URBANFUN Transound ONE

Everything and everyone have got to blend in with the times and its nuances if they are wanting to stay relevant and even capture the spark that keeps that certain time beaming. There is indeed a reason why a company would pick a name such as “Urbanfun” to headline its line of products and in this particular case, audiophile-grade headphones. A chic and youthful name would right then and there resonate with the younger generation and it’s easy to see the target market it was intended for, I’m not that young and not that aged as well so it was great that I’ve got a chance to get my hands on such a product.

The audiophile-grade headphones I was referring to was none other than the Urbanfun Transound ONE, provided by Linsoul Audio and DD Audiophile in exchange for an honest review, no monetary compensation is involved on this and I greatly appreciate Linsoul Audio’s and DD Audiophile’s continued support for Audio Realviews. You can notice this with the majority of sample units reviewed on this page with them not interfering with anything that I’ve stated on all their products, be it negative or positive. Hats off to them. You can check out the official Linsoul Audio site as well as the DD Audiophile Aliexpress store to grab the Urbanfun Transound ONE.
The Urbanfun Transound ONE features a 45mm Beryllium Diaphragm driver and is spec’d out with a 5-40 kHz Frequency Response, 97±3dB/1kHz Sensitivity and a 32 Ohm Impedance. I’ve been pampered and lulled by Periodic Audio’s Beryllium's excellent and smooth sound which makes expectations for the Transound ONE at a high. Granting the price difference as well as the IEM vs HP experience, I’m still keeping my hopes up as to how the Transound ONE should sound and what better way to do it than get intimate with it.

The Urbanfun Transound ONE packaging was nowhere to be found as it only came in a bubblewrap although it came with its own matte black synthetic leather case lined with thin velour on the inside with no product manual or a warranty card. It’s most likely that this is another case of a sample unit packaging and the official product packaging would at least come with a warranty card.
Coming in with the Urbanfun Transound ONE was 2 generic 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable, generic as it can be, all black and flimsy and 2 just in case you break one fast. Thank goodness an SPC cable with silver-plated 3.5mm to 3.5mm plugs were included and that’s it for its overall packaging and accessory set.

The $199 price tag for the Urbanfun Transound ONE which features a beryllium driver is showing where it cuts corners short with an all plastic build which although doesn’t feel like it is about to break, it also doesn’t feel premium at 1st touch and even feels a tad cheaper after repeated use. The all plastic build is occasionally interrupted with the synthetic matte leather headband with minimal memory foam on the underside to supply comfort and it does the job great. The stock ear pads also uses synthetic matte leather ear pads with a much thicker memory foam that hugs my ears comfortably and thick enough to keep a nice distance for my ears and the cloth lining the plastic driver covers.
Clamping force is substantial and doesn’t induce discomfort over 2 hours of usage except the usual sweat and heat buildup. The ear cups can be swiveled at a full 90-degree angle allowing it to be laid flat on your desk as well as be safely stored in the included storage case. The inner headband is reinforced with a thin sheet of metal for structural integrity and shaking the Urbanfun Transound ONE reveals no annoying loose joints and parts. The 3.5mm interface for the removable cable is present on lower outer potion of the left earcup. The overall build quality of the Urbanfun Transound ONE doesn’t showcase top-notch craftsmanship yet it also doesn’t exemplify the usual cheap build most CN-based manufacturers are notorious for. The aesthetics as well don’t inspire much desire to take it outdoors as well as have it photographed as other cans do yet with an all-black color and hints of dark gun metal tones, it’s as discreet and masculine as I like it to be.

The Beryllium in the Urbanfun Transound ONE reared its mettle with how it sounded overall. The steady flow of an upper tonal character and a feel of being a notched up timbre is evident. It is a hands down bright sounding set of headphones which focuses more on the clarity of each frequency it tackles rather than emphasizing a certain set of frequency. It also helps that it is easy to drive and scales well with differently powered sources. The Sony CAS-1 desktop setup off an MSI GF 62 8RE laptop via Foobar2000 v1.4 was also used for the whole realview.

With an inherent bright sound dominating the overall spectrum. It allowed the Urbanfun Transound ONE’s low end frequency performance to touch and linger into a more subdued state with its sub bass drops sounding extended with a good amount of rumble to it, take note, “good” amount. Deadmau5’s 4ware in 16/44 FLAC is rendered with a smooth impacting sub bass and a mid-bass that once again resides in the mediocre side with respect to its slam delivery and mid bass body. It soothes the regular bass lovers but not the users that crave for a full on bass experience.

Ever got that feeling that things are going your way and a smirk is inevitable? Or that feeling of knowing that your loved one is about to walk through the door you’ve been waiting on for a good deal of time? The 1st time I tried the Urbanfun Transound ONE resonated a midrange that gives great justice as to why smacking a beryllium driver on a headphone is a great move. Bill Wither’s Ain’t No Sunshine in 16/44 FLAC was delivered fluidly with a full bodied lower midrange with a gentle extension of air towards the well pronounced midrange and peaking with clarity towards the upper midrange. You could smack the replay button on vocal oriented tracks with the Urbanfun Transound ONE.

Being a treblehead myself, testing out the highs of any gear that comes my way is always a love-hate endeavor and I decided to call out my buddies from Scorpion to bring all the sting that they can, cranking up No One Like You in 16/44 FLAC gave out a well extended high frequency performance devoid of harsh peaks and sibilance. The Urbanfun Transound ONE’s high frequency approach is clean and detailed. There is also subtle extension and belts out a faint air that smooths out any sudden bursts of treble sparks, sparkle is present. This gets a thumbs up from a treblehead.

The Urbanfun Transound ONE is a closed headphone setup with only 3 tiny vents on each ear cup situated on the lower portion of the faceplate as opposed to the usual location on the top of the ear cup near where the headband starts off. The Urbanfun Transound ONE renders an intimate soundstage ambience with more focus on the depth presence than its width. Layering isn’t the best and at most sounded with a mere upper and lower stage layering. Imaging is precise and accurate though with great clarity to instrumental positioning and vocal presence pans out well.

Having “Fun” on a product’s name especially on a headphone would bring forth early assumptions and the Urbanfun Transound ONE’s choice of beryllium drivers was a nice choice as it not only gave a bright and fun sounding signature but also makes it possess a material regarded to be premium. A $199 price tag helps it case of being worth checking for treble heads and midrange lovers alike. The build quality and looks would not draw over users and couple that with a mediocre packaging and accessory set and you’d be hard pressed to weigh your choices. Thanks goodness it sounds great which is what we are here for after all.