Urbanista Chicago Review: Wireless In-Ears for Athletes

Founded in Sweden in 2010, Urbanista specializes in audio products. In addition to classic headphones and in-ears, Bluetooth headphones and mobile speakers are also available. With the Chicago headset, the company wants to offer in-ears with Bluetooth for athletes who want good audio quality and a good grip in their ears. You can read in this test whether this succeeds and what the In-Ears can still offer.

Specifications

The Sport In-Ears Chicago are available in three different colors: Cement Blue*, Rose Gold* and Dark Clown*. The price for all headphones is approx. 80 Euro.

To the technical details:

Scope of Delivery

The in-ears come in magnetically sealed packaging. After opening, some adapters and the headphones are immediately visible. Under it hides the further scope of supply: further adapters, a manual, charging cable and a small cloth bag. The adapters come in two different variations, GoFit Boost and GoFit Sport, each in 3 different sizes.

The workmanship looks good at first glance. However, the cables are quite thin and there is no special reinforcement between possible breaks (e.g. between the control element and the beginning of the cable).

Operation and Pairing

To pair the in-ear headphones to a suitable device, press the middle button longer. If a pairing has already been performed, the devices connect automatically when the handset is started.

In the test, the coupling with various Android and iOS devices worked quickly and without problems. All following tests with the headphones were done with an iPhone XR. iOS can also display the current battery status of the handset, but more about this later.

In everyday life, the operation is somewhat fiddly. This is due, among other things, to the small controls as well as the not too good feedback when pressing the key. However, the functionality behind the operation worked error-free during the test period. Not only the volume can be changed, but also music tracks can be skipped or calls accepted.

In addition to the general operation, the slightly magnetic earpieces are worth mentioning. If both adapters are removed from the ear, the risk of losing the headphones is reduced.

Sound Quality

To judge the sound quality, several pieces from different genres were listened to on Spotify at the highest quality (320 kb/s). Since the GoFit Boost and GoFit Sport adapters result in a different sound, both versions are tested.

The GoFit Boost, the “thicker” adapter, is the closed version. This means that the ambient noise can be heard more quietly. The sound is much more bass than with the other adapters.

With the GoFit Sport, the “thinner” adapter, the ambient noise is very well perceptible. The open version loses some bass.

Of course the sound quality can’t keep up with over-ears, but for in-ears the sound quality can be described as quite good. All in all the sound is a bit dull and the bass too dominant with the GoFit Boost. The GoFit Sport adapters reproduce the bass much more pleasantly. It is also noticeable that a very low noise is noticeable at low volume and quiet passages. If playback is paused, it disappears after a few seconds.

On the subject of volume: The gradation is pleasing. The in-ears are loud enough at high level and pleasantly quiet at low level.

Microphone

In addition to audio playback, the Chicago headphones also have a microphone. This is intended for telephone calls. In the test, the voice quality was sufficient and is therefore ok for short telephone calls. However, if you want to use it more often and for longer periods of time, you should look for alternatives.

Wearing Comfort

The wearing comfort is important for in-ears. It should be noted that the wearing comfort varies from person to person. The challenge with headphones for athletes is the correct and firm hold. Even minimal slippage of the adapters results in a distorted sound. But how is the Urbanista Chicago doing here?

In the test, the ProFit Sport adapter was able to convince: Whether training in the gym or jogging, the headphones have neither slipped nor flown out. It’s worth pointing out that it’s easy to forget that you’re wearing headphones at all. Even after two hours of training it was still pleasant to wear the headphones – perfect!

The ProFit Boost adapter, on the other hand, is not designed for sports activities. Already after a short time it slipped out of the ear, a little later it was a bit unpleasant to wear it. The wearing comfort at Sport was therefore not convincing in the test with this adapter.

But what does everyday life look like next to sports activities? Depending on the personal reference, both adapters can be used here without any problems.

Range

If you train in a circle and don’t want to take your smartphone with you to every device, you often leave it nearby. Even at home you sometimes want to listen to music and not necessarily take your mobile phone with you every time you go out.

In the practical test, the range of the Bluetooth headphones was convincing. Distance of approx. 5-10 meters, even through thin doors or walls, are no problem.

Battery

When connecting the Urbanista Chicago to a current iOS device, the battery status can be displayed via the battery widget. However, this is an orientation rather than an exact value. For example, 50% was displayed over several hours. When perceiving a tone for a low state of charge, 10% was displayed here.

In the practical test at low to medium volume, the running time was convincing: No sound was played after 9 hours and 26 minutes. That is about 30% more than Urbanista promises! The subsequent recharging was completed after just over an hour.

Conclusion on the Urbanista Chicago Review

What can be said in conclusion about the Urbanista Chicago? The operation is a bit fiddly and the sound quality is not to be expected to be a big miracle, but it’s okay. However, with the GoFit Sport adapter in particular, it offers a high level of wearing comfort and does not fall out of the ear even during faster movements. In addition, there were no interruptions in the connection to the smartphone and the battery life is better than indicated. This makes it a good choice for athletes, as long as the wearing quality is in the foreground.