I used " at the edge of time" and " a night at the opera" by Blind Guardian to see how they preformed with large and impressive bands.

Skullcandy Aviator Reviews, Pros and Cons | TechSpot Skullcandy Aviator Reviews, Pros and Cons | TechSpot

the bass wasnt very clear or impressive and just doesnt sound as good as the HD518s which, for a cheaper pair of headphones, had a much clearer bass sound that really sounded like a stand up bass.The company's demo skews young, and we all know the kids don't necessarily care if their music sounds good, as long as it's loud. Needless to say, Skullcandy's headphones haven't ever scored high marks among audiophiles. Being one of these snobbish elites, my expectations were not inflated when I received a shipment of Roc Nation Aviators, a set of headphones cross-branded with Jay-Z and LiveNation's Roc Nation promotions outfit. PC – I use a headphone line out from the PC which many people do while at work – while this isn’t the optimal setup, I find that a high quality recording can yield a good result So, they're not ugly. That's a plus, I thought. But then I put them on and – wait a minute, these actually sound pretty good. Not amazing, but much better than anything else I've heard from Skullcandy thus far.

SkullCandy RocNation Aviator Reviews, Pros and Cons | TechSpot

the guitar riffs were great, the separate vocals could easily be differentiated from one another and didn't blur together, the percussion sounded great and even the intro to ariels sounded wonderful so bravo to these cans for making my favorite band continue to sound amazing. With a smoother mid forward amp and better dac the increase in overall clarity is noticeable. The mids get even more forward while the bass quantity is decreased but can still slam/rumble at loud enough volumes. The vocals while already good before is now something special. The treble remains the same but the overall soundstage has gotten lot more spacious, making the e07k a bit congested sounding. It’s not warm sounding either unlike the eo7k, Honestly my favourite right here (but it should be, considering how much the wa6 costs), it now warmer, bassier while being clearer and more detailed, offering the most dynamic sound yet. The mids are more inline with the rest of the sound which can be good or bad depending on your taste. Improvements: More detailed, warmer punchier sound, slightly more bass quantity while keeping the same clarity The first thing that will jump out at you about the Aviators is their styling. While I’m typically more interested in the sound coming out of the headphones, I have to admit I felt really cool just putting these things on. Unlike the Dre Beats Studios I reviewed recently, these were more about a different look than having that status symbol prominently displayed on your head. I borrowed these from my friend over at partytimebaby.com (he’s a bit of a headphone addict himself) and he opted for the brown with gold trim. These things are absolutely gorgeous – I didn’t think so when I first saw them, but they’ve grown on me like a stray cat. The details and workmanship in these are something to examine and enjoy. I’ve included plenty of photos so you can see first hand what I’m talking about. Build Quality – 9

Conclusion

The build quality is a mix bag, on one head the metal reinforcements makes the headphones quite sturdy with minimal flexing and no creaking. But the plastic cup and rims are cheap slimy fingerprint magnets with one drop scratched the brass rims and opened a gap between the seam and the cup. I'd be careful with these. The soundstage is not actually very wide in open standard, but for a small closed portable, it’s pretty impressive. And the imaging while a bit left/rightish still utilizes the width quite well. Just htat there’s no depth whatsoever. I used " fish don't scream" by Serj Tankian to really test the bass sound and instrumental separation. We used the Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviators intermittently for over a week and have few complaints about the fit and shape of the headphones. The plush leather ear protectors create a loose seal that lets you hear ambient noise while also keeping your music between your ears with adequate sound isolation. The headphones are surprisingly light considering the stainless steel accents, and you also get plenty of room within the wide pyramidal-shape earcups to accommodate a range of ear sizes. If you’re the type to not believe in burn in, you’ll probably not give the aviators a chance. On first listen, the sound was to put it bluntly horrible. Muffled, slow and congested are the initial impressions I would give to them. But after even a few hours, the sound clears up considerably. Enough that I thought, hey they actually sound good!

Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviators | WIRED Review: Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviators | WIRED

Like all over-ear headphones, you can make size adjustments to the Aviators by pulling up and down on the polished silver slide rail that forms the curved shape of the headband. The frame also bends at the top of the both earcups, allowing you to fold them into the headband for safe storage, although we're worried that the continued joint strain from folding and unfolding could damage the structural integrity over the long run. The remote and mic did not work on my Android device (Nexus 7 or HTC One X), and did not work on my Windows 7 or Windows 8 devices. The music-listening capability was nice but I really want the mic component so I have returned these. That said, the rest of the build quality is top-notch; Skullcandy goes the extra mile to reinforce the cable connection that's notorious for headphone hardware failure, and the tough polycarbonate frame forms a protective skeleton for the vinyl-lined headband. We're also assured that the Aviators will withstand a beating thanks to the nylon-braided cable that extends 1.3 meters past the left earcup, but we hope Skullcandy will push its durability further and allow detachable cables in future versions.Honestly without an amp, I didn’t really like the headphone much at all. But amped via the e07k with full bass boost and level 6 treble boost fixed alot of the problems. The treble louder without being harsh. And bass got a lot more engaging. It hits decently hard and can rumble a bit when called for. It also remians pretty undistorted even at loud volumes. The sound now has a lot more weighty, dynamic and textured. However the treble is bit dull and splashy, and the bass are bit blurry or “one note” The soundstage is still pretty much the same, and is still pretty closed sounding. These are very comfy and are easy to put on however, despite it supposedly being a over ear headphone, the wear more like an on ear, with most of the apd sitting on my earlobe. Not a big deal as the pads are very soft. I used " friends on mushrooms" by infected mushroom to see how they did with some energetic and heavy EDM. Looks great, although it would be nice if it came in different colors - I only found the blue. It's a nice color but options are good. The majority of Skullcandy headphones appeal to the younger market that values bass response over all other instruments, but the Roc Nation Aviators have a sound signature that sways more toward the midrange, with a balanced treble sparkle comparable to the Klipsch Image One headphones.