When I first saw the Skullcandy Grind, it appeared the company had done the unthinkable: design a pair of headphones very clearly targeted at young consumers, without including phone controls. But it turns out this $59.99 on-ear headphone pair is a bit of an innovator, in that the remote control and microphone for mobile devices are located on the left earcup, not on the included, removable cable. The headphones are therefore similar in design layout to many Bluetooth pairs, though they’re not wireless. But enough about the unique design—these affordable headphones also offer a bass-forward, balanced sound signature that is an excellent value in this price range, earning the Grind our Editors’ Choice award.

Design
Yes, you can get the Skullcandy Grind ($79.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  in plain black, or a refined white-and-metallic design, but the blue option offers a more attention-grabbing look, and the multi-colored, patterned option that was sent our way for review is a force unto itself; while the other designs are named after their predominant color, this model, with its zig-zag stripes and yellow and neon green accents, is called “Locals Only.” All of the designs feature an exceptionally comfortable fit; the perforated surface of each earpad and the underside of the headband are both well-padded.

As mentioned earlier, the clothbound cable is removable, but lacks an inline remote. Instead, the remote is located on the left earcup. It’s a single-button controller that lets you play/pause/skip tracks and answer/end phone calls depending on how many times you tap it. There’s no volume control, and the headphones don’t fold down for easier stowing, but for this price, we’ll let those omissions (and the lack of accessories besides the audio cable) slide.

Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Grind delivers serious thunder, and there’s not a hint of distortion even at top, unwise listening levels. That’s impressive given the price range, especially since the Grind doesn’t prevent distortion by avoiding deep bass completely, like many other budget options. This is a crisp, bass-heavy sound signature that will appeal to low-end lovers, but not to purists seeking flat response.

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For tracks with less deep bass, like Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” the Grind adds a bit of low-end to the mix. The drums pack a little extra punch in the lows and low-mids, while Callahan’s baritone vocals get some extra treble edge in the high-mids to keep the mix feeling balanced and neither muddy nor thin.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the attack of the kick drum loop gets plenty of treble edge to maintain its sharpness and cut through the layers of the mix, but it also receives quite a bit of low-mid sustain that lets it sound powerful and heavy. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the drum loop are quite powerful, while the vocals hover cleanly over the mix. The bass-forward sound signature helps tracks like this achieve subwoofer-like rumble. 

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On orchestral tracks, like the opening to John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the results are pleasantly surprising. The higher register strings, brass, and vocals maintain their place in the spotlight, and the lower register instrumentation is neither wildly boosted nor ignored. It’s bright and bassy, but it sounds natural and responsible, and doesn’t create an unbalanced mess.

If you like the idea of the Grind’s bass-forward, affordable on-ear experience, but you’d rather have a less flashy headphone pair, Shure makes two solid options in this price range: the Shure SRH145m+ ($49.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and the Shure SRH144 ($22.24 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . If you have more room in your budget and you’re still up for a fun design, Bose has dabbled lately in more creative looks with the colorful version of the Bose SoundTrue (Around-Ear) ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . Finally, if you’re really trying to spend as little as possible, you can still go lower and get decent audio with the Scosche Lobedope SHP451M ($43.10 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . But for $60, the Skullcandy Grind is a steal, with excellent bass response and an exceptionally comfortable design. The remote control on the ear cup and removable cable are nice touches, too; if you ever need to replace the cable, you won’t have to pony up for one with an inline remote. It all adds up to an Editors’ Choice for this simple, forward-thinking headphone pair.