Others by stefan @ 2016-09-22
Right after installing the battery inside the Aurvana ANC, we wanted to check out the noise cancelling feature, so without having it connected to any audio source, we put the headset on; with the feature turned off, we could hear a low level of background noise coming in both ears but with the noise cancelling on, that noise was completely gone, which is quite impressive.
At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their Aurvana ANC Headset for testing and reviewing.
“Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.
Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.
Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.
Creative is now well recognized as a global leader for product innovation in the audio and PDE segments, offering consumers a complete, high quality digital entertainment experience through Creative's hardware, software applications and services. Finding the perfect balance between form and function, Creative strives for every product to be a sensory feast for the eyes and ears.
Today, Creative is spearheading new product categories with its groundbreaking Sound BlasterAxx audio enhancement devices and solutions, highly-acclaimed Creative D5xm Signature Series of modular Bluetooth wireless speakers, Aurvana premium headsets, Sound Blaster wireless gaming headsets, and cross-platform Sound Blaster Recon3D for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC or Mac.
These products and solutions are marketed to consumers and system integrators through a worldwide distribution network that includes traditional marketing channels, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Internet.
Moving forward, Creative's mission is to expand its leadership role in the lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment market, using groundbreaking technology and leading-edge designs for not just the technically-savvy consumers, but for everyone who enjoys entertainment. With strong focus on user-friendly interface, multiple features and cool industrial designs, the Creative brand is synonymous with lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment.
Creative's global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. It has regional business units in the US (Milpitas, California), Europe (Dublin, Ireland) and Asia (Singapore).
Creative is a public listed company on the main board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) since June 1994.”
Shut the World Out of Your Music
Whether you’re travelling or working hard in the office, it gets more enjoyable when nothing comes between you and your music. Aurvana ANC headphones are engineered for better sound and comfort you can take, anywhere you go. Put them on and suddenly every detail becomes clearer, as the chatter and laughter fade away.
Designed for Better Comfort
Aurvana ANC headphones stay comfortable, no matter how long your journey is. They are lightweight and comfy, with earcups that adapt to your perfect fit. The headband mirrors the contours of your head. Soft leatherette ear cushions give your ears a comfortable seal, you might forget you’re wearing the headphones.
Less Noise for Quiet Enjoyment
Aurvana ANC headphones boast the capability to deliver up to 87% active noise cancellation. Enjoy your music with minimal, or no distraction, when you turn on the active noise cancellation (ANC) switch. Featuring Dual Mic Active Noise Cancelling Technology, it picks up external noises and actively cancels them out for your quiet enjoyment.
Convenience at Your Fingertips
The inline mic with remote puts you in control of your music playback and phone calls – all within your fingertips. You can also switch between calls and music without reaching for your mobile phones. Optimized for a wide range of smartphones and tablets, you can switch seamlessly between different gadgets.
Fold up and Go
Aurvana ANC headphones feature a compact design that fits in the compact travel pouch that’s easy to carry. Fold the earcups flat like a pair of glasses and get ready for your next adventure.
Uncompromised Sound Quality
Feel the bass pulsate to the beat of the music. The Aurvana ANC’s 40mm neodymium drivers are tuned for high performance audio so compelling that you’ll listen for hours.
Long Battery Life
To equip you for any long journey ahead, the AAA alkaline battery inside the headphones gives you up to 40 hours of continuous playback with ANC turned on. Even if your AAA battery runs out, your music remains just as great.
Change Your Battery Anytime
It’s easy to replace the battery in the Aurvana ANC headphones. The battery compartment is placed at the right earcup. Slide the right earcup open and you can replace the old battery with a fresh one. Then, slide the right earcup back shut, until it clicks.
General
Wearing Style - Over-the-Ear
Weight - 174g (6.14oz)
Adjustable Headband - Yes
Foldable Design - Yes
Color – Blue, Chrome
Included Accessories - 1 AAA alkaline battery, 1 Airplane Travel Adaptor, 1 Detachable Audio Cable with Inline Microphone, 1 Hard-covered Travel Case
Specifications
Product Type - Wired Headphones
Inline Volume - Yes
Inline Microphone - Yes
Active Noise Cancellation – Yes, Up to 18dB (87%) with dual microphones
Noise Isolation - Yes
Drivers: 40mm (1.57 inches) Neodymium magnet
Frequency Response - 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Impedance - 290 Ohm - Measured in Active Noise Cancellation mode
Sensitivity - 100dB/mW
Connector Type - 3.5mm (0.13 inches) Connector
Cable Length - 1.5m / 4.9ft
Cable Style - 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable
Battery Specifications
Type of Battery - AAA alkaline battery
Battery Life - 40 Hours
Microphone Specifications (*Headsets only)
Frequency Response - 100Hz ~ 10kHz
Sensitivity - - 38dBV/Pa
Detachable - Yes
Recommended Usage: -Music/Movies - Yes ; Gaming - Yes ; Chat - Yes
With the Aurvana ANC, Creative is promoting a new product which does feature the active noise cancellation feature which helps with filtering outside noise so we could enjoy the content which is being played back without distractions. This is being realized by a system composed of dual microphones which are powered by a single AAA battery and can assist with the noise cancellation effect for about 40 hours of playback.
The product is shipped inside a pretty compact cardboard enclosure, with a photo of the headset on top, along with its highlights like Noise Cancellation, the 40h battery life or the fact that it is shipped along with a hard travel case:
On the right side, the box does feature some additional product features listed:
The left side also shows one more important feature, and the fact that we are dealing with a slim profile, for easy storage and travel:
Each of the product highlights is explained in more detail on the back side of the box and here we do also get to see a drawing of the hard case, along with the headset. Creative does also list here the technical specifications:
After unsealing the box and removing the top cover, we will get to see the actual hard case, which does have the product logo right in the middle:
Here we will also spot the documentation, composed of a guide, but also a World Wide Warranty leaflet:
The guide instructs us on how to install the battery, operate the headset but also how to activate the active noise cancellation feature:
Besides the zipper which keeps the hard case closed, we can also attach a buckle to it:
Here is how the interior of the case does look like: on the left side we have a small pocket with the product bundle, while on the right we will find the Aurvana ANC headset:
The previously mentioned bundle is composed from an airplane travel adaptor, one detachable audio cable with in-line microphone, but also a single AAA alkaline battery. The total length of the supplied cable is 1.5m:
Here are some close shots of the airplane travel adaptor; it comes with gold-plated connectors in order to ensure maximum contact, so the audio fidelity is not lost:
The Aurvana ANC headset is an over-the-ear model and because it is quite light, it can be worn for large periods of time (thanks to the plastic chassis):
Looking at the outer side of the left cup, we will get to see a mirror-like finish, along with the microphone grill, an On/Off switch for the active noise cancellation feature, but also a blue LED which indicates ANC activation:
On the side we will get to see the headset jack interface:
The right cup presents itself in a similar manner, except the lack of the ANC button/LED:
If we turn the headset on the opposite side, we will get to see the premium protein leatherette ear cushions, which do cover the 40mm Neodymium drivers; the blue layer inside does also house inscriptions for the left-right audio channels, in order to mount the headset correctly:
The top area does come a lightweight headband, which is padded and offers comfort during long sessions:
Aurvana ANC chassis can be extended in order to fit any head size:
The supplied 1.5m audio cable is braided for additional durability and here we can also spot the in-line microphone:
A microphone mute button is also available here, but there is no way to modify the volume levels of the audio content; the console can be also used for Play/Pause/Skip tracks and Answer/End audio calls when Aurvana ANC is connected to a smartphone:
The battery we have presented before does fit within the chassis of the headset and to be more exact inside the right cup; we do only have to move the top cover to the left and we will expose the battery compartment:
Install the battery and the active noise cancellation feature can be used!
The last step would be to attach the cable to the headset and also to our preferred analog audio source:
Right after installing the battery inside the Aurvana ANC, we wanted to check out the noise cancelling feature, so without having it connected to any audio source, we put the headset on; with the feature turned off, we could hear a low level of background noise coming in both ears but with the noise cancelling on, that noise was completely gone, which is quite impressive.
We have started then to listen to different audio clips, TV shows, ran games like DOOM, GoldenEye Source, Carmageddon: Reincarnation, The Crew or Ghost in the Shell in order to state something obvious: with the ANC feature turned off, the audio output is quite average, with high frequencies not very well represented and average bass; right after we did turn ANC on, it is like we did use a completely different product: the bass was more powerful, while the mids and highs are much better represented, making the audio output very pleasant to the ears. This enhancement can be clearly spotted in any audio content you are doing playback of so even if you do not have a lot of background noise around you, you will be definitely tempted on using the Aurvana ANC with noise cancellation feature permanently on.
This headset model is definitely recommended for people which are travelling a lot, hence the included adapter for airplane audio systems; we have worn it for more than two hours in a single session and we could say that this model is more comfortable than many other gaming headsets out there, because it is very light and the over-ear cushions are large enough not to press on your external ear.
Things we were missing out with this headset? Well…. there are two: the first one is the fact that the manufacturer does not include an Y cable in order to connect the product to a sound card and the second annoyance is that we did not spot any volume controllers on the wire or on the headset chassis so everything must be adjusted from the audio source.
Despite the noise cancellation feature and the good audio quality (with ANC feature turned on), the product is priced decently at about 125 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!