Creative releases ZEN Aurvana earphones

Creative released their cleverly and modestly-named ZEN Aurvana earphones, promising 90% blockage of ambient noise (not unlike most canalphones). The $100 phones are apparently first being released in Singapore this month, but we assume they'll be making their way elsewhere sooner rather than later, since they're already featured prominently on Creative's site. The Aurvanas (or is it Aurvani?) weigh just 13g, making them the lightest in their class according to Creative, and come with a number of accessories, including two sets of three different size earbuds, an airplane adaptor, cleaning tool, and a rather slick looking travel case. Sounds about run-of-the-mill to us, but it'll be nice if they start bundling these with their players.

[Via DMT]

[Petey Boi @ May 29th 2006 8:40PM]

I would buy them if they did not have the name on the ear pieces! :)

[Lokiz0r @ May 29th 2006 9:01PM]

They're much more likely to bundle their EP-630 earphones with their players - canalphones, like the Aurvana, but not quite as advanced.

Going by the quality of the 630s for the price they're at... the Aurvana could be very good. Very good indeed.

[matt @ May 29th 2006 9:08PM]

are they just rebranded versions of etymotics/shures/ue's? maybe they just got one of those companies to make the drivers for them...

anyhow i would rather go for e4's - much nicer looking and judging from this picture, much smaller.

[DJRickP @ May 29th 2006 9:16PM]

Agree with Post #1. The branding has got to go.

[Jasafar @ May 29th 2006 9:16PM]

Agreed... I will stick with my Shure headphones.

[ian @ May 29th 2006 9:23PM]

yup, that branding sucks.

[kidd kranky @ May 29th 2006 9:30PM]

Do you really think anyone will stop and read the 4mm tall lettering on your earphones? Half of the letters will probly be hidden when you jam the thing down your ear hole anyway!

[DT @ May 29th 2006 9:31PM]

No way they'll bundle $100 phones with their players. They aim to undercut Apple, and this would be a huge jump in the (apparent) price of their players.

[Yorator @ May 29th 2006 9:33PM]

I have a pair of the sony canalphones and they have the flimsiest wiring ever, I was sitting on the couch and i shuffled along a bit, the wire caught, twisted and the protective rubber ripped open. If these are lighter, expect them to be even worse

[AndrewNeo @ May 29th 2006 9:37PM]

I'll stick with my $7 Sony headphones, thanks.

[jesse @ May 29th 2006 9:43PM]

the plural would be "aurvani" if the singluar was "aurvanus."

[dalton @ May 29th 2006 9:44PM]

I don't see what the big deal with the branding is. They're fairly small, they're going to be in your ear... who's going to notice?

I had a pair of Shure E2s a while back, thought they were amazing, but a bit uncomfortable and I broke two pair within a year. I'd gladly pay $100 for something that sounds as good, but more durable and comfortable.

[rex @ May 29th 2006 9:46PM]

#9... I had the same problem with my sony canal headphones that were noise canceling. The rubber that "protected" the wires got retarded and it ended up getting loose. But I still kept wearing them even though all of the wires were showing..which i guess made me look like a dork... I hope these Creative ones will have better rubber work on them because that's I used my Sony ones whole lot. Now i have Phillips canal headphones that aren't noise canceling (which sucks)...

[Hans @ May 29th 2006 9:49PM]

The plural of Aurvana would be Aurvanae, but seeing that it's a pair of earphones, it could already be neuter plural, in which case there is no plural-plural. Under no circumstances could it be "Aurvani," since the singular would then have to be "Aurvanus."

[Dan @ May 29th 2006 9:58PM]

Hans, I think it's time for your medication.

[Osiris @ May 29th 2006 10:28PM]

I think i know what you mean about the rubber casing on the Sony nude headphones..
I have some which are fine, theyre tough and tight on the wires, but a friend bought some and they are sort of swollen, and elastic, and his broke very easily.

I think it must be a factory defect or something, i made him take it right back and get another set.

[Dylan @ May 29th 2006 10:28PM]

Re #8

I have a pair of the original sony canal earphones from 5 years ago and they've been through everything. From Everyday usage on the bus in -35c conditions to chillin at home and they're still awesome earbuds. You must have gotten a defective pair because I have never even had an earbud come off let alone the cord protector.

I recently bought a new set of the sony's so i could have the part that goes around the neck so that i could hang my mp3 player on it. Creative's earbuds look oddly alot like the sonys, although, I'd rather have the sony's over creative any day.

[Ladle @ May 29th 2006 10:33PM]

Ive had the same experience with some $50 Shures. the rubber wire casing just broke after a few months, and soom the wires broke... =.=; if these shipped with a Vision:M or w/e their 30 gig player is (the only thing that can compete, and actually beats the iPod), even for a little extra...then id spend the money i don't have to buy one =/

[LordFarkward @ May 29th 2006 10:46PM]

i agree with lokizor. considering how well their ep630's are, i have high hope for these... although i don't think that it's gonna be good enough to lure me away from my ue5pro's :p

[doug @ May 29th 2006 10:49PM]

interestingly, if you check product availability, pick N. America and English, you get an error code, rather than a forthright statement that these things are not available in the US. sloppy ...

but - anyone else have some canalphones they would like to recommend (that are available in the US)? I am looking to replace my iPod buds.

[AutoDas @ May 29th 2006 11:32PM]

hilarious at the people saying all cords are a like or worse just because Sony has made some crappy buds. Sony is the ONLY one known to have those crappy cords on their buds. These new canal buds from Creative look interesting, to say the least.

[Will @ May 30th 2006 12:05AM]

Beware of anything short of noise-cancellation, which adjusts to the volume... if it just blocks sound, really loud sounds will still come through (the engine of a bus, etc.)

I have the Sony MDR-EX81s (~$30 on amazon) and not only is the volume somewhat low, they don't block out loud noises. Unfortunately, the wiring is very fragile as #9 was saying, but as #20 Autodas said there's little reason to believe that the Aurvanas will have this problem just because they're light.

[Nick @ May 30th 2006 12:09AM]

Here in NZ we have some Sennheiser in ear phones that i've found pretty good (you must have them in the states?). Actually liked my old sony ones but had to replace them due to the same rubber housing issue mentioned above. These are the same price (~us$60 i guess) as the sony's, tangle less, sound about as good and have a sturdier cable.

[Mr @ May 30th 2006 1:19AM]

Comes with ear cleaning tool to scrape the wax between "Aurvanus" and your brain.

[Gridkid @ May 30th 2006 1:45AM]

I have 2 pairs of Sony MDR-EX71SL which I think sound great for the price. The first pair I bought had rubber wire sleeves which kinda perished where they went around my neck. The later ones seem to have shiny plastic which is much harder wearing. I heard the noise cancelling version were a waste of $$$, and I don't see the point of spending more on something that can so easily get caught in doors/bike wheels/strangers etc. The great thing about the EX71s is that all but the driver housing is rubber. I've slept for 6 hours on a plane with these in. Doesn't look like the Creatives would be comfy enough to do that.

[hitkaiser @ May 30th 2006 6:28AM]

Does anyone know how they stand up to the shure e2?

[Ti @ May 30th 2006 6:54AM]

Uh oh, look out, Creative will be suing Shure soon over an infringement of their AuraSeal™ technology patent. I mean c'mon, AuraSeal™??! They're just pieces of silicon rubber for crying out loud.

[Ian Jardine @ May 30th 2006 9:49AM]

They look to be aimed more at the e3 or e4 from Shure.

I Shure want to see a comparison test ASAP:)

[Juju @ May 30th 2006 4:12PM]

Answer to #20. I use the Ultimate Ears 5 pro and ab so lutly love them. u can find them on Ebay for under $200, it's a bit steep but once u listen u will not go back to anything else.

[V @ Jun 19th 2006 6:59AM]

Just thought I'd post this here for those of you who may be interested. I wouldnt call myself an audiophile or anything since I've only owned a small selection of earphones. This is a post I sent in to addict3d.org.:

As fate would have it I had a scheduled recreational trip to Singapore a few days ago, just around the time I was looking for a good pair of canal-ear phones. Aurvanas have only just been released here and are available only at the Creative store. Not even the local Sing retailers have them yet.
I have to admit that I've been spoiling myself rotten with the Senheisser PX100 on my Zen Vision M. Bang for the buck - wise, its a great piece of equipment. To be frank, I was expecting a lot less performance from the Zen Aurvana thinking it could never match up to the PX100 and I'm very happy to have been proven wrong!
The earphones come with 6 sets of silicone pads (including the ones mounted) in three sizes, a little cleaning tool, an airplane-adaptor and a really slick smoked case.
Audio wise.. I lack the words to adequately describe how great this thing sounds as "incredible" doesnt quite cover it. Each sound comes out rich and clear with more than adequate bass. It's like putting on your first pair of glasses. Your awed at the clarity but a little put off once you realize how much youve been missing all along.

[kickenchicken @ Sep 17th 2006 5:19PM]

i am soo gonna buy these! creative makes quality earphones. sony's lack highs but have really good bass in my opinion.