Creative Labs, our Singapore tech darling, does not engage with the media frequently, nor do they actively reach out to media to send products for review. The reason I am reviewing the Aurvana Trio is that it is a press gift during the Super X-Fi Technology preview event held in February.
The Aurvana sub-brand has been Creative’s premium headphones series for many years, and audiophile-grade Aurvana Trio is Creative’s first earphones that is fitted with three drivers: one super tweeter Balanced Armature for sparkling highs, another mid-range Balanced Armature for the natural vocals, and a 10mm Bio-Cellulose dynamic driver for the low frequencies. The braided cable is detachable so that users can alter the audio quality with aftermarket MMCX cables.
The first impression when I tested the earphones is that the treble sounds a little thin. But after getting accustomed to the audio signature, I begin to uncover a lot of details from them. I can basically generalise that the Aurvana Trio has bright treble with good bass emphasis, but they are not in the typical ear-pleasing V-shaped tuning. The bass delivers an impact that keeps us reminded of their presence yet not overpowering enough to annoy and cloud other audio spectrum. By carefully thinning out the warm acoustics of the tweeter, the treble offers an uncanny transparency without sounding unpolished and harsh. The grainy texture produced by the recorded instruments can be a tad distracting, yet it introduces a new element for critical listening. While the overall sound might come forth as a little cold and metallic, the saving grace is the wide sound staging which separates the instrumental layers sufficiently for them to have room to resolve comfortably without sounding too cluttered.
I tried throwing different genres of music to the Aurvana Trio, and the general impression stands: sufficiently impactful and musical bass to balance the transparent detailed highs. I enjoy listening Classical genre, Jazz, pop ballads. I compared closely to the KEF Motion One which is similarly tuned with treble bias, and while the bass on the Motion One is not as forthcoming, the treble exudes more musical warmth, especially in delivering the environmental acoustics of the recording location, which cushions the overly bright sound of the Motion One. Interestingly, what Aurvana Trio does to counter the bright treble is the stronger bass. And as I described above, it is not a simple V-shaped tuning, fortunately.
In comparing to a close competitor, 1MORE Triple Driver earphones, the Aurvana Trio sounds less exaggerated, in a good way. The 1MORE earphones offer even more subtle high details, like the soft percussion notes. My memory also suggests that the 1MORE has a slightly broader treble delivery, while the Aurvana Trio’s string sections do sound a little narrow.
Verdict
The Creative Aurvana Trio offers impressive sound quality, excellent treble resolution and expansive bass that works fabulous with instrumentals. The triple driver combination delivers the sparkly highs without harshness, and the responsive bass that does not cloud the midrange details. The detachable braided MMCX cable gives the Aurvana Trio a slight edge when it comes to customising the sound. Creative makes a lot of consumer-friendly earphones, and the Aurvana Trio is their best, which fortunately does not break the bank. They retail at S$199 from Creative Online Store with time-limited free gift of Sound Blaster E1 portable amplifier worth S$69.
Technical Specifications
- Driver type: 2x Balanced Armature driver, 1x 10mm Dynamic (Neodymium magnet with Bio-cellulose diaphragm)
- Frequency response: 5 – 40,000 Hz
- Impedance: 16 ohm
- Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW
- Cable Type: MMCX detachable
- Weight: 19 g
