Truly exceptional, budget-friendly earbuds.
A few years ago, I was introduced to the brand Urbanista. It’s a Swedish-based company that specializes in audio gear. When I first heard about Urbanista as a brand, Apple had recently released their first generation of AirPods. I did not have a set of the exclusive earbuds yet and I longed for a set of Bluetooth headphones that were lightweight. I ended up with the Berlin Bluetooth Earphones from Urbanista. They were my headphones of choice for a long time because they fit my ears really well and were very similar to the Apple EarPods.
To me, that ear phone shape was ideal because they were comfortable and sounded amazing. I’ve always had a hard time using earbuds because they just don’t fit right. The Urbanista Berlin earphones were perfection to me — until now. The STOCKHOLM Plus True Wireless earbuds are designed very much like the Berlin earphones, but they don’t have the connecting cable between the earpieces.
DETAILS
The STOCKHOLM Plus True Wireless earbuds are a second generation product. They are truly wireless and are a “smarter and more stylish” upgrade to the original. The earbuds feature a new and improved microphone, an increased playtime of 20+ hours, IPX4 protection against splashing water, and a redesigned charging case that holds up to 5 additional charges for the earbuds. The earbuds are available in five different colors – Midnight Black, Rose Gold, Olive Green, Fluffy Cloud, and Titanium.
FEATURES
- Voice Control (Siri, Google)
- Touch Control
- True Wireless
- Water Resistance (IPX4)
- Bluetooth 5.0 Connectivity
- Hands-free Operation
- In-Ear Fit
- Compatible with iOS & Android Devices
- Charging Case features LED Power Indicator & 5 charges
- Charges with USB Type-C
- 20H Battery Life
- Stereo Phone Calls
- 10m Working Range
- Frequency Range: 20Hz – 20KHz
USER EXPERIENCE
First and foremost, Urbanista does a really nice job with their packaging. The front of the box has a beautiful photo of the product along with icons that demonstrate the main features of the earbuds. The back of the box has another photo of the product in their box and then a bulleted list of the earbud’s features in English and French. When you first open the box, you will see the charging case and the earbuds. They are set in a pre-formed cardboard. Below the cardboard you will find the user manual and a small box that contains the USB-C charging cable. The user manual includes the operating instructions in 13 different languages. When I first took the booklet out of the box, I was a bit intimidated because of its size. When I discovered that the instructions were covered within 6 pages and then repeated in different languages, I felt much better.
To get started with the earbuds you have to place them in their charging case. When they are removed from the case, they are in pairing mode and you can connect them to any device that is compatible with Bluetooth connectivity. Even though the manual only states they are compatible with iOS and Android operating systems, I actually connected them to my MacBook Pro which is running macOS Catalina (10.15.7). Once they were connected, I slipped the ear pieces into my ears and started working. My MacBook Pro is my office these days and I thought testing the STOCKHOLM earbuds out while I worked would be a good test.
As it turned out, I was right. The earbuds are perfect for long-term listening sessions because they are very lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear. I didn’t have any issue with the earbuds losing connection with my laptop and the long battery life kept them running all day. Speaking of lightweight, the case is also very portable and compact as well. It’s actually one of the lightest charging cases I’ve used. As far as sound quality goes, the STOCKHOLM True Wireless earbuds could rival the most premium earbuds in their shared category. I never had any issue with hearing low bass riffs or the highest pitches. One of my favorite albums at this time is the soundtrack from Hamilton: An American Musical. It displays a wide variety of musical trends including rap, hip-hop, and traditional musical-style songs. The tracks are layered with vocalizations and instruments throughout the album. In lesser quality earbuds I usually lose subtleties or the tracks end up hollow, but with these earbuds the music is rich and full.
I have very few criticisms of these earbuds, but I always feel like products have room for improvement. First, I would have loved to see these earbuds be wireless charging compatible. I’m ecstatic that they are using USB-C, but at the same time, wireless charging would have really set them apart from other earbuds. Second, the touch controls aren’t very sensitive. I didn’t have an issue increasing or decreasing volume, but some of the other controls were a little harder to register with the taps on the ear pieces. Aside from these two thing, these earbuds are very close to perfect.
CONCLUSION
It can be difficult these days to find ‘perfect’ earbuds, but the STOCKHOLM Plus True Wireless earbuds come very close. With a purchase price of around $70, they are very budget-friendly and they have premium features like exceptional sound quality and all-day comfort. I’ve been a fan of Urbanista for a number of years now and products like this are why. If you are looking for a solid pair of earbuds, look no further than the STOCKHOLM Plus True Wireless earbuds.
For more information, visit urbanista.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
