Sennheiser has launched a new line of headphones, the URBANITE on-ear headphones and the URBANITE XL over-ear headphones. Designed to fit into the lifestyle of the Millennial generation, these headphones look good and sound good. They are available in a variety of colours to suit individuals’ tastes, while the inline remote control with microphone enables the URBANITE to be used on-the-go.
Like the Momentum and Momentum On-Ear headphones from previous years, the URBANITE continues Sennheiser’s direction to build more stylish headphones that do not compromise on audio quality.
The new URBANITE range deliver solid bass for an intense club experience, but still ensuring excellent clarity throughout the entire frequency range. Sennheiser believes these headphones offer a unique value proposition that combines great bass, fashionable design, and high quality build that will appeal to young, urban youths.
There’s no doubt that the URBANITE range of headphones exude premium quality in the design and materials used. The headbands have canvas fabric on the top, and silicon on the underside. The silicon makes it easy to clean off any hair product that may be picked up by the headband.
The ends of the headband have a sturdy aluminium slider and a premium hinge mechanism, ensuring long lasting durability. The collapsible design enables the URBANITE range of headphones to be folded for easy carrying. Both the URBANITE and URBANITE XL headphones are supplied with a soft carrying pouch.
I like that the headbands do not grip my head too tightly. However, the slider was a little too lose, with the ear pads sliding out of position a little too easily. On the other hand, it’s easy to adjust them back into place.
The headbands are, apparently, very rugged and robust, even to the extent of taking the abuse of being bent backwards, as was demonstrated during the Sennheiser’s launch event. Of course, I don’t recommend it as something you should try.
The soft ear pads at the end offer some amount of insulation from external sounds, and ensuring greater comfort for longer periods of listening enjoyment. The ear pads, however, do not use Alcantara material like in the Mometum headphones.
I didn’t try the URBANITE long enough to offer a proper assessment on its comfort. I don’t generally like on-ear or over-ear headphones (preferring in-ear headphones instead). Between the two URBANITE on-ear and XL over-ear, I found the XL to be more comfortable because there’s no pressure exerted on my ears. Your opinion could differ, obviously, depending on how receptive you are to these types of headphones.
The cable is a flat type, so it is a somewhat tangle resistant, and ends in a standard 3.55mm L-shaped audio plug. The inline remote control and microphone enables you to easily take calls and control music. There are dedicated versions for both iOS and Android devices. This means, unfortunately, that you’ve to get the iOS or the Android version, and only the inline remote for that type will be in the box.
Considering that the cables are detachable, this seems to be rather inconvenient. What if you change phones in future? People do move from iOS to Android, and vice versa.
Fortunately, Sennheiser says they plan to sell the cables as separate accessories in future. It would have been much better to simply include both cables.
I auditioned the URBANITE and URBANITE XL for a short while. In that brief amount of time, I can tell you that these headphones do produce good deep bass, and as Sennheiser claims, good clarity throughout. The XL sounds a lot roomier than the on-ear.
You’ll have plenty of colour choices with the new URBANITE headphones. Black and denim are standard colour options on all URBANITE models (both iOS and Android). The iOS URBANITE on-ear is additionally available in sand, nation and plum colours, while the iOS URBANITE XL over-ear will have sand, nation and olive colours.
I wonder why Android users aren’t given as many colour options.
The URBANITE retails for S$269, while the URBANITE XL is priced at S$339. They are available at the Sennheiser Concept Store at Marina Square, and authorised retailers from tomorrow. The headphones come with 2 years of warranty.
Conclusions
The URBANITE and URBANITE XL pack a great combination of good looks, good quality, and good sound.
Pros:
- Trendy design
- Durable build
- Good overall sound quality
Cons:
- Slider mechanism a little loose