Urbanears Headphones and Earbuds

• By
• Shawn Conner

Urbanears offer an assortment of stylish colours, including this eye-catching tomato red

Bold and bright, these Swedish headsets from Urbanears are built for your listening pleasure

It’s always a good day at the TVW offices when a new set of headphones arrives, thus giving us the excuse to plug into the latest dubstep without annoying our new country-loving co-workers.

Urbanears has been in the competitive personal sound-system market for about two years now. The Swedish manufacturer offers four different kinds of headsets, including two styles of headphones, one of earbuds and one of earpieces.

All the products come in a variety of bright, statement-making colours (“Don’t bother me, I’m wearing a headset,” being the statement) such as mustard, tomato and raspberry. We were sent a pair of bright-orange Medis earpieces and white Plattan headphones to try out.

How it Works: All Urbanears headsets have tangle-resistant fabric cords (imagine a wired shoelace) with a remote button and microphone. The Plattan headphones are cushioned, while the Medis earpieces come with what the manufacturer calls “EarClick Construction.” This might be the most innovative feature of all of Urbanears products — instead of plugging into the ear canal, the Medis click into place at two points on the ear.

What it Does: The Plattan headphones give the listener a more immersive experience, but the Medis earpieces are more portable and practical. There is a little more sound-bleed from the Medis, since they fit on rather than in the ear. Both the Plattan and Medis handled loud volumes with a minimum of distortion and performed well with both low- and high-end frequencies.

Why you Want It: Fitness buffs annoyed by slipping earbuds will like the Medis’ EarClick Construction. For viewers who want to enjoy their shows on portable devices, Medis earpieces offer portability and better sound than standard-issue speakers. Gamers and music lovers will enjoy the more immersive qualities of the cushioned Plattan headphones. On both products, the tangle-resistant cord and bold colours are a definite plus. Prices are reasonable too: $60 for headphones, $50 for earpieces. Urbanears are available at Moulé, J2, Walrus and other selected retailers, or ordered from urbanears.com.

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.