Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review: Tasty sounds

I find it fascinating that Skullcandy – an audio company with over 20 years of experience making headphones and speakers – has partnered with Bose for the release of the Method 360 ANC earbuds.

These true wireless earphones are powered by “Sound by Bose”. According to the Bose partnerships page, “Sound by Bose is the brand backing our technology, a mark of distinction for superior sound quality and performance.”

Whether the Bose connection is a tactical recognition that Skullcandy’s audio tuning isn’t typically as good, or if it’s just a marketing ploy to bring in additional customers, doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that the Method 360 earbuds work. They sound good, offer a comfortable and secure fit, with battery life that seems to last for ages. All for a reasonable $189.99 price tag.

What is the Method 360 ANC offering?

The Method 360 ANC are the second pair of in-ear earbuds with Sound by Bose we’ve seen over the past 12 months, after Motorola launched its Moto Buds last year.

But the Skullcandy tries to bring a level of design inspiration to its offering, all centred around the case.

The Method 360 ANC comes in a large “slider” case with its own micro carabiner on the back, which lets you attach the case to anything from a belt loop on your pants to a hook on your backpack or your keyring.

The plastic outer shell protects the earbuds when not in use, and slides up to reveal them when you want to put them on.

The earbuds themselves are in-ear by design, with a selection of custom tips in the box so you can get an ideal fit. Small fins on each earbud help give you a really firm, secure fit, without the earbuds ever feeling uncomfortable.

There are touch controls on each earbud, with a combination of actions available to customise through single, double, triple or long presses. Customisation of these controls is done through the Skull-iQ app for iOS or Android, which is separate to the standard Skullcandy app.

You get up to 32 hours of battery life with ANC switched on, which includes 9 hours of playback in the buds themselves. If you do run out of charge in the case, then 10 minutes on the charger will give you about two hours of music playback.

The Method ANC 360 had 4-mic active noise-cancelling and a “Stay-Aware” mode, and is IPX4 sweat and water-resistant.

What does the Method 360 ANC do well?

I really liked how the Method 360 ANC sounded. Maybe that’s the collab with Bose, or perhaps it’s years of audio experience showing, but these earbuds sound great.

Whether listening to something with a fair bit of bass (I’m a sucker for Live’s Lakini’s Juice to test out bass), or something more vocal like Jeff Buckley’s Grace, the Method 360 ANC sounded clear and full-bodied.

To be clear, the detail isn’t anywhere near the level of a pair of audiophile headphones like the Sennheiser HD 505. But they definitely sit on par with the likes of Apple’s AirPods 4 with ANC.

The ANC is decent too, blocking out a lot of the outside world. With music playing, I couldn’t really hear anything from the outside world, but without anything playing, I could still hear the air conditioner blowing next to me while I worked.

I feel that the ANC performance is pretty good for the price, though. If you really want to block out the outside world, you’re probably going to have to spend a bit more money on something like the Sonos Ace or AirPods Max.

Battery life is also impressive. Even though these are some of the most comfortable in-ear headphones I’ve tested, both for their secure fit and design, I couldn’t spend nine hours listening to test Skullcandy’s battery life claims.

What I can say is that I still haven’t charged them, despite weeks of testing. The battery is starting to get low now though, which it tells me every time I put them in my ear.

What could the Method 360 ANC improve?

I appreciate Skullcandy’s unique case design with the Method 360 ANC. With its integrated carabiner and sliding case, it stands apart from every other pair of true wireless earbuds I’ve tested.

But that design could still use a bit of refinement. The thing that bugged me the most was that when you are looking at the front of the case, the right earbud needs to go in the left-hand side, while the left earbud goes in the right. To do this requires a bit of contortion to achieve, and that’s after I remember that I’m trying to put the earbuds in the wrong spot.

If you have the case on a belt buckle pointing away from you, it’s not a problem, as the right earbud ends up on the right side. But I think that’s a less likely solution to having the case attached to a bag or sitting on a desk.

The case itself also seems to be a fraction too big. If Skullcandy could shrink it down and make the charging points ambidextrous, these would be so much more convenient.

The other element I didn’t love was the “Stay Aware” mode. To be fair, I don’t think many audio companies do a fantastic job with their passthrough mode. The Skullcandy here disappoints – while I can hear external sounds, it comes through muffled and indistinct.

When I tried to use this mode while having a conversation, I ended up having to remove an earbud just to be able to make out the other person.

Verdict

For $190 (or cheaper if you shop around), Skullcandy has delivered a really solid pair of true wireless earbuds.

But this is a competitive market, even at this price. Around the $200 mark you have models from Bose, Sony and Sennheiser, and what’s more, you can often get more expensive headphones from these brands discounted to this price.

Which means that, for better or worse, the biggest driver to purchasing the Method 360 ANC will be the styling. Things like the case and the brand.

If you’re after something a bit different that sets you apart from the people wearing AirPods or Bose or Sony earbuds, then these are a great option. They sound great, are comfortable and offer impressive battery life.

Behind the scenes

Skullcandy Method 360 ANC vs Sony WF-C710N

There are a bunch of noise-cancelling earbuds at this price point. Let’s compare some specs to see how the Skullcandy stands up.

Skullcandy Method 360 ANC vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Given the “Sound by Bose” on the SkullCandy, it’s worth comparing to the most similar pair of Bose earbuds as well, the QuietComfort Ultra.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t download the Skullcandy app in the App Store. It doesn’t do anything with these earbuds. Instead, you need the Skull iQ app.
• From the Skull iQ app, you should customise the controls. I changed it to a long press to change ANC/Stay Aware modes rather than the triple press because I’m not a monster.
• If you use the earbuds for gaming, there’s a low-latency mode you can switch on in the Skull iQ app. If you switch it on permanently, the connectivity with your device isn’t as reliable when the earbuds don’t have line of sight, though.
• You can also use the Method 360 ANC to act as a remote shutter for the camera app. This isn’t something I’m overly keen on, but your needs may vary.

Additional thoughts

• The Method 360 ANC has a voice alert telling you the remaining battery every time you pop them in your ears. It’s pretty loud, and you can’t adjust it. While I appreciate the information, I wish you could adjust the volume.
• The Carabiner is a cool inclusion, but it’s not perfect. The clip doesn’t rotate, which means it can be a bit more difficult to remove from wherever you attach it than it is to put it on. I suppose that’s not the worst thing in the world, though, if you have the case just sitting on the outside of your backpack, for example.
• While the earbuds are IPX4 rated for sweat resistance, I’m not sure about the case. I can’t find any reference to specifically in the manual. Which means that if you have the case swinging from your belt loop, and you get caught in the rain, you could be in a bit of trouble…