Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR review: Affordable multi-platform wired gaming headset with a glow

Earlier this year, Skullcandy announced its first collaboration for 2023. We already reviewed the Skullcandy x Dorits Dime 2 true wireless earbuds and now it’s time for the over-ear collaboration review.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Our Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR review looks at a vibrant, affordable, entry-level over-ear multi-platform wired gaming headset with UV-reactive Glow Graphics. Read on for our full review!

The Quick Take

There are gaming headsets for every budget and the Skullcandy SLYR Multi-Platform Wired Gaming Headset targets the entry-level gamer. While affordable, they still offer relatively decent sound and good microphone quality. The Skullcandy x Doritos collaboration tosses in some pretty bright red and orange colours that glow when exposed to UV light. The idea is excellent, however even I had to go pickup up a UV flashlight just to test out the UV-reactive colours on the headphones. It is fun, for sure, but I’ve only really seen UV/black lights in clubs which isn’t really a place where you’d wear these.

Specifications

The Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR Multi-Platform Wired Gaming Headset we reviewed has the following features and specifications:

• UV-Reactive Glow Graphics
• Skullcandy Supreme Sound
• Advanced Microphone
• Multi-Platform Connectivity
• Mute & Volume Control
• Durable, Lightweight Design
• Headset Type: Wired Over-ear
• Connection Type: 3.5mm Aux, PC Splitter
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Driver Diameter: 50mm
• THD: <2% at 1KHz
• Sound Pressure Level: 95±3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
• Weight: 265g

What’s in the box

• Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR Multi-Platform Wired Gaming Headset
• Removable Boom Microphone
• 3.5mm Aux Cable 5-pole to 4-pole (5ft)
• 3.5mm PC Splitter Cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty Guide

Design

Pretty standard fare for gaming headsets, the headband on the Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR is hard o top and has a bit of padding on the underside. At the end of the headband on either side are adjustable black metal pieces that are attached to the ear cups. The earcups themselves swivel a full 90° inward AND outward, something not seen in all headsets. This allows you to lay them flat when the headset is resting around your neck.

The outer earcups are oval, with the left one having an aqua volume control near the back and a 3.5mm audio jack for the 3.5mm cable. Finally, there is also a smaller 2.5mm jack for the detachable microphone.

The inner memory foam earpads are covered in a soft material. On the inside of each ear pad is an R or L to indicate which ear each earcup should go on. It’s also obviously apparent based on the orientation of the microphone when attached. The earpads do have quite a bit of give and when worn are pretty comfortable, even for longer sessions. However, they don’t offer much in the way of sound buffering and everyone around can hear what you’re listening to.

Our review sample was, of course, the limited-edition Doritos red UV-reactive Glow Graphics colourway. Red in colour, the top of the headband and the outer earcups have darker red swirly lines throughout. When held under a UV blacklight (which, as mentioned, I’ve honestly only ever seen in clubs and one bowling alley), parts of these glow a brighter orangish colour. It is difficult to take a picture under UV light, but I can confirm they do indeed glow as shown in the stock images on the Skullcandy SLYR product page. As far as branding goes, the Doritos triangle logo is printed in white just above the white-printed Skullcandy logo at the bottom of both sides of the headband.

The detachable microphone is about 4 3/4″ in length when attached. It has a rubbery feeling to it and although it’s flexible, it doesn’t keep whatever shape you bend it to. In other words, it sticks straight out from the headset and there doesn’t seem to be a way to get it to bend toward your mouth. Fortunately, as I’ll discuss in the Microphone quality section below, that’s not a huge issue. On the microphone end, there is a small oval cutout for the microphone. An LED sits on top of it, which turns red when muted and is easily visible out of the corner of your eye when it is.

As for the included 3.5mm audio cable, it is quite long at about 56″ in length. Aqua blue in colour, it’s pretty flat and has the Skullcandy logo debossed into the barrel at each end. However, one end also has a headphone symbol debossed into it, indicating this is the end that goes into the headset. There is a slightly larger red ring around the end of the barrel as well. If you try to connect it the wrong way, the controller/PC connector end doesn’t quite fit. It’s a curious design choice and I would have liked to see both ends the same so you’re not fumbling with the connection if you’re removing and reinserting the cable.

Sound Quality

Design and comfort aside, arguably the most important feature of a headset is the sound quality. With the Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR wired gaming headset, the sound quality is fairly decent, especially at lower to mid-volume levels. I did find once I started cranking it up to full, it did get a bit muddied, especially with Skullcandy’s leaning toward the bass end of the spectrum. In games like Forza Horizon 5, it didn’t matter as much as it augmented the roar of the engines. However, in games like Warzone 2, it did make it a bit harder to pick out footsteps and other directional cues which are important in first-person shooters.

When it comes to listening to music, the SLYR fared a bit better but sounded a bit flat at times. For testing, each song in my test tracklist from Spotify had just the right amount of warm bass that I tend to prefer (but not everyone does) but non-bass heavy songs didn’t exactly sound the greatest.

While I get that the SLYR is an entry-level gaming headset, it would still be nice to have some sort of EQ and game/chat balance setting to tweak the audio to the specific game you’re playing. Also, as mentioned above, the ear pads don’t offer much in the way of sound buffering and everyone around can hear what you’re listening to.

Microphone Quality

Given that the detachable boom microphone isn’t adjustable, I didn’t have high hopes for the microphone quality. However, I was pleasantly surprised that even with the mic a good distance from my mouth, the other members of my chat party during Warzone 2 had no issues hearing me. There was some minor pickup of background noise, like the TV or my mechanical keyboard, but it wasn’t overly distracting. My major complaint about the microphone distance, however, is that the mic monitoring was weak.

The Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR can also be easily muted by tapping the bottom of the left earcup. When muted, the red LED light is easily visible out of the corner of your eye.

Price/Value

At $69.99, the Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR wired gaming headset is priced reasonably for what you get. If you don’t care much for the Doritos branding, you can save yourself $10 by grabbing the non-branded version.

Photo Gallery

Wrap-up

The Skullcandy x Doritos SLYR Multi-Platform Wired Gaming Headset is a decent starter gaming headset, especially if you game on multiple devices. With fairly decent sound and a good microphone, you’ll likely impress others if you have a black light set up to show off the Doritos Red UV-reactive Glow Graphics.

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