To be terribly honest withyou, dear readers... here at The
Test Pit we tend not to bother all that much reviewing in-ear headphones.
General consensus 'round our gaff is that they are uncomfortable and produce
less than satisfying sounds, and considering none of us could be described as
'athletic' we don't have much use for them when out running. That all might
change however (not the running part), as we've found a pair of in-ear 'phones
that are pretty excellent. It's the Creative Aurvana In-Ear3 Plus.
These gorgeous little buds are packed with audio goodness
that defies their compact size. Designed to be looped up and over the ear, then
gently inserted into the dear lug-hole, we found the Creative Aurvana to be remarkably
comfortable, despite our initial misgivings. The buds themselves seem to fit
well regardless of ear size (and gender), and we were impressed how the braided
cord seems to reduce both tangles and the weird 'contact noise' sound that can
make in-ear headphones annoying.
There is a mic and remote along the cord, allowing you to
control the volume and handle calls. You get a few extra sized cushion pads for
the buds included, as well as an aeroplane connector, a cleaning tool (nice
touch, that) and a carry pouch. Yes, a pouch! We love pouches!!!
And the sound... wow. The Creative Aurvana are alarmingly
good, especially with bass - something we thought all in-ear headphones were
rubbish at. Possibly the secret to the Aurvana's success might be the great fit
in the ear, which did a very good job at sealing in the music and keeping
outside sounds out. But inside the headphones there is a lot of high-end tech
working away to pump out the quality tunes, being powered by their Balanced
Armature Tweeter and Woofer speakers, and optimised sound tube design. In
a nutshell, we were impressed.
Calls were also very clear, with the other person saying
they could hear us well - something we always like to check. After all, why
brag about the mic on your in-line remote if you can't actually be heard by your
caller? We also really like the added extras with the Creative Aurvana In-Ear3
Plus Headphones (did we mention the carry pouch?) and the robust build and
comfortable fit mean that these 'phone will last you a good long while. Colour
our minds changed!
£129.99