Creative Aurvana In-Ear Headphones (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I have now purchased and listened to the two most expensive Shure Earbuds. They are great, but very costly and kind of big. I have the Denon 700, the Sennheiser CX 300(also an unparalleled bargain), the Audio Technica CK7, Ultimate Ear (as of yet, not listened to), and the Bose earbuds(I hate them. They are uncomfortable with muddy base and indistinct sound).

I think that I enjoy the Creative Zen the best over all with the possible exception of the Shure 4c. The Creative has a very clear sound that allows you to hear instruments with incredible clarity and presence. The upper end is sparkling and fun. The bass is very clear and a little punchy. These phones will never have the full bass of an excellent over the ear headphone. The sound seems richer than the Sennheiser 300. The sound might be ever so slightly colored compared to the Denon which seem very nuetral. The Audio Technica also seems to have a very neutral presentation.

I have to agree with what many of the reviewers have said when they express great disappointment that the sound is tinny or small sounding. It really is all in the fit. When I first bought the Shure 4c, I spent $300.00. I purchased them from an audiophile stereo shop. I paid full price. When I purchased them, I think that I got caught up with the thought that I was buying “the best” because they were so expensive. The salesman really did not explain how to use them properly and he used these foam rings around them to test them. I suspect that it was for hygene reasons and that they would throw out the foam rings. At home, I did not spend the time necessary to establish a good fit on the Shures. At the time, I thought that I had made a bad choice. Now that I know what I am doing putting them in, I do so much better. I think the Shures are wonderful.

The reason that I believe the Creative Zen Arvana’s are so good really is the fit. Like the Shures, they are slightly angled,i.e the body is at an angle from the portion that extends into the ear canal. This allows you to really put the earphones deep into your ears and for the earphone to hang out of your ear in a comfortable manner. I have also found that they work better if you put the earphone in your hear by wrapping the cord over the back of your ear and inserting them from the top of the ear rather that just to stick them directly in your ear canal with the wire simply hanging down. It allows you to adjust the sliding piece so as to make the whole apparatus to fit reasonable snugly which is good if you are using them in the gym.

Lastly, unlike the Denon, Audio Technica, or Sennheiser earphones, they come with a little case that allows you to protect the earphones so that you might get year out of them without breaking them (if you do not lose them first). I have been using old cufflink boxes to put the Denon, Audio Technica, and Sennheiser earbuds into to protect them.

Creative is widely known for the sound quality of their products. As an owner of a Zen X-Fi player I must agree that this is usually the case. However, these earphones are a disappointment in comparison to the much cheaper EP-630 that also come with the player, and that I was extremely satisfied with for over a year until the cable broke.
I bought a pair of Aurvanas here in Amazon and received a defective unit in which there was very loud static in low volumes. Amazon sent me replacements by request. The new ones do not have static, but their overall sound quality is dubious, especially in the mid-range in high volumes that sometimes cracks – nothing I experienced while using the EP-630s.
It seems that this is an unstable product. Even if the sound quality is decent,the price gap between this set and Creative’s cheaper models is definitely not justified. I would pass this one.

I bought a pair of these several years ago direct from Creative for way more $ and loved them. They are a little susceptible to coming apart where the wires join together but still like them. Did my own repair with heat shrink tubing once. I made the mistake of letting one of my kids use them with their less than gentle ways and they were done at the plug.

These work great at blocking outside noise and I think they have pretty great sound. They do seem to have better response for voices but I think most music sounds great too. I wear them when riding motorcycle, they stay comfortable for a couple if hours at a stretch.

For this price I couldn’t pass up buying two pair just in case the durability hasn’t been improved. If they last at least two years at this price it’s a great deal!