Skullcandy products have always been loud—aesthetically and sonically. Previously, the Park City, Utah-based personal audio company focused on soundtracking active lifestyles over, say, actively soundtrack listening. And the surf, snowboard, skateboarding, and stuck in Concourse D communities typically are more interested in affordable clip-it-and-rip-it accessories than what lossless format a track is ripped in. Skullcandy releases, however, have recently been quiet. Even company CEO Brian Garofalow admitted as much during a panel discussion in New York April 15. But with the announcement of the Method 360 ANC earbuds, Skullcandy is setting out to retune products and perceptions. Tony Ware Gathering “agents” together at the Hall des Lumières event space in Tribeca, Skullcandy threw “Operation: SoundHeist” to introduce its mission to bring “premium sound to the people.” What that really meant was a lot of projections of brand ambassador Tony Hawk directing his minions to liberate acoustic architecture for the company’s new flagship true wireless earbuds. And samples presented in padlocked, custom-stickered Pelican cases (see above). But before the mission could be deemed a success, Skullcandy reminded the influencers and consumer tech nerds in attendance how it got here from a ski lift in 2003. McKenna Taylor, senior director, global marketing, walked the crowd through where Skullcandy has been, starting with the quiant dual-input LINK headband headphones in the slideshow below. Evin Catlett, global vice president, previewed where Skullcandy is going, previewing a 2025 product roadmap that includes a lot of Crusher Bass, for those who love to dial in more kick. Finally, Jon Van Buren, director, program management, revealed why everyone was invited: Skullcandy’s new partnership with Bose. The Method 360 ANC earbuds feature tech and tuning by Bose—a trickle-down audio experience at a “special $99 introductory price” that will go up to $129 in the future. But even at that price it’s a steal, seeing as what you’re getting is a sassy sibling of the $299 QuietComfort Ultra (one of our favorite noise-cancelling earbuds). I’ve spent a day with the Method 360 ANC and can say that many things—from the stemmed, skull logo-stamped housing to the ovoid eartips and fin-equipped stabilizing bands (is that “tech”?)—are pretty close to 1:1. Meaning fit and isolation are great for my ears (of course, YMMV). The material isn’t as premium, and the chonky charging cylinder—which slides open and features an O-ring for easy attachment to belt loops, backpacks, and crossbodies—is more plasticky, and uniquely Skullcandy. But the target market would happily trade glossy, fingerprint-friendly black & chrome for five funkier finishes—True Black, Bone, Primer, Plasma, and Leopard. Like the QC Ultra, the Method 360 ANC has responsive, customizable touch controls, but manages to also be lighter (no wireless charging, though). As for the sound, the drivers + chipset from Bose deliver what’s promised: Skullcandy’s most polished, but still punchy playback to date. The sound signature is more balanced, less wooly than other deeply V-shaped Skullcandy earbuds I’d tried. The midrange is far more refined and richly represented without sacrificing bass depth and treble extension (and you can futz with EQ in the Skull-iQ app). The Method 360 ANC still play loud, but no longer as loose. Good thud, less mud. You get Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint and LE Audio, though no support for aptX Adaptive/Lossless codecs and CustomTune like on the QC Ultra … but were audiophiles really reading this? As for four mic-equipped active noise cancellation system, it’s great for Skullcandy but not as good as other flagships. It’ll help you stay in the zone but not to the eerie alone-with-just-your-thoughts extent that the QC Ultra achieve. But, again, it’s $99 and blows away the competition at that price point. If you’re looking at long flights and need a travel buddy, the 9 hours battery life (plus 23 in the case, more with ANC off) has your back. You could pay way more and get less features if you’re a brand snob. From the in-person response, and the in-field experience, I imagine Skullcandy has a hit with the Method 360 ANC. Especially if the drip is as important to you as the bass drop. Yes, pretty much everyone at the launch event asked someone else at some point if they opened the leopard colorway (sadly, none of us did).