Customer Reviews
Very happy customer 
2008-02-25
Very good serves, very fast to ship, had it within 4 days of shipment. I am pleased with the headphones they are very completive with the Bose but for my dollar. I like these better, just my opion.
Excellent Headphones! 2008-02-13
Let me start out by saying, I'm an audiophile and I fly on planes quite a bit. I can certainly appreciate the sound of well constructed audio equipment. The Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones exemplify that quality. In the past, I have tried the Bose headsets and definitely feel that they are horribly over-rated (amazing marketing campaign)! I honestly feel they are dull/boomy and do not provide the dynamics and clarity that good music can bring through well engineered headphones. Therefore, I decided to purchase the Sennheiser PXC-300's about a year ago. The Sennheiser's are very decent headphones, and sound great. However, they do not cover the ear and plane noise can still become apparent despite their noise canceling ability. After about a year or so of use, I decided to retire my Sennheisers for a pair of the Creative Aurvanas. What can I say? They are excellent! The noise cancellation is excellent (all external noise at the airport and on the plane seems to disappear), they are very well made, they feel solid and best of all, the sound quality is fantastic! Terrific base with a crisp high end! Never "boomy" the way the Bose headphones sound. I have to admit, I'm a convert to the Creative Aurvanas! Try them yourself. I think you will agree!
Do not waste your money 
2008-02-09
I was given these as a gift and with in 2 weeks, after normal use (which was placing them on my head), the PLASTIC (uhm, problem here) that holds the metal adjustable strap broke. AFTER 2 weeks. Also I am a gamer and audio freak and the hinge that connects the actual head phone to the strap - squeaks, just while moving your head. The WORST part is that I contacted their RMA department and they said it would cost me $240 for a replacement - AFTER 2 WEEKS OF USE just to get another set of bad headphones. I have the Bose QuietComfort® 2 that are the same price and they have the best sound and quality. After 1 year of use, I thought they went bad (actually the didn't, it was just static electricity in my room) but Bose took them back, replaced then FREE of charge, upgraded me to the Bose QuietComfort® 3 version and returned with 2nd shipping. THATs a great company. I would NOT recommend these AT ALL because of the lack of quality construction (sound is ok), and the return policy especially after two weeks use on a $300 set of headphones. GO with Bose, you won't be disappointed. If you never had noise canceling headphone and you put these on, you would think they are great but if you had a set of Bose and then these, you would cry so I can understand some of these other reviews saying they are good. These are NOT quality, not worth $300.
Headphones at a price 
2008-01-18
The noise cancelation in these headphones seems to be top notch... and the quality of the plastics in the headphones is also good.. unlike the Bose that typically use cheap plastic that breaks.
My only complaints with the headphones are: 1. The battery compartment design makes it difficult to take out the second battery. 2. the headphones seem to really use battery power.. two AAA batteries (rechargeable 1000 mAh) only last around 7-8 hours per charge. Granted this is with all three functions turned on.. battery life may be better with only the noise cancellation turned on.
Otherwise these are great headphones.
Good, solid NC headphone (but it chews batteries!) 
2008-01-04
I have owned and still own several other Noise-Canceling headphones and Aurvana X-Fi is definitely one of the top performers.
I love being able to use the headphone passively, as most other NC products would not work unless switched on.
Video sounds great with Cristallizer (similar to the USB X-Fi for PCs), i'm not so impressed with music, where Treble tones are still pumped too high.
It does its job on an airplane, where I'd expect to use it most, and it works a tad better than my Bose.
However, it loses one star because it eats batteries at an unacceptable rate. Expect about 8 to 9 hours of continuous use out of two AAA batteries with all 3 featured setting on - it means you are unlikely to finish a full trans-atlantic flight on just one set of batteries. I do not understand how is this possible, as even my 10 years old Bose can stretch about 40-50 hours on two AAA batteries.
My last gripe is with price - it loses another star as I find hard to justify this price tag on a relatively commoditized technology.
If this set could stretch at least 25-30 hours of usage from a battery set (transoceanic round trip plus some) and was priced around a realistic $150 tag, it would get 5 stars.
Absolutely Wonderful 2008-06-07
I ordered these headsets only 7 days before a cross country flight. They were delivered within 4 days, in time for my flight. They worked great. There were several toddlers on the plane, crying, whining, and just generally being annoying and the Aurvana NC headsets blocked it all! They are well worth the peace and quiet I experienced. I am looking forward to many more uses.
Aurvana not nervana 2008-05-02
I have had a set of the original BOSE NC headphones for many years and they are finally starting to deteriorate and getting a deep buzzing sound sounds a bit like a ground short. This old version has the external battery box and on off switch. I picked them up at the San Francisco airport and used them on one of those Embriar 180 turbo prop outfits United flies which are very loud. The sound of these off my IPOD is better than the old Bose ones due to the X-Fi. I would characterize the Aurvana as having more of an audiophile quality as opposed to a rock your socks. These headphones don't seem to have the same volume level that I was able to get from my old Bose headphones. So if you are a more discriminating listener and enjoy the nuances in the music I would recommend these over the Bose.
Disappointed 2008-04-24
I experienced an unacceptable low background rumble in active noise cancelling mode with both the new pair and their replacements. I also own the Bose QC2 and find they generate a very slight but quite acceptable background hiss.
Clarity not what I expected 2008-04-18
I bought the Creative Aurvana vs. the Bose based on reviews in Maxim. Probably should have done a little more homework...They function nicely and do fit better than Bose (I have a big head) but I expected a little more clarity for this price. Overall, a good product just not outstanding.
Great headphones with a caveat (or two) 2008-03-19
I compared these headphones to the Bose QC2 headphones for about a week. I was trying to decide which ones to keep. I tried them at home, in an airplane, in busy streets, everywhere I could. It was a tough choice.
I had read other reviews online touting the Aurvana XF-I headphones as the best, and that they blew away the Bose. To my ears, that's not true. The XF-I technology DOES improve the sound of compressed audio, but teh Bose headphones also sound excellent without the XF-I technology. I also read that the Aurvana cans were louder as well; however, my experience was that the Bose were a lot louder -- and I just couldn't get the Aurvanas loud enough to really rock out.
In any case, the XF-I function really does work, and the sound was excellent (with the power turned on). I didn't think they were that special with the power turned off. So as far as sound quality, the Bose and the Creative were close, with the Creative slightly beating the Bose in quality, but the Bose beating the Creative in volume. Both the Bose and the Creative sound excellent, though.
Sound quality Winner: Toss-up with an advantage to the Aurvanas.
In comparing comfort, I found the Aurvana headphones to be bulkier and heavier. The Bose were so much lighter and more comfortable to wear.
Comfort Winner: Bose.
Sound leakage: My major complaint about the Aurvanas is that when turned up, people sitting near you can hear your music. You risk disturbing a fellow passenger with the Aurvanas. I found the Bose QC2 to be much quieter on the outside, keeping the sound in your ears, and not out into the world. Since I sometimes like to crank it up, this was an important consideration.
Sound Leakage Winner: Bose
Finally, I omapared the noise-canceling quality. Both headphones performed admirably, and it was tough to get a read on it, even after switching back and forth 10 or 20 times. The Aurvana headphones did seem a little more quiet in certain situations, but I'm not sure if that was my imagination or not. But on the airplane, it was definitely a toss up. Both headphones did an outstanding job of noise canceling. You may hear a slight hiss with the Aurvanas as they emit the counter-frequency, but it's not annoying at all and very slight. You won't be able to hear it with music playing.
Noise canceling Winner: Toss-up
Conclusion: Since these headphones are so comparable in quality and in noise-canceling ability, I had to base my decision on comfort and noise leakage. I returned the Aurvanas and kept the Bose.
This was a tough call, since the Aurvanas are excellent headphones. I think it comes down to a matter of what's important to you.
If you do love these headphones but find they can't get loud enough either, then I recommend going on ebay and getting a CMOY headphone amplifier. They're around $35 and they will crank up your volume. they are home-made in Altoids tins but very professional. They'll make your Aurvanas louder, but remember that the person sitting next to you will definitely hear everything.
Afterthought: Battery Life. The Bose QC2 uses just 1 AAA battery that is supposed to last for 35 hours. The Creative Aurvana XF-I requires 2 AAA batteries which are supposed to last 9 hours. However, the Aurvanas can still be used without batteries (quality is decreased), while the QC2 headphones will not operate without a charged battery. You decide....
Happy shopping!
