Urbanista Los Angeles Review: Solar-Powered Headphones That Actually Work

“Infinite” is a tough one, isn’t it? Something’s both infinite or it isn’t. So when Urbanista describes its Los Angeles wi-fi noise-canceling over-ear headphones as having “virtually infinite” playtime, that’s mainly the identical as saying the Los Angeles don’t have infinite playtime.

Although, to be truthful to Urbanista, the Los Angeles get so much nearer than most.

At a look, there’s nothing significantly noteworthy in regards to the Urbanista Los Angeles. Like the Miami wi-fi headphones on which they’re carefully primarily based, they’re discreetly good wanting and properly completed. And like each Urbanista product, they’re named after one of many planet’s extra evocative locations.

It’s on the skin of the scarf, although, that the Los Angeles all of a sudden grow to be distinctive. “Unique,” like “infinite,” is an absolute, however at the moment it is a description the Urbanista deserve. Because built-in into the skin of the scarf is a giant strip of a cloth known as Powerfoyle that’s equipped by an organization known as Exeger. It’s a photo voltaic cell materials, and it could possibly derive power from any kind of sunshine, from sunshine to the lightbulbs in your house. It’s all the time pulling power, all the time charging, whether or not the headphones are switched on or not. And it means the Urbanista Los Angeles will play for an infinite size of time with out ever needing to be charged from the mains. Which, as distinctive promoting factors go, is fairly spectacular.

This piece of engineering brilliance apart, it’s largely Urbanista enterprise as standard. Which means the Los Angeles are a strong pair of headphones, snug at each contact level and never (like so many rival designs) about to swamp the smaller-headed listener. Build high quality is unarguable, the selection of supplies is even handed, the colour choices (“midnight” black or “sand” gold) are nice, and there’s a level of tactility in regards to the Los Angeles that’s on no account widespread in headphones beneath the £200 mark. 

Wireless connectivity is through Bluetooth 5.0, which is satisfactory however hardly on the leading edge. Sound is delivered by a few the identical 40-mm full-range dynamic drivers fitted to the (all of a sudden barely low-tech) Urbanista Miami. There’s three-position lively noise-cancellation: On, Off, or Ambient Sound, and hair-trigger accelerometers that pause music for those who take the Los Angeles off your head (and even shift them barely in your ears). Happily, the on-ear detection could be defeated within the good, new Urbanista management app.

As far as headphones management apps go, it’s one of many better-looking however one of many extra restricted in what it could possibly truly do for you. There’s a pleasant, massive show that explains whether or not the battery is being topped up or drained; there’s switching for the three-stage noise-cancellation; and there’s the flexibility to outline the operate of the bodily Control button on the skin of the left earcup. That’s your lot.