Urbanista Seattle Wireless Headphones

What is it?

A pair of stylish wireless headphones. Urbanista has taken a different approach to audio design with the outer ear-panel acting as a touch-sensitive controller. Its Seattle headphones use this technology to minimise fumbling for cable buttons or remembering press combinations when wishing to skip and pause tracks.

Good points?

A lack of visual features does not dampen interest to look at the Seattle headphones. The minimalist design could have been invented in a military aviation centre to evade radar: there are no jutting buttons, only clean lines. Sound output is sharp without compromising bass and lends itself well to most genres, even at higher volumes.

The touchpad on the right headphone plate works well and should see the idea copied by other manufacturers soon. The swiping motions used to change the volume, skip and pause songs are intuitive and add pleasure to what can be a frustrating aspect of the wireless music listening experience. Stability of the Bluetooth connection was also excellent, with no lag or drop-outs.

Bad points?

Avid technology followers will point to a lack of alternative wireless communication methods such as NFC (near field communication) and compression codecs such as aptX, but players that support this are still thin on the ground.

Best for ...

Anyone looking for a solid, well-made pair of headphones that offer a great user experience and high quality sound.

Avoid if ...

You are seeking a top-of-the-market device with active noise-cancelling attributes. Score: 8/10. Urbanista Seattle Wireless Headphones, £99 (uk.urbanista.com)