Long-time audio giant Bose announced Wednesday the acquisition of Skullcandy, the lifestyle brand known for its bass-rich headphones. Skullcandy will remain a separate company within Bose’s Premium Consumer Audio business and will still be based in Park City, Utah.
The acquisition isn’t out of left field. Bose has brought its audio expertise to Skullcandy over the past year as part of its Sound by Bose licensing program. Skullcandy designs the headphones then works with Bose on the audio side. The relationship began with the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC headphones in 2025 and more recently, the Crusher 1080 ANC headphones in July.
When WIRED spoke with Skullcandy CEO Brian Garofalow in July about the partnership, Garofalow highlighted the 23-year-old company’s ability to build community and culture, particularly around the boardsports community (the first Skullcandy product was designed on a ski chairlift). But he admitted the company was not “the best at engineering product innovation.”
This isn’t Bose’s first audio acquisition (although it’s perhaps the most common). Bose acquired McIntosh Group, owner of luxury audio brands McIntosh Laboratory and Sonus Faber, in 2024. But Bose appears to be seeking Skullcandy’s connection with its community.
“What does the brand stand for? Does it mean something to consumers? Is it relevant to a group of consumers that, frankly, we wouldn’t otherwise reach?” Lila Snyder, CEO of Bose, told WIRED. “If you think about McIntosh, Sonus Faber and Skullcandy, they all fit into this space. Skullcandy gives us access to a customer base that we think we’re largely missing with the Bose brand.”
That’s why Bose has no plans to move Skullcandy from Park City, Utah, which Snyder says is the epicenter of board sports culture. “We want to make sure we are at the heart of the problem, as they always have been,” she said. Skullcandy products are also affordable, especially compared to other Bose products and Bose-owned brands, allowing Bose to compete at both ends of the market.
As WIRED’s headphone reviewer, I find Bose and Skullcandy to be an odd couple. In consumer audio, Bose pioneered active noise cancellation (ANC) in headphones and maintains that legacy with leading ANC products such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation). Skullcandy, on the other hand, has often been seen as the butt of the joke when it comes to audio quality. It has a reputation for poor sound, headphones with bass over everything, and a loud, bold aesthetic.
Recent collaborations have started to change these perceptions: WIRED gave the Method 360 ANC headphones an 8/10, noting good sound quality and ANC for the price. Snyder says these heads and the recent collaboration with Crusher are just the tip of the iceberg. “This is the start of what we think we can do together,” she says.
I’m very curious what’s next with Skullcandy, headphones or otherwise. Either way, we’ll see if Bose’s acoustic muscle can give the lifestyle brand the permanent shine it’s looking for.
Gn tech
