Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review: Brilliant Bose sound on a budget

Skullcandy has made lots of decent-sounding, budget-friendly wireless earbuds and headphones over the years. But no Skullcandy product has ever had noise canceling or sound quality that approaches, let alone rivals, a brand like Bose, until now.

Enter the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC. At first glance, with their stem-based shape and slide-out charging case, they look a lot like the company’s Dime Evo. But when earbud aficionados look a little closer, they’ll notice the Method 360’s uncanny resemblance to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. That’s no accident, and no, Skullcandy didn’t rip off Bose’s design. Instead, the two companies partnered to create the Method 360 ANC, and the result is stunning. These are easily the best-sounding earbuds Skullcandy has ever made. And with an introductory price of $100, Bose fans aren’t the only ones who should be paying attention.

Editor’s note: Skullcandy has indicated that the Method 360 ANC will cost more in the weeks after they launch — possibly as much as $130. However, this review reflects our thoughts at the $100 launch price. If and when the price goes up, we may alter our rating.

Comfort and style

There are no two ways about it, the Method 360 are nearly identical to the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (QCUE). Put the two side by side like I did in these pics, and it’s immediately obvious how similar they are. The Method 360 even use the same stability bands — the silicone gaskets that provide a secure but comfortable fit. Like the QCUE, you get three sizes of these bands and three sizes of eartips. I’ve always liked the way the QCUE feel, and the Method 360 are every bit as comfortable. Like the Bose buds, the Method 360 are rated IPX4 for basic water resistance.

Skullcandy has found a few ways to put its own unique spin on the design. The Method 360 uses a glossy stem with the distinctive half-skull emblem, and there are indicator LEDs on the outer surface.

I’m less excited by the charging case. Skullcandy has opted for a sliding sleeve design over the more traditional clamshell or flip-top. It makes for a big and bulky package that isn’t as easy to slip into a pocket. Maybe that’s why you get an included carabiner — to clip it to a belt loop instead.

On the other hand, Skullcandy fans may adore the case’s many styles. It comes in four translucent solid colors (black, white, red, and beige) plus a leopard-look animal skin pattern.

Getting the buds in and out is also quite fiddly. You have to learn the correct orientation for each side, because there’s nothing immediately intuitive about it.

Here’s a tip: hold the case upside down, with the skull logo facing up, but away from you, and the carabiner loop pointing toward you, but on the bottom. Pull on the loop, and when the earbud holder slides out, the right earbud will be on the right side and the left on the left. You can pull them straight out and put them in your ear without any twisting or turning.

Controls and connections

Though the Method 360 may look like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, from a software perspective, they appear to use the same platform as the newer Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, and that’s mostly a good thing. Skullcandy’s SkullIQ app is a clone of the Bose QCE app (or maybe vice versa?), and you’ll find plenty of customizations, including full control over the touch gestures (something Bose doesn’t offer on the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds).

There are four per side (single-, double-, and triple-tap, plus tap-and-hold) and these can be assigned to any function, including play/pause, track skip, volume up/down, ANC/transparency, Spotify Tap, voice assistant access, or take photo.

I’m not a big fan of touch controls, but I found they worked flawlessly on the Method 360.

Wear sensors help out with auto-pause and resume, though curiously, these can’t be disabled.

The two areas where I’d like to see more QuietComfort Ultra influence are ANC control and Multipoint.

With the Ultra Earbuds, you can choose to shift between ANC and transparency mode, without cycling through an off mode. Bose doesn’t offer that on the QuietComfort Earbuds and it’s not on the Method 360 either.

The Bose Music app, which is used to control the Ultra Earbuds (and many other Bose products) gives you a very handy overview of previously paired devices as well as currently paired ones. Switching between these devices is a snap. For the QCE/Method 360, you’re on your own. You can turn Multipoint on or off, but there’s no device management.

Still, Multipoint works like a charm, and I had no problem rapidly switching between two connected devices.

Sound quality

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the $99 Method 360 ANC sound exactly like the $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds when you use both with an iPhone. I specify the phone because the Ultra Earbuds let you use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound aptX Lossless codec when you have a compatible (non-iPhone) Android handset, and that will make a small but noticeable difference.

So when Skullcandy brags that “Skullcandy brings the style, Bose brings the sound,” that’s not just marketing B.S. — it’s legit.

Compared to the Skullcandy Rail ANC, the Method 360 is on another level. Bass is delightfully full and authoritative, there’s plenty of detail in the midranges, and in classic Bose style, the highs are delivered with a sparkly energy.

As I skipped through my usual test tracks, I kept saying to myself, yup, yup, yup, as I swapped back and forth between the Method and the Ultra Earbuds.

You may not like the Bose sound — not everyone does — but if you’re like the many who do, the Method 360 ANC are nothing short of a gift to Bose fans on a budget.

You even get three helpful EQ presets (Music, Bass Boost, and Podcast) plus a custom setting with the same five-band equalizer that Bose gives QuietComfort Earbuds owners.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Bose may power the Method 360’s sound, but it’s keeping the brand’s crown jewel (active noise cancellation) for itself. The Method 360’s ANC is arguably the best that Skullcandy has ever offered on a set of wireless earbuds, but it’s not as capable as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and nowhere close to the Ultra Earbuds.

That’s totally fine considering the price. ANC mode is still powerful enough to reduce many distracting sounds. At my gym, it didn’t give me absolute silence, but it dropped the drone of the nearby treadmills and the house sound system to the point where I could easily focus on my podcasts.

Traffic and other street sounds were similarly reduced. I’m not sure when you’d ever want to block less sound, but there’s an adjustment for ANC intensity in the SkullIQ app.

The ANC mode’s one real weakness is wind. Even small gusts are audible. If you plan to use the Method 360 ANC for running or cycling, you may need to turn ANC off.

Transparency, or “StayAware” as Skullcandy calls it, is also perfectly serviceable, letting in a good amount of external sound, and it keeps your voice sounding fairly natural in your ears. Again, it’s not as clear as on Bose’s earbuds, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker.

There are just two things I want Skullcandy to fix: The inability to toggle just between ANC and transparency, as I mentioned earlier, and a way to turn down the volume on the spoken mode change announcements. They’re freakishly loud. Better yet, let me turn them off.

Call quality

As surprising as it is that the Method 360 sound as good as the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds, it’s even more surprising that their call quality is actually better than both the Ultra and the regular QC Earbuds.

Not that Bose buds are known for their call quality. Bose does many things well, but call quality has only ever been middling at best. Still, the Skullcandy buds are better and kept my voice free from heavy compression more consistently while blocking out more external sounds.

When calling in StayAware mode, the ability to hear your own voice helps a lot with fatigue.

Battery life

Skullcandy pegs the Method 360 ANC’s endurance at up to 9 hours per charge with ANC on (and a total of 32 hours with the charging case’s capacity added), and those numbers jump up to 11 and 40, respectively, when ANC is off.

For those of you keeping score, that’s about the same as the regular Bose QC Earbuds.

If you should run out of juice, there’s a fast-charge system that promises two extra hours of listening time after 10 minutes of charging.

The SkullIQ app will show you the battery level of the earbuds, but the only way to check the case’s remaining charge is to remove or replace one of the earbuds and then note the color of the case’s LED.

What’s missing?

I’ve spent most of this review demonstrating how favorably the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC compare with Bose’s QC and QC Ultra Earbuds. But it’s worth noting some of the differences, too.

Here are a few features that you’ll find on Bose’s buds that aren’t available from Skullcandy.

• Bose Immersive (spatial) Audio (QC Ultra)
• Fit test (QC Ultra)
• Qualcomm aptX Adaptive/Lossless codecs (QC Ultra)
• CustomTune personalization (QC Ultra)
• On-device voice commands (QC Earbuds)
• Wireless charging (QC Earbuds)

Conclusion

Though they come with a charging case that is both awkward and bulky, the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC are a stunning value. The partnership with Bose has given them top-notch sound quality, comfort, and stability.

With call quality that bests both of Bose’s ANC wireless earbuds, great controls and customization options, and battery life that is more than sufficient for most folks, it’s kinda hard to object to less-than-perfect ANC and transparency when you’re only spending $100.