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 $199.95 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 ($173.97 at Amazon) —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.
Similar Products
Samsung Level On
Sennheiser Urbanite XL
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Scosche Lobedope SHP451M
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 Beats Solo 2 and Samsung Level On ($75.00 at Amazon) 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 Scosche Lobedope SHP451M ($38.16 at Amazon) . For $200, 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.
Sennheiser's Urbanite on-ear headphone pair offers a rewarding, rich sound signature, with a perfect balance of slightly boosted bass and well-defined mids and highs.
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