Sound Review by KZW
Disclaimer: Urbanfun has graciously provided us with this sample unit in exchange for an honest review. The views discussed below are a reflection of Project A3's thoughts surrounding the product. The sample has been run-in for at least 50 hours prior to reviewing in order to achieve an accurate representation of the product.
TL;DR |
Not Recommended if you like: |
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Recommended if you like: |
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Introduction:
Upon first impressions, the Urban Fun ISS014 shares “fundamental design cues” with the Blon BL01, a budget phenome that has left audiophiles panging for future releases. If they were both placed side by side, both iterations share the exact shame shell-type. And it is oftentimes, easy to mistake one for the other. Apart from the difference in termination (2-pin vs MMCX), both of them share the same heavily polished, chrome shells.
Nevertheless, what it sounds like is what truly matters; Sound is king, not aesthetics. And both earphones start to walk their own path, as the ISS014 houses a “beryllium dynamic driver”, while the Blon BL03 boasts a “diamond-like carbon driver”.
Priced at a $59 USD, a significant margin as compared to the Blon BL03’s measly price of $29, the ISS014 is separating itself from the competition with the large price jump.
Will the Urban Fun ISS014 be another revolutionary earphone in the Chi-fi market? Available at Aliexpress.
Nevertheless, what it sounds like is what truly matters; Sound is king, not aesthetics. And both earphones start to walk their own path, as the ISS014 houses a “beryllium dynamic driver”, while the Blon BL03 boasts a “diamond-like carbon driver”.
Priced at a $59 USD, a significant margin as compared to the Blon BL03’s measly price of $29, the ISS014 is separating itself from the competition with the large price jump.
Will the Urban Fun ISS014 be another revolutionary earphone in the Chi-fi market? Available at Aliexpress.
Pros | Cons |
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Specification:
- Driver Unit: 10 mm Beryllium Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
- Sensitivity: 20-40000Hz
- Headphone Plug: 3.5mm Golden Type
- Weight: 35 grams
Gear Used & Tracklist:
Sony NW-A105|Aune X1S |Periodic Audio Nickel (Ni) |Venture Electronics Odyssey |Google Pixel 2XL |Genres | Artist | Songs |
Live Recordings | Diana Krall | Desperado (Live) |
Natalia Lafourcade | Soledad y El Mar | |
Case Lang Veirs | Atomic Number | |
Depeche Mode | Question of Lust (Live 1998) | |
Instrumentals | Max Richter | On the Nature of Daylight |
Santa Esmeralda | Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood | |
Nils Frahm | Toilet Brushes (Live) | |
Jazz | Bill Evans | A Waltz for Debbie |
Chet Baker | I'm a Fool to Want You | |
Sons of Kemet | Your Queen is Harriet Tubman | |
Ryo Fukui | Scenery | |
Rock | Avenged Sevenfold | Nightmare |
The Stooges | Down On The Street | |
Avenged Sevenfold | Unbound (The Wild Ride) | |
Guns N’ Roses | Sweet Child O’ Mine | |
Ozzy Osbourne | Crazy Train | |
Green Day | 21 Guns | |
Classical | Niccolò Paganini | La Campanella (From Violin Concerto No.2 In B Minor) |
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | The Year 1812 Solemn Overture | |
David Arnold | Independence Day | |
Pop | Hu Yang-Lin (胡楊林) | Perfume is poisonous (香水有毒) |
Fish Leong (梁靜茹) | Love Song (情歌) | |
Western Pop | Anamanaguchi | MEOW |
Iamamiwhoami | Chasing Kites | |
Algiers | Dispossession | |
New Order | Bizzare Love Triangle (Extended Mix) | |
Marian Hill | Breathe Into Me | |
Tyler, The Creator | EARFQUAKE | |
Tones and I | Never Seen the Rain | |
Red Hot Chili Peppers | Around the World | |
ACG | Saori Hayami | オレンジミント (Orange Mint) |
RADWIMPS | 前前前世 (Zenzenzenzense) | |
RADWIMPS | スパークル(Sparkle) | |
DAOKO | Cinderella Step | |
Kana Hanazawa | 恋愛サーキュレーション (Renai Circulation) |
Unboxing:
The Urban Fun ISS014 comes in a plain, black box. Upon removing the lid, the contents displayed are as follow; a generic, round IEM case, a tin-case with foam tips inside, several silicone ear-tips and the earphones themselves.
While the package might sound sparse, it is to be expected, given the reasonable price-tag. Nothing is missing, and the usual suspects are provided as per usual
While the package might sound sparse, it is to be expected, given the reasonable price-tag. Nothing is missing, and the usual suspects are provided as per usual
Scalability:
The Urbanfun ISS014 is remarkably easy to drive, and amplification is unnecessary. It is incredibly sensitive, and pairs well with most sources without any distinct or large variations in sound quality.
On the Venture Electronics Odyssey, the Urban Fun ISS014 displayed little to no hiss, and it reached my ideal listening volume at approximately 40% (of the max) on my Google Pixel 2XL.
On my the Aune X1s, the ideal listening volume was reached by turning the volume knob upwards of about a millimetre; as you can tell, the Urban Fun ISS014 was designed for low-power output sources.
Changes are minute, and I could only see a change in resolution with the AUNE X1s, no thanks to its superior DAC/OPamp and grounding.
On the Venture Electronics Odyssey, the Urban Fun ISS014 displayed little to no hiss, and it reached my ideal listening volume at approximately 40% (of the max) on my Google Pixel 2XL.
On my the Aune X1s, the ideal listening volume was reached by turning the volume knob upwards of about a millimetre; as you can tell, the Urban Fun ISS014 was designed for low-power output sources.
Changes are minute, and I could only see a change in resolution with the AUNE X1s, no thanks to its superior DAC/OPamp and grounding.
Fit:
Don’t be fooled by the metallic shells; they may look heavy, but they actually wear really light on the ears. Weighing at a measly 85 grams, the ISS014 sits snugly in my inner ear canal, with little to no discomfort (as I sit here, writing this review). The stem is of adequate length, resulting in a tight fit that doesn’t displace easily from my usual “head-shake test”. There are no sharp or coarse protrusions; the shells are immaculately finished and feel much more premium when compared to its attractive price-tag.
The cables are braided but twisted, resulting in a cable reminiscent of the Campfire Audio Litz cables equipped on their newer offerings, such as the IO. The twisting results in little to no microphonics, and it is supple enough so as to not retain kinks or unwanted bends that make it hard to stow away in the provided case.
I’m usually seated right in front of my fan, and the Urban Fun ISS014 barely picks up any wind-noise. The miniscule vent is played beside the spout of the earphone, and it isolates really well, even in noisier conditions.
Overall, I am duly impressed by both the fit and finish of the ISS014.
The cables are braided but twisted, resulting in a cable reminiscent of the Campfire Audio Litz cables equipped on their newer offerings, such as the IO. The twisting results in little to no microphonics, and it is supple enough so as to not retain kinks or unwanted bends that make it hard to stow away in the provided case.
I’m usually seated right in front of my fan, and the Urban Fun ISS014 barely picks up any wind-noise. The miniscule vent is played beside the spout of the earphone, and it isolates really well, even in noisier conditions.
Overall, I am duly impressed by both the fit and finish of the ISS014.
Sound Signature | |
A soft and gentle V-shaped signature, with a mild mid-bass bump The Urbanfun ISS014 carries a soft and gentle V-shaped signature, with slightly (just a tinsy bit) boosted mid-bass. The mids, however, carry the unique qualities of being incredibly detailed without losing out on warmth, resulting in a listening experience that retains clarity without being overly harsh on the ears. |
Lows | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Tyler the Creator- Earfquake
Desire- Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover)
Tyler the Creator- Earfquake
Desire- Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover)
The Urbanfun's bass-response is lively, and it digs deep in the mid-bass regions. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm does not carry over into the sub-bass; it doesn't reverberate as expected when listening to trap-heavy beats. A v-shaped signature is tailored to complement music with heavily synthesized production standards. The Urbanfun's laidback response clearly favors harmony (on paper, at least) amongst all the core frequencies. The beryllium, dynamic driver is clearly being put to good work.
Mids | |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Natalia Lafourcade- Soledad Y El Mar
Destroyer- The River
Natalia Lafourcade- Soledad Y El Mar
Destroyer- The River
In admittance, those criticisms stated above were minor nitpicks; I am enamored by the mid-range response of this tiny but mighty earphone. It ticks all the right boxes; it has an accurate timbre, it is neither peaky nor sharp and the interplay between the upper and lower mids is perfectly balanced to my ears. However, vocals might sounds slightly further away; after all, it is still a v-shaped signature.
Highs | |
Pros |
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Cons |
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Natalia Lafourcade- Nunca Es Sufficiente
John Coltrane-Blues Train
Natalia Lafourcade- Nunca Es Sufficiente
John Coltrane-Blues Train
I found it quite difficult to critique the highs here. My only gripe here is the lack of bite; it doesn't need to be completely smooth. Some forwardness and energy is needed here for it to sound spectacular. It's so close, but it isn't quite there yet.
Soundstage | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
John Frusciante- Murderers
John Frusciante- Murderers
Like all other earphones in the sub-$100 market, it doesn't do a bad job at recreating a cohesive soundscape. But, it isn't a standout feature for sure. It hits all the right markers, but it fails to surpass them.
Separation | |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Santa Esmeralda- Please don't let me be Misunderstood
Santa Esmeralda- Please don't let me be Misunderstood
The Urbanears are no slouch when it comes to positional cues. The placement of each vocal or instrumental cue is easily differentiated with little effort. However, don't expect "balanced armature" like separation; it lacks that "faux", multi-driver split characteristic. What we have here, is a coherent iem that manages crowded tracks decently well (this is no top-of-the-line, flagship).
Musicality | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
New Order- The Perfect Kiss
Townes Van Zandt- Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel
New Order- The Perfect Kiss
Townes Van Zandt- Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel
To surmise this section, the mid-range has a tonality that pairs well with many genres of music, from Americana (with that luscious twang of an acoustic guitar) to New-wave (think New Order and waterline synths). However, it is a jack of all trades that aims to satisfy most tastes. It excels in everything, but doesn't specialize in anything. Take of that what you will.
Comparison Chart | ||||
How we compare: We chose other similarly priced earphones or similar offerings from the same brand that Project A3 has reviewed in the past, to ensure that we remain as impartial as possible in our comparisons. | ||||
Urbanfun ISS014 | Hidizs MS1 | Tin Audio T4 | ||
Suggested Retail Price | $59.99 USD | $69.99 USD | $79 USD | |
Driver Configuration | 10mm beryllium dynamic driver | Bio-dynamic driver | 1 Carbon Nanotube Dynamic driver | |
Scalability | Mobile/Dongle Friendly | Mobile/Dongle Friendly | Mobile/Dongle Friendly | |
Fitting | Snug and lightweight | Snug and lightweight | Snug and lightweight | |
Comfort | Very Good | Very Good | Excellent | |
Sound Signature | Soft-V shape, with an organic midrange | Aggressive V-shape signature, with a shouty upper-midrange | Fairly Linear, slight bass lift | |
Lows | Energetic, boosted mid-bass | Deep sub-bass rumble, but doesn't bleed into the mids | Speedy mid-bass, faint sub bass. Overall linear bass response | |
Mids | Organic mids, incredibly coherent and dynamic | Lower-mids are recessed, with the upper-mids taking centre stage | Clear and Neutral, zero emphasis on either lower or upper mids. | |
Highs | Smooth and fatigue-free highs | Great sparkle, average extension | Pristine highs, good extension with little colouration | |
Soundstage | Great lateral width between L-R Channels | Good lateral width between L-R Channels | Above average horizontal width | |
Separation | Great imaging, manages to decipher messier tracks | Above-average imaging, manages busier tracks | Above average imaging, easy to distinguish between vocals and instruments | |
Remarks | Great for all-genre listening | Great for consumers who enjoy an exciting signature that emphasizes vocal performance. | Perfect for a flat/reference signature or as an “everyday carry” IEM. |
Conclusion:
The Urbanfun's, as its namesake suggests, is boatloads of fun to listen to with a multitude of genres, both old and modern. By sound-merit alone, the ISS014 could stand vis-a-vis, against its pricier counterparts. I foresee myself placing the Urbanfun ISS014 in my current circulation of daily drivers.
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*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.
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