Brief: Portable headphone from Urbanears’ and Marshall Headphones’ sister brand Coloud
MSRP: $40.00
Current Price: $18 from amazon.com
Build Quality (6/10): Staying true to the name of the headphone, the structural elements, headband, pads, and cable of the Coloud Colors are all finished in the same color. The construction of the headphones is extremely simple – a sturdy metal skeleton, plastic cups and yokes, and a synthetic leather headband. Unlike the similar-looking Urbanears Plattan, the Colouds do not fold and the headband is unpadded. The cable, sheathed in nylon on the Plattan, is covered in plastic on the Colouds. It is still single-entry and thick enough to withstand some abuse. In contrast to the Urbanears and Marshall sets, none of the materials used for the Colouds are particularly high-grade but the simple structure of the headphones still inspires confidence in their longevity.
Comfort (5/10): While light and small, the Coloud Colors are quite rigid and don’t conform to the shape of one’s ears very well. Headband length can be adjusted and the cups tilt around the horizontal axis but not about the vertical, ignoring nuances of human anatomy, and there is almost no flex in the structure. As a result, despite the soft pads, the Colouds can get very uncomfortable after just a few hours and listeners with larger noggins will likely find the clamping force exerted by the headband too high even sooner.
Isolation (7/10): The tight clamping force and vinyl pads do have the potential for good isolation but the lack of flexibility in the fitting mechanism makes it difficult to get a solid seal. Noise leakage is respectably low.
Sound (4.25/10): The Coloud Colors mimic the higher-end Urbanears Plattan by providing powerful, enhanced bass and laid-back, relaxed treble. The bass has good depth and impact but tends to sound muddy and boomy. There is a discernable lack of control and a propensity towards smearing on busy tracks. The pricier Plattan does not smear quite this badly despite having a similar frequency balance on the whole. The midrange of the Colors is warm and forward but still manages to be veiled and muddy. Vocals come across smooth and strong despite but the mediocre clarity doesn’t do the resolution any favors. Guitars bite due to the thick sound and characteristically rounded notes and the midrange lacks detail compared to competing sets such as the Sennheiser PX90 and MEElec HT-21.
The treble transition is enviably smooth, partly because the Colors begin to roll-off at the upper midrange. The top end is recessed and the overall tone of the headphones is slightly on the dark side. Lovers of bright and sparkly treble will not be pleased and even those who prefer a more neutral tone will likely be left wanting more top end out of the Colouds. On the upside, the sound signature completely avoids listening fatigue and easily kills off harshness and sibilance.
Presentation is perhaps where the Colors are closest to the Plattan. They lack the dynamic range necessary to accurately portray distance and fall behind many similarly-priced sets in instrument separation and layering. Not only does the presentation of the Colors not compete well with open sets such as the Koss KSC75, it also trails similarly-priced competition from MEElec, Soundmagic, and others.
Value (5/10): As advertised, the monochromatic Coloud Colors headphones certainly do stand out visually in a field of (mostly) black, gray, and white sets from competing brands. However, the company also makes claims to functionality and value. Sadly, the Colors feel like a budget-oriented product with most of the additional features stripped away when compared to the Plattan from their Urbanears sister brand. They do offer deep, thumping bass and good passive noise isolation but the overall sound quality and comfort are just too mediocre for the asking price.
Manufacturer Specs:
Frequency Response: 20-20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 114 dB SPL/1mW
Cord: 3.94ft (1.2m), single-sided, with microphone & remote; Straight Plug
Space-Saving Mechanism: N/A
