The affordable over-ear headphone market is saturated, there are many brands and styles to choose from. But, thanks to the marketing, it’s hard to tell what they offer and how they are different. If you’ve gotten this far, you’re interested in the Urbanista Seattle vs Detroit – so we will take a deeper look into what is better between the Urbanista Detroit vs. Urbanista Seattle.
|
Specifications |
Detroit |
Seattle |
|---|---|---|
|
Bluetooth Technology |
4.2 |
4.1 |
|
Microphone Included |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Battery Life |
12 hours on full charge, 300 hour standby time |
12 hours on full charge, 500 hour standby time |
|
Recharge Time |
2.5 hours |
2.5 hours |
|
Cable Type |
Micro-USB |
Micro-USB |
|
Touch Sensitive Options |
No |
Yes |
|
Weight |
150 grams |
172 grams |
|
Speaker Size |
40 mm |
40 mm |
|
Frequency Range |
2.4Ghz – 2.48 GHz |
20 Hz – 20,000 Hz |
|
Rating |
||
|
Price |
Urbanista
Urbanista is an audio electronics brand formed in Stockholm in 2010 with an emphasis on influencing the urban lifestyle. Their look tends to take on a more Scandinavian, minimalist style reminiscent of what you may find at IKEA. The style is a byproduct of the brand’s philosophy – to honor cities and its inhabitants, for a life in motion.
Urbanista Seattle
The Urbanista Seattle comes in at a mid-level price point, but with more than enough attributes to satisfy. Designed for a consumer who wants enough features to make life easier without breaking the bank, the Seattle answers the call (literally and figuratively).
Specifications:
- Bluetooth 4.1 technology
- Battery life – 12 hours of continuous playtime on a full charge
- Hands-free with microphone and volume control
- On-ear fit
- Genuine protein leather wrap
- 2.5 hour recharge time
- Micro-USB charging cable included
- Play/Pause button
- Swipe Technology – touch control
- Foldable design
- Frequency Range: 20 HZ – 20,000 Hz
Pros:
- Genuine protein leather wrap
- Swipe technology for the touch-sensitive selection
- Wider frequency range
- Better sound, lower distortion
Cons:
- Higher price point
- Same battery life and Bluetooth technology as Detroit
Urbanista Detroit
Coming in at a more modest price point, the Urbanista Detroit offers a baseline set of features that one can expect a wireless pair to have. The Detroit targets a consumer who wants to get a nice pair of wireless on-ear headphones better than the stock set they got with their smartphone.
Specifications:
- Bluetooth 4.2 technology
- Battery life – 12 hours of continuous playtime on a full charge
- Hands-free with microphone and volume control
- Physical buttons for Play/Pause/Volume adjust
- Textured leather wrap
- 2.5 hour recharge time
- Micro-USB charging cable included
- Foldable design
Pros:
- Dedicated physical buttons
- Equal recharge time and overall battery life
- Lightweight foldable design for portability
- Lower price point
Cons:
- Lessened frequency range
- No-touch sensing technology
Features Face to Face
Although the two Urbanista sets of headphones have a very similar look, the features are where they differ. In this section, we will detail a list of comparable features and then award a winner for each based on value to the consumer. Keep in mind that with headphones from the same brand, the company will create tiers of features between different price points.
Bluetooth and Hands-free Technology
Between the Urbanista Detroit and Seattle, there is one minor difference in Bluetooth, and no difference in Hands-free technology.
The Urbanista Detroit uses Bluetooth 4.2 technology, whereas the Seattle uses Bluetooth 4.1. The main upgrade from 4.2 over 4.1 is its ability to connect faster, among other small improvements. The 4.1 technology gives the unit a low power mode to help save battery.
Both the Detroit and the Seattle have the same hands-free technology that utilizes the built in microphone to get voice control for volume and playback adjustments.
Since the Bluetooth 4.2 connection is faster and also can be backwards compatible to offer low power mode as well, we have to award the winner of this category to the Detroit.
Winner: Urbanista Detroit
More: Urbanista Plus vs Paris vs London: Which one to have?
Battery Life and Details
Having just gone over the Bluetooth details, we move on to Battery life, which is the same 12 hours of continuous playback for each unit. Though the standby time comes in at 500 hours for the Seattle, versus 300 hours on the Detroit.
Both the Detroit and the Seattle have a 2.5 hour recharge time, and use a micro-USB cabling system.
For this category, we award a tie, since stand-by time isn’t such a big issue to award a clear advantage in value.
Winner: Tie
More: Denon AH-D9200 VS Denon AH-D7200: Which High-End Headphone Should You Get?
Luxury Options
Luxury options are meant to make the user’s life easier, without being an absolute necessity. So those functions that are not required for playback are fair game.
In the Urbanista Seattle, we have the Swipe technology which allows for touch sensitive control on the earphone for option selection. It’s a really cool option that gives a sleek and sophisticated feel to fast-forwarding or changing the volume. This also reduces the amount of physical buttons on the earphones as well.
In addition, the Seattle comes with a genuine protein leather wrap on the earphones. Whereas the Detroit comes with a textured pleather wrap. Also nice, just not quite as soft to the touch.
The Detroit model is a more bare-bones, so therefore fewer luxury options – but foldable design is a nice touch.
This isn’t much of a contest thanks to the price point option tiers, but still – we will award the Seattle the winner in this category.
Winner: Urbanista Seattle
More: Urbanista Miami vs Urbanista New York: Which Urbanista Should You Pick?
Sound Clarity
An obvious function of a pair of headphones is the sound quality and clarity. This is where you can pay big bucks for high end audio reproduction.
Between these two affordable Urbanista options, we will show you the differences that may make a difference in your choice.
The Urbanista website says that the Seattle offers a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, while the Detroit offers a smaller range of 2.4 GHz to 2.48 GHz. This doesn’t make much sense and is a noteworthy difference, since the human hearing range is best between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz – meaning that the Seattle will sound better to your ear than the Detroit, which apparently you will not hear.
This writer will just assume that it’s a mistake, but the frequency range is better on the Seattle. That said, the winner by default is the Seattle.
Winner: Urbanista Seattle
More: Anker Soundcore Flare vs UE Wonderboom 2: Which One Should I Pick?
Stand Out Features
In this section, we will list some items that we feel are difference-makers in the debate between which is better, Urbanista Detroit vs Seattle. To sum it up, the gap between the two comes down to a preference for a cut and dry wireless headphone or a better sounding, yet minimalist pair.
The Cut and Dry Option: Urbanista Detroit
- It comes with solid Bluetooth 4.2 technology giving you a fast, and safe wireless connection for easy pairing
- It still comes with a microphone for some voice control options
- It has physical buttons in case using touch screen type technology doesn’t appeal to you
- Comes with a healthy 12 hours of battery life (same as the Seattle), and 300 hours of standby time on a full charge
The Better Sounding, yet Minimalist Option: Urbanista Seattle
- Sound quality is superior with an advertised 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz frequency range, as well as lower impedance and more accurate sensitivity
- They are a foldable design like the Detroit, but with a sturdy TR90 durability rating
- The Swipe technology built-in offers functional and aesthetic appeal as a touch-sensitive feature
- The Seattle’s earphones come wrapped in a genuine protein leather
Final Thoughts
Go for the Urbanista Detroit if:
- You want a pair of wireless headphones with just the bare essentials
- You prefer dedicated buttons on the side rather than touch-sensitive
- You prefer a lower price point with close to similar features
Go for the Urbanista Seattle if:
- You would like some useful touch-sensitive features for your wireless headphones
- You want to have a pair of headphones built to last a bit longer
- You want a longer stand-by battery time so you recharge less often
- You want a pair with better audio quality and clarity
