Urbanears probably aren’t the first Scandinavian headphone company you’ve heard of. There are plenty of great options out there, ranging from Libratone, to Bang & Olufsen.
However, there are few companies offering the same combination of beauty, practicality, and affordability that you get with Urbanears. That’s what makes this Swedish brand so appealing.
The Urbanears headphones company is quickly mastering the art of attractive, simple, and functional design.
One of the most affordable products to appear from the brand lately is the Sumpan — a good looking pair of in-ear headphones available for a tiny price tag.
If you’re looking for a convenient pair of headphones to take on the move, and you don’t want to spend a fortune, the Urbanears Sumpan earbuds could be just the thing.
Urbanears Sumpan earbuds review: Tech specs
At first glance, the Urbanears Sumpan earbuds are a standard pair of in-ear headphones with a decent level of style. Available in a selection of vibrant colors, the Sumpan earbuds come with a microphone and a tangle free cord.
Technical specifications:
- In-ear headphone
- 20 Hz- 20kHz frequency
- Microphone and remote
- 3.5mm plug
- Weight: 20 grams
Urbanears Sumpan earbuds review: Design
Available in a range of deep colors — perfect for showing off your style, the Urbanears Sumpan earphones are a fantastic piece of technology, showcasing the attractive design of the Swedes.
The flat grill earbuds are covered with removable ear tips that help to funnel the sound into your ear canal.
You also get an inline remote with your Urbanears Sumpan earbuds, which comes with a microphone, so you can take hands-free call.
The remote only has a single button, and you can use that to control track navigation, playback, and call management.
One point we really wanted to emphasize about these Urbanears headphones, is how great they feel. The earbuds have a hook-like shape that allows them to clip together when not in use.
Additionally, the earphones also ship with a built-in cable loop that help to keep the wire from tangling up too much when they’re in your pocket or bag.
Urbanears Sumpan earbuds review: Features
The Urbanears Sumpan earbuds aren’t exactly the most feature-rich or advanced headphones out there, but that’s to be expected when you consider the price you’re getting them for.
Most earbuds don’t have the best isolation or bass response, but the Sumpan options seem to have found a solution to this common problem.
The bass is very respectable for such a small set of headphones.
Beyond a good quality of sound and an attractive design, there’s not much more to say about the Urbanears Sumpan headphones.
Here are the features you can expect:
- Lightweight portable design
- Two pairs of ear tips included
- Cable loop for tidy storage
- Tangle-free cord design
- Built-in microphone
- Remote in the cord
- Hook design to clip the earbuds together
These are wired in-ear headphones, so there’s no Bluetooth to speak of, and you don’t get any obvious connection to things like virtual assistants either.
Urbanears Sumpan earbuds review: Performance
The Urbanears Sumpan headphones are pretty basic all around. They’re not Bluetooth enabled or equipped with active noise cancellation.
Essentially, what you’re getting is an attractive pair of in-ear headphones. However, what the Sumpan earbuds do — they do well.
These headphones are comfortable and easy to wear, with a design that helpfully funnels sound towards your ear canals. The controls are simple and straightforward, so you should have no trouble managing your audio content.
Additionally, for a pair of in-ear earbuds, the Sumpan are surprisingly good at delivering high-quality bass.
You can sense some extra power in the lower frequencies, and at all volumes, the headphones manage to avoid unwanted distortion.
It’s not all good news, however, the Urbanears Sumpan earbuds do seem to have some issues with higher frequencies. Certain tracks seemed to struggle more than others, with upper ranges sounding slightly dull and distant.
The fact that the Urbanears Sumpan can deliver some decent bass response without distortion is pretty impressive, but there are various other aspects to the audio that let these headphones down.
Vocals can come across as muddy, and mid-levels seem to get lost in the mix.
These products look stunning, and they sound decent — depending on what you’re listening to. However, there’s just not enough to them to blow us away.
The Sumpan headphones aren’t going to sound great when you’re listening to talk shows or podcasts, which is a big issue for a lot of listeners.
At the same time, it’s worth remembering that any advanced features are completely missing from these devices too. There’s no Bluetooth or wireless connection available.
Smart assistant access is nonexistent, and you can’t do anything with noise cancellation or EQ management.
Ultimately, Urbanears can do better.
