Revolutionizing Audio: The Urbanista Los Angeles Headphones with Solar Charging

Hailing from Sweden, Urbanista creates and promotes headphones, earphones, and speakers that take cues from different cities around the globe. Each of its principal offerings is named after a prominent city worldwide. The company has recently introduced several products in India, including the one under review here. The Urbanista Los Angeles ranks among the brand’s pricier and more sophisticated items, featuring wireless technology, active noise cancellation, app compatibility, and a standout aspect that distinguishes it in the high-end wireless headphones market – solar charging.

With a price tag of Rs. 24,999 in India, the Urbanista Los Angeles faces stiff competition within its price range, including the Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One, yet it stands out thanks to its distinctive solar charging capability. How well does this headphone perform in terms of sound quality and general user experience? Discover more in this review.

The Urbanista Los Angeles comes in two colors: Sand Gold and Black

Nearly limitless battery life on the Urbanista Los Angeles

In contrast to sleek designs seen in competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One, the Urbanista Los Angeles presents a larger and sturdier form. The headphones have generous padding around the ear cups and the underside of the headband, with a robust frame that extends noticeably from your head during wear. The headband’s flexible design allows for slight bending, while its telescopic arms facilitate a tailored fit, and the ear cups can pivot slightly to establish a comfortable noise-isolating seal.

Despite these aspects, the Urbanista Los Angeles does feel a bit tight overall, with a strong clamping force that might lead to discomfort during extended listening sessions. The thick padding enveloped my ears completely, causing some warmth after prolonged use. I found myself needing to take breaks from listening after about 30-40 minutes. Thankfully, the predominant use of plastic in construction keeps the headphones lighter than their size might indicate, and the build quality remains satisfactory.

Available in India in two color choices, the Urbanista Los Angeles has a visually appealing design. The Sand Gold model I received for testing is quite attractive, setting itself apart from most other brands. I also appreciate the elegant simplicity of the black variant. Overall, these are stylish headphones.

Situated on the right ear cup are three physical buttons for power, playback, and volume, while the left ear cup features a customizable multi-function button accessible via the Urbanista companion app. Additionally, the left ear cup houses a USB Type-C port for charging. The headphones are equipped with three microphones for capturing voice commands or phone calls, in addition to supporting active noise cancellation. A wear detection sensor located on the inner side of the right ear cup automatically plays or pauses audio based on whether the headphones are worn or taken off.

The headband’s upper section features the Powerfoyle solar charging panel (developed by Exeger, based in Sweden), allowing the headset to recharge when exposed to sunlight. This panel spans the entire top of the headband, maximizing the surface area for solar energy absorption. Urbanista claims that Powerfoyle can also perform under artificial lighting.

Notably, Urbanista asserts that in bright sunlight, the headphones can charge faster than they deplete, stating that an hour in direct sunlight can yield three hours of playtime. This implies that the battery life on the Los Angeles could effectively be limitless, contingent on how and where the headphones are utilized. Thankfully, there is an additional USB Type-C charging option available.

The Urbanista Los Angeles pairs well with a notably effective companion app, Urbanista Audio (available for both Android and iOS), which allows users to monitor real-time solar charging effects on battery levels. The app also provides options for customizing controls, enabling users to switch between ANC, ambient sound, and default sound profiles, as well as activate on-ear detection. It is a well-crafted app that I found quite user-friendly.

The app presents detailed battery life and charging statistics, with a visual battery and charging interface that is captivating while using the headphones. An on-screen indicator shows the balance of battery ‘gain’ versus ‘drain,’ measured in milliamperes (mA), along with a battery percentage. You will notice the headphone is charging when the ‘gain’ surpasses ‘drain.’

The drain rate fluctuates depending on whether the headphones are in standby or actively playing audio, considering noise cancellation and ambient sound settings. Conversely, the gain level is influenced by the type of illumination hitting the Powerfoyle panel. In dim light, the gain was minimal, but under direct sunlight, it exceeded the drain level, even with audio playing and ANC enabled.

This data refreshes in real time within the app, and I could observe variations as the panel was exposed to different lighting environments. It’s truly impressive and suggests that the Urbanista Los Angeles might indeed charge quicker than it depletes.

Equipped with 40mm dynamic drivers and a 750mAh battery, the Urbanista Los Angeles utilizes Bluetooth 5 for connectivity, supporting SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. You can directly summon your smartphone’s default voice assistant from the headphones if you configure the controls accordingly. The package also includes an attractively designed carry case that allows the solar charging panel to remain unobstructed, along with a brief USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable.

The Urbanista app enables customization of headphone functions and provides crucial real-time battery ‘gain’ and ‘drain’ statistics

Assessing battery life on the Urbanista Los Angeles posed challenges, as the headphones underwent continuous recharging even while in use. Merely placing them in sunlight, even when unused, was sufficient to maintain battery levels, and extended usage did not significantly diminish battery life enough to yield a definitive duration estimate. Over three weeks of testing, I did not once need to connect the headphones to charge.

Urbanista claims that even without any light exposure, the headphones can last up to 80 hours. Thus, the assertion of ‘infinite’ listening duration on the Los Angeles appears very much attainable, making these headphones an excellent choice for those concerned about battery duration.

Adequate sound, best to bypass ANC on the Urbanista Los Angeles

While the promise of endless battery life is indeed a strong selling point, the Urbanista Los Angeles also needs to deliver solid audio performance, contending with tough competition from brands like Sony and JBL. Regrettably, the audio output is not quite on par with its rivals. Though still enjoyable to an extent, the experience using active noise cancellation was somewhat lacking. I’ll elaborate on this aspect further in the review.

In essence, the Urbanista Los Angeles produces decent audio with clear, powerful sound and a engaging signature across the frequency spectrum. The lack of compatibility with higher-level codecs may disappoint Android users, but iOS users will remain unaffected by this limitation.

Starting with «Over Here» by Mk.gee, the Urbanista Los Angeles offers a captivating, polished performance, providing a strong auditory experience. Its sound profile is bass-oriented, delivering a pronounced yet controlled low-end response that resonates without overwhelming. This characteristic made the rhythmic aspects of the track enjoyable, while the melody, cadence, and vocals retained clarity.

When exposed to direct sunlight, the Urbanista Los Angeles can recharge more quickly than the rate at which it drains

The sound quality benefits from the impressive passive noise isolation and the ability to achieve high volumes. However, the headphones are somewhat limited regarding detail reproduction and soundstage, not quite matching flagship performance levels I’ve experienced before.

While the audio response was acceptable, something felt lacking in the sharpness; nonetheless, I still enjoyed listening to both mid-tempo and faster tracks. «Arambol 2» by Astropilot was lively and engaging, effectively capturing its energy and vibe. Increasing the volume to around 90 percent rendered a captivating listening session without feeling excessive.

Utilizing the active noise cancellation feature on the Urbanista proved to be quite intriguing. While it does function, the effectiveness varies depending on your environment. At home, with windows open, some external sounds diminished, yet I still noticed a peculiar wind-like noise that persisted until ANC was disabled.

Outdoors, the ANC appeared a bit more effective, though I typically found it simpler to rely on the snug fit for passive sound isolation while increasing the volume slightly to mask outside noise. The hear-through mode permits some external noise in (albeit with a somewhat artificial quality), but I favored simply removing the headphones for conversations, taking advantage of the automatic play-pause feature.

A rather peculiar side effect of the ANC was the alteration in audio quality. Music felt somewhat compressed and unclear with ANC enabled, but that quality returned when switched to Ambient Sound or Default modes. During my review, I often avoided using active noise cancellation due to this issue, considering it nearly unusable on the Urbanista Los Angeles.

I had no issues with the stability of the connection or call quality while using the Urbanista Los Angeles. Its Bluetooth range was impressive, allowing me to enjoy a consistent audio stream up to 4 meters away from the connected device. The calls I made on the headphones were clear, with both parties able to communicate effectively.

[IMAGE_5]

The carry case is designed with an open top to expose the Powerfoyle solar panel for charging

Conclusion

Breaking into the market dominated by giants like Sony, Apple, and Bose is a significant challenge. Numerous brands in the high-end wireless headphone sector have attempted to make their mark but have struggled. Nevertheless, if any product holds the potential to do so and is worthy of consideration, it is the Urbanista Los Angeles. This headphone set boasts a premium appearance and feel, delivers good sound quality, and fulfills its promise of outstanding battery life.

However, the headphones do not excel in active noise cancellation. Besides being somewhat mediocre, enabling ANC adversely affects sound quality, leading me to generally prefer its absence. While its decent passive noise isolation compensates to an extent, it still falls short for a product priced at Rs. 24,999.

Consider purchasing the Urbanista Los Angeles for its unique features, especially if prolonged battery life is a priority for you. However, if your focus is on top-tier sound performance and ANC efficiency, alternatives like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One are worth exploring instead.

---