Sennheiser 506087 Urbanite Xl Wireless, Black (Discontinued By Manufacturer)

sennheiser 506087 urbanite xl wireless black discontinued by manufacturer

Sennheiser 506087 Urbanite XL Wireless, Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Wireless Freedom - Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, voice prompts, 3-way-calling, multi-connectivity. Connectivity Technology: Wireless
CD-quality audio - featuring the apt-X codec, the Urbanite XL Wireless can connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth apt-X-enabled device
Simple to use - intuitive touch control panel on ear cup and convenient connection with two devices simultaneously (phones and computers)
Hours of use - 25h of music without recharging, 15 days of stand-by time
Peace of mind - 2-years international warranty when purchased from an authorized Sennheiser dealer

Buy Now : Sennheiser 506087 Urbanite XL Wireless, Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Brand : Sennheiser Consumer Audio
Category : Electronics,Headphones, Earbuds & Accessories,Headphones & Earbuds,Earbud Headphones
Rating : 3.9
ListPrice : US $299.95
Price : US $149.99
Review Count : 367
SalesRank : 0

sennheiser 506087 urbanite xl wireless black discontinued by manufacturer

Sennheiser 506087 Urbanite XL Wireless, Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

This review is for Sennheiser Urbanite XL Wireless headphones.UX/Ease of use: At first glance, this looks like a premium headphone, Nice stitched headband, duo tone color scheme, matte metal emblem on the sides, even the included remote cable looks great. Upon closer inspection, the first impression continues. The inner left side is marked with three protruding dots, thats Braille for \"L\". In case someone with vision difficulties were using it or you were putting on the headphone in near dark situations. The Power button is spring slide type. It has a hard stop at \"Off\" position and a springed stop for bluetooth discovery mode. Much nicer than other headphones where you have to hold the power button for a few seconds to turn on discovery. A female voices announces connection or the lack of rather unobtrusively. Reminding me of the early BMW navigation systems. Still, I think, a voice prompt is best left behind. But for some of us, who cannot see a blinking led light for various reasons, a voice prompt maybe god send. I just wish there was a way to switch it off.Speaking of connectivity, this headphone can remember 8 devices. I tried it with 6 and it remembered them all without issue.The ear cups are plush the velour feels premium and comfortable, only a soft fleece blanket type material will be more comfortable, but I haven\'t seen any headphone brand come up with those yet. I wear an XL sized helmet so I like to think I have a larger than average head, the band expanded and the cups fit just as they should regardless of that. The headphone cups have an inner ball type rotation mechanism that fits the headphones snugly on you regardless of the size of your head. Very cool. The bottom part where the cups are situated are metal in a matte finish, and seem very durable. Once I put those on, I realized my first problem. My ears were just a bit bigger than the cup so parts of it stuck out of the cup. It felt strange and at times uncomfortable. How nice it would be if Sennheiser included a a few different interchangeable pads with various widths of padding so most ear sized would fit in fine ? My wife, who isnt cursed with such elvish ears, didnt have any problems with this.Once I put this on and paired it, I noticed how nicely it cuts off the outside world. I am sensitive to active noise cancellation and most passive noise cancellation reminds me of my days in the range with near silence and tight fitting headache inducing noise guards. These are a nice compromise between the two extremes. I put the headphone down to talk to my wife and then put it back on. Suddenly the music was gone and there was a male voice saying hello. It took a few seconds for me to realize I had called my dad, in the middle of the night. Yeah the touch plate on the side is finicky. You might make an unwanted call sometime. My dad, also a headphone addict, was actually quite amused, and he noted twice how clear my voice was during the call.The head band has a thin layer of padding at the bottom, it works but is nowhere near as comfortable as the padding you will find in Sennheiser\'s other models. With an extra large head like mine, it started to become painfully uncomfortable after a few hours of wearing. YMMV !I would have much preferred these to have a thicker padding and yes that would have made these headphones probably a bit bigger. But a bigger band would also be easier to carry around on your neck. You can carry this around your neck but the large cups and the small headband make this a bit challenging. Especially if you are wearing a thick jacket. Comparing this to the Sony MDR-10RBT, the sony feels much more comfortable and easier to carry. The Sennheiser does fold, but its still a big headphone when folded.So over all, an elegant subdued stylish set that to me, seems will last longer than the bluetooth standard itself. I didnt care for the touch panel controls, however I have an RS 180 wireless headset with actual buttons and those arent much easier to use either. So this issue will probably resolve itself with practice. My main problem so far is the size, it seems the band could have been a bit bigger and the velour padding should have been a bit less wide or had came with interchangeable pads.Sound Quality: Before I get into this, I would like to briefly explain my current set up so we know what I am comparing this set with.My main system is a 5.2 set up consisting of 4 Tannoy Revolution XT6F floor standing speakers, Tannoy - Revolution XTC center speaker and dual HSU VTF-15H subwoofers.My main headphone is Sennheiser HD 600 but I also have a Sennheiser HDR 180 that I use at work on a daily basis. I also at times use my wifes Sony bluetooth headphones.I will be comparing this set to the above set ups.First impressions on sound quality: Almost 25 years ago, my dad bought me my first sennheiser headphone to pair with my Aiwa Cassette player. I remember been up all night that listening to my favorite tracks because I was hearing things I had never heard before. Years later I had a similar experience with my Sennheiser HD600 and now these Urbanites reminded me of those experiences. No its not in the same league as the HD 600. But I have heard songs through my wifes Sony and then through this and I was amazed by the difference.These have a nicer stereo separation a wide soundstage and the tone is luscious and lively. Yes these have a v-shaped equalization applied to them. But the bass didnt sound exaggerated, it sounded punchy, with a just hint more loudness than say the HD 600. Comparatively, the Sony sounds like you are sitting next to a sub woofer. These have what I like to think, \"Sennheiser sound signature\" but more tailored to the tastes of a younger bass loving generation. I have a live recording of a concert in a church in England by a local band. Before the band starts playing, the drummer was calibrating his drum and while doing so he hits the drum once swiftly with his stick. The sound is like a loud thwack that reverbated back through the church. I have heard few speakers that can convey that immediacy and reverberation and decay of that sound as it reverberated along the walls of the church. My main speakers do a fair job, the HSU\'s definitely convey the feeling. The HD 600\'s definitely convey the sound but not the same feeling. The urbanite sounded like a fair compromise, it had no issues conveying the immediacy and the presentation of the bass note, but struggled to convey the subtler decay as the reverberation faded away.Listening to Norah Jones, I feel the v-shaped equalization hurts the music a little. Norah Jones still sounds like Norah Jones but not as intimately so as she would on the Sennheiser HD 600 and definitely nothing like a Grado RS2.Listening to Hayley Westenra \"Winter Magic\", the headphones do a splendid job of conveying the orchestra, they had the wide soundstage of my main system, and showed off the intricate details much like the Sennheiser HD 600. The built in equalization didnt hurt the sound much. Awesome.I played something more main stream, \"Hold on, were going home\" by Drake, this track has multiple drum and base lines and is quite bass heavy. The bass sounded powerful but not boomy and it never over powered Drake\'s voice. Quite an achievement considering Drake\'s voice is quite low and mellow in this track. Comparing this to the HDR 180, you immediately notice the presentation is just a bit cleaner through the HDR 180 but the bass almost sounds lose and woolly. The treble is clearer through the Urbanites, but its also a bit more grating compared to the HDR 180. The open back nature of the HDR 180 creates a much larger and nicer soundstage than the Urbanites but the stereo separation in the Urbanites is better.This is when I noticed my first real big issue with the Urbanite. The range, is abysmal even moving my head left and right sometimess causes the music to fade or distort. I am only about 3 feet away from the transmitter. I realize bluetooth performance is also a factor of the transmitter, so I tried a different dongle. A highly rated azio dongle instead of the soundbot I was previously using. Same issue, I love the sound but I cannot really enjoy it. Comparatively, I can take my HDR 180 out to the backyard and sit at the patio with uninterrupted music. Even my daughter\'s $25 Kinivo headphone works fine with transmitter indoors and her sitting in the Patio, but not this guy. My main purpose for buying this headphone is to replace my HDR 180 in my office as it leaks too much sound. I will not be moving around a lot with these headphones on and I will be within 3 feet of the transmitter. The Sony and the Kinivo has issue with this range, but the Sennheiser drops out intermittently.I am at a loss for words, this is unacceptable at this price.Closing thoughts: I really love the sound of these phones. They sound similar to my main floor standing loudspeakers but with a more forward presentation and just a bit harsher. Still they sound great. Whatever DSP Sennheiser has chosen with these phones, works well. It does enhance the bass, but it doesnt take away the music in the process. I have heard other bass heavy speakers including the famous brand that forced Sennheiser to come up with this model, those phones all sound dull and muddy compared to these phones. These are not neutral or audiophile but sound great nevertheless. However, in the end, I am not able to keep it simply because of its abysmal range and lack of comfort for longer listening sessions. The HDR 180 runs circles around this on the above two points. Yes these headphones don\'t annoy your neighbors with sound bleed like the HDR 180, but whats the point in having a headphone if it just cuts off with sharp whizzy noises in the middle of your listening session ? I can live with the discomfort but I cannot live with the cut off. I am still thinking this may be a defective unit, and I have to admit I have a larger head an elven ears, so I am cutting off only one star. If Sennheiser could fix my main two gripes, this would be a 5 star product. Till then, I am back to annoying folks with my HDR 180.Update: 12/10...I purchased another unit to give the bluetooth range another shot. The range still isnt anything to write home about but it doesnt drop off every few minutes at a 3 feet distance. I guess my original unit had issues. I am updating this review to 5 Stars.If you are using this on a windows pc and the sound is muffled or sounds like a speakerphone, make sure your Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) is enabled. Also, while Windows 8.1 onwards, the OS supports this natively, your dongle or motherboard may not.
I am changing my review. I still believe what I said, but ......New Review:The controls are terrible except for the off and on button. The off and on button is fabulous. You just click it on or off. Click on. Click off. You do not need a stop watch to turn it on and off!!!! It has an old on/off switch. The kind I long for. Why do I have to hold a button for 5 seconds to turn it on or off? That\'s 5 seconds of my life, over and over and over. This is better technology? NO IT IS NOT!!!So first off, thanks for putting a good old on and off switch Sennheiser! How could you do something so great, so astoundingly brilliant, and then finish it off with the worst controls I have ever seen. Read my first review. The other controls are the worst you can buy. The worst on the market. Someone was sleeping at Sennheiser when they let this one go to manufacturing.So now that I have that off my chest, again, I also tried the Bose SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones and the B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Over-Ear Beoplay H4 wireless headphones. I tried no noise cancelling headphones. I have no noise to cancel. I tried all three of these though. What many consider the leading candidates in this category.Terrible controls and everything, for me, Sennheiser is still the winner. I bought a little Android music clicker to control them so I only use their off and on button. Everything else, I like the Sennheiser. I believe it has the best and truest sound. It is also the most comfortable to wear. I think it wins every category but the controls, so I bought my own controls.I know I hate the controls and I do, but now I say, buy a music clicker and get the Sennheiser. I believe it is a truer, better sound than the Bose, but it is close. The B&O actually get painful to wear after awhile. They have bad controls too. 5 second hold buttons. Congrats to Bose though. The Bose has the best controls of the bunch. They too have an off and on switch. I love it. No more wasting 5 seconds of my life just to turn off a stupid pair of headphones, over and over and over. The Bose sound okay too. I just give a small edge to Sennheiser.I am still looking though. I want an on and off switch. I want a volume dial. Remember those? They worked great and you could tell whether the device was on or off and what the volume was just by looking. An on/off switch. A volume dial. Two buttons for next and previous or even better, a toggle switch for next , previous, fast forward, etc.Speaking of such, since I had to look for an Android music controller I learned there are no good ones. If someone knows of a good one, let me know.I feel listening to music requires 8 control functions. Vol+, Vol-, Pause, Next, Previous, Back to Beginning, Fast Forward, Fast Reverse (rewind). Out of tons of these music controllers available, I have found only one that has these 8 functions. To me this is amazing. There are only 8 functions. We all know them. How hard can it be?!?!?! Many have far more than 8 buttons, but they still cannot do the 8 basic functions. Only one does, but I won\'t recommend it because to save the battery it turns itself off about every 3-4 seconds. Then you get to hold down the off/on button for 8.389756659782687657801364 seconds to turn it back on. While this saves the battery, it makes the device useless.Maybe one of the headphone manufacturers could add such a device. It would be greatly appreciated. Please let it have an off and on switch. Let it do all 8 functions and no more. Please don\'t let it turn itself off. If it wants to be off, let it buy its own controller.First Review:I do not recommend these because they have bad controls. I feel Sennheiser is being novel just to be novel. These controls do not work nearly as well as many other tried and tested methods. Many commented that you will catch on, get used to them. Why? Why must I get used to them. Why not concentrate on sound quality instead?The controls are located on a pressure sensitive surface of one of the cups. Slide your finger for volume. Tap for tracks. Tap once to pause, twice for the next track and so forth. Much of the time when I tap twice it only reads one tap and pauses. Then I have to unpause and try again. I try to turn the volume down and guess what? It pauses. It loves to pause. Very annoying.Why must I get used to this? Why can\'t they just have good old controls that work without a training period? Plus when you tap them, it\'s like putting your head in a drum (or a cup!), and pounding on it. It hurts. My ear drum does not like it. Put a paper cup over your ear.. Tap on the bottom. What do you think?I don\'t know how they sound. Too annoyed with the controls. My advice, find another.