Skullcandy celebrated being 20 years old and being the brand that targets board sports fans with its portable and loud range of audio products. They released the Acid Snow Camo range which is a limited edition offering.
In this range, they released the Crusher, Dime 3 & Kilo in this unique colour offering.
In this review, we got sent the Kilo Bluetooth speaker which is the company’s midrange entry costing £44.99. The Kilo on first impressions looks cool and would be perfect for those who enjoy camping as well due to the size and the inclusion of the carabiner.
Sound quality at 50% volume sounds respectable but listen to something with a little bass and extra volume and this is where this speaker struggles.
Design/Build
The Skullcandy Kilo measures 4.7 x 3.3 x 2.0 inches and is also fairly lightweight at only 9.6 onces. The Speaker comes in 5 colours with that army camo feel:
- Black
- Hot Pink Fury
- Slate
- Meta Mauve (Purple)
- Dark Moss
The speakers silicone feel on the bottom which allows it to sit flat or you can hang the speaker using the included carabiner. When viewing the speaker sitting flat the top of the speaker has the Skullcandy logo on the speaker grill and under that, it has a 3-button control panel.
The Control panel comprises a plus and minus button on either side of a multifunction button. This button allows the user to power up/off the speaker, initiates Bluetooth pairing mode and also controls playback (Play/Pause). The plus and minus buttons as you might expect control track navigation and volume depending on if you make a long or short press.
The side of the speaker has the status LED which indicates Bluetooth pairing and battery life. Also on the side is the USB-C port for charging which also comes with the 3ft long USB-C to USB-A charging cable included with the speaker.
Under the bonnet is a 7-watt, 1.75-inch driver that fires upwards and delivers a frequency range of 80Hz to 20kHz. There is also a downward-firing passive radiator that provides a sense of bass as you do not have a subwoofer.
Connectivity-wise it offers Bluetooth 5.3 and like many of the Skullcandy speakers you can pair 2-kilo speakers together to get stereo audio.
The Skullcandy Kilo has been designed for outdoor use and with the inclusion of IPX7 rating you could submerge it up to a meter deep for 30 minutes. This is ideal if you dropped it into a lake by mistake or wanted to clean it. If you did submerge the Bluetooth signal will stop working which is expected.
Last but not least is the 1,800mAh battery which should give the listener at least 24 hours of usage on a single charge but this does depend on your typical listening volume. When it’s time to charge Skullcandy states it should take 3 hours for a full charge to complete.
Audio Quality
If you are a bass fan if left at a moderate volume the sub-bass will sound robust. However, pump up the volume and the driver and radiator combo causes distortion which causes a downgrade in audio quality.
Listen to something like “Drover by Bill Callahan” the track offers a more natural character and shows off the sound signature this speaker has. The drums do disappear into the background in favour of the mids and highs. The acoustic strums and higher register percussive hits take centre stage and the vocals get a bit more treble edge than low-mid richness.
Listen to something more classical and this speaker sounds mostly bright. The passive radiator adds a low-frequency presence but the vibrations never amount to a true bass.
Verdict
The Skullcandy Kilo looks good and the inclusion of the carabiner and the IPX7 rating means it’s ideal for the outside and will deliver at moderate volume. It does suffer distortion at high volumes so as long as you are happy at the 50-60% volume level you won’t have any complaints.
This speaker is also missing a speakerphone function and no companion app so if you want either you need to look elsewhere. However, for a simple but rugged speaker without costing you much, this speaker will do the job it’s just a shame it has limitations at higher volumes.
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Sound: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 3.8 out of 5.0 stars – 3.75 stars
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