So much better an reviewer then even the nearest competitor. 110% solid clear in-depth unbiased insights, delivered with great positive energy! Loved listening to ya.
just came by to say i bought these headphones years ago cause of this review and they've served me really well so thanks for making this, couldn't be happier with them
one thing i want to say about this headphone is after maybe 3 and a half years of heavy, heavy use, the only problem i have had with these is the wear and tear of the earpads--they start to come apart at the little rubber lip that actually connects them to the headphone, but after 3 years with no discernible drop in quality i'm more than happy to spend the $30 to replace the ear pads with new ones from sennheiser
This guy's the best headphone reviewer on RU-vid. He makes me want to buy all the headphones he reviews, unfortunately I can't afford them. Anyway, keep up the good work!
I doubt that young folks will really take to it.. Unfortunately, they almost always buy things based on brand rather than doing their homework. However, thx again Tyll for another in-depth review ... Ur the man.
Sennheiser should just make themselves a sub brand solely for appealing to the younger generation if they really want to get in that market. Let's face it, no one's going to say "Hey bro you got them new Sennheisers?" It's all in the name and the marketing.
Stephen Spangenberg but sennheiser is really known for their audio for the larger community and if they make good looking headphones then i don't see why people wouldn't buy it. i think this urbanite along with the momentum series is really knocking on that door
Another excellent review - I've been researching headphones and after months of deliberating, took the plunge with help from your reviews and Lachlan too...THANK YOU!!!
I watched this video with these headphones on. I'm used to over ear and at first I wasn't really sure about the sound quality, but then I started realizing that the two can't really be compared. Great all round headphones though! I'm pretty pleased with them
it really sounds like the urbanites here and the solo2s as well as the xs are beginning a trend.. which is to to reduce the treble and rolling it off quite a bit. i'm guessing this is for 2 reason, if anyone else wanna chime in feel free. 1) as Tyll mentioned its for the audience thats streaming and listening to a really compressed sometimes ripped files, which can sound very harsh especially in the treble 2) most consumers these headphones(i listed) are targeted towards those that like to TURN up the volume, along with their compressed music can be really jarring to the ears, which many would interpret as being harsh sounding (when reality its the files and the volume doing that, not the headphones) Any thoughts?
I've just bought a pair of the Urbanite XL wired for under £10 including p&p!! I'm impressed by their sound and comfort. They are a tad more agressive in the upper ranges compared to my momentum 2.0 on ear phones, and come across a bit harsh. That said, bass is well provided for and detail seems good! For the price I paid I'm not going to complain! I've used Sennheiser phones for years and always like the build quality and style.
Big thanks for the disassembly link, I really like to see what's inside as it gives a much better understanding and appreciation of the product (yep, I'm an engineer, just need to know this stuff :D ).
Well, I'm a 20 year old and I bought the AKG K550 and B&O H6, and I don't listen to music from the corporate factories - be careful with generalisations, Tyll - just because we're young doesn't mean we're all jackasses with no taste (though there are a CONSIDERABLE amount).
Why do you feel the need disrespect a large group of people for listening to Pop? People listen to music for different reasons just like any other art form or entertainment.
What a STUPID comment! Who the hell are you to dictate what other people's understanding/reasons for using a certain brand? What right do you have to determine what other people should use? Aside from the monumental arrorgance, intolerance and dictatorial attitude; you come across as a COMPLETE FOOL. Why do you/and people like you think everyone has to have the same opinion as you and if not they are ignorant, wrong, and etc for exercising their of choice or having a difference of opinion? A person only "cares about" sound if they listen to the brand of headphone you recomend. Does include the genre of music they enjoy, their preferred device to consume it on, their age, their ethnicity and so forth? Does everything have to conform to your point of view and/or beliefs? This is why headphone reviews in general are becoming irrelevant as they are becoming nothing more than a battlefied of brand fans using the comment section to spew vitriol and insults. I can't count the number of comments of people who, indicated they never actually listened through this or that brand of headphone yet feel free to offer an "informed opinion" because their favorite reviewer or Tech Site has said such and such which is, of course, Fact Written In Stone and not simply another person's opinion.
WolfRanger2008 You could've just replied to him with: ''That's a really shallow, black and white look on Beats buyers." Instead of that 200 page essay on why he is wrong. -.-
Daan Gerssen No, it's ok. If someone is defeating their own argument with ad hominem, stand back and let them talk. The only way he could argue is to demonstrate some evidence that the "b" headphone frequency response is more accurate and has less distortion than that price range, such as B&W P5. This is an impossible task.
My question now is where is the Marshall Monitor? Many posts on Head-fi and rather positive reviews yet no word has been spoken about them on this channel...
Tyler: Yet another superb review. You are, without doubt, the most sensational and articulate of reviewers on this platform... And, because your reviews are so helpful, taut, precise and coherent, I am still unable to buy a pair of headphones, two years on (and still looking!).... I currently own a pair of AKG K-450s which are used for travelling and to listen to music through my i-Mac but they are rather 'flat' and somewhat poor in the highs, if not lacking in richness and airiness. Have road-tested the Momentums and would agree completely with your thoughts about the poor bass responses and feeble treble. I also found the Urbanite (from sampling it yesterday) somewhat impressive though feeling like it was aspiring to greatness and not quite making the grade! It softened details that I would want to hear as a fan of independent pop; jazz; classical and world music who tends to listen to uncompressed music or soon will through his DAC amplifier! Any suggestions for a fussy, sophisticated pedant like moi?! All the best
Great review sir! I've been debating between the Urbanite and V-Moda Crossfade LP2. Have you tried the LP2? I enjoy tight, well-defined bass, listening to mostly pop, rock, r&b and the like. I do like it when the headphones bring out the voice a bit, and clear and articulate rendering of instruments.
They got a lot right, but I returned mine for a number of reasons. 1.There are a ton of better options then these in the headphone department in the same price range 2.These aren't comfortable at all and hurt my ears after 5 to 15 minutes of listening 3.A common problem which got me as well with these, the bass completely died after just one month 4.They constantly slipped off of my head
Love the threads man,you're very close in your opinion most of the time.So much is subjective as well! Long time user of the Sennheiser brand but the Shure 1540 is a real crowd pleaser...the Schafensterpuppen...#47
Think I will go for these. While I do prefer more accurate reproduction, I have come to the conclusion that I only would use these while out and about, and simply cannot hear or focus on details like I would at home. Walking around listening to a smartphone mp3 is just not hi fi. Not to mention outside noise. Besides, I am tired of delicate iem always failing. Sick of it really. I go through them way too often.
+schlooonginator Wow, the bass is very good. Its extremely accurate with zero bloat and is tight and speedy. Personally, I find the bass balanced. I honestly do not feel they are basshead at all. Not a huge soundstage but really great imaging making it really easy to hear details as nothing gets in the others way. Funny thing is, I did not think too higgh of them first listening to older produced memtal albums such as early Metallica and early death metal. Oddly enough I found it actually sounded too mashed up and perhaps a bit veiled but then I listen to Sabbath and am blown away,bizarre. Some of these lower fi productions such as early Godflesh and even Jesu sounded like the vocals were even further away than normal which again seems odd as these do produce mids really great. I am thinking that perhaps the lesser treble is making these older ,less dynamic extreme metal/doom albums sound too thick,even thicker than normal. I listened to Alice in Chains Unplugged which has an awesome recording sound ,well the best I have heard and easily heard sounds I never heard before and I typically have $150-$300 IEM and headphones such as Klipsch X5, Pana HJE900, Yam EPH100(150?), V moda M80. This album really show cased these headphones abilities with awesome detail, very good imaging and accurate impactful bass. Hooked up to my PC via Fiio e18 and compared to my full sized Soundmagics and they are good at imaging but you notice its not immersive like the HP100 rather in front of you. The bass is not as powerful or deep but is more accurate and tighter with maybe a smidge more hit but not as nuch rumble.
I just picked up these headphones for £64 on Amazon! I don't think you can get a better deal than that roughly $85! It's coming tomorrow and I'm quite excited actually that's literally like a few drinks at the bar LOL
TheTechAudiophile I have been putting them through their paces since they arrived on Friday, I got the solo to on Saturday so I've been trying to decide between the two. Aesthetically they built like a tank I can imagine these lasting 10 years! The design is industrial so if you like it that's fine, you have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to build quality. The sound is a little bit more tricky, base is tight punchy and very very very good, liquid mids, these two frequencies do not overlap and it's a beautiful blend, incredible for the price actually, but up in mids and top end, is very veiled, Great for films dance dubstep Wide stage pretty good these headphones are not good for all genres, and how veiled and dark they sound might put off some people so consider those options I hope this helps
Anything else I did not cover ask away and I'll do my best to answer it but if you want to get them get them now, they are £64 on Amazon I don't think you will find a better deal and there is nothing better in this price range
They do tend to clamp rather tight around the ears, for a perfect seal. If we compare the Beats Solo 2, far more comfortable, and after a while you forget you're wearing a pair of on ears. These are a very tiny amount more uncomfortable, The band over the head is not as secure as the solos, bending down to tie your shoe laces example,. They slip a little bit because they are tad heavier, and a little warmer on the ears my opinion. I can't see where in these more than a couple of hours myself at a time, 3 4 at the most,
Always enjoy watching your informative videos, and it's good to listen to someone who knows their Sh*t, also always wonder what fantastic shirt you'll have on next, eat your heart out John Travolta!
I'm pretty sure the reason you think the eq of the urbanite's are lacking has a lot to do with older ears I'd be interested to know if you've had a ear test lately because the hurts that you flame are lacking hurt younger ears and the crisp highs people over 40 have a hard time with. No disrespect I appreciate your in depth videos thanks
Good god...Just saw the microsite and their promo video with the bad stereotype german accent man-maid...Definitely one of the weirder things I've seen online...and I used to frequent 4chan so that says a lot..heh. Anyway, seeing high praise from you and Barnacles (who did a very nice job demonstrating the seal and passive noise cancelling) definitely looking forward to trying these out. Will also be on the lookout for a third party hard case for these, I've been successful at finding cases for my Sennheiser 558's. If these are popular enough, I'm sure a third party case will be made, they might even fit in cases made for the Beats Solo's as they do fold in a somewhat similar fashion.
Great review as always!!! I'm looking at the Sennheiser Urbanite and v-moda xs. I like a good bass/warm sounding headphone And my ears are a little sensitive to high Sharp trouble. Favorite sounding headphones currently are Audio-Technica M-50s. Overall which of the 2 would you suggest? Loved the V-moda M-100 sound but even the Large cups were too shallow for my ears. PS. Your reviews have led me to many successful headphone purchases over the years including M-50s THANK YOU!!!
So Sennheiser's claim of "massive bass" is not as advertised, but still a winner? I'm s solo2 guy and love them, but welcome the urbanites wholeheartedly for sure - more competition in a very competitive sector can only produce better and better headphones. Yeah - the new urbanites adverts are hilarious and can only add to their identity appeal. Would love to see a urbanite XL review from you as they share the same headband with only earcup size differences? You know - I think if you ever get around to doing a review of the Thinksound On1 Monitor cans, you may well find an overall winner that would replace the current clutter you have on your WOF - be interested to see what you make of those cans for sure. Good job though on the urbanites! I was waiting for your impressions and watched with interest. Big thanks bro!
Sup Soul And audiophiles are very commonly full-of-themselves snobs that likes to hate on everything in the audio-world that happens to be popular at the time. Because hipster. Hear this: I am a musician and a producer, so it kind of it says itself that I love great audio. The first models that came out of the Beats-factories a couple of years ago were to be honest not that good, but they didn't straight up suck. As of today though, they have actually put some work into their products, and honestly, the Mixr's and the Pro's are both terrific headphones. Yeah, if you don't like extra bass, you're naturally not gonna like them, but if you do, you'll find that both of these have super heavy, yet super tight bass, and they still manage to provide a great amount of clarity. Are they good for producing music? No, but there are a lot of extremely good headphones that I wouldn't even dream of producing with, simply because that is not what they're for. They are made to have a coloured and fun sound, and neither the Mixr's or the Pro's dissapoint, rather the opposite. You are still paying quite a lot for the style, but if you care to have a pair of super dope headphones and also care to pay extra for some style, both of them are solid buys! Over and out!
Petter Forsberg Beats are crap performance to cost ratio. There is no defending them sonically. They sell because they had a famous name, look pretty, and had 10 times the marketing dollars of everyone else. The question i have is: as a music producer, would you ever buy Beats? If your answer is yes, then you are clearly a shill
doluseb Well, if you can read(which I assume you can), you can see that I said that I would never do production on Beats, because they are way too coloured. But I also said that how good a pair of headphones are isn't determined by if they are suited for production. There are a heap of headphones that sound great, but they are coloured to flatter your music, and thus are not at all suited for production. And then again, I would also not use headphones suited for production for listening to music for an entertainment purpose, because while they sound clear and detailed, they sound boring. So, to conclude: I could definitely use one of the higher-end Beats cans for listening to music(although yes, they are expensive as fuck), but would absolutely not use them for production! I hope I was clear enough this time. :)
Hey Tyll, I don't know if you reply but might as well ask. The HD25 1-ii are also on the wall of fame at 199$, what about them?.. And do you think for around 199 the Aluminium HD 25s are better than the XS, Solos and Urbanites cause they are usually a fair bit more expensive but I found them on sale. Oh and I remember you said in the past the older Studios (by Beats) were pretty good and now you said the newer were better on Innerfidelity but still mediocre so I were quite confused about that..
Isn't the momentum based on the HD-25-I-ii which has crazy good bass response? If so I'd think it blows away the urbanites and just about all the others.
4:10 Wooooahhhhh... that stretch though... The design is starting to grow on me, especially the mocha colored one. I really think it's just that red/blue/white one that makes everyone cringe. The sound may be a hard sell for me though, as I do love my treble. Hopefully I find a golden ear while randomly strutting around the city.
Excellent review Tyll! How loud is the sound in these cans using an iphone 6? I live in europe and the european iphones have a bit lower volume than the us versions because of a stupid european law :/ I would highly appreciate if someone could reply!
Tyll, Those with big heads - what should they go with? I maxed out on the V-moda M80s in terms of size and were still uncomfortable (putting it nicely).
Hi do you think the left and right speakers are interchangeable. I would like to buy two headsets that both have broken left ear speakers and replace a speaker, I pretty good with a solder iron and wondering if my idea might work. thanks for any help and great videos!
+InnerFidelity i would be very happy if you could do a review about JBL synchros s300 (or s300a idk what really changed between those 2). I'm trying to buy a good headphone but in my country (brazil) the stuffs as pretty expansive, it costs R$400 in my country and i can't find a really good review anywhere in the youtube. And part of me is very curious to know what you have to say about those JBL headphones. For me your reviews are just awesome and you really put the sound into words very well. Thanks
Hello, I was wondering what headphones would you recommend for someone who wants headphones that has "deep thump and pound," bass sound ? I'm currently using skullcandy headphones, and the bass with these are ok, but I've also used a few other headphones, but nothing has yet to give me the rich extreme bass sound that I'm looking for. Also, with good mids, and Hi's as well.
I am looking to buy a really good pair of headphones and the brand I have chosen is Sennheiser. I have narrowed it down to the Urbanite and the Momentum On Ear. If I am going for all round quality of sound which pair do you think I should go with, I don't care about fashion statements. Thanks, I have been meaning to get some good headphones.
If you want bass, Momentum on ear. If you want headphones for Dubstep and Elextric,Urbanite XL. Even sound,Momentum over ears. Comfort wise the Urbanite would be better but if you have smaller ears the Mkmw
Watched the whole video & it's clear from what U say (if U R being honest with your opinions) that the Beats Solo 2 is the best of the group. A bit of smooth bass boost is extremely easy 2 correct by simply turning the bass down on N E MP3 player or other gear, whereas correcting notchy trebble is extremely difficult & requires specialized software (even having 2 custom select frequencies & bandwidths on a parametric), & correcting flabby distorted bass on a headphone is near impossible (with aftermarket mods or other tweax). The beats WIN! Or U can just buy some Koss KEB15i in-ears for fifteen dollars retail & they sound better than the beats =) DITCH THE OTHERS & KEEP THE bEATS sOLO 2! Show some direction, dood. It's obviously the right choice of those U have reviewed in this range. I've tried out lots of fancy headphones. They all suk compared 2 good in-ears, so I return them all. I don't like shoving things in my ear but the superior sound quality is worth it, + with the right tips they R actually MORE comfortable than other types because not pressing down on your ears or head. Your goal, like that of the audience, should not B 2 merely classify things in verious price ranges. What we all WANT is the BEST SOUND FOR LEAST MONEY. Of current offerings I have tested, that is the Koss KEB15i with tips from the Radio Shack Auvio Pearl Bud 2.0 or Auvio Element or Auvio 4 Android (they R extremely similar tips). The Koss tips R UNUSABLE & uncomfortable & stiff & WILL NOT seal. There R better headphones out there, but it is a discontinued product that only sounds good by accident & has a 60% defect rate, so if the Koss can fit U, just get those =) 4 large tips another good 1 is those from the Maxell IE-MIC SLV or Maxell '2 Buds + Splitter', Model: MIX-WBK Item #: 196135 UPC: 025215197093
I have the Sennheiser RS 180 which I love but often on films I found the voices "fighting" the background music so I bought after saving a long time the RS 195 which are very good for films but for music also BUT, from1 (low) to 20 (highest) the highest sound level I can reach is like 9 out of 20. With the RS 180 I put them on 14 for a very high level of sound and have 6 levels yet to go if I want damaged ears. I didn't pay $450 for a way to hear greaat music sound with no vitality. Any ideas?
These are better for Electronic music while I found that Momentum Over Ears had more of an even sound. These have more bass while the Over ear Momentum are more even. However, durability wise these are better
Please, I am begging you, as "audiophiles", we expect such a channel to have top notch AUDIO. Get a decent, cheap (or expensive) USB mic for these videos. Thank you very much for reading, if you get to see this. Guys?
Those are two different types of cans. Sennheiser Urbanite is closed back and Fidelio X2 is open back. Urbanite would be more suitable for street wear with it's provision of some isolation, whereas X2 would be much more suitable for indoor use, as it will leak sound. As for the sound quality and comfort goes I much prefer the Fidelio X2 (Tyll described the sound of it in the other video and I agree with his impression). If you listen to music a lot in public, it's be better to get the Urbanite, as the listening locations will be more versatile over the X2. It'll also cost you about $75-$80 less.
I hated the Urbanites. I really wanted to like them. I did. The sound was just inferior to my ears. And the XLs I found very uncomfortable as the itchy pads covered 1/3 of my cheeks. C'est la vie.
Huge fan of your vids! Always look forward to a can review. Lachlanlikesathing does pretty awesome reviews too. I'm still rockin my V-Moda M80s! Just love 'em
