Creative Aurvana Live! vs Sennheiser Amperior
Dec 25, 2013 at 8:29 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

Kaiser Soze

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Narrowed my choices down to these two. I listen to everything, but I lean towards rap/hiphop and edm. I'm looking for accurate sound, punchy, exciting bass, and wonderful highs and mids. Comfort is important. Which one should I get? 
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 4:27 AM Post #2 of 22
I've never used the Amperior, but I can vouch for the Creative Aurvana Live, it's a stupidly good sounding headphone for something so cheap. A very good all rounder, with plenty of bass presence (that is properly balanced) for hip hop and edm.
 
Read my review if you care to:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/creative-aurvana-live-headphones/reviews/9902
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 4:42 AM Post #3 of 22
I can't comment on the Creative Aurvana Live, however I've been using the Amperiors and based on my experiences the Amperiors have good bass for rap/hip hop and edm. The mids are forward but the highs seem to be a bit recessed.
The Amperiors might be uncomfortable due to the clamping force and will need some getting used to.
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 4:45 AM Post #4 of 22
They are essentially designed for different purposes/uses.
 
Compare:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/most-excellent-sennheiser-amperior-and-hd-25-1-ii
 
with
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate
 
Dec 26, 2013 at 4:54 PM Post #5 of 22
I like both the on-ear and over-ear designs. The Amperior has better isolation than the Creatives, but the Creative's have a better soundstage (all this is according to the countless reviews I've read). It seems, overall, they are equal in terms of SQ and that the CAL! is more comfortable. I'm buying soon and I guess I'm just looking for someone with more knowledge to convince me one way or the other. I found a deal on the Amperiors so my budget is <150$. If anyone has other headphone suggestions I'd be grateful.
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 1:35 PM Post #9 of 22
I've got a pair of CAL! and did own some Amperior a few months ago; I compared the two a fair bit.

In sound-quality terms, they are pretty similar, but I felt the Amperior edged it with better bass control & more present mids. They are on the same general 'level' though, really. Amperior has the more forward, aggressive sound signature of the two.

Comfort, no question goes to the CAL! - one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn! Cups are on the small side though, so may not be so great for those with big ears ... Amperior has nice pads, but was way too clampy for me. This was the main reason I sold them.

CAL! Has pretty good isolation (although I don't commute with them or use them outside) Amperior wins here though.

Amperior also wins on build quality, and most parts are easily replaceable.

As others have noted, however, the CAL! Easily wins on price and value for money. I reckon they are one of the best value headphones out there!
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 4:28 PM Post #11 of 22
I never tested Amperior, however, I own Aurvana live and they are my favourite set in the kit (others I have HD 555, ATH M50, ATH WS 55, Philips SHN 9500, Philips Cityscape Uptowns, PX 100, PX 100 II, HD 238). I thought that ATH M50 won't be beaten on value for money front, but CAL are easy the champ. I use them, like all of my sets for the long walks out and about and their sound and isolation is simply joy to have on your head. Comfort is even superior to HD 555 and that is not easy to achieve (other then slightly over sized cups on HD 555.) Cups on CAL are, for my ears perfect as on - ear type, fully cover my ears to the edge and noise isolation is almost as good as ATH M50. I think that comparing to ATH M50 bass and treble is not as extended (just by a touch) but definitely sound more refined in both end of the spectrum. I like V shape signature, so middle, as long as it's present it does not worry me whether it's perfect or not. To sum up, for AUS $120 for twin pack (it's how much I paid for directly from Creative AUS) you 'd be silly to pass on brilliant set of headphones.
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 4:38 PM Post #12 of 22
I had both (well... HD25 II , not amperior version), I can approve what has been said above.
CAL! are more comfortable, have better soundstage, sound "fuller" while HD25 is more forward with better mids and more impactful bass. HD25 is also more portable with better isolation & will probably be more durable.
Both are very good sounding, CAL! is much cheaper (at least here in EU) so for home/work I would probably go forCAL! , for a pure portable solution I would go for HD25
 
Dec 30, 2013 at 10:48 AM Post #13 of 22
I own both and think that the CAL! is more relaxed, slightly less detailed, but musical with better soundstage (but both are not great in that department IMO)
 
both seem good in the vocal range for me, the Amperior can get a bit edgy in the treble unlike the CAL!
 
The CAL! is good for home use, good comfort, but isolation is poor!
 
The Amperior feels more premium with the aluminium cups and offers very good passive noise isolation for portable use.
 
I think the Amperior offers more definition across all frequencies but is more direct, the CAL! is more liquid-relaxed and slighlty less congested. But I dont think the Amperior sounds that congested, I think the stage improved over the original HD25 but I cant compare them directly anymore.
 
Dec 30, 2013 at 11:22 AM Post #14 of 22
Look into the CAL 2.0 and the Takstar Pro80, which is basically a big brother of the CAL with better everything.
 
Dec 30, 2013 at 11:29 AM Post #15 of 22
Am I alone in the opinion that the CAL!'s are a bit harsh in the treble dept.? I always found that I'd get to my favourite part of a song and whack the volume up, then immediately turn it down again as blood poured out of my ears! (That's a little over exaggerated but you get the picture.) That V shaped signature does suit some tunes well, mind.
 
I do concur, however, that they are extremely comfortable. They weigh nothing and you can forget they're on your head. They won't be falling off, either.
 

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