Skullcandy Indy Evo Review

Skullcandy launched the Indy Evo in India in the month of July this year. It reached a little later in my ears, and I have used it for a while to dissect its ins and outs.

As you may know, my previous aural outing with the brand’s truly wireless Sesh wasn’t perfect. But, even there I was more or less pleased with the sound aspect. The same holds true here as well. The Indy Evo comes with titanium-coated drivers, three custom-tuned EQ, and ambient-listening modes, to name a few of its features. It clearly does several things better than Sesh, but at the same time, I do have some niggles with it.

To know what they are and whether they should matter in your purchase decision, read on. This is the Smartprix review of the Skullcandy Indy Evo.

Skullcandy Indy Evo Specs and Indian Price

Skullcandy Indy Evo Box Contents

• Buds
• Charging Case
• Stability Ear Wings (S, L)
• Ear Gels (S, M, L)
• USB-C Charging Cable
• 2-Year Warranty
• User Guide

Skullcandy Indy Evo Design and Build

Indy Evo sports an in-ear tip and stem design. Yet, it manages to stand apart from the crowd of AirPods clones. I like the shape and form of it as the stem offers a firm grip and the ear tip does a good job at keeping outside noise at bay.

Skullcandy has tossed in extra pairs of ear gels and stability ear wings. Although I appreciate it, the supplied ear wings don’t fit well within my helix (the outer ear rim). Speaking of fitness, without the wings, at times, the buds do slowly withdraw from the ears. And if you use them, then over a long course, the ears start aching. So, it’s a double-edged sword, really ಠ_ಠ

The buds come in 3 colors. As you can see, ours is the True Black variant. But, I really dig the Pure Mint variant. The Chill Grey one isn’t bad either. I can chill with it too.

But when it comes to the case, I don’t share the same sentiment. It’s a bit big in size with a cheap plastic-y finish. Moreover, the lid’s closing is flimsy and the clasp isn’t very satisfying. So, if you accidentally drop the case, the buds will jump out in a jiff. Even pulling out the buds from their nest is a chore. If you use the ear wings, it becomes a little easier, for sure. But then, sometimes the same thing prevents the lid from properly closing.

ALSO READ: Skullcandy Method ANC review

All that said, the case works from a functional standpoint. The LED indicators for battery life and a USB-C port by the base is very welcome. And that Skull logo is ever so stylish!

Lastly, on the design side of things, you also get IP55 certified resistance against dust and water.

Skullcandy Indy Evo Connectivity, Controls and Battery

Beyond aesthetics, the buds are engineered smartly to the point they might seem complicated. Don’t get me wrong, the process is simple once you learn the ropes. And here I am referring to the multi-functioning controls. With combinations of touch, tap, and press, you can control things like call, media track, volume, equalizer profiles, ambient mode, and device assistant. Ya, pretty much everything. And there’s a learning curve, mind you, a steep one indeed!

My initial experience was marred by some problems. Although the maiden pairing was fine. But soon, I was facing constant skips and connection drops. The good thing is that it got sorted after a reset. It worked alright for a few days and again I had some trouble. You see the Indy Evo supports solo playability, which means you can use the buds individually while the other sleeps in the case. I did something and the buds stopped working in stereo. And for the love of God, I couldn’t get ’em working together. Until I did the reset again following this guide. You can also follow the following video.

Oh just so you know, the Skullcandy app is half-baked and isn’t very helpful in any of this. So, you’d do well without it.

The buds have mics on their foot, which should theoretically catch calls better. After all, that is the major benefit of the stem form factor. But, that wasn’t the case always. Although I could perfectly hear the other party, the recipients had issues hearing me. Now, I can’t say whether it’s Indy’s fault. But, it did happen a few times. I also couldn’t test how it will fare in the noisy Delhi streets due to the pandemic.

Skullcandy claims up to 30 hours of total playtime together from the case and the buds. In my testing, the buds ran for 6 hours, so by basic maths, you should get up to a total of 5 times worth of juice. The company has included a USB Type C cable inside the box. However, you should be good with any C-cable lying around. Thanks to fast charging support, it takes about 2 hr 30 mins to refill.

Skullcandy Indy Evo Sound

The sound signature is familiar and fun to my auditory cortex. It was sufficiently loud too (but mind you, my listening was limited to indoors only).

The built-in equalizer profiles are nice to have. But, off the three, I felt the Movie mode as more rounded, lucid, and comely (even for music and podcasts). If you want to tweak it to be a little more expressive, use the “Bright” profile from the Wavelet app. Thank me later .^_^.

There is also an Ambient mode, which tbh I didn’t find very useful. When that’s enabled, there is a mildly uncomfortable white noise and the instruments sound shrill. So, it’s better to take off the buds to attend to the ambiance. Use your goddamn hands, lazy human!

I tried multiple genres of music, and the pair does a fair job overall. For most users out there, the well-detailed output from the Evo should suffice.

As for the more nuanced listeners, here’s what I felt:

• अगर बेबी को बेस पसंद है, ie., if you’re a stickler for bassy audio, you will have a good time, but not great. It’s just that the result isn’t very thumping. Still, anything EDM or with a significant inclination towards lower frequency would come out better from it.
• And as for something with more importance for instruments and vocals, say, an Indian classical or a Rock anthem, you would find the attributes as slightly restrained. I realized this when I compared it against a few other buds lying around in my home.
• I also found it offers less room for imaging and spatial staging, well relatively speaking, that is.

ALSO READ: Oppo Enco W11 review

With that, it’s finally time to know if Skullcandy Indy Evo is worth buying.

Skullcandy Indy Evo Review: Verdict

So you see, unless you are someone with particularly picky ears, you should be in the safe sounds of Indy Evo.

Beyond that, it nails on the battery front. The design of both the case and buds is useful. You also get perks like tile integration, in-built equalizer, and 2 years of warranty. At a starting price sticker of Rs. 5,999, this is a good buy.

Just remember, you’ll need some getting used to the gesture sequences and that the cradle’s design is somewhat underwhelming. But since it works where it counts, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, I suppose.

In any case, if you decide to buy the Indy Evo, you better have a look at the following —

Pros

• Sounds good
• Impressive battery life
• USB-C fast charging
• Swanky and solid earbud design
• Tile integration
• Comprehensive touch controls

Cons

• Poor case design
• Complex touch controls