Sennheiser Urbanite
Sennheiser's brand new Urbanite line of headphones is
visually reminiscent of the Beats lineup, with bright colors and sharp
design. The less expensive of two options, the Sennheiser Urbanite is a
$xxx on-ear pair that offers a substantial amount of bass response
without ever sounding unnatural. Compared with the other option—the
recently reviewed, over-ear Sennheiser Urbanite XL—this
on-ear pair offers a richer, bigger bass sound, but neither will
deliver the kinds of lows Beats headphones are known for. Consider the
on-ear Urbanite a headphone pair for those who want a solid balance and a
strong, but not overpowering, bass response. For the price, it's one of
the best-sounding on-ear pairs we've heard, earning it our Editors'
Choice award.
Design
From a design standpoint, both iterations of the Urbanite have the
same basic look, with the obvious exception of size and shape of the
earcups. The circumaural (over-ear) Urbanite XL is significantly larger
than this supra-aural (on-ear) version, but the colors offered and
materials used are virtually identical. The canvas-like covering on the
headband and the matte finish of the earcups are both simple, classy
touches, and the earpads themselves are exceptionally comfortable.
A thick cable descends from the interior of the headband, attaching
to each earcup and acting as the adjusting mechanism. The detachable
audio cable connects to the left ear, and the inline remote control and
microphone is compatible with iOS devices and allows for adjusting
volume, skipping tracks, playing or pausing music, as well as answering
or ending phone calls.
It would be nice to see an extra cable in this price range, since
much of the similarly priced competition includes a second cable. The
earpads are also replaceable, but the Urbanite does not ship with
extras. The only real bundled accessory is a drawstring carrying pouch
that the headphones can fold down into.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the
Urbanite delivers a powerful low frequency response that isn't
over-the-top and doesn't distort even at maximum, unsafe listening
levels. The lows have a bit of thunder to them, for sure, but not as
much as you'd hear on a wildly bass-boosted pair. The focus here is on
delivering a balanced mix, and so while you hear deep bass, the mids and
highs are never overwhelmed by it. Despite having a very similar sound
signature to the over-ear Urbanite XL, this on-ear pair delivers more
richness and depth in the bass department.
On Bill Callahan's "Drover," the low-end presence is subtle and
natural. Both his baritone vocals and the drums on this track get just
the right amount of low-mid presence to add richness without things
sounding awkwardly boosted. The overall sound is crisp, but the bass
once again feels ever-so-slightly richer through this pair than it does
through the Urbanite XL.
Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" further demonstrates
this subtle difference. The sub-bass synth hits on this track carry a
bit more low-end presence with them through this on-ear pair than
through the over-the-ear XL version, but neither model compares with a
Beats headphone pair in terms of low-end thunder.
Classical tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' "The Gospel
According to the Other Mary," get a nice amount of low-end resonance to
them. Here, the lower register instruments have a pleasant fullness that
is perfectly matched by the crisp high-mid response that highlights the
vocals and higher register strings. It may be a slightly sculpted
sound, but it's overall a balanced and beautiful frequency response that
lends itself well to concert hall recordings.
If you're a lover of accurate and full-sounding bass, the
Urbanite is the richer sounding option of Sennheiser's new style line,
rather than the Urbanite XL. If it's mega-bass you seek, there's always
more: Both the and bring low-end at higher levels than either
Urbanite model does. And if you like the idea of bass with balance, but
the Urbanite is a bit out of your budget, consider the incredibly
affordable and surprisingly good . For $xxx USD, however, the Sennheiser
Urbanite is both less expensive and more rewarding than its
over-the-ear counterpart, and simply one of the best on-ear options
we've heard in a while, making it an Editors' Choice.
