Urbanears Plattan 2 review: Comfortable on-ear headphones with good sound, good price

|
, ,

TA-ratings-90Our musical tastes don’t often fit just one category, and thankfully the way we listen to music doesn’t have to conform all to one type or style. Most audio sources do still have 3.5mm audio ports, so there are thankfully still companies making wired headphones. Not everybody needs or wants wireless audio, so wired options are always appreciated. Keep reading this full review to see how the Urbanears Plattan 2 headphones perform.

Specifications

  • Headphone type: On-ear
  • Compatible with: All devices
  • Weight: 130 grams
  • Collapsible: Yes
  • ZoundPlug: Yes
  • 3D Hinge: Yes
  • Connection: 3.5mm plug
  • Audio size: 40 mm handmade drivers
  • Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz
  • Impedance: 34Ω
  • Sensitivity: 99dB SPL
  • Max input power: 30mW

What’s in the Box

  • Urbanears Plattan 2 headphones
  • Detachable cable
  • User guide
  • Urbanears poster
Urbanears Plattan 2 Review WITB
You really don’t need a whole lot to get started.

Design

The Plattan 2 headphones are of the on-ear variety. The headband integrates what Urbanears refers to as a 3D Hinge, which allows for the headband to bend and twist as necessary to fit nearly any head shape. The headband does have quite a bit of flexibility at its core, and surrounding that core is a canvas-like cloth on top and a soft leatherette material underneath. There is a decent amount of padding on the headband, though the way it is put together, the top and bottom coverings do shift around a little bit, though not when you’re wearing the headphones. At the bottom of the headband is a metal ring with the R/L indicator. The headphones fold here to compress to a smaller size. A wire pops out from the bottom of the metal ring to attach to each earcup.

Moving down a bit, the earcups attach to the headband by way of a thin wire in an inverted “Y” shape, which allows the earcups to rotate. The earcups are circular, with a thin silver ring close to the edge and a relatively small body that expands slightly to the size of the ear cup padding. The padding is covered in the same soft leatherette material as the interior of the headband, and the padding inside is quite soft and squishy. You can’t say this for a lot of headphones, but you can actually lay down on your side for a few minutes while wearing these headphones and you won’t feel the drivers smashing into the side of your head. I wouldn’t recommend doing this for extended periods of time though, or you probably would damage the headphones. Each earcup has a 3.5mm jack on the bottom, and the braided cable can be plugged into either earcup, and an additional pair of headphones can be plugged into the other earcup to easily share your music.

HOW TO: Change system date in OS X ...
HOW TO: Change system date in OS X from Terminal

The Plattan 2 headphones have a nice design, and though they are smaller in size, they have a solid feel to them. They also have a bit of a fun side, the R/L indicators happily tell you that “You’re my favorite right (or left) ear.” The headphones are available in multiple colors, including Black, True White, Tomato (red), Indigo (as tested), Powder Pink, Dark Grey, and Snow Blue.

Urbanears Plattan 2 Review Favorite Left Ear
These headphones are happy to be on your head.

Ease of Use

Wired headphones are especially easy to use. Simply plug one end of the detachable cable into either of the earcups — you can pick whichever side you prefer, either will provide audio — and plug the other end into your music source. There are two 3.5mm plugs though, so if you feel like sharing your tunes, a friend can plug their headphones into whichever 3.5mm plug is free, and they can listen in as well. The second, unused 3.5mm port is referred to here as the ZoundPlug, allowing easily shared music from one source.

When you’re done listening, the headphones fold into a relatively compact form, and the cord can be wrapped around the headphones at the bottom of the inverted “Y” that holds the earcup to the headband.

Sound Quality

I put any headphones that I review through a set playlist of songs. I have a pretty diverse set of music in that setlist, with everything from pop to heavy metal, jazz, dubstep, EDM, punk, and more — each with specific things that I want to listen for. This allows me to have a consistent point of comparison with which to listen. Now I’m not expecting these headphones to stand toe to toe with a pair of $350 cans, but it allows me to also compare the experience on the same set of headphones from one song to the next.

Out of the box, the Plattan 2 headphones sound good, and maybe even a bit better than what you’d expect for their price. It’s not the clearest audio, but for a $50 pair of headphones, it’s pretty admirable. You get a pretty good low end, though mids and highs are a bit more muddled. Not enough to really take you out of the music, but it is present. If you add in some equalization, via either your phone’s music player or a media player on your computer, you can really improve things pretty significantly. You’ll be able to get a bit more clarity out of the mids and highs, and really just get a better overall sound. It’s not a huge step to have to take for some major improvement. Even without, though, you’re getting pretty good sound considering what you’ll pay for these headphones.

Reception/Call Quality

Urbanears Plattan 2 Review Earcups
The earcups have plenty of padding to keep your ears comfortable.

Call reception on the Plattan 2 headphones is good. The in-line mic is about five inches down from the earcup and in a pretty good position for the most part. Callers could hear and understand me without issue, and I was able to hear and understand callers clearly as well. There isn’t a whole lot more that you could want there.

Price/Value

Coming in at $49.95, the Urbanears Plattan 2 headphones are quite affordable. The light, comfortable, compact design, durability, and good sound are worth the asking price for sure.

Wrap Up

I said it in the beginning, but it bears repeating: not everybody needs or wants Bluetooth or wireless headphones, so Urbanears have provided a good wired option at a reasonable price. If wired headphones are your thing, and you want good sound without spending too much money, Plattan 2 is worth a look.

*We were sent a review sample of the Urbanears Plattan 2 headphones for the purposes of this review.
Previous

Specter EFITZ wireless review: Compact headphones for an active lifestyle

iClever BoostCube Dual USB Wall Charger review: Charge your devices with a small, inexpensive charger

Next

Latest Articles

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap