Creative Aurvana Live!
The Creative Aurvana Live (or CAL) is a smallish closed back (though isolation is not great) with OEM Foster bio-cellulose drivers inside. The Aurvana Live is designed from the Denon D1001 and has been around for more than 10 years now.
The comfort isn’t amazing – ear pads are small and wouldnt fit big ears. Headband lacks padding and can (despite its light weight) puts pressure on my head after 20 minutes. Build is mostly plastic and you should not throw them in a bag or something like that, or they would snap.
○ Release : 2008
○ Current status : In Production
○ Type : Over-ear / Closed-back
○ Measured weight : 194g
○ Impedance : 32 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : ~103 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $30-50
The CAL is on the warm side, with a nice balance and a better timbre than almost all entry-level (and even a lot of midfi) closed-back headphones, for a ridiculously low price. Bass is indeed elevated, a good 5 dB above linear level, and it sounds surprisingly clean, though far from the detail of an HD800 or good planars. Extension is solid down to 30hz. Midrange is slightly warm, mostly because of upper-bass / lower-mids emphasis, but upper-mids are not too recessed.
Treble is a bit a mixed bag. It has quite decent presence around 10 khz, and doesnt sound too dead past that. Lower-treble is slightly too dipped for my ears around 5-7khz. Soundstage is quite small and overall the Aurvana sounds a bit closed-in and too warm for me sometimes. Technicalities are way above a lot of entry-level popular headphones, with nice punch – the Foster biodyna drivers certainly play a role in it.
It’s a great buy at $60-70 new if you don’t mind the plastic build. With some care, they can last years. Sadly, Creative doesn’t seem to sell replacement ear pads.
Measurements & Resources
Pretty solid response. Minor 1 khz bump (seen on the TH-X00 as well), and 3-10khz is not very smooth, but not too elevated.
