10 Nov
Blog

Urbanista Los Angeles Review: Free Power On Sunny Days

Man wears Urbanista Los Angeles.

Urbanista Los Angeles

RRP $ 199.00

"As long as you spend a lot of time in the sun, the solar-powered headphones from Urbanista Los Angeles will free you from charging."

advantages

  • Solar charging really works

  • Secure fit

  • Real-time power meter in the app

  • Huge 80 hour battery

disadvantage

  • Only works under optimal conditions

  • No EQ settings

Urbanistas $ 199 Los Angeles – the very first set of solar powered wireless headphones – are here. And yes, they actually charge up when exposed to natural and electric light. But what is it like to use them and how much light do they need? We tried them to see them.

Power meter

Urbanista makes several models of wireless headphones and true wireless earbuds, but the company never felt the need to develop a companion app for iOS or Android. Due to its ease of use, no app was required. But if you decide to sell the world's first solar powered headphones, you really need a way to show people how this whole solar thing works. So Urbanista made their first mobile app, and it's, ahem, brilliant.

Once you've connected the Los Angeles to your phone via bluetooth, the app allows you to switch to a screen that has a huge power meter on it. On the left side of the display, the amount of energy that the headphones sip from the ambient light is shown in yellow. On the right, the amount of electricity that the cans consume is shown in red.

In an ideal world there would be a constant balance between yellow (your profit) and red (your consumption), so if you started your day on a full battery, you'd end the day just like that. In theory, you could then repeat this balancing act every day and never have to plug the Los Angeles into a charger.

Mad Dogs and English

Urbanista Los Angeles.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Oh, and as you may have guessed, this is easier said than done. Noel Coward famously wrote that only crazy dogs and English people go out in the midday sun, and if you follow that behavior too, you will not only keep the battery from draining, but you will end up harvesting more energy than you use. But unless this describes a typical day for you, the more likely you will break even or end up in a performance deficit. That's because the Los Angeles solar panel – completely hidden in a perfectly normal-looking headband – needs a lot of direct light.

As I type this in my home office, I am sitting about three feet directly under a light fixture powered by a single 100 watt equivalent LED lamp. And while the frosted glass of the lampshade scatters the light laterally, the underside of the shade is actually a clear lens that tends to concentrate the amount of light that is aimed directly at my head. Nevertheless, the Urbanista app shows that the Los Angeles can hardly draw 0.1 mA of current, while the power consumption of the headphones is 2.3 mA. In other words, I use 23 times more energy than I absorb.

Urbanista Los Angeles is held under a light.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

It could be worse. Right now I'm not using Los Angeles Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or Ambient Sound Modes and I'm not listening to any music. If I were to activate these functions, the current would jump up to 7.5 mA or up to 10 mA depending on the selected volume etc. At this speed, the headphones' impressive 80-hour battery capacity would last for exactly 80 hours and no more.

To significantly increase the power drawn, I had to hold the headphones directly under the light and even then the power meter indicated I was barely running on a break-even basis.

None of this is a criticism of Los Angeles' solar technology or their Powerfoyle solar technology – I don't know of any solar module that could deliver significantly more power with the same area. But it is a reminder that Urbanista's promise of “virtually infinite game time” should be seen as worthwhile rather than fully achievable. It's worth noting, however, that on a bright October day in Toronto I got a 45 minute walk with ANC and tunes at 50% volume, and when I returned (after trying a little bit to stay on the sunny side of the street) I still had as much battery life as when I left.

Sunny sounds

Urbanista Los Angeles seen alongside Urbanista Miami.Urbanista Los Angeles (left) and Urbanista Miami. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Urbanista based the Los Angeles on its Miami wireless headphones, and the two models share more than looks. Her sound signature is very close, with very good clarity about the frequencies and with a slightly forward approach that works well on beat-heavy tracks.

I think it's very good that Urbanista has found a way to keep this balance across the entire volume range. There is no distortion as you approach the top of the dial. As long as you are in a quiet place, even the lower volumes will provide good overall sound quality.

Of course, if you don't like the Los Angeles vote, there's not much you can do. Although Urbanista created the app for these cans, it didn't add any EQ adjustments.

But one big change from Miami to Los Angeles is Urbanista's decision to remove the 3.5mm analog input jack from the right ear cup. Perhaps more room was needed for the Los Angeles' larger battery, or perhaps it was a cost-saving measure. Regardless of the reason, it's an odd choice for a socket set that is meant to free you from worrying about a power outage. Should the 80-hour battery ever run out, the lack of an analog input means no more melodies until you find some sun or a socket.

Stands still

Man wears Urbanista Los Angeles.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of my favorite aspects of Los Angeles is how safe they stay in place. I have a pretty small head and I find that some headphones just don't clamp tight enough to keep them from slipping. But the Los Angeles are impressively stable and haven't moved the entire time I've been wearing them. I don't recommend exercising with full-size headphones, but if that's your thing, the Los Angeles will be happy to keep you company.

The only thing missing in the comfort department is more space for the ears. The ear cushions are deceiving: They enclose a large part of the ear cups and make them look plush and deep. But they're really incredibly flat, with only a few millimeters for your ears. Over time, I found that this created bruises.

The controls are easily accessible, with buttons on the side of each earcup so your thumbs can quickly find them. However, the play / pause, volume up / down, and skip track controls on the right earcup are very small, very close together, and quite difficult to distinguish. I have no idea how you would use them with gloves on.

Ordinary ANC

Urbanista Los Angeles.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The best noise-canceling headphones can pretty much eliminate external noise, but don't expect this level of performance from the Los Angeles. Instead, think of it as noise reduction. When activated, ANC takes away the annoying background noise such as traffic or the constant roar of a fan or aircraft engine. But it's just a respite from the very lowest frequencies – the higher pitches will still come through.

Transparency mode (or ambient noise, as Urbanista calls it) is similarly effective – it definitely brings in the outside world, but it doesn't quite destroy the feeling that you're still wearing headphones.

My biggest criticism here is that the Urbanista app lets you decide whether you want to use the ANC button to turn ANC on and off, turn ambient noise on and off, or let ANC on> environment on> cycle off. But you can't set it to just jump back and forth between ANC on and Ambient on, which are arguably the two most important settings.

Good for calls

Urbanista Los Angeles.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Urbanista Los Angeles.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Urbanista Los Angeles.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Urbanista Los Angeles.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As with most full-size headphones, the call quality is pretty good. It's not great, but it is perfectly adequate for speaking, even in moderately noisy environments. Sometimes the ambient noise cancellation circuitry can lower the volume of your voice when it tries to silence the other noises, but this will only be an issue if you insist on answering calls at busy intersections.

Who are they for?

The Los Angeles are essentially a good set of wireless headphones that happen to have a solar panel built into the headband. If you spend most of your listening time outdoors, in sunny or even partly cloudy conditions, you will enjoy the promised benefits of unlimited performance. But for most of us, this benefit is fleeting at best: we might not have to plug in the headphones that often (especially given the impressive 80-hour battery), but we still have to plug them in. Is this? Worth the $ 50 premium Urbanista charges over the similar $ 149 in Miami? Sun seekers would probably say yes.

Editor's recommendations



12 Aug
Blog

Urbanista Athens Review: The Underdog of Sports Earbuds

Urbanista Athens earphones

"The Athen is a pair of affordable and remarkably good sports-oriented earphones."

  • Comfortable space requirement

  • Eight hours of battery life

  • IP 67 weatherproof

  • Affordable

  • Confusing controls

  • Bass bullies other frequencies

The Urbanista Athens are a humble little pair of true wireless earbuds. Between its generic appearance and its price far from the premium price, there aren't many outward-looking features that would catch the gaze of the average weekend warrior.

Since we all have to study over and over again, looks can be deceptive. Pop Urbanista's new $ 130 earbuds have arrived and they're starting to shine. Not just an accidental surprise, these buds are a tremendous force against some of the best workout-oriented true wireless earbuds out there today.

Out of the box

It's a bit of a quirk, but I always prefer the bookbinding style packaging that buds like those from Athens arrive in, as opposed to the sleeve-like design of other earphone boxes. In general, there's less to disassemble, and it's a little nicer to have all of the packaging in your hands. Urbanista even shows your message buds in a plastic case for optimized look.

Urbanista Athens earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Under the compartment that houses the buds and wireless charging case, you'll find additional earbuds and fins, as well as the quick start guide and a USB-C charging cable. It's nothing like most other true wireless earbuds you haven't seen before, and probably nothing you won't see again. Even so, I will continue to take note of this standard content as each component is an important part of the ensemble. This charging cable, ridiculously short as it is, wouldn't be laughing at if it weren't included with your purchase.

The setup process, which is similar to the Athens accessories, is exactly what you would expect from modern wireless earbuds. Pull the buds out of the case and they will go into automatic pairing mode. You can find it in your mobile device's bluetooth settings and terminate the connection. Other reviews of the Athens noted that the buds don't always automatically pair, but I haven't experienced this phenomenon in my time testing.

Bluetooth 5 tech is built into these earbuds as it should be at this point. As with most of my Bluetooth 5 experiences, the connection to Athens was solid, offering plenty of range to move around the house and get chores done while still jamming on the cover of the Vitamin String Quartet. Yes, that's absolutely a thing I do.

design

Admittedly, I am enthusiastic about the design of the Athen, thanks to its compact construction and its openly different footprint than other sports-loving Buds. Newer sports buds I've tested, including the JBL / Under Armor True Wireless Flash X and the Edifier TWS6, have significantly more pointed ear fins. Both did a good job protecting the buds but gave them a noticeably greater presence in your ear.

Urbanista Athens earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Not so with Athens, whose ear fins are delicate loops that extend from the ends of the buds. As unspoken as they are, they still have real traction in your ears and have excelled with them over several runs and brisk walks during my reporting period. I found them to be more comfortable than the larger-finned competitors, albeit not quite as comfortable as the Jabra Elite 75t or Elite Active 75t.

The wireless charging case is also pleasantly small, which to a certain extent reminds me of a slightly smaller, dark copy of the Samsung Galaxy Buds + charging case. Speaking of which, the Athens are currently only available in black. If you're looking to take creative leaps with your aesthetic, the Athens aren't the buds to catch your ears. That said, they are perfectly passable in terms of attractiveness as far as black true wireless earbuds go.

Urbanista opted for a multi-press control system with the Athens, with the logo on each side serving as the button of your choice. The manual contains all the controls very factually, including the volume control (thankful), the ability to pause and change tracks, answer and end calls, and the integration of voice assistants. If you think this is a lot for two buttons, you're right, especially since none of these controls are used on more than two presses. It's learnable, but not the easiest system considering some commands are situational. For example, double-tapping the left logo pauses and plays the tracks, but also answers and ends calls.

properties

Somewhat surprising is that the Athenians have left their price range in terms of features. They're not knockout-strong uppercuts, mind you, but they're significant kicks against competitors who cost more and offer less.

The Athens offers a battery life of eight hours and three additional charges for a total playback of 32 hours.

The Athens offers a battery life of eight hours and three additional charges for a total playback of 32 hours. You can spend more and get better juice with competitors like the Sony WF-SP800N, but you can also spend more and unfortunately get less. The Jabra Elite Active 75t offers 7.5 hours of battery life – often closer to seven in our reviewers' tests – for nearly $ 70 more than the Urbanistas. That may tell more about the cost of the otherwise excellent Elite Active 75t, but it does lead the Athens to have a slight advantage in this category.

Urbanista Athens earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Equally fascinating is the fact that the Athens has an IP67 weather resistance rating that offers complete protection against dust and contact, as well as protection against 30 minutes of water up to 1 meter in immersion. I suppose that's overkill for what most people will be using these for, but it does allow Urbanista to market these buds as swim and shower friendly. It's also a better rating than the Active 75t and JLab Epic Air Sport, which previously held the title of our best real radio buds for training. Note. Note.

The Athenians have IP67 weather resistance, which provides complete protection against dust and contact, as well as protection against 30 minutes of water up to 1 meter immersion.

To be transparent, I didn't get a chance to take these buds for a swim, but I ventured into the shower to test this waterproof rating and the Athens came out squeaky clean on the other side.

Another small feature of the Athens is stereo phone calls which seem like a bit of a perk until you've dealt with a pair of buds that only offer mono sound for calls. It might just be my personal preference, but I would much rather have that sweet stereo sound for my conversations.

Audio quality

If there has been one area where Athens hasn't delivered too much, it's audio. To be clear, I don't want to say that this is a disadvantageous aspect of these earbuds. They are $ 130 buds, and they should sound like $ 130 buds: Objectively decent, and in many cases good. I think almost everything else about the buds made me expect them to go over their price again and instead sound the way they should. In all fairness, that speaks volumes more about the Athens' other characteristics than about its sound quality.

Urbanista Athens earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The Athens are clear sounding buds if they will, with tracks like Jake Shimabukuro's rendition of Hallelujah not missing a single train of the ukulele. Urbanista says it worked with audio engineer Axel Gretl on these buds, and it shows this on most pieces of music. They feel like they're trying too hard at the low end, especially on songs where those bass notes are more prominent throughout the track. Readers of my previous reviews know that Lizzo's music is a common starting point for my bass testing, and the low end in Truth Hurts seemed to take the rest of the song hostage. I love low frequencies as much as the closest listener, and I understand that powerful bass can be important to athletes on the move. But it's important to stick to that (bass) line and not detract from the rest of the track, and I thought Athens struggled with that in certain cases.

These buds don't have active noise cancellation, and at $ 130 it's not currently expected to have this functionality. With budget buds like the Edifier TWS NB breaking the mold, this is likely to change soon. But for now the Athens gets by with above-average passive noise cancellation thanks to a good fit in your ears. They also get loud, which of course helps to block out the unwanted noises around you.

Urbanista doesn't have much information available on the Athens microphones but I can vouch for them to provide quality phone calls. As I mentioned above, I enjoyed having stereo sound for calls, but perhaps more importantly, my voice could be heard clearly on the other end, even in a louder environment. My brother could barely hear the dogs wrestling in the background while we talked about our weekend plans.

Our opinion

Urbanista Athens true wireless earbuds are not only affordable, they also outperform major active earbud categories. They may not be the gold standard, but they are certainly worth their weight as notable sports-oriented wearables.

Are there any better alternatives?

The $ 200 Sony WF-SP800N offers active noise cancellation, 13 hours of non-ANC playback, and great sound for an additional $ 70. The $ 120 Edifier TWS6 costs $ 10 less and offers similar battery life and possibly better sound.

How long will they last?

The Athenians have a one-year guarantee and an IP rating that protects them from almost anything that nature can throw on them. These buds will hang around.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Urbanista Athens excel in many areas that they shouldn't have, at least in terms of their affordable price. With their above-average battery life, comfortable design and weatherproof properties, the Athens are the buds for the aspiring athlete.

Editor's recommendations




18 Jul
Blog

Urbanista London Review: $149 AirPods Pro With A Fatal Flaw

Urbanista London ANC earphones

"Good ANC cannot compensate for subdued sound and poor controls at this price."

  • Well designed and comfortable

  • Very good ANC for the price

  • Bad sound quality

  • Mediocre call quality

  • Average battery life

  • No Bluetooth multipoint coupling

  • No skipping tracks

In terms of popularity, it is hard to beat Apple's AirPods when it comes to real wireless earbuds, which is why Amazon is littered with cheap wannabe AirPods. However, when it comes to true wireless earbuds that also have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Apple's AirPods Pro, worth $ 249, stole the limelight.

When the Swedish audio brand Urbanista launched their new London True Wireless ANC earbuds with a laundry list of features that connect them from head to toe with the AirPods Pro, but with a price tag that's $ 100 cheaper, this caught our attention.

Can the London True Wireless ANC really deliver AirPods Pro-like performance for just $ 149?

Let's find out.

design

Urbanista London ANC earphones and AirPods ProApple AirPods Pro (left) and Urbanista London Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

It may not be fair to compare a set of $ 149 real radio buds to a pair that costs almost twice as much, but Urbanista wants you to think of the London as AirPods Pro alternative.

They are among the most comfortable in-ear buds I've ever worn.

That is clear when you look at them. From the elongated stem that falls from the main earphone, to the gently rounded shape of the bud itself, to the placement of the silicone tip and in-ear detection sensors – practically all of Apple's design features are present in the London. This is especially true if you order them in the mother-of-pearl white color. However, the London are also available in the colors navy, black and rose gold.

As much as I would prefer Urbanista to pick up on the true formula for wireless earbuds, there's no denying that following in Apple's footsteps will produce good results. Londoners look and feel good too. In fact, they're among the most comfortable in-ear buds I've ever worn. As long as the main part of the earbud fits into the concha of your ear (the part that is on the outside of the ear canal), you should have no problem finding a comfortable fit by choosing from the four sizes of silicone earplugs that Urbanista contains. Speaking of earplugs, they are made of very high quality silicone, which I really appreciate. Too many earphone manufacturers are cheap for this important part.

Londoners have an IPX4 rating for water resistance. This is good enough for a very sweaty workout on a rainy day.

Charging case

Urbanista London ANC earphone caseSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The charging case differs from Apple's design, but that's usually a good thing. It has a noble shell shape with rounded corners and clearly visible LED indicators for the battery life under the front lip. The lid is easy to open and can be closed securely thanks to magnets that are perfectly balanced in their strength. With slightly larger overall dimensions, it's not quite as portable as the Apple charging case, but it's very narrow – and it's practically the same weight.

Plugging and unplugging the earphones into the recessed docks is easy and they stay seated.

The case uses a modern USB-C port for wired charging, but there's also wireless charging – just place the case on a Qi-compatible mat.

Battery life

The similarity to the AirPods Pro continues in terms of battery life. In this case, however, Urbanista should have set its own course.

With just five hours of play per full charge, Londoners are comparable to Apple buds, but that doesn't say much these days. Most new real wireless earbuds – even those that cost far less – exceed this number by two to six hours.

A 10-minute quick charge gives you an hour's play, and the charging case fully charges the London four times, for a total of 25 hours of unplugged action.

Noise cancellation

Urbanista London ANC earphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

In the ANC spectrum, you'll find everything from the light touch of the Amazon Echo Buds, which use Bose's noise reduction technology to smoothly smooth out unwanted noise, to the AirPods Pro, which deliver an almost annoying cone of silence.

The Urbanista London fall somewhere in the middle, which means they actually block a lot of sound – particularly predictable, constant sounds like fans. To get significantly better ANC performance, you have to spend a lot more than the London price of $ 149.

I think it's good that you can choose between ANC on and off and that there is an ambient mode that lets in some outside noise – handy when talking on the phone and when walking or walking through an urban landscape. However, I wish there was a way to adjust the ANC level through an app, which has become a standard option for ANC earphones and headphones.

Sound quality

Urbanista London ANC earphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

I wish I could praise London more, but unfortunately I bumped into a wall here. Saying that they sound average would mean setting a very low bar for the average set of real wireless earbuds, which is pretty good. No, the Londoners sound much worse. Imagine taking a really good set of earphones like the Sony WF-1000XM3 (hard to imagine if you haven't really heard it, but join in), but before you put it in your ears, plug it in Bundle of cotton balls first in front of the eardrum.

Saying that they sound average would mean setting a very low bar for the average set of real wireless earphones.

This risky-sounding combination is more or less what Londoners sound like. You can see that a full, rich sound can be heard somewhere deep in its components. Bass, mids, and possibly some decent high frequencies are there, but it's as if they're all trapped behind an invisible, wafer-thin layer of material that flattens everything into a dull, lifeless signal.

I literally pulled one of the earplugs off to see if there was a physical obstacle.

Unfortunately, Urbanista does not have an app for Londoners, so there is no way to optimize the EQ to compensate for this. Not that I think it would make a big difference.

Call quality

The Urbanista London can certainly be used for phone calls, but if the call quality is very important you may want to look elsewhere.

They tend to pick up background noise more than some other wireless earbuds I've tried, and the quality of your voice when speaking to callers is mediocre. The person who normally makes my earphone test calls said it sounded like I was very far from the microphone.

Control and ease of use

Urbanista London ANC earphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Pairing the London is very easy – just open the case with the buds inside and find the device in your Bluetooth accessories list on your phone. Unfortunately, they are not equipped with Bluetooth multipoint, so you can only pair them with one device at a time.

There's also no way to use just a single earbud as the wear sensor automatically pauses the music when you remove an earbud – a feature that can't be disabled.

Surprisingly, there is no way to skip tracks, which I think is more important than volume control.

The only exception is making or receiving calls that can only be made with one of the earphones alone.

Londoners use a touch-sensitive control area on each earphone, which is identified by the Urbanista logo on the top of the stems. As with many touch controls, you have to be reasonably accurate when typing. Tap the stem too deep and it won't respond.

Londoners are more picky about touch than I would like them to be. Double knocking was often interpreted as single knocking, which became annoying after a while.

You get the standard set of controls, including play / pause, volume up / down, answer / end call, but surprisingly there's no way to skip tracks, which I think is more important than volume control when you do this A choice between these two functions.

You can turn ANC on and off and activate the environmental mode. For voice assistants, however, only Siri is fully supported.

Due to the lack of an app, it is not possible to reconfigure what the different typing sequences do or which earphones are assigned to them.

Our opinion

Feature by feature, the Urbanista London should be a blast given its relatively affordable price and the available ANC. You will surely do many things right, especially in terms of design, fit and comfort. Unfortunately, Londoners miss the mark in key areas such as sound quality, call quality, and non-customizable controls.

Is there a better alternative?

If active noise cancellation isn't a must, there are almost too many great real wireless earbuds to list. Most of them cost less than $ 100, and I think they all sound better than London.

If ANC is the key and you want to stay below the $ 200 mark, check out the Edifier TWS NB and Panasonic RZ-S500W. Both offer excellent sound quality, ANC and much more features than the Urbanista London for $ 200 or less.

How long will they last?

With a one-year limited warranty, the Urbanista London seems to be well built and made of high quality materials.

Their IPX4 protection class protects them from the effects of water. As long as you don't abuse them, they should last as long as most real wireless earbuds you can currently buy.

Should you buy them

No. As tempting as it is to buy a set of active noise canceling earbuds for just $ 149, I doubt you will be happy with their sound.

Editor's recommendations