Audio Aesthetics: Urbanears’ Colorful, Affordable Take on Beats By Dre
With so much recent media emphasis on musician-endorsed headphones, a well-conceived, reasonable set, sans the megawatt thrills, can slip off the radar all too easily. If you’re an aesthete on a budget, consider checking out Urbanears, a headphone line popular at Urban Outfitters, which (literally) offers a lot of bang for your buck. This season the brand expands its audio range, with an eye towards high style and customization. Available in five models and over a dozen hues (including the latest options: cream, grape and sage), the latest Urbanear models stand out visually, thanks to their vaguely Scandinavian, modern and minimal design. Priced from $40-70, they are quite recession-friendly.
So how do they hold up sonically? They provide a solid listening experience for many, comparable to the dynamic quality offered by (much pricier) Beats by Dre and Skull Candy models. Producers aren’t going to mix with these, but enjoyed as intended – as an attractive way to listen to your music on the run – they clean up their competition nicely.
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