Urbanista is a brand we’ve been getting more familiar with this year. We’ve reviewed a few of their TWS headphones already, but this is the first time we’ve gotten ahold of a pair of over-ears. The Urbanista Miami are a pair of ANC headphones that sport that minimal Swedish design paired with really outstanding ANC for this price category.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Before we jump into the Urbanista Miami review, I have a few thoughts to share about Urbanista in general. From these last two reviews of their products, the Athens and now the Miami, it’s become clear that the company is targeting a certain listener.
I really enjoy the path Urbanista has gone with in terms of design, build, and comfort. It’s the company’s soundstage that I’m not totally on board with. As with Athens, Miami is tuned to be a bit heavier on the bass than I personally like. Now, that’s not to say the sound is bad, it’s just not what I prefer, and I know that many users love bass-tuned headphones.
Oddly enough, I didn’t experience this same soundstage with Urbanista London, and I think that has to do with the design differences in noise isolation. Still, I did a lot of thinking on this review about these headphones. Their design, quality, and comfort are so good they deserve a Top Pick. But their sound didn’t personally please me. So although I didn’t score the sound category as high as the other categories, these do deserve a Top Pick, and those who love bass will be thrilled with the Urbanista Miami.
That being said, read on for the full review of the Urbanista Miami ANC headphones.
Specifications
The Urbanista Miami have the following features and specifications:
- Driver unit: 40mm
- Bluetooth Version: 5.0 Class 2
- Battery Capacity: 750mAh
- Working Range: 10m +
- Mic Distance: 0.5m
- Frequency Range: 20Hz – 20kHz
- RF Range: 2.402GHz-2.480GHz
- Impedance: 32Ω±15%
- Sensibility: 107±3dB @1KHz
- SBC: Yes
- AAC: Yes
- Total Playtime: 40h with ANC on (50h without ANC)
- On-ear detection
- Volume and music controls
- Voice control (Siri, Google Assistant)
- Compatible with Android and iOS
- Active Noise Canceling
- USB Type C
- Colors:
- Ruby Red
- Midnight Black
- Teal Green
- Pearl White
What’s In The Box
- Urbanista Miami
- Hard Case
- USB-C Charging Cable
- AUX Cable
- Airplane Adapter
- Manuals and Documentation
Design
What really draws me to Urbanista is its design language. They favor a minimal and clean design using premium and great feeling materials. Like Athens, the Urbanista Miami is simple and to the point, with no loud branding and no crazy gimmicks on the design front.
The material used on the ear cups and headband is not leather, but it feels supple and nice to the touch. The padding on the ear cups and headband is ample and comfortable. I will say the opening for your ears is a little small for my liking, but I have ginormous ears.
The adjustment bar that runs from the cups to the headband feels like powder-coated metal and is high-quality. Adjustment is good, although bigger heads may have issues. I had mine adjusted all the way out, and the headphones just fit.
The ear cups on the Urbanista Miami do have some articulation so they can better conform to your melon. The right and left ear cups are marked clearly inside, and there are sensors on the insides that control the on-ear detection feature.
You’ll find the volume/track buttons, control button, and AUX port on the right ear cup. You’ll find the USB-C port, LED battery indicator, and the feature button on the left ear cup.
The Urbanista Miami also comes with a very nice hard shell case that is well padded and offers a lot of protection. There is also a recessed area in the case that allows for storing the included AUX cable, USB-C cable, and airplane adapter.
Overall, the Urbanista Miami design is everything I’ve come to expect of the Swedish company. It’s minimal, well thought out, well built, comfortable, and looks visually appealing.
Ease of Use
To connect Urbanista Miami to a Bluetooth device for the first time – Press and hold the control button for 1 second. The headphones will automatically enter pairing mode. Open Bluetooth settings on your device and select “Urbanista Miami.” The Battery Status Indicator Light will flash when searching for the device and stop flashing when successfully paired. You can now enjoy your content and make phone calls.
The volume and track buttons are simple and easy to use, but the control and feature buttons need a bit of explanation. It’s not complicated, and it’s super simple to get a grasp of. Here’s what both of these buttons do:
The Control Button
- POWER ON – Press and hold the control button (1)for 1 second
- POWER OFF – Press and hold the control button for 3 seconds
- PLAY – Press the control button once
- PAUSE – Press the control button once
- ANSWER INCOMING CALL – Press the control button once
- END A CALL – Press the control button once
- REJECT A CALL – Press and hold the control button for 2 seconds.
- SIRI – Press the control button twice
The Feature Button
- ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING – Press the feature button once
- AMBIENT SOUND MODE – Wait two seconds and press the feature button again
- DEFAULT MODE – Press the feature button a third time to return to default mode
- ON-EAR DETECTION – Hold the feature button for five seconds to turn on/off
Once your device is paired with the Urbanista Miami, and you’ve learned the controls, you’re ready to go. Overall, these are very simple to pair and operate; no one should have issues using these.
Sound
Every time I say this, I feel like a broken record, but you must understand my personal preferences and evaluate the Urbanista Miami sound. My preferred sound on headphones is a mostly flat sound signature with slight tweaking to the bass. I do like the bass frequencies to be a tick heavier for a slight added thickness to the bottom end.
That being said, as I mentioned in the introduction of this review, the Urbanista Miami headphones are very much like the company’s Athens headphones in that they lean to a bass-centric tuning. The bass isn’t overwhelming and doesn’t dominate the soundstage, but it is noticeable.
The Mids and highs are audible and recognizable through the low droning of the bass frequencies, but they do get a bit muddy for my taste. This is very common for some headphone makers as they’re tuning their headphones to the popular styles of music.
My musical tastes range, but I favor Rock, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, and Alternative Rock. Listeners who prefer Pop, Rap, Hip-Hop, or anything that has a more bass-driven feel to it will be very pleased with the sound on the Urbanista Miami.
As for ANC, what I’ve learned is that not all ANC’s are created equal. I don’t see Miami competing with Sony, Bose, or Apple with ANC, but these perform very well for the price point. Ambient sound mode is also available here, allowing you to listen to music but still be aware of your surroundings. This also works decently well for the price.
I scored the sound section a little lower based on my personal preferences, but I know that Urbanista targets a specific segment of the market, and it’s a broad segment. For those users, I think they will be pleased.
Overall, the sound is decent. The bass is just a bit too heavy-handed for my ears, but that could be the very thing some of you are seeking in sound.
Reception/Call Quality
Reception and call quality were both excellent. Not much to say about either of these. Improvements have been made across the board by most headphone makers in this area.
Battery Life
The Urbanista Miami claims 50-hours of battery life without ANC on and 40-hours with ANC on. I didn’t run these non-stop to drain the battery, but they lasted more than a few weeks using them a few hours a day with ANC. I’m certain the battery claims are spot on.
It’s important to note the following. Battery life is also dependent on the volume you listen to, the ANC feature, and the distance from your Bluetooth signal. So, battery life is going to vary wildly from one person to the next.
Price/Value
In the intro, I mentioned that Urbanista Miami deserves a Top Pick for 2021, and the price to value ratio is why they’ve earned that. While the sound wasn’t my cup of tea, these headphones are very plush, well built, and have great features at an excellent price.
The Urbanista Miami are priced at US$149 and as of this review, you can get an extra 5% off on Amazon.
Wrap Up
I’ve seen some reviews and comments say the Urbanista Miami is an AirPods Max, Bose, Sony alternative, and in some respects, they are. Having used the later named ANC headphones, I’m confident in saying that Miami doesn’t compete with any of them in terms of sound. But, in terms of design, build quality, and value, the Urbanista Miami is excellent.
Let’s face it, AirPods Max cost US$549 and that’s insanely expensive. The Urbanista Miami offers a great feature set, beautiful design, comfort, and decent sound for US$400 less. Those looking for bass-centric ANC headphones that look good and fit nice should check these out.
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Last Updated on May 4, 2021.
