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Last week you’ve read our take on the Sennheiser Urbanite that provided exceptional comfort and top-notch sound quality. Now we take a look at its bigger sibling, the Sennheiser Urbanite XL. What we aim to find out in this review is which among the two should you go for if you plan to invest on a good pair of cans. Let’s get on it.

Design and Construction

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The bigger Urbanite XL basically shares the same DNA with the Urbanite in terms of design and construction. The biggest difference of the two is that while the Urbanite has an on-ear design, the bigger Urbanite XL goes for an over-the-ear approach (aka circumaural).

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Both have that same touch of matte in its aluminum arms and flexible headband wrapped in stitched cloth, in addition to feeling premium to the hands. The sliders that adjust the earcups glide smoothly and stay in place once worn.

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Just like the on-ear variant, the XL carries the same micro-fiber exterior hugging the memory foam pads. These aren’t the synthetic leather ones that chip away overtime so that’s one less thing to worry about in the long run.

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The headband is still simply-designed, with stitches running at both sides of the band. It’s also flexible just like the smaller Urbanite that you can bend to a straight horizontal line. The folding hinges are also present here that lets you fold the headphones and carry it on its draw-string pouch.

In terms of physique, pretty much everything still looked and felt the same with the exception of the bigger cups. As for its sound performance we’re just about to find out.

Comfort Factor

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As mentioned in our previous review, comfort factor is also what the company is focusing on in the Urbanite series. The XL clasps to the head securely while not being too tight at the same time — same with the case as the Urbanite.

Although this has over-the-ear cups designed to surround the ear and not go on top of it, we couldn’t say that one is better than the other as the on-ear variant was just as comfortable just like this one.

Honestly, I would personally choose over-the-ears instead of on-ears any day, so me saying that both are equal in comfort is something that I don’t say all the time. At the end of the day it will really boil down to the wearer’s choice if he/she likes sporting big cups or a more compact one.

Sound Quality

As we played our usual songs for testing, it took a while to dawn upon us the difference between the two. We knew something was different, but they sound very close to each other that it was challenging and we couldn’t seem to put our finger on it at first.

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After a few tracks and switching both headphones one after the other, we noticed that the Urbanite XL has a more concealed sound, compared to the supra-aural one which has a bit more treble in terms of pushing sound out of its drivers. The XL also sounded warmer, which for me, is better since it sounded more like it had consistency in it.

Bass stands solid and maintains its composure even on the highest volume, but doing so makes the treble too bright at times so we needed to keep the volume at a good spot to keep things balanced.

Wider soundscape is also one element that we noticed with the XL. This is mainly due to its circumaural design that gave more room for sound to move around in.

Keep in mind that both headphones sounded impressive and the noticeable differences we’ve mentioned could be negative for us, but we each have our own preferences.

Conclusion

Both the Urbanite and Urbanite XL have the same neat and easily-noticeable design, while having premium materials comprising it. They have commendable sound performance with slight differences, but overall provide an enjoyable musical experience. Comfort is also aced by both models so it’s just up to you if you prefer the feel of having bigger cups — although choosing the XL will set you back Php4K more.

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Basically, the characteristics that won us over with the Urbanite were still the same ones that got us impressed with the Urbanite XL. Although at Php15,900 it might not cater to everyone and just target the serious listeners (but hey at least it’s not as expensive as some Php20K headphones that are just over-hyped, right?).

You’ve seen the similarities and differences of the two. If you were to choose one, which would you pick? We’re just curious.

Sennheiser Urbanite specs:
Design: Circumaural, closed back
Transducers: Dynamic
Frequency response: 16Hz – 22kHz
Impedance: 18 ohms
Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 110dB
Volume control: Smart in-line remote
Microphone type: In-line microphone with omni-directional pickup
Connectivity: 3.5mm L-shaped plug
Cable length: 1.2 meters
Accessories: Soft pouch

What we liked about it:

Sturdy, flexible headband
Comfortable over-the-ear cups
Simple design

What we didn’t like:

Sounds bright on maximum volume

The post Sennheiser Urbanite XL Headphones Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Another Bose product is up for us to test out and this time it’s the QuietComfort 25 or simply the QC25. It is the successor to the well-received QC15 back in 2009. With it comes a more improved active noise cancellation (ANC) and is made of better function-targeted materials.

Physique

The Bose QC25 is made entirely of plastic that makes it totally lightweight. Although you won’t see any metal arm of any kind as its support, it feels firm; and could withstand bends and a few stress on its headband.

The headband is cushioned with foam and wrapped in cloth which gives ample support for the head once you pop it on. It also extends on both sides giving its users freedom to adjust the length of the arms depending on their needs for a secure fit.

The company promises a comfortable listening experience on the QC25. Their earcups are outlined with soft padding made of protein leather that gently surrounds the ears. We had an amazing time wearing it but we’ll tell you more about it in a little while.

In addition, both earcups twist so they’re face-down flat on a table while the stem folds to make it more compact for portability. It’s got an included hard case for travelling that you can easily pack inside your bag.

It requires a single AAA battery for its ANC to work, and the company claims could last for 35 hours before you need to replace it. We’ve used the QC25 for a week now and we’re still running on the stock battery that came with the package. When the battery runs out noise cancellation will no longer work, but you can still use it as is. The previous model QC15 didn’t work this way — once the battery’s dead, the entire headphone’s dead.

This is one update, although not new in the headphones scene, is good news for those who couldn’t be separated from their tunes.

The cable is now easier to replace compared to the previous one which is proprietary. If, by any chance, a need for a new cable arises, you can simply look for a standard 3.5 – 2.5mm audio jack. The bundled cable has the same color scheme as the headphones and comes with an in-line microphone and volume control for both music and call functions.

Comfort Factor

As mentioned earlier, we had an enjoyable time wearing the QuietComfort 25. The combination of its cushioned headband and plush pads feel comfortable and light that you wouldn’t notice wearing it after some time. We’ve had it on for at least 4 hours straight and we could say it’s one of the most comfortable over-the-ears we’ve tried. There was, however, one thing that made us remove these ‘phones, and the reason is not in this aspect. Read on.

Active Noise Cancellation

As a pair of headphones that belong to the QuietComfort series, one would pretty much expect that it should specialize in both Quiet and Comfort – and we’re already done with the latter.

True enough, this new model boasts a more improved way to neutralize external noise and leave you alone with your music. We’re already past recognizing its new ability to still play music even when ANC is off so let’s talk more about when it’s on. To do so, the switch is located on the right cup — you won’t miss it. Just flick it right and you’re good to go.

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Today’s active noise cancellation works in a way that sound from outside is picked up and used to cancel out the noise inside the ear cups — making you enjoy your music more. As you can see on the photo above, the shell has tiny holes where exterior sound enters. Using the QC25 and switching the ANC on and off, one can totally notice the difference between the two modes.

Partner this with music playing and what you have is an intimate time with your jam and nothing else. Plus, the soft earpads not only cushions but also seals the sound inside as to avoid sound leaks.

QC25’s ANC is effective. Hands down. It’s just that it could be too effective in a way that the absence of sound the ANC makes (during the silence in-between songs) sometimes gets tiring to the ears. It basically prompted us to either turn it off or just remove the headphones completely and give it a rest once in a while. This could just be a personal thing and not really a problem for all. It’s just an observation that we’d like to share.

Sound Quality

As excited as we were to judge its sound quality, we first let its drivers breathe out of the box by using it to play continuous music for hours. After which, we queued up our usual track list for testing and hit the play button.

After nitpicking its noise cancellation we’d like to give credit where credit is due. Sound quality for the QC25 is just how we liked it — balanced all-around. No matter what genre of music we played, the lows, mids, and highs all worked and blended together into one sound and we found ourselves enjoying as we were placed in the middle of it all. Details are also clear and distortion at even high volume is very little to none.

From jazz to hip-hop to trance and acoustic, we found ourselves grooving to every thump of bass, soothing vocals, and clash of hi-hats that these pair of cans reproduced. In my personal list, it’s definitely on the top 5 best-sounding closed-backs next to the Audio-Technica ATH-ES10 and the affordable Blaupunkt Comfort 112.

Conclusion

The Bose QuietComfort 25, assuming you’re into constantly listening to music, is one of those headphones that would be on your Christmas list for two reasons: One is because of all the niceties you’ll get when you buy it, and the other one is because it’s steeply-priced at Php20,000. For an average person, it’s not something you’d see and decide to buy instantly.

We basically enjoyed everything about it except for one tiny aspect that may or may not affect other users. It’s got a nice look, comfortable wear, and amazing sound reproduction.

Bose QC (QuietComfort) 25 specs:
Type: Closed-back, circumaural (over-ears)
Design: Headband
Speakers: 40mm full-range drivers
3,5-2,5mm detachable cable with inline-mic
Protein leather ear pads
Active Noise Cancellation
191 x 152 x 23mm (dimensions)
195 grams (weight)
Price: Php20,000

What we liked about it:

Sturdy plastic build makes it lightweight
Use of standard removable cable
Impressively comfortable to wear
Balanced/clear sound (lows, mids, highs)
ANC is effective in canceling out sound

What we didn’t like:

ANC is too effective in canceling out sound

The post Bose QC25 Noise-cancelling Headphones Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.