Headphone Reviews

Sound Quality
The Urbanite is a moderately warm sounding headphone that's somewhat rolled-off from the mid-treble up giving it a somewhat veiled sound. Bass response is well proportioned relative to the mid-range response and is terrifically tight and impactive. Likewise the mid-range response is clear, well balanced, and dynamic. Where these cans fall a little flat is a treble response that starts rolling off at 2kHz and remains some 5-10dB too low through the bulk of upper octaves resulting in a veiled sound. However, it might be back on track between 10kHz and 20kHz giving these cans enough top-end sparkle to prevent them from sounding dull.

It's quite interesting to compare the Urbanite to the Beats Solo2; both have warm responses, but they're somewhat different in nature. The Beats Solo2 does a better job proportioning the upper-mids to treble transition, but the bass accentuation reaches too far into the mid-range giving it a thick sound. The Urbanite with it's really good bass and mid-range response but rolled-off treble sounds overly polite or veiled.

I think it's important to think about the intended use of both these headphones when considering their sound quality. Being headphones for the broader consuming public and focussed primarily on the younger generation, both these cans will very often be used to reproduce really crappy files. For example, much of my 18 year old daughter's music is ripped from YouTube videos. (Don't ask me what program she uses...kids are pretty adept with computers these days.) Cranking up the volume with high dynamic range compressed tracks and low bit-rate streams with result in harsh, annoying sound. The warm and somewhat rolled-off nature of both the Sennheiser Urbanite and Solo2 will yield a more listenable result for these listeners.

Both the Urbanite and Solo2 slay the V-Moda XS and Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear in tightness of bass—no contest here. The Momentum On-Ear best of the bunch in terms of treble resolution, but it's the worst of the group in terms of it's somewhat uneven frequency response. The V-Moda XS has a more even response, possibly the most balanced and neutral of the group, but the low-frequency distortion (it shares with the Sennheiser Momentum) and a mild hazy tizz in the treble may make it less desirable than the Solo2 or Urbanite for bass lovers.

In their promotional videos, Sennheiser characterizes their Urbanites bass response as "better, not louder." I would say the bass response of the Urbanite is excellent and somewhat better than the Solo2, which can be a bit too thick. As a result, I would say Sennheiser's video from their Urbanite campaign is a pretty fair statement...though really weird.

If you haven't checked out the Urbanite micro-site please do!!! Make sure to push play at the top of the page...a weirder headphone advertisement I've never seen. Also, it appears some of the videos produced by ad agency McKinney for the campaign are not yet available at the Urbanite site, but can be viewed on McKinney's YouTube page. Very bizarre, I can't wait to find out how well this ad campaign goes over.

Summary
Sennheiser claims the bass is "better, not louder", in the Urbanite. My ears and measurements tell me they're spot on, the Urbanite packs one hell of a wallop. The bass transitions nicely into a well behaved mid-range, but the treble rolls-off significantly between 2kHz and 10kHz leaving these a somewhat veiled sounding headphone. Fortunately, some of the treble response comes back above 10kHz for a little leading edge crispness, providing a fairly articulate and clean impression of the highs even though they're a bit low in level.

Though a tad utilitarian, the look of the Urbanite is bold and snappy. Anodized aluminum slider arms, cast metal hinges, fabric headband cover, and plush velour earpads highlight the terrific mix of materials use in the Urbanite. Build quality appears to be simply top-notch.

The Urbanite is available in five colors for iOS device users, but only in black and denim for Android and other mobile device fans. Accessories include a simple drawstring bag for storage and transport...and that's it.

Head-to-head with the other headphones currently in the $200 on-ear category the Urbanite faired well, but did not particularly stand out in the crowd. With a punchy slightly emphasized bass and very good bass to mids transition, the Urbanite is the best of the group in this area, but a veiled though nicely articulate treble was its weak point. The Beats Solo2's moderately emphasized bass response is tight and punchy, but the emphasis bleeds into the mids producing a somewhat thick sound. Mid treble response is good, but the top octave is somewhat rolled-off. The V-Moda XS seems the most tonally neutral of the bunch, but bass is somewhat distorted and loose sounding, and the treble while tonally good is a bit indistinct and hazy. Like the V-Moda, the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear has similar poor bass response, but does do a very nice job of delivering a clean, airy treble. Unfortunately, it's the most uneven tonally of the group with a somewhat "V" shaped response.

You see the trouble I have here? The Urbanite deserves a slot on the Wall of Fame, but it doesn't cleanly best the other three headphones already there. I've decided to put the Urbanite on the Wall of Fame for its sound quality that, like the Beats Solo2, will surely suite its intended audience well. It seems to me the weakest of the group is the Sennheiser Momentum on ear with its uneven response. Other aspects like build quality and styling should count for something in these decisions, and while the Momentum On-Ear does very well in that regard, it does not have any folding features that it allow it to become significantly smaller for storage and transport—I think this is significant drawback for the MOE as a portable headphone. So, the Urbanite goes up, and the Momentum On-ear comes off. Congrats and condolences to Sennheiser.

Video

Resources
Sennheiser U.S.A. home page and Urbanite product page.
Don't miss the Sennheiser Urbanite micro-site, make sure to push play at the top.
More videos available on Urbanite campaign creator McKinney at their YouTube site.
Head-Fi threads are thin as the Urbanite has just become available, thread here.