Creative Zen Aurvana

More on this product: review; user reviews; specifications; compare; shop

Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Reddit
- Facebook
E-mail
Print

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating

Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 38 reviews
See all user reviews

Product summary

The good: Lightweight, durable, and low profile; comfortable fit; good noise-blocking capability and balanced clean sound.

The bad The bad: Should come with foam earbud option and 1/4" adapter jack

The bottom line: If you need lightweight and quality in-ear earphones for under $100, check out the Creative Aurvanas, which match up quite well against the Shure E2cs.

Specifications: Product type: Headphones; Design: In-ear canalphone; Weight: 0.5 oz; See full specs

Price range: $74.99 - $91.99

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: James Kim
Reviewed on: 06/26/2006
Released on: 06/20/2006

With in-ear headphones all the rage now, it didn't surprise us when audio-centric Creative Labs joined the fun with the launch of its own Zen Aurvana in-ear earphones. Already available in Asia a few weeks before their U.S. launch, the $99 "anti-iPod black" pair are extremely lightweight (0.46 ounces) and low profile, and they sound quite good--if they fit in your ears properly (Jasmine's earholes are too small for the Aurvana).

For me, that's not a problem. You get two pairs of three different-size silicon earbuds, the rubbery kind. Though I prefer foam tips, the medium size fit quite well, passively blocking ambient noise (by 90 percent, according to Creative) and delivering clean, balanced sound. Indeed, the high-end sounds come through crystal clear. The Aurvanas have a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz and a sensitivity of 115dB and 20dB at noise blocking. Bass is surprisingly solid (for this listener anyway), and overall performance is good, or as good as a pair of $110 Shure E2Cs, which are bulkier than the Aurvanas. While we prefer the sound of the Shure E3cs, the Aurvanas cost half as much.

It all comes down to comfort and sound, and the Aurvanas rock if you don't mind spending a C-note for your headphones. The 4-foot cable doesn't easily get tangled and the earbuds are so light that you can let one hang out of your ear if you need to monitor the outside world. They match up quite nicely with the Zen Vision:M or Zen V Plus. In this price range, we also like the Ultimate Ears Super fi 3 Studio, which stay securely attached to your ears.

The Aurvanas include a Y-junction slider for optimal cable management, and they ship with the mentioned earbuds, an airplane adapter, an ear-gunk cleaning tool, and a travel case.

See more CNET content tagged:: Creative Labs Inc.,; Shure,; earbud,; earphone,; headphones

User reviews

Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 38 reviews
My rating: 0 stars Write review

Showing 5 of 38 user reviewsSee all 38 user reviews
4.5 stars

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

"Very pleased with these"

by sidewinder on July 4, 2006

read more
1.0 stars

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

"Not Durable"

by elyas2007 on April 13, 2008

read more
4.5 stars

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

"Excellent, but not for the retail price tag."

by TNHD on June 26, 2007

read more
3.0 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"Good sound (while it lasts)"

by scotton30 on April 12, 2008

read more
4.0 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"Good sound quality"

by dkehoe17 on July 13, 2007

read more
See all 38 user reviews Write review

Submit your review

Creative Zen Aurvana

1. Rate this product:: (Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.): 0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.): 0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.): 0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.): 0 of 5000 characters; Submit

Where to buy

Creative Zen Aurvana: $74.99 - $91.99

store	price	in stock?
Directron.com	$80.98	No
	$91.99
Next Warehouse	$84.31	No
Costcentral.com	$79.37	Yes
	$74.99	Yes

see prices from 7 stores

Reviews from around the Web

pcmag.com

Editors' rating: 80

Summary: These ultracompact Zen Aurvana earphones block noise better than most. They sound very good, but the cable thump and wind noise make them better for commuting than for walking around town.

Read full review