Sennheiser's brand new Urbanite line of headphones is visually reminiscent of the Beats lineup, with bright colors and sharp design. The less expensive of two options, the Sennheiser Urbanite is a $199.95 on-ear pair that offers a substantial amount of bass response without ever sounding unnatural. Compared with the other option—the recently reviewed, over-ear Sennheiser Urbanite XL ($189.95 at Amazon) —this on-ear pair offers a richer, bigger bass sound, but neither will deliver the kinds of lows Beats headphones are known for. Consider the on-ear Urbanite a headphone pair for those who want a solid balance and a strong, but not overpowering, bass response. For the price, it's one of the best-sounding on-ear pairs we've heard, earning it our Editors' Choice award. DesignFrom a design standpoint, both iterations of the Urbanite have the same basic look, with the obvious exception of size and shape of the earcups. The circumaural (over-ear) Urbanite XL is significantly larger than...

Sennheiser's Urbanite on-ear headphone pair offers a rewarding, rich sound signature, with a perfect balance of slightly boosted bass and well-defined mids and highs.

Excellent, balanced audio performance with crisp highs and rich, powerful bass response; Comfortable, handsome on-ear design

Light on accessories; Not for those seeking super-mega-bass sound

Whenever we receive a set of headphones to review, we have a set criteria that we compare them to: quality, performance and price. While there are other factors that come into play, these really are the main three concepts that we focus on.

Headphones have become more flamboyant in recent years. These days it's not just about the sound, but also the looks. Increasingly, we see headphones not on people's heads, but around their necks. Sennheiser is keenly aware of this – hence the Urbanites, which promise "urban style on the move".

Strong; well-defined bass; Solid build; Stylish design

Midrange could be more open and expressive; Could do with more subtlety and greater rhythmic precision

The Sennheiser Urbanite On-ear take the lifestyle angle the company started playing with in the great Momentum and Momentum On-ear headphones and move it a step further. These headphones aren't just style-infused, they are – as the name suggests – positively urban.

Comfortable; Good looks; great build; A more refined approach to bassy headphones; Very good sound quality

Thick; dark sound not for everyone; Evil hinge hurts fingers

In recent times, headphones have become as much a fashion accessory as a way of listening to music, and people are now paying just as much attention to colours and materials as they are to drivers and frequency response.

Went into the shop, it was ￡79 rather than normally being ￡130, turned out ￡5 more expensive than the earphones I originally went in for(sennheisers again). Staff allowed me to test the headphones, the audio quality difference was instantly apparent between the 2.Very comfortable to wear, fold away...

comfortable; replaceable wire; portable; high quality

The Sennheiser Urbanite headphones sound very nice, but the comfort isn't up to par with the Urbanite XL.

- Nice; balanced sound; - Fairly stylish; - Light

- The stiff earcups can be uncomfortable after a while; - Fans of heavy bass will be disappointed; - Proprietary cable is hard to replace

At $100 or less urbanites are a good portable headphones for those who are ok with the small soundstage and imo weird looks. At this price there are better sounding headphones but few, if any are as solidly built as sennheisers. For me personally these were disappointing headphones.

"fun sound" done right

in your head sound

Very painful to wear if you have a big head. Also, controls don't work with Android.

As a lover of music I am always looking for the perfect headphone's without breaking the bank and on this pursuit I came across the Sennheiser Urbanite and Urbanite XL. The Sennheiser Urbanite headphones have an on ear de...

Solid Build Quality; Very Comfortable; Crisp Highs & Mids; Bass Is Not Over Powering; Price

Headband Can Get Dirty Due To Colour