Skullcandy’s latest Bluetooth headphones are one of the best pairs you can buy for under $100

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Business Insider/Jeff DunnSkullcandy headphones aren’t exactly known for high-quality sound, so it’s safe to call last year’s Grind a pleasant surprise. That they were affordable, often hovering around $40 in recent months, made them even better. We liked them enough to include them in our on-ear headphones buying guide, and they continue to be a stellar value today.

Now, as with many headphones that’ve been received well, there’s a Bluetooth version. The $90 Grind Wireless went on sale this week, and they bring many of the same strengths (and handful of weaknesses) as their wired sibling.

In a market where competent-sounding wireless headphones under $100 are few and far between, they’re another great value. I’ve used them for past three weeks.

Build wise, the Grind Wireless are as their name suggests. That means they're still well-made and generally comfortable, with a thin metal headband and pillowy, dimpled earpads. They’re lightweight, and a breeze to toss on, but, like before, I found those earpads to sink in and pin my (admittedly large) ears back a little too tight after three or four hours of continued use. They’re no Sony MDR-1A. Anything less than that, though, and they were nothing but comfy.

I found my brown-and-black model to be handsome, though per usual Skullcandy has a range of flashy color schemes available. Either way, the Grind Wireless neither folds up nor comes with a carrying case. So they aren’t the easiest to toss in a bag, though their not being huge mitigates that a bit. They do leak a little sound at higher volumes, and they don’t isolate particularly well, but it’s nothing too egregious. At this price, some sacrifices are expected.

Business Insider/Jeff Dunn
There’s a set of multifunctional controls on the back of the right earcup, which let you adjust volume, pause, and skip tracks, and they all work fine. Skullcandy says the battery here lasts 12 hours, but that’ll really depend on how high you crank the volume. Playing on the louder side, I got about 10 hours. That’s solid. When you do run low, you can plug in the included 3.5mm cable, which effectively recreates the wired Grind’s sound.

Without the cable, though, the Grind Wireless still sounds good. Compared to something like the Jabra Move Wireless — which is probably its closest competitor — it’s less heavy on the bass, but still punchy, with those healthy lows accompanied by sharp enough treble. While it’s not a flat, audiophile’s sound, it’s well-balanced, and never harsh. No affordable Bluetooth headphone is as clear or defined as a comparable wired pair, but if you’re dead set on ditching the cable, the Grind Wireless gets close enough for the money. There just aren’t many other pairs in this range that are as this consistently pleasing.

Skullcandy Grind Wireless, $88.99, available at Amazon.