AtariPrime
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This is my full and final review (maybe) of the Urbanista Athens earbuds.
Basics:
As you may (or may not) know, Urbanista is a relatively small technology company based out of Sweden. They specialize in a variety of headphones and earbuds. Their style tilts toward ‘urban’ use, hence the name. One of their newer models, the Athens, is meant for athletic use.
Battery: 8 hrs.
Case: 32 hrs.
IP67 Rating
USB-C
Bluetooth 5.0
Delivery:
I purchased these back in October of last year, directly from Urbanista. They finally showed up some time in early-January. Urbanista isn’t exactly the best at communication, so I was largely in the dark during this time on the reasons why the slow delivery. Emails sent through their website and messages on Facebook go to Sweden and seem to take a minimum of 48 hours to get a response. In short, they arrived, but Urbanista could do quite a bit better job of keeping customers informed of the status of their package. Of note, you can now purchase them on Amazon as well, so many of the issues with dealing directly with Urbanista should be alleviated.
Function:
Battery life seems to be approximately as indicated, getting around 8 hrs. of use before needing a recharge. The case is easy enough to use. The case uses magnets, and the earbuds slide into place with a nice click. There is no doubting that they were placed properly. Have not had any issues with proper placement in the case. The case is very small and has a slightly textured finish that is very soft to the touch.
When ready to place them in your ears, the earbuds are easily removed from the case. These are some of the smallest earbuds on the market but are easy to hold. They have a slightly rubberized finish. When pairing or conducting various commands, an led circle lights up. No worries though, this turns off soon after the command is complete. When in normal use, there are no lights on the earbuds.
Placing them in your ears is easy. You simply push it into your ear and give it a slight twist which locks in in place. I used the default tips, though they come with various wings and tips to suit a variety of ears.
The earbuds themselves use physical buttons that you press in order to change tracks, volume, etc. The button pressure required is moderate. I did not experience any discomfort with using them at any time. Also, the general controls are intuitive and largely standard across the industry.
I have had some connectivity issues that a can’t fully explain. When using them at the gym, I encounter a few dropouts. I don’t think this is the fault of the earbuds though, but more the fault of my phone. I currently use an iPhone SE which is a somewhat older phone and is not able to take advantage of Bluetooth 5.0 as it is only capable of Bluetooth 4.2. I will likely be getting a new phone in March though and will provide an update to this aspect then. For reasons I can’t explain though, when using the earbuds in my office and the same phone, range seems to improve greatly. I am able to go around 50 ft. away from my phone without issue, even going through walls an partitions before any dropouts are experienced.
Sound:
I really like how these sound. I am not an advocate for a ‘flat’ sound curve. No artist intended their music to be heard that way. These are slightly geared toward bass lovers. I wouldn’t say they thump as hard as a Sony XB90, but they have plenty of bass, instrument separation, with slightly recessed highs. The sound signature is very pleasing and ideal for a gym environment with songs ranging from rock, to pop, to techno.
The only complaint I have in the sound department is volume. I don’t know if it is a product of Bluetooth or an attempt by Urbanista to save battery, but volume doesn’t get quite as loud as I want it to. I would prefer they give me the option to turn the volume up higher even if that did cost me my hearing or battery life.
Also worth noting, these are a sound isolation design, meaning no active or passive noise cancelling. These try to block out everything around you, and do fairly good job at it.
Design:
As noted above, the earbuds are some of the smallest on the market. That was a big reason why I bought these. They don’t stick out of your ears very much at all.
Another reason why I bought these was battery life. Their battery life is better than most others out there and will last around 8 hrs. before needing a charge.
Also, they are waterproof. You can go swimming in these if you want to, but I’m not sure why you would as Bluetooth doesn’t travel through water.
Summary:
The Good
- Great battery life
- Compact design
- Waterproof
- Nice bass response
- Price
The Bad
- Experienced a few dropouts (but may be my phone’s fault)
- Could be louder
Would I recommend these over other options out there? Yes, but only if the dropouts are my phone’s fault. Dropouts are a dealbreaker, even one is too many.
Below are few pictures. I will update my review once I get a new phone.
Basics:
As you may (or may not) know, Urbanista is a relatively small technology company based out of Sweden. They specialize in a variety of headphones and earbuds. Their style tilts toward ‘urban’ use, hence the name. One of their newer models, the Athens, is meant for athletic use.
Battery: 8 hrs.
Case: 32 hrs.
IP67 Rating
USB-C
Bluetooth 5.0
Delivery:
I purchased these back in October of last year, directly from Urbanista. They finally showed up some time in early-January. Urbanista isn’t exactly the best at communication, so I was largely in the dark during this time on the reasons why the slow delivery. Emails sent through their website and messages on Facebook go to Sweden and seem to take a minimum of 48 hours to get a response. In short, they arrived, but Urbanista could do quite a bit better job of keeping customers informed of the status of their package. Of note, you can now purchase them on Amazon as well, so many of the issues with dealing directly with Urbanista should be alleviated.
Function:
Battery life seems to be approximately as indicated, getting around 8 hrs. of use before needing a recharge. The case is easy enough to use. The case uses magnets, and the earbuds slide into place with a nice click. There is no doubting that they were placed properly. Have not had any issues with proper placement in the case. The case is very small and has a slightly textured finish that is very soft to the touch.
When ready to place them in your ears, the earbuds are easily removed from the case. These are some of the smallest earbuds on the market but are easy to hold. They have a slightly rubberized finish. When pairing or conducting various commands, an led circle lights up. No worries though, this turns off soon after the command is complete. When in normal use, there are no lights on the earbuds.
Placing them in your ears is easy. You simply push it into your ear and give it a slight twist which locks in in place. I used the default tips, though they come with various wings and tips to suit a variety of ears.
The earbuds themselves use physical buttons that you press in order to change tracks, volume, etc. The button pressure required is moderate. I did not experience any discomfort with using them at any time. Also, the general controls are intuitive and largely standard across the industry.
I have had some connectivity issues that a can’t fully explain. When using them at the gym, I encounter a few dropouts. I don’t think this is the fault of the earbuds though, but more the fault of my phone. I currently use an iPhone SE which is a somewhat older phone and is not able to take advantage of Bluetooth 5.0 as it is only capable of Bluetooth 4.2. I will likely be getting a new phone in March though and will provide an update to this aspect then. For reasons I can’t explain though, when using the earbuds in my office and the same phone, range seems to improve greatly. I am able to go around 50 ft. away from my phone without issue, even going through walls an partitions before any dropouts are experienced.
Sound:
I really like how these sound. I am not an advocate for a ‘flat’ sound curve. No artist intended their music to be heard that way. These are slightly geared toward bass lovers. I wouldn’t say they thump as hard as a Sony XB90, but they have plenty of bass, instrument separation, with slightly recessed highs. The sound signature is very pleasing and ideal for a gym environment with songs ranging from rock, to pop, to techno.
The only complaint I have in the sound department is volume. I don’t know if it is a product of Bluetooth or an attempt by Urbanista to save battery, but volume doesn’t get quite as loud as I want it to. I would prefer they give me the option to turn the volume up higher even if that did cost me my hearing or battery life.
Also worth noting, these are a sound isolation design, meaning no active or passive noise cancelling. These try to block out everything around you, and do fairly good job at it.
Design:
As noted above, the earbuds are some of the smallest on the market. That was a big reason why I bought these. They don’t stick out of your ears very much at all.
Another reason why I bought these was battery life. Their battery life is better than most others out there and will last around 8 hrs. before needing a charge.
Also, they are waterproof. You can go swimming in these if you want to, but I’m not sure why you would as Bluetooth doesn’t travel through water.
Summary:
The Good
- Great battery life
- Compact design
- Waterproof
- Nice bass response
- Price
The Bad
- Experienced a few dropouts (but may be my phone’s fault)
- Could be louder
Would I recommend these over other options out there? Yes, but only if the dropouts are my phone’s fault. Dropouts are a dealbreaker, even one is too many.
Below are few pictures. I will update my review once I get a new phone.
