Urbanears’ Plattan headphones have been around a long time, so it’s no surprise that over the years they’ve gone through a number of iterations, but the Plattan 2 are more than the same old headphones with a new name.
While visually similar to their older sibling — with their minimalist, single-tone style — the underside of the Plattan 2’s fabric headband has been replaced with a leather-clad foam cushion, and the earcups now hang on new “3D hinges.”
In our tests we were able to twist, flex, and rotate the cups with ease to find a comfortable fit. The earcups now use a softer foam on the pads for a cushier seal over your ear, which will be a welcome improvement for those who wear glasses. They also provide better sound isolation than the previous model for a better overall listening experience.
The headphones use a fabric-wrapped cord with in-line remote and mic for playback, track navigation, and hands-free calling, but there’s still no shirt clip included to stabilize and help cut down on the cord noise when you touch or brush up against it. The Plattan 2 also carry over the Zoundplug feature, essentially an audio-out port that lets you share your music with a friend or even a whole daisy-chain of Zoundplug-supported headphones.
As for audio quality, the Plattan 2 has a greater frequency response, extending the range on the low end for deeper bass, balancing it up top with bright treble. At moderate listening levels, you’ll find the sound decently clear and clean, however, with the midrange not as well defined, instrumental details get lost and sound can get a bit muddy at higher volumes.
Overall, at the under $50 price point, you won’t find the Plattan 2 lacking in either style or performance. They are available now, at Urbanears’ website, in seven bold colors.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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