Creative is a name that has long been synonymous with sound. In the days before PCs came with integrated audio, Creative’s Sound Blaster cards were the accessory of choice for using headphones or speakers with your computer. Recently, the company has branched out into several new product lines, including a wide range of headphones. Today we’re trying out Creative’s Aurvana Trio, the company’s new flagship in-ear. Though we encountered some issues about the fit, we think the Aurvana Trio presents a good value.
At first glance, we couldn’t help but notice that the Aurvana Trio bears a striking resemblance to the 1More Triple Driver we tested last year. The Aurvana Trio has the same conical driver housing and wide-bore sound channels as the 1More Triple Driver and features essentially the same driver configuration — one dynamic driver paired with two balanced-armature drivers. This isn’t necessarily a problem — these are some of the things that made the 1More Triple an attractive headphone. The Aurvana Trio’s included accessories fall behind that of the 1More Triple — though a carry case and airplane adapter are included, the Aurvana Trio includes only a small selection of ear tips. On the other hand, the Aurvana Trio packs some interesting features not found on the Triple — a MMCX-terminated detachable cable with in-line microphone and single-button control and, more importantly, a biocellulose dynamic driver. At 16 ohms, the Aurvana Trio easy to drive, with a frequency response of 5 hz — 40 kHz.
Our only complaint about the Aurvana Trio lies with Creative’s choice of bundled ear tips. Three sizes of silicone tips and one pair of foam tips are included, but none were ideal for our ears. The silicone used in these ear tips is stiffer than what we’ve used with other headphones, making it difficult to form a proper seal, ruining isolation and bass response. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t work for you — sometimes it’s just a matter of anatomy. We were able to experience the Aurvana Trio’s full potential, perhaps not surprisingly, by swapping on some tips from the 1More Triple. After that, we found the Aurvana Trio to be just slightly soft and warm-sounding (without being overly bassy) and, likely owing to its balanced armature drivers, articulate with a nice wide soundstage.
Whether the Aurvana Trio is worth its 50% price jump over the 1More Triple largely depends on whether its different mix of features matters to you. We can, however, confidently say that you won’t be disappointed in its sound.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Creative
Model: Aurvana Trio
Price: $150