Skullcandy Sesh

These lightweight Bluetooth headphones embed themselves extremely well in the ear so that they are hardly noticeable when worn, and no pressure problems arise even during longer use. In addition, the fit is stable, which allows a lot of freedom of movement and even sports activities are possible. From a visual point of view, these in-ears only protrude discreetly, which is useful as they can be placed under a cap if required. Thanks to the sweat-, water- and dust-resistant workmanship, according to IP55, the headphones are also protected against weather-related moisture and can be cleaned easily.

On the energy side, these in-ears provide a running time of just under three hours until they need to be supplied with power again from the transport case, which serves as a charging station. Since a quick charge function has been dispensed with and the headphones need a good 90 minutes to be recharged, their use on longer train journeys or air journeys is limited. The case’s reserve is sufficient to charge the in-ears two and a half times so that the total service life is more than ten hours. The transport case itself is fully recharged in 105 minutes using the USB cable supplied.

Device control

The headphones, which in combination with various Android and iOS devices offered a stable range of nine metres, are coupled directly when removed from the case by automatically switching the system on and entering pairing mode. In this way, a return to the charger causes the system to be switched off, whereby manual switching on and off is also possible by holding down the buttons integrated into the surface. If there is a wireless connection, both buttons can be used to control the Play/Stop function and to answer and end telephone calls. Pressing and holding the buttons briefly on the right and left sides allows the title to be navigated by jumping forwards and backwards, while pressing twice sets the volume. This can be increased using the right headphone and reduced on the left. Language assistants can also be called up by pressing three times, so that the remote offers comprehensive device control, which also reacts precisely and without delay. What is noticeable, however, is that your own voice sounds quite soft and obscured when you are telephoning, while the other person is clearly understandable.

Sound

These compact headphones have a powerful output with full, rich basses that reach deep down and are defined enough to provide plenty of listening enjoyment for bass-heavy music. Since the generous subwoofer does not cover the midrange and treble, the overall tuning is smooth and the sound is pleasingly clear, even if the treble drops slightly. Only a light, high-frequency background noise is worthy of criticism, which can be perceived as disturbing in a quiet atmosphere. Otherwise, these in-ears offer a respectable sound quality in view of their price, which makes these headphones universally usable. The Sesh doesn’t support high-quality audio codecs like aptX or the AAC format, but the energetic sound with its dynamic acceleration and liveliness is pleasing.