Review: Skullcandy G.I. Stereo Headphones

scar~face's review on

Recently I have been hearing a lot of hype about this brand of headphones and was in the market for a new pair. I found a good price for their "G.I." model and I picked them up

Packaging overkill!!

Being very eager to try out my new headphones, you can imagine my dismay after the 10 minute battle I had with this thing's box!, if a nuke ever goes off, only cockroaches and these headphones will survive. With all the talk about the amounts of garbage we produce, skullcandy gets a failing grade in regard to reducing our waste.

After emptying my now heaping garbage can, I return to my desk, and forget all about it! DAmn THIS THINGS ARE NICE!

This first thing I notice is the soft and plush ear pads and head strap. With there snug fitting style and the ear pads, these are a really comfortable pair of headphones.

The only thing that matches their comfortability is their looks, just as long as your not looking for a nice calm pair. The combination of their bold styling and use of urban camo really give these a head turning look.

FINALLY, a pair of headphones that can fit me enormous head! And then some! They not only fit on my monsterous melon, they have even more slack to fit a head twice the size of mine. On top of that, they have the ability to swing each ear piece a full 180.

Their ability to fold together makes them easily stored. They also come with a silky travel bag.

While I wouldn't leave it out in a thunderstorm, the bag does offer a nice way to keep dust off while storing.

Each ear piece are turn 90 degrees which is nice for those who like to listen to headphones while around their neck.

A seemingly useless velcro flap is on one end of the head strap. Later I discovered that it actually contains at bottle opener. Random, but still another fun accessory.

In case fabric ear pads aren't your thing, they come with a pair of leather ear pads that easily snapped on and off.

It also features one of the best in-line volume controls I have ever seen. The dial is exposed on both sides so there's less fumbling around when you try to change the volume while doing something else. At first the cord's design confused me, about 8 inches down the line the cord ends, and the rest is just an extension cord. But after taking them out for a spin while skateboarding, that breakaway become very useful. I keep my IPod in an inner pocket in my coat, and the short cord eliminates all the excess cord. Also the cord only connects to one of the ear pieces. I know this isn't that special, but I personally find that it makes putting them on and off a thousand times easier.

Here is Skullcandy's description of the G.I.'s

"Arm yourself with the G.I. DJ style headphones from Skullcandy. Designed for those who demand the most from their gear, the G.I.’s premium quality 41mm drivers and super stealthy paint will keep you tuned in and out of sight."

I would like to mention the surprisingly good sound quality. Good deep sound with plenty of base. They also have enough volume for anyone's preference.

I would also like to mention the come with one of the best and well written warranties I have even seen. And I quote:

"Skullcandy is proud to provide the best product warranty in the industry: if this product should fail in your lifetime, we will replace it at no charge. If the product is damaged by aggressive music listeners sliding down a rail, sliding down the emergency ramp of your aircraft, slammed in your locker, slammed in your car door run over by a car, running into a wall, getting run out of town, mountain biking, road biking, sky diving, beating your boyfriend unmercifully, getting beat down by the man, blown up i an experimentation with flammible substances, or damaged in any other everyday experience, it means you are living your life the way we want our product used! In these, or any other damaging events, we will replace the product for a 50% discount from retail.
Love Skullcandy."

Skullcandy's site offer's the G.I.'s for $69.99, though I was able to find a pair at BestBuy for $57.99. (Note, Skullcandy's site no longer offers my model's colors. This leads me to believe they are last year's model)

Final Rundown:

Skullcandy G.I. Stereo Headphones

* 41mm Superior driver
* Soft leather touch earpads
* Extra earpad set
* 90 Degree swivel speakers
* Leather headwrap
* Home stereo adaptor
* In-line volume control
* Travel bag

Pros:
Comfortable
Nice Appearance
Sturdy
Good Sound Quality
Very easy to use

Cons:
The Packaging
(for the price, I really see no other flaws)

I have had those headphones (older revision, no bottle opener lol) for about 2 years now and love them. Awesome sound and they are fairly cheap ($89AUD). Yes the warranty is funny but just makes Skullcandy seem more friendly and in tune with their customers. One issue I have found with them though is that my right ear piece (one without the cord) loses all sound if I bend the heads trap a bit, may be over use or a lose wire but I will claim the warranty when they finally break. One thing I also found was that when you use the in line volume control and turn it to under half volume it disables the right ear piece. I don't know if this happens with yours or mine is just broken but I don't like this feature. The headphones make pretty good speakers though, plug them into your mp3 player and crank the volume up to maxxxxx, awesome sound.

I hope you like them as much as I do.

i do half the disabling right ear piece, but is at like maybe 5% volume

Must just me a feature then. Love the quality though.

Very good review! +rep.

Im looking at these reviews big time.

aaaww man those headphones are sweet ive been after a pair of the digicammo G.I'S pretty rare here in the UK

Here a pic of anyone who dunno what they look like

those are really nice, skullcandy's site offer those same ones in a desert camo

Yeah they are nice, I want to see if I can get a pair of them when I claim warranty.

thanks for the frontpage!

lol, i saw a pair of these on 2inch24.com, pretty cheap and fast shipping. i bought the skullcandy rasta earphones and theyre pretty sick. i'm not too sure about the g.i.'s though, i checked it out at their website and it seems pretty legit, what do you guys think?

http://www.2inch24.com/product_p/skcdy__hf88-skc18.htm

i got the black and gold pair of lowrider skullcandy headphones... even for a smaller sport edition these things rock... if im really goin for quality tho i use my big honkin sony ones :)

I've had the all black pair with the 50mm drivers and I have to admit to having no problems in a year of heavy usage. Well maybe one. They will go entirely louder than I would want to listen to. They have a great range. The 50mms work.

john

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CHIMAERA

i got the black and gold pair of lowrider skullcandy headphones... even for a smaller sport edition these things rock...

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I have the same ones, they are absolutely great. Great bass response for an affordable pair of headphones. Although for like $10 more i could have gotten the G.I. pair they had in stock, which might have fit over my ears better. I will definitely buy skullcandy again.

Mine are still rocking after 2 years of abuse. I still have the problem with the head strap cutting power to the right ear piece sometimes, depends how they are bent.

stick those skullcandy stickers on a billboard or somewhere else and they'll send you a T-shirt as long as you have a picture of it.

2 1/2 years here with mine.

good headphones. needs a full sized stereo to get good bass and are quiet using my LG Rythem but i'm not complaining.

hey check out my review of skullcandy GI and Hesh on youtube
let me know what you think

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CHIMAERA

i got the black and gold pair of lowrider skullcandy headphones... even for a smaller sport edition these things rock... if im really goin for quality tho i use my big honkin sony ones :)

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true facts chimera... ive got me some sony MDR-700's... i had some skull candy ones... they werent near as comfortable as these sonys... but i guess thats what the nearly 100 dollar difference will get you

I have a pair of the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds and thanks to this review, I now know that I can get the replaced at a decent price. Great review, by the way.

I'm thinking of getting the Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket in ear buds for my MP3 player, by the specs they look to be pretty damn good, and at a reasonable price.

ohohoh, i live in alaska and i had these headphones... 3 pairs and 5 months later i now hate them. if you live in a cold climate be warned before getting them. i walked from my bus stop to my house with these (which is about a 5 minute walk) and after about a month i had noticed the adjustment sliders (the "male" end) we cracking. The thin plastic covering the wires had cracked, leaving them exposed and open. i continued using them and soon enough, the entire speaker was hanging by the exposed wires. i tried duct taping them together again and a whole bunch of other remedies, but eventually they finally just stopped working... THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. although i must admit the warranty is fantastic, i just hate waiting a week every month to get my new pair. Also, i have heard from lots of people that they brake the first time snowboarding with them. The plastic is thin and brittle and will snap in any cold climate. So just keep that in mind while looking for skull candy headphones. Oh, and this incident(s) have ruined my view on Skullcandy headphones and i have graduated to the ever amazing SENNHEISER FTW

Mine died mid last year, ear cup snapped completely up. I upgraded my GI's to the top of the range one Skullcandy now offer (forget their name now) and gave them to my brother. I now use a set of Sennheiser HD595's with an upgraded cable, couldn't be happier.