Creative Zen Aurvana In-Ear Headphones Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Excellent sound, much much much........ better that the one that comes with any players, Zens or ipod.
For those that have ever used safety earplugs in the industry, they feel like them and really isolate the noises.
After that the sound is excellent compare to many others and amazon offers a very good price here.
also good to have 3 sizes. 2 pairs of each + airplane adapter, case, cleaner, very good product.


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The Creative ZEN Aurvana In-Ear Headphones deliver the most accurate, distortion-free audio for better enjoyment. Hear every detail of your favorite songs with AuraSeal -- it blocks out 90% of ambient noise. The soft, countoured silicon earbuds and ultra-light enclosure give you a secure, comfortable fit. They're also the lightest & most durable earphones in its class. Sensitivity @ 1 KHz (1 mW) - 112 dB Impedance - 32 ohms Cable length - 1.2m 3.5mm stereo gold-plated miniplug

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Creative Aurvana In-Ear Headphones Review

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(More customer reviews)I have now purchased and listened to the two most expensive Shure Earbuds. They are great, but very costly and kind of big. I have the Denon 700, the Sennheiser CX 300(also an unparalleled bargain), the Audio Technica CK7, Ultimate Ear (as of yet, not listened to), and the Bose earbuds(I hate them. They are uncomfortable with muddy base and indistinct sound).
I think that I enjoy the Creative Zen the best over all with the possible exception of the Shure 4c. The Creative has a very clear sound that allows you to hear instruments with incredible clarity and presence. The upper end is sparkling and fun. The bass is very clear and a little punchy. These phones will never have the full bass of an excellent over the ear headphone. The sound seems richer than the Sennheiser 300. The sound might be ever so slightly colored compared to the Denon which seem very nuetral. The Audio Technica also seems to have a very neutral presentation.
I have to agree with what many of the reviewers have said when they express great disappointment that the sound is tinny or small sounding. It really is all in the fit. When I first bought the Shure 4c, I spent $300.00. I purchased them from an audiophile stereo shop. I paid full price. When I purchased them, I think that I got caught up with the thought that I was buying "the best" because they were so expensive. The salesman really did not explain how to use them properly and he used these foam rings around them to test them. I suspect that it was for hygene reasons and that they would throw out the foam rings. At home, I did not spend the time necessary to establish a good fit on the Shures. At the time, I thought that I had made a bad choice. Now that I know what I am doing putting them in, I do so much better. I think the Shures are wonderful.
The reason that I believe the Creative Zen Arvana's are so good really is the fit. Like the Shures, they are slightly angled,i.e the body is at an angle from the portion that extends into the ear canal. This allows you to really put the earphones deep into your ears and for the earphone to hang out of your ear in a comfortable manner. I have also found that they work better if you put the earphone in your hear by wrapping the cord over the back of your ear and inserting them from the top of the ear rather that just to stick them directly in your ear canal with the wire simply hanging down. It allows you to adjust the sliding piece so as to make the whole apparatus to fit reasonable snugly which is good if you are using them in the gym.
Lastly, unlike the Denon, Audio Technica, or Sennheiser earphones, they come with a little case that allows you to protect the earphones so that you might get year out of them without breaking them (if you do not lose them first). I have been using old cufflink boxes to put the Denon, Audio Technica, and Sennheiser earbuds into to protect them.

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Hit the streets with high fidelity audio. The Creative ZEN AURVANA In-Ear Earphones are premium earphones that significantly reduce up to 90% of ambient noise. Ergonomically designed, the ZEN AURVANA In-Ear Earphones completely transforms your listening experience. Powered by efficient Balanced Armature drivers, the earphones are acoustically tuned for exceptional audio performance.

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Creative Labs HS-1000 Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset with Sound Blaster X-Fi Technology (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)My model had a problem with the USB cable that would cause it to reinstall itself whenever I moved, but ignoring that problem...
The sounds from the headphones are great. The quality of the microphone is also great. I have no complaints on using it to play my games or voice communication. My complaint comes from the comfort and the build quality of the headphones.
1. The cloth padding on the headphones are pretty soft which is good. The problem is after the cloth padding, the actual thing that the sound comes out of is rock hard. So if your ears are touching/rubbing on them, it hurts.
2. The headphones were REALLY tight on my head. It hurt my head after a while. It might loosen up over a lot of usage, but I didn't want to go through that much pain.
3. The microphone will bend, and is good at angling toward your mouth, but it doesn't swivel up like other headsets. So if you're doing things like drinking/eating in front of your computer, the microphone will get in the way. That sucks. I know it's detachable, but if you're doing things on the fly, you don't want to be pulling out the microphone, then taking off the headset, and plugging it back in.
Another thing to note is that these are USB headphones. If you're a laptop gamer, then I think these would suit you very well. I game on my desktop. When you plug in USB headphones, they are now a new sound device. You can only choose to have windows output to one sound device. So it's going to be headphones or speakers. Having to configure games and applications everytime I decided to switch from speakers to headphones really sucked.
If you're a desktop gamer, then I'd recommend just getting the normal analog plugs (headphone/microphone) to have more versatility and easier use if you're switching from speakers to headphones a lot. If you're an always headphones guy, then sure the USB would be fine. I also recommend going to the slightly more expensive version which has the swivel microphone.
One last thing to note, the cloth doesn't do any sound isolation. So that can be good or bad. It was good for me because I could hear my wife when she was calling for me, but it's bad because it won't cancel out the sound of her vacuuming.
I would recommend to anyone looking at headsets to get the Turtle Beach Earforce X1. These are a lot more comfortable, and they can work on the PC or the Xbox 360.. and they're the same price.

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Now you can truly compete with Creative Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset by Creative Labs. Dominate the competition with 3D positional audio and the power of Sound Blaster X-Fi in a USB gaming headset. The Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset is designed with comfort in mind for those long gamingsessions, while delivering precision sound and explosive bass in your games. Includes unobtrusive, enclosed earcups with plush velvet padding and a durable, lightweight headband with generous head padding. The large 40mm Neodmium drivers deliver realistic explosions and the crack-crack-crack of machine gun fire. Plus, with thenoise-canceling microphone you can be sure your orders will be heard loud and clear by your team.

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Creative Labs 51MZ0310AA005 HS-800 Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I play lots of video games on my PC and they've been a lot more enjoyable since getting this headset. The first thing I noticed when I put these on was that they were extremely cushiony on my head. This is both a good and bad thing because it makes them very comfortable, but they blocked out so much noise that I had a hard time hearing even my doorbell or phone ringing. The headset is a bit tight on my head, but I think that'll wear off as I wear it more. The earcups actually swivel a bit in place which makes them more comfortable for people that don't have perfectly symmetrical heads such as myself.
This headset is great for gaming. In fps's like Team Fortress 2, Counter Strike Source, this headset let me hear the direction shots were being fired from with a lot more precision than my previous headset. I could also hear small details in the sounds that I couldn't hear before. The sound in the headset sounded odd at first, like they were quiet or like they were coming from behind me, but after a while they felt more realistic and accurate. I am guessing this is because I am used to wearing any old lousy headset.
The headset is also great for music. I noticed a huge improvement in the quality of the bass from my old headset(the headset I used before, a Logitech Extreme Gaming Headset had almost no bass). I'm not a huge music person, but I notice the little details a lot more easily than with my old headset
The microphone with this headset is pretty good. When voice-chatting on MSN/live messenger, the voice quality is better than when talking to someone with my phone. The in-line controls are in a good position and easy to reach while wearing the headset. The microphone-mute button works fine and the volume control has a good range. One nice thing about it is that you can remove the microphone, which is useful for people like my little brother who rarely need a microphone and don't want it in their way (one thing to note is the first time I tried attaching the mic, I didn't realize it has to fit a specific way into the slot on the headset and accidentally chipped a piece of the plastic by forcing it in the wrong way, but it still works perfectly fine).
This headset is not perfect however. I've found one tiny problem that may occur, though it's not really something to worry about. I have this headset plugged into my speaker, which is then connected to the back of my computer so it probably wont affect you unless you have a similar setup. If I have the volume set to the absolute max on my speaker but lowered all the way on my headset, I can sometimes still hear sound playing quietly through my headset. This only occurs under these specific conditions though, so you should never really have this problem unless you really push your headset's limits.
Overall the headset does not have many flaws and feels great to work with. It's very comfortable and is easily adjustable for different uses. Don't be fooled, even though this headset is a lot cheaper than the other fatality headsets, it still has excellent sound quality at an affordable price.
PS: One thing they don't note on the box for this headset is that it comes with a neat little pouch. It's a bit odd, because although you probably could fit the headset in there, it's not exactly shaped for one so it would look and feel a bit odd to store it there. It's nice quality, measuring about 9x10 inches, but would probably be used for other things besides the headset. It's nice to have laying around the house anyway.

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Now you can stay focused on your game using with the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset. This lightweight piece ofgaming gear hugs your head and ears with plush velvet and fabric padding. That means you can battle forhours on end. Commands, explosions and sniper shots sound fantastic through the high-quality speakers. Issue ordersusing the noise-canceling microphone. It transmits your voice clearly, so your team can hear thedifference between \'get down" and \'go around." Detach the mic for easy storage or to use the Fatal1tyGaming Headset as regular headphones. In the heat of battle, this headset won\'t leave you stranded. That\'s why Johnathan \'Fatal1ty" Wendel uses it.

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Creative Labs 70GH012000003 Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Alpha USB Gaming Headset Review

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(More customer reviews)Build Quality: Overall it was very good. The faux leather on the headstrap was very comfortable. The only thing I disliked was the cheap plastic ear cans. One big plus was the ribbon cables, no tangles, easy to fold on top of each other. I would have liked to see a little bit more reinforcement where the cable connects to the ear cans. The headphones weren't completely noise isolating.
Sound Quality: Excellent. Once of the best I have ever listened to for a headset under 100 dollars. The first time I installed the software I had an issue where the program hanged when I started it up. I uninstalled and reinstalled and it worked fine. They start you off with a bunch of sliders: crystallization (I guess treble) , surround (increasing this made me feel like I was in a smaller room), bass, dialog (vocal), voice normalization. They were all disabled. I fiddled around it and I couldn't figure how to make it sound good. Just when I was about to turn frustrated I found there were presets on the first page. I chose one and wow the sound quality just sky rocketed for a moment I thought I was wearing my Grado SR 80's. Out of the 10 or so presets I found love with the one from the [Fifa] and the Keepers of whatever game. The 40mm driver was powerful in some preset settings you could feel the vibrations outside your ear. The voice morphs were okay just a few pre-made ones woman-to-man, man-to-woman, deep voice, munchkin, orc, demon, etc. No options to customize the preset but can probably be done through the equalizer. Microphone was good no complains about it.
3D surround was good to an extent from the regular left, right, front, rear sound came to me at the right angles I could hear tiny gnomes skipping along through the water, mechano hogs passing by. Up and down was there but to an extent the 3d surround emulation could emulate a diagonal/above your head sound well however I didn't have time to experience up and down I was hoping maybe I could find a game like call of duty where a helicopter would fly over your head.
Comfort: The ear cushions feel soft and very nice on your ears initially after a couple of minutes I noticed my ears starting to feel squeezed because of the ear cans being too tight creating discomfort making it difficult to go though an entire sitting without taking them off at least once. They also weren't very ventilated that sometimes I would just open the ear cans to let a little cool air in.
Overall Impressions:
++ Sound quality is amazing for the price. 3D surround is just like 7.1 sound. Up and down are there but I didn't try to the full extent
++ Construction is sturdy but the ear cans are made of cheap plastic but you easily forget about it
++ Software has a lot of customizations
-- You could get lost in software customizations if you don't know what you were doing at first
-- Comfortable but ear cans are too tight so your ears might end up being tired
If you have been buying 30-50 dollar headsets (regular 2.0 stereo) for a long time this is definitely something you should invest in for 20 dollars more only if you like tight clamping ear phones. The sound quality of this headset is of that of headsets that cost 100-150 with build quality being the compromise.
Updated 11/13/2010
I returned this headset after 3 days. During the time I tested out the Steel Series Siberia V2 and the Corsair HS1.
The Corsair HS1 are the most comfortable. The sounds are really good for the acoustic/vocals/high frequencies but I found that the low frequencies such as footsteps left alot to be desired. Corsair is probably the closest headset you can get to being like Grados but you need the bass. I really underestimated the software as well. The creative tactic 3d's software is by far one of the best.
I really want to return back to using the tactic 3d's I felt their sound was the most immersive out of the bunch performing great on the high frequency but even better on the low but I couldn't pull trigger yet. Not yet.
My wishlist for the Tactic 3D
1. COMFORT. I would trade sound isolation for comfort. If it can be as comfortable as the Sound Blaster Arena I am sold.
2. Improve the volume rocker. It looks very cheap.
3. Wireless version.
I'd pay 100 bucks for those 3. It would match the Corsair HS1's and be better all around if that can be improved. If comfort can be improved I'll be back for 59.99. Promise.
Score changed from 3/5 stars to 4/5 stars. -1 for comfort

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Experience the evolution of 3D gaming audio with the Dual Mode Sound Blaster Tactic3D Alpha gaming headset. Acoustically optimized 40mm drivers combine with THX TruStudio ProTM technology to transform everyday audio into a mind-blowing cinematic experience. Touchscreen software and Tactic Profiles allow you to save and share your favourite settings including THX TruStudio Surround for immersive 360º headphone surround and VoiceFX voice morphing technology. The dual mode design allows you to connect via standard minijacks or use the Dual Mode adapter to connect to your PC or Mac's USB port for the full THX TruStudio Pro experience.

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Creative EP-630i In Ear Noise Isolating Headphones for iPhone (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Got these as upgrade to cheap earbuds Apple packages with iPhone. Very comfortable to wear, sound quality very good with music and telephone. 1000% better than what I was using before.

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The Creative EP-630i in ear earphones with mic for iPhone are designed with ergonomic soft silicone in-ear ear buds for superb noise-isolation. Powered by a high quality and specially engineered 9mm Neodymium magnet transducer, specially designed to deliver optimum performance regardless of the musical genre. The lightweight tangle free cable with integrated noise canceling microphone will work seamlessly with your iPhone. The EP-630i offers fantastic audio reproduction with extraordinary bass that is perfect for digital music playback and hours of enjoyment.

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Creative Labs HS-980 Fatal1ty Professional Series MKII Gaming Headset (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I spend my time listening to music at the computer primarily to concentrate and/or drown out ambient/family noise. I also play FPS games. These headphones sound just as good as my Sony headphones and seem to fit my head better. I've only had them for a day so I don't know what the durability will be but for the price it's hard to go wrong.
Prior to these I lived in a pair of Sony MDRV6 headphones for about 11 years until they started to disintegrate. My requirements for a replacement were that they:
- should be less than $100
- needed to muffle sound when nothing was playing
- Should be over ear and closed design
- should have a normal 3.5mm audio plug (not usb)
I've bought 4 headsets to replace the Sonys and the HS-980 is the final solution.
First, I had a Logitech Clearchat headset from Best Buy. Fair on the ear design. Lasted about 6 months.
Second, I bought Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000. Flimsy and USB. Good sound.
Third, I had a pair of Plantronics 367 and they don't even compare to these ones. Plantronics way too big. Mic quality poor. Poor sound quality.
Things I really like about these:
- A bonus feature they don't mention in the spec is that the mic boom detaches.
- It's also really nice to be able to fold these flat so that I can put them in my laptop bag.
- They also work well with a normal mp3 player.
- The inline volume/mic control can be clipped onto your shirt pocket or something.
Creative makes great sound cards but has made serious mistakes over the last 15 years with most of their other products (dvd drives, mp3 players, speakers, etc). In this case they got it way right.

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Creative Labs Fatal1ty Pro Series MKII headset is the ultimate in full on gaming communication. The Pro Series MKII is high-end with ultra-comfortable over-ear memory foam padded earcups for comfort during those extended gaming sessions. Includes inline mute and volume control for your convenience. This headset is ultra-portable with a foldable feature for easy storage and traveling. The proprietary Silencer technology is a noise suppression system that works by using two high-quality microphones in the headset, one on the boom mic and one on the earcup. Noise arrives at different times across the two microphones allowing each noise to create a \'noise signature" that is able to be separated from the actual intended voice transmission. Use headset with the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Card to create the full Silencer experience. (Sound Blaster X-Fi Card sold seperately.) Headphones include driver units of 40mm Neodymium Magnet and a frequency response of 20Hz ~ 20kHz. The Microphone includes a Noise-Canceling Condenser (x2), Frequency Response of 80Hz ~ 16kHz, Impedance:

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