Creative Aurvana X-Fi Noise-Canceling Headphones

by Creative

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 3.2 x 10.1 inches ; 8.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000V5QAYE
• Item model number: 51MZ0315AA003
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 18, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

As a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products and cutting-edge audio technologies, Creative has always been in the forefront of developing innovative audio products that offer uncompromising performance and yet complemented with aesthetic styling. Today, these include a range of personal audio products such as earphones, headphones and headsets that are designed, manufactured, and tested with the greatest passion and exacting standards to deliver the best listening experience for customers.

The X-Fi Crystalizer intelligently enhances your digital audio, giving you unprecedented clarity

The X-Fi Advantage

The Creative Aurvana® X-Fi™ is the world’s first Xtreme Fidelity™ (X-Fi™) noise-canceling headphones that offer unsurpassed listening experience in all your audio entertainment. Incorporating X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D, it offers an unparalleled realism and a more natural playback on all forms of music and soundtracks. In addition, it is built with an advanced Active Noise Cancellation technology that significantly reduces ambient noise by up to 90% or 20dB – a virtue that brings unparalleled peace and quiet to frequent airplane or train travelers. Powered by precise 40mm Neodymium drivers, the Creative Aurvana X-Fi effortlessly reproduces all the sonic details with a clarity and punch that rivals expensive high-fidelity audio equipment. Coupled with premium soft leatherette ear-cushions, it allows you to enjoy your entertainment in comfort for a prolonged period.

The Creative Aurvana X-Fi is the world’s first active noise canceling headphones powered by Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) technology. Ergonomically designed to provide an unmatched comfort level while effectively eliminating unwanted noise, it is ideal for frequent travelers or when quiet listening is needed. Constructed with top grade material, components and finishing, the Creative Aurvana X-Fi is the perfect companion for a pristine listening experience.

While your enjoying the pristine audio performance of the Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones, there are key technologies working seamlessly and quietly in the background so that the music that you are listening to is as close to its original clarity as possible. These processes includes monitoring and reducing background noises or enhancing the audio playback so that it's as realistic as you can get.

The Aurvana X-Fi's technology is perfect for maximizing your digital audio's quality. Take a product tour

The Creative Aurvana X-Fi’s on-board electronics encompass an advanced phase cancellation processing that makes use of a high-order active filtering network and audio compensation circuitry to dramatically block out up to 20dB or (90%) of ambient noise. A sensitive microphone, protected behind an acoustic grille within the earcup, constantly monitors and sends out background noise information for processing. An equal and opposite signal is generated by the headphone to counter the background noise. This way, almost all the undesirable background noise can be effectively reduced, leaving you to enjoy an unblemished music or soundtrack presentation. This processing works best in the presence of regular and low frequency background noises such as that on an airplane.

X-Fi Crystalizer Restores Quality to Your Digital Sound

Most downloadable music and movies are compressed--making downloads fast, and storage and portability convenient. The downside is that the quality and fullness of these songs and soundtracks are diminished, resulting in flat and lifeless sound. X-Fi Crystalizer technology restores the detail and vibrance to your compressed music and movies. All the highs and lows are intelligently enhanced so you’ll hear everything in crystal clarity. With the Aurvana X-Fi, you are not shortchanged even with today’s compressed audio tracks.

X-Fi CMSS-3D Puts You "Right There"

X-Fi CMSS-3D takes normal stereo signals and creates a truly cinematic surround sound experience. In-flight movies and DVDs become blockbusters of sound. Audio comes alive with vocals being centered, and ambient sound fills the space around you as if you were listening to a multi-channel home theater system. This delivers a more natural and less fatiguing listening experience to the user.

Product Description

Creative Aurvana X-Fi Headphones are the world's first noise-canceling headphones equipped with X-Fi technology. The noise-cancellation feature lets you enjoy your music without unnecessary distraction. X-Fi technology breathes life into your songs by restoring detail and expanding your music and movies to surround sound. X-Fi Crystalizer technology restores the detail and vibrancy to your compressed music and movies. All the highs and lows are intelligently enhanced, ensuring you hear everything in crystal clear clarity. X-Fi CMSS-3D technology expands your stereo MP3s and digital movies into virtual surround sound over the headphones. Voices are centered in front of you and ambient sounds are moved all around you. The noise-cancellation technology significantly reduces background and environment noise by up to 90 percent. You can even detach the audio cable and continue using the headphones to block out noise while you sleep. Large 40mm drivers are acoustically tuned to produce an accurate and linear response, be it for music or movie enjoyment. You can now connect your headphones to the seat socket of the airplane, your home entertainment system, MP3 players, iPod and even the iPhone. You can easily place the phones and all the bundled accessories into the included travel case and bring it along with you wherever you go.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great headphones with a caveat (or two), March 19, 2008

By 

Mike (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Aurvana X-Fi Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

I compared these headphones to the Bose QC2 headphones for about a week. I was trying to decide which ones to keep. I tried them at home, in an airplane, in busy streets, everywhere I could. It was a tough choice.
I had read other reviews online touting the Aurvana XF-I headphones as the best, and that they blew away the Bose. To my ears, that's not true. The XF-I technology DOES improve the sound of compressed audio, but teh Bose headphones also sound excellent without the XF-I technology. I also read that the Aurvana cans were louder as well; however, my experience was that the Bose were a lot louder -- and I just couldn't get the Aurvanas loud enough to really rock out.

In any case, the XF-I function really does work, and the sound was excellent (with the power turned on). I didn't think they were that special with the power turned off. So as far as sound quality, the Bose and the Creative were close, with the Creative slightly beating the Bose in quality, but the Bose beating the Creative in volume. Both the Bose and the Creative sound excellent, though.
Sound quality Winner: Toss-up with an advantage to the Aurvanas.

In comparing comfort, I found the Aurvana headphones to be bulkier and heavier. The Bose were so much lighter and more comfortable to wear.
Comfort Winner: Bose.

Sound leakage: My major complaint about the Aurvanas is that when turned up, people sitting near you can hear your music. You risk disturbing a fellow passenger with the Aurvanas. I found the Bose QC2 to be much quieter on the outside, keeping the sound in your ears, and not out into the world. Since I sometimes like to crank it up, this was an important consideration.
Sound Leakage Winner: Bose

Finally, I omapared the noise-canceling quality. Both headphones performed admirably, and it was tough to get a read on it, even after switching back and forth 10 or 20 times. The Aurvana headphones did seem a little more quiet in certain situations, but I'm not sure if that was my imagination or not. But on the airplane, it was definitely a toss up. Both headphones did an outstanding job of noise canceling. You may hear a slight hiss with the Aurvanas as they emit the counter-frequency, but it's not annoying at all and very slight. You won't be able to hear it with music playing.
Noise canceling Winner: Toss-up

Conclusion: Since these headphones are so comparable in quality and in noise-canceling ability, I had to base my decision on comfort and noise leakage. I returned the Aurvanas and kept the Bose.

This was a tough call, since the Aurvanas are excellent headphones. I think it comes down to a matter of what's important to you.
If you do love these headphones but find they can't get loud enough either, then I recommend going on ebay and getting a CMOY headphone amplifier. They're around $35 and they will crank up your volume. they are home-made in Altoids tins but very professional. They'll make your Aurvanas louder, but remember that the person sitting next to you will definitely hear everything.

Afterthought: Battery Life. The Bose QC2 uses just 1 AAA battery that is supposed to last for 35 hours. The Creative Aurvana XF-I requires 2 AAA batteries which are supposed to last 9 hours. However, the Aurvanas can still be used without batteries (quality is decreased), while the QC2 headphones will not operate without a charged battery. You decide....

Happy shopping!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, solid NC headphone (but it chews batteries!), January 4, 2008

By 

Demetrio D'ambrosi "demed" (Washington, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Aurvana X-Fi Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

I have owned and still own several other Noise-Canceling headphones and Aurvana X-Fi is definitely one of the top performers.
I love being able to use the headphone passively, as most other NC products would not work unless switched on.
Video sounds great with Cristallizer (similar to the USB X-Fi for PCs), i'm not so impressed with music, where Treble tones are still pumped too high.
It does its job on an airplane, where I'd expect to use it most, and it works a tad better than my Bose.
However, it loses one star because it eats batteries at an unacceptable rate. Expect about 8 to 9 hours of continuous use out of two AAA batteries with all 3 featured setting on - it means you are unlikely to finish a full trans-atlantic flight on just one set of batteries. I do not understand how is this possible, as even my 10 years old Bose can stretch about 40-50 hours on two AAA batteries.
My last gripe is with price - it loses another star as I find hard to justify this price tag on a relatively commoditized technology.
If this set could stretch at least 25-30 hours of usage from a battery set (transoceanic round trip plus some) and was priced around a realistic $150 tag, it would get 5 stars.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good headphone, get these!!!, December 13, 2007

By 

J. Yang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Aurvana X-Fi Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

The sound from this headphone is great. I sit next to a loud computer, noise cancellation of this headphone works better than Bose QC3. Ear pad feels very soft and headphone feels like, overall the feel is very comparable to Bose. Fairly comfortable to wear for extended period of time. Got this with a huge discount from Dell.

The only downside, this headphone uses 2 AAA batteries. I use energizer 850mAH NiMH batteries, and they last about 4 hours in this headphone with noise cancellation, x-fi crystalizer and x-fi 3D all turned on. Get lots of rechargeable batteries! With the power turned off, the sound is very weak.

There is a volume wheel on the headphone itself which is nice although I rarely use it.