.
You also hear more of the tape hiss/room sound in the background, which tells us there's some high-frequency boosting and sculpting in play here, too.
The acoustic guitar strums and higher register percussive hits get plenty of presence in the mix, so things still sound balanced, they're just also wildly boosted and sculpted on both ends of the frequency range.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain it punchy edge, though we typically like to hear a tad more crispness here.
The vinyl crackle and hiss, however, steps forward a bit in the mix, another hint that the highs are also boosted in other areas.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with gusto, and there's also added thump to the drum loop—bass lovers won't be disappointed.
The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity, though there's a hint of added sibilance.
For orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower register instrumentation is pushed forward in the mix notably—it's not a sound that will appeal to purists, but it's not wildly unnatural.
Some listeners will appreciate the added kick this gives to classical music, while the higher register brass, strings, and vocals retain their bright presence at the front of the mix.
Conclusions
The Skullcandy Riff Wireless are pretty uncomplicated headphones.
They don't do much—they aren't for the gym, and you can't use them in wired, passive mode.
But what they do, they do well, assuming you like some deep bass added to your mix.
So, for $50, the headphones are neither a steal nor a bust—just a solid, affordable pair.
If you're looking for wireless headphones that are a little more fitness-friendly, consider the slightly pricier Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500 or the Jabra Move Wireless.
For a little more money, we're fans of the Skullcandy Grind Wireless, and for less, the nostalgia-centric JLab Rewind Wireless Retro headphones provide some decent bass.
Cons
Light on accessories.
Sculpted audio not for purists.
No padding on plastic headband.
No headphone jack/cable for wired listening.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Skullcandy Riff Wireless headphones bring the bass at an affordable price—just don't expect much in the way of extras.
Skullcandy's Bluetooth headphones are usually designed to stand out, and their audio often features a bass-forward sound signature.
The company's $49.99 Riff Wireless headphones are no exception—these affordable wireless headphones are a stylish option for bass lovers.
There are just a few design choices here and there that make the Riff Wireless less appealing than they could have been—there's no padding on the headband, no cable for wired listening, and they're not suitable for exercise.
But if you're only after an affordable wireless pair and love bass, the Riff Wireless deliver solid, if highly sculpted, audio at a fair price.
Design
The Riff Wireless headphones continue the bold, sneaker-like look of previous Skullcandy models we've tested.
Available in all black, all white, or gray/teal with speckles on the earpads, the supra-aural (on-ear) design features a matte finish, with the skull logo emblazoned on the headband above the earcups.
The earpads are covered in perforated faux leather—they're generously padded and insanely comfortable.
Given how comfy the pads are, it's a bit of a surprise that the headband isn't cushioned at all.
The overall fit is comfortable, but it's easy to see the headband causing some fatigue during long listening sessions, though this will depend on your head shape and how tightly the headband is adjusted.
The lightweight plastic headband also feels a little clunky—its movements aren't terribly graceful when you adjust it for fit.
The right earcup's side panel houses the on-ear controls.
There's a multifunction button for power/pairing, playback, call management, and summoning voice assistants.
The plus and minus buttons control volume, and when held for three seconds, skip forward or backward a track.
We're never fans of combining volume and track navigation on the same buttons—it's far too easy to skip a track when you mean to adjust the volume.
Internally, the headphones utilize a 40mm dynamic driver in each earcup, delivering a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz with a 32 Ohm impedance.
The built-in mic offers better-than-average intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word we recorded, and while there were still some typical audio artifacts that made things sound slightly fuzzy at times, the general quality of the recording is stronger than most Bluetooth headphone mics can muster.
The mic's signal is strong and doesn't sound like it's far from the mouth, which helps.
The sole accessory, the micro USB charging cable, connects to an uncovered port on the right earcup's side panel.
It's becoming increasingly rare to see Bluetooth headphones ship without an audio cable for passive listening, and it's a bummer there isn't one here.
Given the price, this isn't a deal breaker, but it still feels like an omission.
There's also no carrying pouch, but again, the price is low enough that these are minor gripes.
Skullcandy rates battery life at roughly 12 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones deliver powerful low-frequency response that will appeal to big bass lovers.
At top volumes, the bass doesn't distort, and at moderate volumes, the lows still feel powerful.
Skullcandy matches the thunder with enough high-mid and high frequency presence to keep things from sounding muddy or unbalanced.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature.
The drums on this track sound almost thunderous, but don't veer too far into the unnatural territory—there's a lot of boosting here, though.
You hear it also in Callahan's baritone vocals, which have an extra dollop of low-mid richness applied.
You also hear more of the tape hiss/room sound in the background, which tells us there's some high-frequency boosting and sculpting in play here, too.
The acoustic guitar strums and higher register percussive hits get plenty of presence in the mix, so things still sound balanced, they're just also wildly boosted and sculpted on both ends of the frequency range.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain it punchy edge, though we typically like to hear a tad more crispness here.
The vinyl crackle and hiss, however, steps forward a bit in the mix, another hint that the highs are also boosted in other areas.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with gusto, and there's also added thump to the drum loop—bass lovers won't be disappointed.
The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity, though there's a hint of added sibilance.
For orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower register instrumentation is pushed forward in the mix notably—it's not a sound that will appeal to purists, but it's not wildly unnatural.
Some listeners will appreciate the added kick this gives to classical music, while the higher register brass, strings, and vocals retain their bright presence at the front of the mix.
Conclusions
The Skullcandy Riff Wireless are pretty uncomplicated headphones.
They don't do much—they aren't for the gym, and you can't use them in wired, passive mode.
But what they do, they do well, assuming you like some deep bass added to your mix.
So, for $50, the headphones are neither a steal nor a bust—just a solid, affordable pair.
If you're looking for wireless headphones that are a little more fitness-friendly, consider the slightly pricier Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500 or the Jabra Move Wireless.
For a little more money, we're fans of the Skullcandy Grind Wireless, and for less, the nostalgia-centric JLab Rewind Wireless Retro headphones provide some decent bass.
Cons
Light on accessories.
Sculpted audio not for purists.
No padding on plastic headband.
No headphone jack/cable for wired listening.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Skullcandy Riff Wireless headphones bring the bass at an affordable price—just don't expect much in the way of extras.
