Urbanears Plattan 2: a Plattanic love

Ergonomics

Urbanears has not revolutionized the design of its Plattan. We find the nomadic helmet simple, compact, flexible and light that we knew. Plastic and metal are still predominant. The build quality is not incredible, but the helmet can still claim a good lifespan if you take minimum care. The folding of the headband also minimizes the risk of breakage in addition to facilitating storage. It is a pity that no carrying case, even flexible, is still not offered.

Many small changes have made the product move in the right direction, even if we are far from the good surprise. First of all, the headband was slightly revised, especially at the level of the coating in contact with the head. We are entitled here to extremely fine but soft imitation leather. The lightness of the helmet compensates for the glaring lack of thickness of the foam. In the end, the Plattan 2 does not tighten too much and it does not cause too much discomfort on listening sessions from 1h to 1h30. We still feel that the pressure is localized at the top of the skull.

Pay attention to the visible cables between the headband and the earphones!

It is the small size of the roll bar deployment that remains the most annoying (from 32 to 40 cm approximately by measuring from ear to ear and passing through the top of the skull). If the little heads are safe, the bigger ones are more penalized. In our case, a small effort of the head on the headband is necessary to place the earbuds at best on the roof.

There is also a change on the side of the hinges and especially the earpieces. If the shape and the plastic shell do not change, the bearings have undergone a facelift. Even if it lacks a bit of density, the memory foam is a little thicker and its imitation leather covering is a little bit softer to the touch and seems to be of better quality. The feeling of comfort is acceptable, the pressure points are fairly well distributed, but we are far from ecstasy. Wearing a pair of glasses can significantly reduce comfort over long periods of use. In our case, it is difficult to last more than an hour with the helmet on. In addition, the pads quickly heat the ears.

As on the first Plattan of the name, the pads are not detachable

On the connection side, however, no changes. We find the ZoundPlug, the double 3.5 mm mini-jack which allows you to choose which side you place the cable and, above all, possibly share your music with another headset. The 1.2 m cable is equipped with a universal remote control with a single control button (management of playback, calls and navigation between tracks) and a microphone for the hands-free kit function.

At the end, there is a bent 3.5 mm mini-jack connector 4 points. It is therefore not possible to manage the listening volume. There is little to say about this cable itself: it is covered with the same fabric as on the top of the headband, it is quite thick and it is not excessively sensitive to friction noises and contacts.

---

---

Audio

The Plattan II is far from offering a high-flying listening experience, but it lets itself be appreciated.

The decisive element in the purchase is its serious management. If you are an absolute fan of very lousy tracks (Hip Hop / Rap / Electro…) or if you like serious controlled goods, the Plattan II is certainly not the helmet for you. And we don't say that because of its extremely favored bass, but rather because the membranes get totally carried away with each attack. With slightly more muted mid / high mids, this results in an impression of significant pressure in the bass, which drools and takes up too much space. In some mixes loaded with serious / extreme bass (like Rigamortis from IAM, Drugs from AllttA), we really feel that the membranes are on their knees.

Apart from this point, the Plattan II is rather homogeneous and relatively precise, from midrange to treble. The musical sources which operate much more in higher frequency registers (voice, snare, violin, guitar, flute, cymbals ...) stand out well from this mass. They therefore remain intelligible in most circumstances. In addition, the helmet remains fairly soft without being cavernous or completely dull. No sibilance is to be deplored. The good presence of treble up to the extremes also allows you to benefit from a fairly interesting air feeling and to counteract a little the significant thickness in the bass. The feeling of the scenic width is also quite good for a closed over-ear headphones. If not in the bass, we manage to correctly visualize the different elements of the scene.

The other element that can direct you to another helmet is the passive insulation of the Plattan II. Despite its design, this helmet offers relatively low insulation. If you are the type who wants to cut yourself off at all costs from the world around you, especially in public transport, you have to look elsewhere.

Even if the Plattan II is not the most sensitive on the market, it can still be powered without problem by most portable devices. To give you an idea, it needs 169 mV to reach 94 dB, against 120 mV for the Focal Listen, 128 mV for the Sony h.ear on or even 201 mV for the Philips SHB7250.

The distortion remains acceptable over the majority of the spectrum.

A final word on the quality of the hands-free micro kit. This one is well made and offers a relatively clean and clear capture of our voice in all situations. On the other hand, it remains sensitive to surrounding noise. We advise you to bring it close to your mouth when you speak in a very noisy environment (metro, work ...).

---

---

Conclusion

The Plattan II managed to overshadow the catastrophic performance of the model from which it was inspired and just won the third star. Even if it does the job, it does not remain without reproaches, whether in terms of the quality of comfort that bass and insulation. If you are looking for a very affordable small helmet to accompany you day by day and which does not cut you off from your environment, the Plattan II can be interesting. Also take a look at the Jabra Move Wireless if you want wireless in a similar format.

---

---