After much toing and froing, I finally made a decision and pulled the trigger on the Sennheiser URBANITE XL wireless headphones. The others in my serious consideration set were the Bose SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones II and the Beats Studio Wireless Headphones. I had also considered the Plantronics BackBeat Pro and the Sony MDR-1ABT. I did not have an opportunity to audition the Plantronics or the Sony.
I’m not an audiophile, but I love listening to music. I wanted over-ear headphones that brought me as much enjoyment as my Sennheiser HD 25-1-II Adidas Originals Headphones, but without wires for mainly portable and office listening. Every now and then I like to crank my ‘phones up and rock out! I’d read a most of the reviews about my main contenders that I could find here on Head-Fi, and most of the reviews that Google returned – so I was quite confused. I’m not writing a review here, just sharing my thoughts as they might help someone else!
My main considerations were sound, price and look, probably in that order, with fuzzy weighting.
I liked the Bose, they sounded nice, but I questioned their grunt / dynamism. They also cost more, and I did not really like the blue/black and did not really want white headphones.
The Beats… what can I say? After once having a pair of Beats Solo HDs, the disappointment and brand stigma remains for me. I was also not convinced by the sound after short demo, although I must admit they were much less muffled than the Solo HDs I once owned. I did not really care for ANC that is always on in wireless mode, and they were the most expensive.
I liked the build quality of the Plantronics, but did not really like the look and bulk. Pricing was good on special, but they fell out of contention on their styling.
The Sonys were just too expensive here, and I could not conveniently find them to demo – probably a good thing. I was neutral to their styling and (imagined) build quality, as I had seen the other Sony headphones in a similar price range.
I was pleasantly surprised by the URBANITE XLs when I first tried them as I had briefly auditioned the wired Momentum Over ear headphones (v1) a while ago and was disappointed by the sound despite
wanting to like them. I enjoy the URBANITE’s sound, and they can be cranked up without sounding distorted.
Looks-wise, I like them as they’re not traditional, but also not too outer space and they aren’t too bulky. The build quality seems good, and the cables are nice. The bag could be better as there isn’t much real protection offered.
I find them comfortable – not too heavy, but the band padding could be a bit more plush. Clamping force is OK, they will move when head banging, but no headache like my HD 25s. My ears fit within the pads which are comfy, but my ears do touch the edges – no issues for me.
Pricing-wise, I took the plunge sooner than I had planned as I picked them up on a Cyber Monday deal at a good price.
I think I will enjoy these.
For the photo or it never happened types (like me)...
Cheers!