Creative Aurvana Air review

Nevermind that Creative has never been a serious contender in the audio wear arena. Over the years, the company has painstakingly built up its Aurvana brand series of earphones and headphones, leveraging on its past successes like the EP-630 which is a widely acclaimed and highly popular and affordable set of earphones. Needless to say, the Aurvana brand is only reserved for the best of the best in Creative and the Aurvana Air is a testament to that.


Firstly, let me start of by saying that the Aurvana Air has one of the best packaging I have seen for a pair of earphones. The transparent plastic box allows you to see the Aurvana Air in its full glory, encased proudly in an acrylic case. Opening up the packing reveals its full set of accessories which includes a leather travel pouch with cable management, 2 pairs of foam ear cushion and a quick start guide on how to wear your Aurvana Air and some tips and tricks to using it.


The Air is made of Nickel-Titanium alloy which according to Creative will provide you with a great deal of comfort and flexibility when using the earphones. The inert coating is catered for those who are sensitive to Nickel and is also able to withstand corrosion from perspiration and grime. The champagne-gold finishing & polished metal accent makes the whole look a little more classy. The earhook though flimsy looking is definitely not in real life. We managed to bend it till it is almost horizontal and it merely spring back into its original form.


Weighting a mere 16grams, the Air is extremely light. There are many times I had the Aurvana Air on without even realizing it was there and that's really how a pair of earphones should feel like when wore. One puzzling point to me was why Creative chose to adopt the "ear bud" style concept for the Air instead of the more popular in-ear one. Although extremely comfortable, the noise leak and lack of noise isolation would be something one should consider when buying the Air. But having said that, one of the most obvious advantage of the Air is that it allows you to be semi-conscious of your surroundings and is therefore safer to use while commuting. The hinged arm and the ear hook also made it very easy to put the Air on and keep it there. I have tried jogging with the Air a couple of times and i must say that the grip is pretty secure and you could hardly hear any cable noise.


The audio performance of the Aurvana Air is surprisingly good. You could hear the clarity of the acoustic tracks and it also does a great job for the bass-intensive ones. However, unlike the in-ear buds, you will find yourself turning on the volume of your player subconsciously to drown out the noise isolation.

Conclusion
Creative took a leap of faith with the aesthetic design of the Aurvana Air. Ultimately, the company believed that comfort and style would win over the hearts of casual listeners. While I would have preferred the Air to have been of an in-ear design, the great level of comfort and very decent audio performance has made me a very happy user of the Aurvana Air. There are also the additional frills that Creative has included like the leather travel pouch which helps to sweeten the deal. If comfort and above average audio performance is what you are looking for, the Aurvana Air is definitely worth a look at. For the full range of Aurvana gears, visit the Aurvana site at http://www.creative-aurvana.com

Rating: 8/10

[Creative Aurvana Air Product Page]

Creative reveals HS-930i and Aurvana In-Ear2 earbuds

Aurvana In-Ear2 - Perfect acoustics redefined

After years of waiting, Creative has finally updated the Aurvana In-Ear series with the In-Ear2. The original In-Ear wasn't exactly very well received with its high price point and its lack of bass. Not to mention that it had a relatively dull design. The Aurvana In-Ear2 on the other hand, looks surprisingly bold for a Creative earphones. Performance wise, Creative seems to have addressed the bass issue with a new grille design at the back of both buds. We also like the set of accessories that comes with it. The Aurvana In-Ear2 will retail at SGD$149 (online or at the IT Show) and £89.99 in the UK.
[Aurvana In-Ear2 Product Page]

HS-930i - microsize Pocket Headset
If you are thinking "Hey, where have I seen these buds!", you are probably not alone! Originally known as the Aurvana Ice (or earphones with really small drivers), it is now re-branded as the HS-930i headset. These headsets are designed specially for the iPhone with full music playback controls. But it will most probably work with any phones with the 3.5mm auido jack. With more and more people using their handphones as an MP3 player, it might not be such a bad idea to invest in a good pair of headset for the phone. And with the millions of iPhones Apple is selling, the HS-930i would definitely appeal to some Apple fan boys. The HS-930i retails at SGD$149 (online and at the IT Show) and £89.99 in the UK.
[HS-930i Product Page]

Creative expands the Aurvana Family with the Aurvana Air

After weeks of teasing, Creative finally made the long over-dued Aurvana Air offical! Not only is this the first ear-hook design earphones from the Aurvana series but also the first to win a Red Dot Design Award. To me, the main selling point of the Air would be its design. I think a lot of effort have been put into the Air to make it very flexible so that is it comfortable enough to wear over a long period of time.

Below are the features of the Aurvana Air:

-Intuitive EaseFit™ ear-hook design is easy to wear and provides the listener with maximum level of comfort even with long hours of extended wear.
-Advanced Flexnium™ ear-hooks with Nickel-Titanium alloy (Shape Memory Metal) retain their shapes when flexed or bent; while an inert coating makes them safe on Nickel-sensitive ears
-Powerful Neodymium magnet drivers with ultra-slim high performance diaphragms which reduce distortion and deliver excellent sonic performance
-Acoustically-tuned Bass-Slots deliver a tight and extended bass
-Clear audio performance from high-purity Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) cable and gold-plated plug
-Superior thermoplastic elastomer-coated cable that is designed to resist tangling and to significantly reduce contact noise.

-A compact leather pouch with cable management holder for easy storage

The Aurvana Air retails at SGD$299.99 in Singapore, USD$199.99 in the US and £169.99 in the UK.

[PRESS RELEASE]

[PRODUCT PAGE]

[AURVANA AIR CONTEST]

Creative officially reveal the EP-430

About a week after we gave you an exclusive look at the yet-to-be released EP-430 in-ear earphones, Creative finally made it official today that its latest earphones will be available at the COMEX SHOW tomorrow at the relatively affordable price of SGD$29 (about USD$20). It isn't as good as the EP-630 or 830 (specs-wise) but i guess what you pay is what you get.

[PRODUCT PAGE]

Exclusive first look @ the EP-430

Creative has a pretty good track record with its mid-range in-ear earphones like the EP-630 and the more recent EP-830. Today we have for you the yet-to-be released EP-430, Creative's latest in-ear earphones that is available in 6 different colors. Launched as a new accessory for the new ZEN Mozaic, the EP-430 looks pretty darn good and the colored ear buds gives you the freedom to choose a color that matches your player. No words on pricing yet but do stay tune as we bring you the latest news on Creative.

UPDATE: The EP-430 retails at SGD$29(!) at the COMEX SHOW 2008.