Nina Raemont/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysAt $119, the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones supply a good audio expertise with a smooth look.These headphones are nice for informal listeners in search of a trendy pair of headphones for lower than $200 with nice noise-canceling and an extended battery life. Their on-ear match might be uncomfortable, and the headphones do not get very loud.
Except for improved noise cancellation and spatial audio, there have not been many groundbreaking improvements throughout the client headphone realm. However as of late, manufacturers are toying round with solar-powered charging, and I believe that is a function value giving a strive.
So, when Urbanista, a Stockholm-based client 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 had been legit. Urbanista makes many solar-powered audio merchandise, and ZDNET examined the corporate’s solar-powered earbuds earlier this 12 months.
The Los Angeles headphones, in response to Urbanista, always cost each time they’re uncovered to each indoor and out of doors gentle. However does it really work? I get into the photo voltaic charging tech, the sound high quality, and whether or not the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones are value your cash beneath.
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Urbanista Los Angeles Headphones
Urbanista’s Los Angeles headphones supply 80 hours of battery life, solar-powered charging that works within the sunniest environments, and respectable sound.
Upon first look, the Los Angeles headphones are deliciously smooth and classy. The headphones are available in three colours: Midnight Black; Sand Gold; and Desert Grey. I bought to check the Desert Grey cans, and I’m completely obsessive about the colorway. It is clear via the colorways and total 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 a number of hours, the headphones do not fare effectively with all-day put on. Out of all of the headphones I’ve examined this 12 months, the Los Angeles felt essentially 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 a number of hours, it felt like they had been digging into my cranium.
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For $119, the Los Angeles delivers above-average sound that can please any informal music listener’s palette. These headphones ship sturdy, highly effective bass to supply an immersive expertise and are simply effective with softer, classical music.
I listened to Get together 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, alternatively, the instrumentals weren’t crisp and clear and as a substitute fell flat and uninteresting.
Whereas carrying these on runs, on the subway, and even within the backseat of a automobile, I seen that the Los Angeles headphones’ quantity would not get very loud. I saved pushing my telephone’s quantity button to get my music to go louder and louder, and I noticed that I already maxed out the amount.
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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 effectively 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 Extremely or the JBL Tour One M2 do. Nonetheless, if you happen to 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 scarf. Powerfoyle, in response to Exeger’s web site, transforms “any indoor or out of doors gentle into clear, countless vitality.”
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“You do not want direct daylight to cost your merchandise, the sunshine in your house or a cloudy winter day is simply sufficient,” reads a submit 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 vitality 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 after I positioned it within the solar, the best I’ve seen the battery mA soar to was 8 mA (that is nice in response to Urbanista’s app, however the highest mA it collects is round 12 mA). And once you place the Los Angeles in sufficient daylight, it nonetheless takes about an hour to realize 1% of battery life.
Except 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 fine gentle on a sunny day, which isn’t sufficient to completely cost the headphones’ battery. Whereas it is an modern thought, I hope this know-how is improved upon in future generations, because the solar-powered charging facet 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 an extended battery life and respectable sound, most individuals wouldn’t have an issue carrying these headphones. I would not advocate them to audiophiles, individuals who need to block out obviously loud noise, or anybody who needs a strong and immersive audio expertise.
If you happen to’re after spectacular noise-canceling, take into account the Bose QuietComfort Extremely headphones. If sound high quality is your important precedence, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 are for you. If you happen to nonetheless want some assist shopping for the best pair of headphones for you, try ZDNET’s checklist of the most effective over-ear headphones.