In our latest headphone review, we take a look at the Urbanista Boston earplugs.
I’ve never heard of Urbanista which made me a bit aprehentious about them and at a mid range price they seemed almost too good to be true, after looking at the specs I was ready to try them out.
Bluetooth 4.0
Speaker size: φ14.2mm
Sensitivity: 112dB ±3dB SPL @1KHz
Impedance: 32ohms ±15% @1KHz
Frequency: 20-20000Hz
Handsfree with microphone with volume control
Battery time: Stand-by time 100h. Talking time 3.5h
Charging: Micro USB, about 2 hours charging time
Works with Android, iOS and Windows
As you can see, seemed too good to be true.
So I went in thinking the worst which in all honesty I shouldn’t have done, but I’m glad I did, I was blown away from the sound quality that the Urbanista Boston earplugs had to offer and after a little tweeking to the sound from the device end using the AudioFX found on most Cyanogenmod ROMs I got a sound I was 150% happy with.
The Boston headset from Urbanista boasts a comfortable fitting, at first I couldn’t get them to stay in ear and found them a little uncomfortable, there are different size plugs to swap over which helped me find the right size for my ears after which was very nice and after a short while I didn’t even notice them.
They are of course aimed at the more sporty people or more active people and although I am busy during the day most of the time it isn’t for athletic purposes, I did manage to find some time to try these out on a trampoline to emulate heavy activity in a short amount of time and after a good half hour of jumping with them in they stayed in place with very little compromise.
Controls are very easy and basic volume up and down and power on and off, my only issue would be with the size of the battery as it is a bit bulky but I can compromise.
All in all I can say I am very happy with these ear plugs and after a little tweeking software side I could find myself converting from what I call proper “can” headphones to earplugs if more where like these.
They can be found over at Amazon using this link Amazon: urbanista
Or to find out more information head over to Urbanista’s website using this link Urbanista.com
Billy A.K. Wong
Bought these from a retailer. Used it for 3 runs and it doesn’t work properly anymore. The control piece is totally inoperable. I can’t power it down or up and the volume function doesn’t work anymore. It will only power up when I plug in the usb charger and thereafter it can connect to my paired device and would still deliver the sound but as mentioned earlier, the volume control no longer works and it can’t power down. The only way to do it is to disconnect it from the device and let the auto shutdown take over. To power up and use it again, I would have to plug in the usb charger. I suspect it’s the sweat that it couldn’t handle which means it has serious issues with it’s IPX5 rating. What a major letdown.
TB
Bought a pair yesterday. Returning them today! The sound and fit seems fine but the microphone is terrible and not fit for phone calls.
Algirdas Motiejunas
The same problem with my
Richard Björkman
The sound is good unless you are very picky, and with the right plugs they fit great and will never fall out of your ears.
The downsides are that the battery life is way too short, wont last you even 6 hours of constant playback, making the last hours of work silent and lonely, and force you to charge them before going on the evening run. Many reviewers complain that their batterylife was quickly shortened down to minutes after a few months of usage.
In addition, many have complained about the bluetooth range being very bad, not even lasting through a thick jacket. I didn’t have this problem though and have tested mine to reach for about 25-30 meters with obstacles in between me and my phone.
Honestly, I could easily get past these problems if they were, say, $30-40 earphones. But for $70 i would definitely expect better.
Konstantinos Verras
Microphone is too weak, I have to put it in my mouth to be heard somehow well. Terrible performace for that price
Sara
Mine wont turn on/off after using them two times….
David
Absolute waste of money. Used once and now they won’t turn on at all. Battery fully charged and still nothing. Thought it was just me but having read reviews and other forums the on/off problem is nothing new.
Pedro
They work OK along the winter, but buttons stop working as soon as the use conditions became harder (summer). I am disappointed with the technology and endurance of the headphones. Definitely they have a problem with sweat and I can say that they do not fulfill the conditions to provide a good service for runners in summer. They are ok for using at home, in the bus or metro. But they are not ok for running or any sport where is possible to sweat.