Hands-on review: Skullcandy Push Ultra wireless earbuds
Skullcandy's Push Ultra wireless earbuds are a Bluetooth audio solution designed for the more active user. Sweatproof, waterproof and more importantly secured with moldable ear hooks, these earbuds should be able to take some punishment.
The Push Ultra earbuds are not discreet. Whilst they are really light and don't feel like they are hanging out of your ears, they certainly look that way. The ear hooks, themselves, are hidden behind your ears, so it's only others that will be looking at them wondering if and when they are going to fall on the ground. Which they won't, as they are firmly held in place.
They take a bit of fiddling with to fit the first few times. But once you've got it, you'll be slipping them on in no time. As I said, they weigh next to nothing, so they are very comfy. You also won't be spending your time worrying that they are going to drop out, so you can just get on with whatever you are doing.
If, however, you do misplace them, the earbuds have Tile tracking built-in. Once registered to the Tile mobile app, if you lose either of the buds you can see where they were last located or, if local, you can make them sound out so you can find them.
The build quality of the earbuds is good. They are sealed units with no rubber gaskets. If you dropped them in the mud running them under a tap should sort them out with no issues. The case looks like it could take a bit of a beating- more on that later, though.
The earbuds have the usual esoteric combination of button presses to perform tasks, but they are pretty easy to use. There are three buttons on each bud, volume up (+), volume down (-) and a big main button. The little volume buttons are only used for volume (naturally) and skipping tracks. Muting, taking calls and activating the digital assistant are all carried out via the big buttons. The same functions work on both earbuds, so no remembering which side to press.
I like the volume loud, but any louder than these earbuds output at max and you'd probably do permanent damage to your hearing. Even with the volume cranked right up, the earbuds still produce crisp, clear audio.
The earbuds have three EQ modes: music, movie and podcast, activated by a triple press and hold of the large button. I found this a bit fiddly as I didn't know which EQ mode I had them on. It's a bit easier to download the Skullcandy app and sort the EQ out there.
Each earbud can be used individually if you want to be a little more sociable. Just be mindful that if you do want to do this you may enter into a minefield of pairing fun. Thankfully the buds are easily reset and inserting them back in the charge case pairs them back up ready for use together, again.
The Push Ultra wireless earbuds come with the fanciest charge case that I've ever seen. The clamshell case has a zipper and a cloth hoop for attaching it your bag etc. It's not very small, but it does need to accommodate some sizeable earbuds, with their ear hooks. It looks very nice and hardwearing.
The earbuds are little heroes when it comes to battery life. Skullcandy touts up to 6 hours charge in the buds plus 34 hours of charge in the case. A 10-minute charge will net a further 2 hours of use. Probably not at max volume, though. Having shaped the ear hooks for comfort, I had to be careful when placing the earbuds in the case to ensure they were properly seated.
Skullcandy's Push Ultra wireless earbuds are easy to use, produce great audio and are not going to fall out of your ears. They are also light and comfortable, perfect for during exercise or everyday use.
