Focus and flow with these noise-canceling over-ear headphones.
In the past 12 months, I’ve really learned to appreciate noise-canceling headphones. I’ve been working solely from home for the past 6 months and there are times that even though I have my own workspace I need a bit more isolation from the world around me in order to get my work done. That’s where noise-canceling headphones come into play. There are lots of different styles of these types of headphones and one of my favorite headphone designers, Urbanista, has a great set of over-ear noise-canceling headphones called Miami.
DETAILS
The Miami headphones are the over-ear style and they feature soft foam on the headband as well as ear cups. While they are noise-canceling headphones, there are actually three different listening modes a user can experience – default mode, active noise canceling, and ambient sound. While the first two options are self-explanatory, the ambient sound mode needs a little bit of exposition to understand. Ambient Sound mode blocks some sound out but it still allows some ambient noise to flutter through so you can remain connected to the world around you. The headphones have a lot of modern features connected to them like extended battery life (up to 50 hours of playtime), on-ear detection (music will automatically pause if the headphones are removed), and charging via USB-C. There are four vibrant colors to choose from – ruby red, midnight black, pearl white, or teal green.
KEY FEATURES | Active Noise Cancelling Ambient Sound Mode 50 h Playtime On-Ear Detection Type C Charging Bluetooth 5.0 Compatible with iOS & Android |
SPECIFICATIONS | Driver unit: 40mm Bluetooth Version: 5.0 Bluetooth Class: 2 Support Profiles: A2DP1.3/AVRCP1.5/HFP1.6 Wireless System: 2,4GHz Chipset: BES2300YP RF Range: 2.402GHz-2.480GHz Speaker: Moving Coil Channel balance: ±3 dB Mic/Speaker frequency response: ‘+/- 3dB @ 1kHz, +/- 5dB @ 300Hz~10kHz frequency Frequency range: 20Hz – 20kHz Impedance: 32Ω±15% Sensibility: 107±3dB @1KHz Mic Distance: 0.5M Battery Capacity: 750mAh Operating time: 40h with ANC on SBC: Yes AAC: Yes Google Assistant: Yes |
WHAT’S IN THE BOX | ravelling Hardcase USB Type-C charging cable AUX Cable Airplane Adaptor User Guide |
USER EXPERIENCE
I want to start out my experience with the Miami over-ear headphones with a bit of transparency. For a few months, I have been exclusively using my Apple AirPods Max headphones. I received them in late January/early February and all other over-ear headphones have simply paled in comparison to the premium experience I’ve gotten from the Apple headphones. I received the Miami headphones a few weeks ago and have been sprinkling in their use and shuffling back and forth between the AirPods Max. So, while I never really intended to do a side-by-side comparison of the two because they are just in different classes, I am going to point out some of their similarities and differences.
First, and probably most obvious, the AirPods Max are designed to work with the Apple ecosystem. That means they automatically detect Apple devices and connect to them based on the user. I’ve had very few connection issues with my AirPods Max – even when I switch back and forth between devices. The Miami headphones seem to only allow a single connected device at a time. I connected them to my iPhone 12 Pro and then tried to connect them to my iPad Pro, but unless I forced them into pairing mode, the headphones don’t show up in the Bluetooth menu.
The AirPods Max have simple controls on the ear cup – the Digital Crown and the noise control button. The Digital Crown acts as the multifunction button and controls the volume, playback/phone call control, skip/rewind tracks, and Siri. The noise control button gives the user the option to turn the ANC or transparency mode on/off. The controls are simple and easy to understand. Apple made the buttons different enough that the user can easily feel the difference between the two. This is one of my main criticisms of the Miami over-ear headphones comes in. The button controls are great. I much prefer tactile controls to touch-sensitive ones. The issue I have with Urbanista’s design of these buttons it that they are flat and because of that, they are a little hard to discern what you are controlling. I reached up to the control and volume/track buttons multiple times thinking I was changing the volume, but I would be pausing the track instead. If the buttons were raised just a bit, they would be perfect. They have a nice bump when you click them, but it’s just hard to tell which button you are actually on when you reach for them.
As far as sound quality goes, well it’s almost a toss up between the two. When I first heard music through the AirPods Max, I was speechless. Highs and lows were perfectly mixed and it was a magical experience. Urbanista continues to evolve their technology though and with that comes a superior listening experience. The Miami headphones definitely have a heavier bass tone to them than the AirPods Max. In testing the Miamis out, I connected to both my AirPods Max and the Miami over-ear headphones using my iPhone 12 Pro. I turned on a custom-built radio station on Apple Music and “Metalingus” by Alter Bridge came on. This happens to be one of my favorite songs so I decided to swap the headphones back and forth throughout the song. I would listen to a few bars using the Miami over-ear headphones and then a few using the AirPods Max. Both headphones provide crystal-clear sound quality and the biggest difference between the two is really the amount of bass depth. The AirPods Max are very punchy, but the Miami over-ear headphones win for richness. Sometimes you want that boomy bass tone and the Miami are great for this. To prove the point, I pulled up “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and ran through the same experiment. The AirPods Max allows you to experience the hits, but you could really feel it through the Miami over-ear headphones.
CONCLUSION
The Miami over-ear headphones are amazing and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a quality set of cans. They are very reasonably priced and I think they are probably the best quality in their price range. Part of the reason I wanted to put them up against the AirPods Max is that the Miami headphones hold their own up against a much more expensive set of headphones. The AirPods Max rolls in at $550 before tax. The Miami over-ear headphones are $150 and offer the user a lot for that price. The Miami headphones are fabulous and give users a premium listening experience.
For more information, visit urbanista.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
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