ZDNET’s key takeaways
- At $119, the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones supply an honest audio expertise with a smooth look.
- These headphones are nice for informal listeners on the lookout for a classy pair of headphones for lower than $200 with nice noise-canceling and a protracted battery life.
- Their on-ear match will be uncomfortable, and the headphones do not get very loud.
Apart from improved noise cancellation and spatial audio, there have not been many groundbreaking improvements inside the shopper headphone realm. However as of late, manufacturers are toying round with solar-powered charging, and I believe that is a characteristic price giving a strive.
So, when Urbanista, a Stockholm-based shopper audio firm, despatched me its Los Angeles solar-powered headphones, I used to be keen to check out the solar-powered charging operate and see whether or not the headphones’ sound and charging tech have been legit. Urbanista makes many solar-powered audio merchandise, and ZDNET examined the company’s solar-powered earbuds earlier this yr.
The Los Angeles headphones, based on Urbanista, consistently cost every time they’re uncovered to each indoor and out of doors gentle. However does it truly work? I get into the photo voltaic charging tech, the sound high quality, and whether or not the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones are price your cash under.
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Urbanista Los Angeles Headphones
Urbanista’s Los Angeles headphones offer 80 hours of battery life, solar-powered charging that works in the sunniest environments, and decent sound.
Upon first look, the Los Angeles headphones are deliciously smooth and trendy. The headphones are available in three colours: Midnight Black; Sand Gold; and Desert Grey. I acquired to check the Desert Grey cans, and I’m completely obsessive about the colorway. It is clear via the colorways and general look of the headphones that Urbanista is interesting to stylish and trend-aware clients.
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However very similar to a pair of fashionable excessive heels which are snazzy however inevitably uncomfortable after just a few hours, the headphones do not fare properly with all-day put on. Out of all of the headphones I’ve examined this yr, the Los Angeles felt probably the most uncomfortable round my head.
As a result of I put on glasses and earrings, the Los Angeles’ on-ear match made it troublesome for me to maintain them on my head all day. The ear cup pads are plush, however the headphones’ band is so tight that after just a few hours, it felt like they have been digging into my cranium.
For $119, the Los Angeles delivers above-average sound that can please any informal music listener’s palette. These headphones ship robust, highly effective bass to supply an immersive expertise and are simply high quality with softer, classical music.
I listened to Occasion Folks by Vince Staples and Outkast’s Ms. Jackson with the Los Angeles on excessive quantity, and the headphones delivered pronounced bass and clear vocals. Whereas listening to my winter morning classical playlist, however, the instrumentals weren’t crisp and clear and as an alternative fell flat and boring.
Whereas carrying these on runs, on the subway, and even within the backseat of a automobile, I seen that the Los Angeles headphones’ quantity does not get very loud. I stored pushing my cellphone’s quantity button to get my music to go louder and louder, and I spotted that I already maxed out the quantity.
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The Los Angeles headphones include 80 hours of battery life, Bluetooth Multipoint connection, and on-ear detection, a pleasant contact for a pair of headphones. The buttons on the cans are shortly responsive, too.
The ANC on these headphones works properly in reasonably noisy environments, however the microphones do not appear to masks exterior noise and drown out sound in the best way that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or the JBL Tour One M2 do. Nevertheless, in the event you want much less noise cancellation whereas commuting or exercising, you will not have an issue with the ANC high quality.
So, is the solar-powered charging tech a gimmick? I am glad you requested. To show gentle into battery energy, the headphones make the most of Exeger’s Powerfoyle photo voltaic cell know-how on the headscarf. Powerfoyle, based on Exeger’s web site, transforms “any indoor or out of doors gentle into clear, infinite power.”
“You don’t want direct daylight to cost your merchandise, the sunshine in your house or a cloudy winter day is simply sufficient,” reads a post explaining Powerfoyle tech on Exeger’s web site.
I did not discover this to be true. You want loads of direct daylight for the battery to realize extra power than it drains, and infrequently will you get this by simply inserting it close to a fluorescent lightbulb in your house or leaving it out on a counter with the kitchen lights on above.
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Even once I positioned it within the solar, the best I’ve seen the battery mA soar to was 8 mA (that is nice based on Urbanista’s app, however the highest mA it collects is round 12 mA). And while you place the Los Angeles in sufficient daylight, it nonetheless takes about an hour to realize 1% of battery life.
Until you reside in a glass home with 360-degree entry to the solar, you may presumably solely get round two to a few hours of excellent gentle on a sunny day, which isn’t sufficient to totally cost the headphones’ battery. Whereas it is an progressive concept, I hope this know-how is improved upon in future generations, because the solar-powered charging side of those headphones fell in need of what I used to be anticipating.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
I like to recommend the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones to style-minded, tech-enthused people who put on headphones after they train, commute, and work. With a protracted battery life and respectable sound, most individuals wouldn’t have an issue carrying these headphones. I would not advocate them to audiophiles, individuals who wish to block out manifestly loud noise, or anybody who needs a sturdy and immersive audio expertise.
For those who’re after spectacular noise-canceling, contemplate the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones. If sound high quality is your primary precedence, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 are for you. For those who nonetheless want some assist shopping for the suitable pair of headphones for you, take a look at ZDNET’s list of the best over-ear headphones.