Urbanears

I am one of those people you see walking the streets, constantly plugged into their headphones listening to, well, who knows? Inevitably, headphones break and for anyone who is quite so passionate and obsessive about listening to music, the choice to replace headphones is a big one.

What style do you go for; in ear, over ear, big ones, small ones, colourful ones, black ones? How much bass do you need? Do you want wireless? And so on. The permutations are really endless, which was why, last summer, when I stumble across Urbanears in the Box Park in Shoreditch, I was thrilled to find a small, seemingly independent and different type of headphone that would meet my needs.

Urbanears produce a variety of headphones in myriad colours and even some patterns for a fantastically good value price point. Ranging from the small, in-ear Bagis, that punch way above their size and price of just £24.90 to the massive Zinken that cover your ears completely and look like they come with a built in subwoofer of substantial power, they offer a range of headphones to suit all tastes.

Better news still for the avid music listener, they come with a whole host of extras, such as a play/pause button/mic on the cable, a year’s warranty and ingenious designs such as the Zound Plug for instant music sharing. Best of all, for those who like to co-ordinate their accessories, they also offer all their products in a wide variety of colours and some special editions in materials and patterns, such as a denim version.

I got myself a pair of the over-ear Humlan’s and for the pricetag they stack up fantasticall well against any of the big guns I’ve had such as Sony or JVC. They feature noise-isolating technology, remote for picking up calls and also, uniquely, detachable and machine washable headband and ear covers. Not a feature I’d even considered on a pair of headphones before, but actually really quite useful.

Now onto my second pair of these brilliant headphones I cannot recommend them highly enough and will be sure to head back there next time I need some. Urbanears can be found here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. As well as the Box Park, they can also be purchased online and delivery worldwide.

By Peter Churchill