Urbanears Plattan Headphones

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FINISH:
The most striking aspect of the Plattan is the very clean, well thought out design. The package proudly states "Designed in Stockholm | Produced in China" and you can see the influence of the simplistic Scandinavian philosophy. They have what I consider the best hinge approach on the market, allowing for a very compact package when folded into themselves. I carried them in my Timbuk2 Commute laptop bag with little trouble and without hogging valuable space.

They boast a bent metal piece for attaching the actual headphone to the headband while allowing for size adjustment. The metal remains flush alongside the headband unlike the competing WESC Bongo. Two notes, 1. The WESC site is a nightmare to navigate, 2. I loved my Bongos but hated catching that the upper part of the metal every time I took my goggles off.

The construction is tight and robust. Everything just feels dialed, like the finish on an E30 BMW. In other over the ear phones, I have had problems with deterioration of the fabric covering the ear portion. The Plattans have a thick leather (or leatherlike) covering that is solidly stitched in. I do not anticipate this falling apart. The headband is a fabric material that is relatively comfortable. I do fear that it will collect snow when used for riding. All plastic parts (hinges, plug, mic, earcups) are a matte rubberized finish that seems relatively resistant to scratches.

The phones come with three plugs: the stock 1/8" that fits an iphone/ipod/Sport Walkman, one for a Nokia phone, and a neutral plug that is apparently "preferable with some sources such as stereos, computers, music players, and other one communication devices." Honestly I didn't know the 3rd plug was preferable until I was writing this review. The cord sports a rather odd fabric sheath. In my testing, it didn't "grab" onto my laptop shoulder strap, was very flexible, and did not knot up. The cord has an inline mic about 5.5 inches from the left headphone. The cord connects to the right headphone by running over the top via the headband remaining hidden except for the connections to the actual headphones. An unique feature of the Plattan is the 1/8" Zound jack on the right headphone. This allows the smelly fat guy sitting next to you on the train to plug his headphones in and enjoy your Conway Twitty along with you.

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FIT:
The overall fit for me was very good. I know that other reviewers have had less optimal experiences owing to the small diameter of the earcups and the tension of the headband. When I first put them on, there was a lot of pressure on the back of my ear and no contact on the front. I twisted the earcups slightly to bend the metal and provide more of an angled fit. This made a world of difference, equalizing the pressure from front to back. The fit worked well to block out outside noise, tested against a screaming child with minimal interference.

I have a watermelon head, 7 5/8 in a New Era fitted, and I found the fit to be just right. I wore them straight for about 3 hours and never experienced any pain or discomfort. I tried with a hat and with various glasses and did not feel the pinchpoints that occur with many other phones. I even tested while exercising, cranking out a record 3 sit-ups without any movement.

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PERFORMANCE:
Sadly, this is where the Plattan faltered. The sound is decidedly underwhelming for the majority of music I listened to. For this test I used an iPhone 3G and a 3rd Gen iPod and listened to the following albums:
Outkast - Atliens (ipod)
Lootpack - Soundpieces: Da Antidote! (iphone)
Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle (iphone)
Thievery Corporation - Babylon Rewound (ipod)
The Wood Brothers - Ways Not To Lose (ipod)
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America (iphone)

Most reviews point out that these are relatively bass heavy. This was evident to me as Outkast sounded the best out of all the albums. It was the only time that I actually felt enveloped by the music. With the less bass heavy albums the music felt distant and a bit clouded. This was noticeable and irritable when listening to a more complex sound like The Hold Steady and Thievery Corporation. There were pieces missing to the sound that I knew should be there.

I tested the inline mic with multiple calls to the iphone, well two or three over the course of a week (I don't really have friends). When working, the sound was very good, my wife stated that I didn't sound like I was in the bat cave (apparently an issue with other hands free set-ups in her opinion). The mic has a single button that allows you to answer calls from your wife on the second ring, hang up on telemarketers or debt collectors, pause music to overhear conversations about American Idol, or turn on the music to drown out conversations about American Idol. The problem I encountered was that it would drop calls and pause the music for no apparent reason. This happened twice while philosophizing with 7YW co-conspirator John. To be fair, there is a solid chance that this is related to my iphone deteriorating condition, in particular the jack. I did not (or do not remember) experience this with the ipod.

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OVERALL
One of the best designs and builds in this class of headphone, a low profile, clean fit, that unfortunately delivers underwhelming sound quality. By no means should this be your primary headphone for skipping out on life, but they are adequate for commuting and potentially riding (I will report back this winter).