Since opening GeekZen, it has always been a policy of ours to make sure we all test our products out. I chose to take the Urbanears Plattan a whirl since I needed a more portable headset than my Siberia and I didn’t quite like the ‘in the ear feel’ of my otherwise awesome Sennheiser CX880. I got an indigo colored one.
Coming from a Steelseries Siberia v2 headset that costs about RM399 for the regular version and RM449 for the USB version, getting a nicely designed headset for RM289 (even less after discount!), I was slightly skeptical. Let’s see how it pans out!
Build Quality and Design
The build quality of the Plattans is impressive. The use of durable woven fabric both on the headstrap and the cables not only gives the Plattan a unique look but keeps the cables tangle free and the headband padded. Form meets function. The matte plastic used on the cans and the adjustment clip also has a velvet feel to it and doesn’t feel or look cheap. In fact it looks more premium than the Siberias that cost almost double.
The design also has a kind of retro-esque look mashed together with Ikea sort of minimalism which gives the headset a very unique style. When I wear them around, it turns heads (hopefully because it looks good and not cause I look like a dork). The headset folds to save a bit of space when carrying it around. The Plattan is also light which is great for carrying around and easy on the head and neck.
There’s also an additional extra AUX port (which they call the Zound port) in the right headcan which allows a friend to plug in and share the music you’re listening to. Perhaps this is something more useful for couples but it’s a nice touch nevertheless.
Comfort
I wore them for a couple of hours and didn’t feel any discomfort but I notice there were some reviewers perhaps with larger/wider heads that felt it was rather tight. It is noted that although the distance of the cans to the headband can be adjusted, the width is purely governed by the headband so the wider you go, the more the elasticity of the headband will press on your ears. So if you have an exceptionally wide face, it might be tight.
The ear pads do not surround your entire ear but rest lightly so there is some noise exclusion but you can still hear outside noise which may be a good or bad thing. Considering the Plattans were designed for ‘urban’ use and on the go, I felt that this was a good thing. You don’t want to get knocked down by a car that you didn’t hear cause you were too busy grooving to that funky tune.
Sound Quality
I have to admit I’m no audiophile. I can probably tell between poor, average, good and great sound but not tell you about the nuances so the following is just my own personal opinion.
I’ve put on a pair of Dr Dre Solo HD and felt they were good but not worth the RM1,180 price tag. In fact I felt that the Plattans were about the same as the Solo HD except that the Solo HD because of its design that cupped over the ears, had better noise exclusion. The Plattans have a thumping, rocking bass which was evident when I played World Order’s Machine Civilization (which you should totally watch the music video). But the Plattans’ sound was most importantly rich and vibrant and pretty damn good for its price range. Don’t be mistaken, it’s no Sennheiser HD800 (which costs about USD1550+), but it offers excellent value for money and a good day to day usage headset to go to.
I also really liked the mic which came across as clear to my friends where I used it for Skype calls and phone calls while hooked up to my mobile phone. I also found that I didn’t have to keep on adjusting the mic to make sure it was close to my mouth for myself to be heard clearly.
Conclusion and Where to Get It
I really like the Plattans. It’s trendy, it has good sound and doesn’t break the wallet. If you’re after a solid pair of portable headsets that look good, you can’t quite go wrong with the Plattans.
I am therefore pleased to offer it on our partner website GeekZen and poses excellent value especially when used in conjunction with BolehVPN’s exclusive 10% discount code! It comes in a wide variety of colors ranging from the standard colours like black, mocca to more outrageous colurs like tomato and raspberry.
You can grab it over here at GeekZen!
