In the previous review, we saw Skullcandy absolutely nail it in the budget earphone bracket with their Smokin’ Buds Wireless variant. In this review, we will look at their offering in the budget headphone department. So far, the common belief world over was that headphones don’t come in the under $50 range. The Uproar Wireless seeks to disprove just that. At first glance, you will see that the Uproar headphones are very modestly designed, with no outer frills and thrills, with only a superior bass effect to back its claim. Mind you, if you are someone who prefers headphones with the looks and a more versatile performance bracket, you’d best look elsewhere. However, if you are one of those people looking for a pair of headphones, which just do the job without asking too many questions, then do read on.
Design –
When it comes to designing headphones, Skullcandy is one of the very best in the world. While market leaders like Beats or Sennheiser, or Bose tend to attract the more executive clientele, Skullcandy goes for the young audience, with an arsenal of headphone models which leave their customers salivating for more. The Uproar, however, is a different story. Designed with a strict budget in mind, the Uproar headphones have been designed to be more economical than anything else, so don’t really expect miracles in that aspect.
While the design may be quite simplistic, Skullcandy has tried to give it a bump up in the looks department with four catchy colour combinations – Classic Black, Orange/Navy, Red/Gray, and White/Gray. So, couple Skullcandy’s headphones design prowess with their impeccable color sense, and you end up with a pair of supra-aural headphones ( On- ear headphones ), which look stylish, but shy away from being Luxurious all the same.
The earpads on the Uproar headphones are perforated and are quite comfortable to use. The head strap, however, can seem a bit hard on the scalp as the cushioning on the same has been toned down to a nearly nonexistent level. All in all, the Skullcandy Uproar comes with stylish looks, appealing looks, and a secure, lightweight fit, so even if you adjust the strap height to ease up the pressure on your scalp, the headphones will not fall off.
Coming to the functionality, the Skullcandy Uproar Wireless headphones come with a standard 3 button control panel, which is overly simplistic. The top and bottom volume control buttons assist in adjusting the media volume, while long-pressing the same, allow you to navigate through your music library. The central control button, performs the more critical functions of call management, power on/off, Bluetooth pairing and also, call management.
Setting up the Skullcandy Uproar headphones for the first time is a pretty standard affair, just scan for the headphones from your mobile device, and voila! you are good to go. The best part is that the next time you feel the need to use the headphones again, all you need to do is power them on, and the Uproar will do the rest. Skullcandy has reported on paper, that the Uproar will last you 10 hours on a single charge, but the honest truth is that the true efficiency of the battery will vary with individual use.
Skullcandy has not included anything other than the charging cable and the headphones themselves in the packaging, making them the most accessories barren headphone models in the market today. I am not saying that this is a setback in any way, but honestly speaking, at least a carrying pouch should have made the cut.
Now that we have had a good look at the design and functionality, let’s now move on to the performance.
Performance and Last words –
As I mentioned before, the Skullcandy Uproar headphones and bass friendly to the highest order. That is why, when you play tracks with powerful sub-bass, the Uproar produces a strong low-frequency response, which seems a bit unexpected for headphones of this price range. The major USP of this device however is that even at high, ill-advised hearing levels, the headphones don’t cave in and give you a very consistent output. Something unheard of from headphones of this range.
The lows are fairly well matched with high mid and high-frequency presence, making the songs you play sound optimal rather than the over boosted performance that you would expect.
In songs that lack a strong bass presence, the Uproar produces an extra push in the deep lows, which in turn adds body to the percussions in the track. While the vocals can use a bit of refining, the guitar strums have a bright presence as well.
Hip Hop tracks are given their due as well. Belt out a strong Hip Hop track and immediately, the Uproar enters the familiar territory. The Kick Drum loop gets a little more low and low mid sustain than the high mid boosting, which means that the sharp attack gives way to the thumping of the sustain. The beats punctuated by the headphones are surprisingly powerful for an affordable pair of headphones. The cherry on the top, however, is that the vocals have been given their fair share as well.
All in all, we can see that the $50 Skullcandy Uproar Wireless headphones have their share of flaws, and not everyone would like a pair of headphones that aren’t exactly the most luxurious and give more focus to the bass than anything else. That said, there will be many out there who will like Uproar for its rather minimalistic design, streamlined controls, and performance that justifies its economic price tag. If you belong to the latter category, then by all means, go for the Uproar, but for those select few who are looking for alternatives, then you should probably look at the Jabra Move Wireless, which costs around the same as the Uproar but gives you a better overall audio performance, and also a more pleasing design.
