The Creative Aurvana Ace series is the talk of the town in the consumer audio industry: it is the first mass-market true-wireless earbuds using xMEMS solid state audio drivers, as well as the one of the few earbuds that support LE Audio codec. The product has won praises generally during its initial press preview around the world. It offers a 6-hour battery life (ANC off), up to 24 hours with case that supports wireless charging, IPX5 water resistant, supports aptX lossless (only on Aurvana Ace 2), aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC, SBC, and LC3. After spending about a week with the Aurvana Ace 2 retail unit, I am ready to share my impressions in this review article.
The case design caught much attention and definitely attracted more people to take a closer look at it. The transparent outer case is a clear inspiration of the recent trend of see-through tech, but Creative opted for a darker shade instead of clear plastic, which seems to work well with the glossy gold interior. This sheer effect allows the unsightly PCB and wires to be largely unseen while the gold mould shines through. This design has certainly allowed the mould to achieve good visual impact from inside the case and also from the direct exterior.
Indeed, the red shade of gold catches light easily with a gloss finish that stops short of a full-blown mirror reflection. The earbuds have also matching see-through plastic on half of the section. My only complaint would be that the earbuds are not easy to remove due to the rather smooth surface of the earbuds.
The basic Aurvana Ace features the exact same mould but in translucent black. It also removes a few features like aptX Lossless, fitted with hybrid ANC instead of adaptive hybrid ANC on the Aurvana Ace 2. It is also S$30 cheaper.
So, does the Aurvana Ace 2 live up to the promise and hype of a xMEMS driver? I am going to set the stage here: Creative has launched a true wireless earbuds featuring – not just one, but – two new audio technologies that none of the top-tier audio brands are using, and selling at below USD 150. These audio technologies have huge potentials, but instead of spending years and excessive R&D to create a premium-grade product that probably only the geeks could appreciate (and afford), Creative delivered an affordable product range with calculated mix of features that should appeal to the mass market.
What I am driving at is that the Aurvana Ace 2 is not representative of the full potential of xMEMS drivers or LE Audio codec, but it is a showcase of quality it can achieve for S$219.
So, how good does it sound?
Aurvana Ace 2 Sound Quality
When Creative invited me to their office for an exclusive preview of the Aurvana Ace series, my first impression is that the earbuds do not sound bright. There are merits to having a controlled treble, but I would have thought that Creative engineers would tune the Aurvana Ace to emphasize on the clarity, especially when they are using a new set of silicone drivers that can theoretically outshine the traditional diaphragm drivers.
Once I got the commercial unit last week, I spent a lot more time with it, compared it to the Technics AZ80 and the Sennheiser Momentum TW3, as well as Creative Sensemore Air, Creative Outlier Pro, Creative Outlier Air V2, to name a few. From there, I got a pretty good sense of the Aurvana Ace 2. Fortunately for me, my Google Pixel 7 Pro supports LE Audio, so I am able to test with this codec which delivers really excellent dynamics and sound staging.
The good news is that the Aurvana Ace 2 is the most articulated, musically engaging true wireless earbuds from Creative. While I would prefer a brighter treble along the likes of Sennheiser MTW3 and even the Technics AZ80, there is merit in the Aurvana Ace 2. It reminds me fondly of the Audio-Technica TWX9, but I do not have the TWX9 to do a side-by-side comparison.
The Aurvana Ace 2’s bass is the most intense among all the Creative true wireless earbuds mentioned, but the intensity is not in the loudness, but in the depth and extension. It delivers the rumbling effect yet it does not obscure the upper frequencies. It actually sounds just like how the drivers are positioned inside the earbuds: the xMEMS driver is positioned in front of the 10mm dynamic drivers that produce the lower frequencies. The result is that I can feel more sub-bass but still can also hear the midrange and treble. The Aurvana Ace 2 is one of the few earbuds that I hear more sub-bass yet I do not feel overloaded, unless the track already has an overloaded bass bias.
Coming to the midrange, the Aurvana Ace 2 aces. I am able to hear the instrumental attack and nuances, again another uncommon trait. The Aurvana Ace 2 lets me enjoy the midrange without the hazy and annoying overtones. The sound staging is close yet wide, so the instruments do not sound cluttered. When playing the same orchestral passage on the AZ80, it was unable to project all the musical instruments in great articulation due to the slow decay of the notes and reverb.
As for the treble, the Aurvana Ace 2 brightness is above the Outlier Pro and below the rest of the reference earbuds listed above. But, it does not sound dark, and I hate to use the word “warm” on the Aurvana Ace 2, though it is probably the easiest word to describe. I suppose it is due to the xMEMS drivers that causes this audio character. The upper treble is articulated, but not shouty and harsh, not peaky sibilance compared to the MTW3 or AZ80. Vocals and drums are mixed in, somewhat dry, does not stand out and overpower the other instruments. There is no airiness unlike the MTW3 or the AZ80, hence you won’t feel exceptional transparency. Fortunately, it can be easily fixed with EQ.
I find myself enjoying the Aurvana Ace 2 with this tuning, although I also like the clarity and emphasis of the treble depth on the AZ80. If you are in the treble camp and prefers forefront mix for vocals, then the Aurvana Ace 2 might sound a tad blunt, but for sure the musical details are more balanced, I can hear the layers much better, and to a musician, it makes listening more technically satisfying. Turning up the volume is highly recommended to immerse in the music without hurting the ears.
Of course, there are other earbuds using dynamic drivers that can deliver much better instrumental separation and clarity, but you certainly need to pay a lot more. The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 offers me an experience of premium audiophile-grade sonically-precise earbuds at a mass-market price.
I think the earbuds will be subject to a lot of scrutiny from the audio industry. There will be people will love it, and some will not.
ANC and Ambient Mode
The Aurvana Ace 2 supports adaptive hybrid ANC, which I feel offers adequate noise cancellation at low frequencies. They help in keeping noise level low and allow you to enjoy the music. The upper frequencies are not removed as effectively as other pricier earbuds like AZ80. For Ambient mode, there is a little more white noise that cause the upper midrange to be a bit artificially boosted. Connecting the earbuds to the Creative app, there is no option to adjust the ANC and Ambient mode levels.
Call Quality
The Aurvana Ace 2 uses Qualcomm cVc and three mics on each earbuds to manage the voice pickup against the noisy background. At quiet locations, the mic pickup is loud and prominent, as if the mic is next to the mouth. At noisy places like the food centre, the mic struggles to cancel the background noise and retain the voice. Once again, it is imperative that you speak up loudly and not talk too soft, or else the voice will break up.
LE Audio and Limitations
Not many people have devices that support LC3, and unfortunately, they will not be able to get better audio quality from the Aurvana Ace 2. When testing the audio quality with aptX, I detect higher levels of compression, the treble is little more pushy, the stereo imaging is not as expansive. With LC3, the dynamics are a lot better, the music is more organic and expressive, less distracting without any audible trace of digital artefact.
As the LE Audio is still considered an experimental feature in Google Pixel 7 Pro, there are some features that may not work fully. For instance, in LE Audio, the voice call mic is very soft, and almost inaudible unless you hold the mic in front of the mouth. The initial connectivity to LE Audio is also a hit-and-miss, but once it’s connected, it will not drop out.
I had wanted to get a proper LC3 codec-support device to properly test the Aurvana Ace 2. The good news is that Creative Bluetooth dongle BT-L4 which comes with the Zen Hybrid Pro SXFI will support Aurvana Ace 2 pairing in the coming weeks as they prepare a new firmware.
Verdict
The Aurvana Ace 2 has demonstrated that using xMEMS drivers, the earbuds can produce articulated music details to bring out the finer sound that often gets buried in highly-excitable audio mixes caused by overzealous treble sparkles. It certainly makes listeners rethink about what they have been listening to and how good earphones can deliver more musical information to their ears. Creative has employed new technologies to achieve something that might take greater effort using traditional dynamic drivers. Depending on your playlist, the difference may not be obvious. For that, the Aurvana Ace 2 is better suited for listening to quality mixes, instrumental genres, jazz, Classical. Highly-compressed electronic genres like hip-hop, dubstep, dance might not get any benefits.
If you have great interests in listening your favourite songs in greater detail, I highly recommend you get the Aurvana Ace (S$189) or the Aurvana Ace 2 (S$219). Visit the official product page to learn more about the new technologies.
2 comments
My experience so far:
1) Connected to Aurvana Ace 2 smoothly using Oppo Find X3 Pro.
2) No tuning or tweaking of EQ.
3) Played some of my favorite songs 256kbps mp3. Impressive. Details are extremely clear and precise (listened with adaptive ANC). Bass is good but not for heavy bass lovers.
3) ANC is awesome. Blocked out almost all the background noise (busy mall ambient noise). Employing Qualcomm tech helps a lot.
4) Ambient mode is not practical if environment is noisy.
5) At $149, it is a great upgrade. Use of xmems and Qualcomm tech seems premium and optimal. Have the feeling of once you tried this out, there is not turning back. A new standard. Anything must be at least this. I would give it at least 9 points. zdnet, android central, tech radar, engadget (usually not generous towards creative) have similar sentiments.
6) Your 8.7 points is generous. Read on. A user actually wanted to return the unit after comparing it with a TWS that cost twice as much. A couple others ranted or have issues even connecting to phone BT. Another does not even know how to charge properly. One even accused android central of writing paid review for creative.
Puzzled.
Silicon, not silicone.