Creative Aurvana Live! Headphones

These are wonderful hidden gems of headphone world. Using the same guts as the renowned D1001k they produce a bass driven warm sound without any bass bleed to midrange. Midrange is also well-done, male vocals especially. Treble is nice and has the occasional spark when needed. Presentation is adequate for closed headphones. Overall, the sound signature is quite fun for most genres, the only problem I had with them is the extra messy and fast metal pieces. The reason is that bass is not well controlled. I sense that -though I am no expert-, these are not technically most proficient headphones even in their price range.

 

Comfort is probably unbeatable. Build is decent but a bit flimsy. And lastly look elsewhere for isolation.

 

I can't believe that  someone can get them for 70 bucks new and much less second hand. Such a great value!

I've owned quite a few cans and ended up really digging the sound of Denon headphones. With a pair of AHD-2000's at home, I wanted something just as fun at work. I've auditioned the Audio-Technica M50, Koss DJ-100, AKG 240S, AKG 44, and Triple.Fi Pro's connected to a uDAC for work. The DJ-100's were good, albeit a bit dark. The sibilance in the AKG's were too fatiguing and the AKG 44, though incredibly inexpensive with the Guitar Center deal under $20, lacked body. The M50's, though excellent at their price point, weren't as detailed as I liked. Triple.Fi's are great but I realized I wanted a pair of cans at work. Ultimately I wanted a fun, detailed pair of headphones under $100. 

 

I looked at picking up a pair of the 1100's, but after some research I decided that I wanted try the CAL! since they shared the same drivers as the Denon 1001's. They are just what I was looking for: sub $100 cans that were as fun as my D2000's. Next step: pair it with a Fiio E6. 

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
Finally I can send my Superlux 668B where they belong - into the trashcan. Due to a discount at the german Creative store website, I was able to order the Aurvana Live for 49€ (equals ~62$).

Optics/Haptics
Lots of plastic, but seems durable and well crafted, also nice to look at. Dueto the little weight and the well adjustable headband, they're superbly comfortable, even for guys with bull shaped skulls (like me^^).

Sound : The good
The Aurvana Live! has no real weakness. The sound is very nicely detailed and staged, it can reach quite low and has no breakaways -up or down- anywhere the frequency range. Voices are soft and detailed as well, very slightly taken back though, "S" and "F" sounds stay where they belong, no mentionworthy sizzling or hissing, even with harshly mastered stuff like George Michael's "Precious Box".

Sound: The bad
The deep bass section is slightly washy, but in a close limit. Listening to several classical test songs, I recognised that with some situations, the sound stage became rather "promiscous", I wasn't able to tell apart the different instruments anymore, it all sounded squishy - but that happened very selectively, so I can't tell if it was the particular recorded material or the headphones - but it should be mentioned anyway.

Value for money - Outstanding.
Yes, lots of plastic is involved, but that's not really a surprise in the below-50€ market here in Europe, is it? The sound makes up for it. Detailed, laid back, no real weaknesses. Very well done, but the same of course goes for it's older brother, the Denon 1001.

My Advice - If you're unhappy with budget "tips" like the Superluxes, go for the Aurvana! They are WAY MORE FUN!

Bear in mind these are my first quality headphones so it is a world of difference from anything I have had previously.  I did a load of research before grabbing these and I am very pleased.

 

Out of the box...

    I think these are a good-looking piece of gear.  Aside from the headphones you get the 2.5 to 3.5 mm adapter, a cord extension, and a carrying case (soft, velvety bag).

 

Sound...

    Again, never having any high quality headphones before, I was blown away by my CAL!'s.  I expected a big difference but these sound close to some several-hundred-dollar headphones I have tried.  I can hear new details in songs I've heard a hundred times.  I find the sound very clear and the bass is awesome.  You can feel the bass fully and it seems to adapt well with the sound (or source in general).  For example, in a bass heavy rap/hip-hop song the bass hits fully but you don't lose out on the rest of the details.  On the other hand, in a song with little bass (a piano piece, say), there isn't any unnecessary or added bass noise.

    I have used these watching video and they perform here as well.  Watching action is particularly rewarding (just hearing talking sounds high-quality/clear, but really not super special).  Action sounds full and almost seems like surround sound.  I've caught myself looking over my shoulder after hearing a background sound, thinking it came from the room in which I was sitting.

 

Comfort...

I can wear these bad boys all day.

 

Design...

    Again, I think these look nice.  Functionally, I would've liked if they had the cord exiting from only one side, but it really not a big deal.  I like how the cord is only about 3 feet (I don't want a huge spool of wire like a lot of "DJ" headphones have).  Plus they do offer an extension cord.  

    I think the biggest design downside for a lot of people is that these don't fold.  It doesn't really bother me because folding headphones really don't get much smaller.  Plus I think this knocks the price down a little and it has nothing to do with sound, so it's almost a plus for me. 

 

In summary...

I think these are outstanding.  At only $60 you can't go wrong if you want a solid, affordable pair of headphones.