Aurvana In-ear3 Plus from Creative Review

Aurvana In-ear3 Plus from Creative

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Purchasing a pair of ear buds to supplement – or in many cases replace – the pair that came with your phone is not an easy task as many companies have products on the market that they want you to buy. When I generally go online to look for a quality pair of buds, I tend to begin in the 100-150 dollar price range, as generally, these provide a great sounds for a modest price. That isn’t to say I don’t do the research on the sub 100, or 150+ sets, but this is where I begin. The Aurvana In-ear3 Plus ear buds from Creative fall into the high end of this category, but provide enough extra features to make them stand out, even at 149.99.

As of writing this article, Creative is offering these ear buds on their website for the promo price of 74.99! Check them out here.

The Build Quality

The ear buds themselves are of a nice quality, with a darker finish to them and the Aurvana insignia on each bud. Both buds are attached to an inline remote using a high quality, sleeve / braided cable design, a step up from the rubber designs they have used on other Creative products. Fans wanted the braided cables, and Creative listened, and obliged. The inline remote is a very hand tool, and won’t sit on your chest with any weight either. Unfortunately, the volume controls on the remote itself are on a slider, as opposed to two separate buttons – one for up, and one for down – and although this was annoying at first, I did get use to it.

There is also a pause/play/mute button on the remote itself, meaning you won’t have to reach into your pocket or bag for your phone to stop your music. The button can also be used for skipping tracks on your mobile device: a double tap will skip to the next track, while a triple tap will return to the previous track. Again, it’s a feature not all ear bud companies are implementing in their products, so it is the extra value and care that Creative puts into their products that make them so appealing!

The remainder of the headset screams quality as well. The braided cord continues down to the connector, which is gold plated, a sure fire sign that a company knows what they are doing.

As you can see from the picture above, the way to wear these ear buds is probably not what you would expect. Instead of having the cable just hang from the bud in your ear, Creative suggests users wrap the cord around their ear before allowing it to fall to their mobile devices. This not only aids in comfort – for some, more on this later – but also reduces feedback in the sets from the braided cord rubbing on sweaters, jackets, or whatever else you might be wearing. The above picture is a good illustration of how the buds are meant to be worn.

Audio Quality

Overall, the audio quality on the Aurvana In-ear3 Plus ear buds is really solid, and I have no major complaints at all. As noted by many who have reviewed this product already, the drivers used in the buds are actually the same type of driver used in hearing aids, which are built to push very precise and clear sounds to those using them. The same can be said for these Creative ear buds.

Through various mediums – everything from audio, to TV and movies on Netflix, to gaming – the audio performed impeccably. Of course, these are first and foremost a music listening device, so they perform at their best when listening to music. Whether country, rock and roll, rap, or punk, I found the highs and lows to be incredibly precise, pumping a great sound into your head at all times. When watching movies and playing video games with them, you do get a bit of distortion. Quick explosion ins succession can result in a muddied sound, and while this might be a gripe at the end of the day, it is one that won’t affect many people: after all, the majority – I would figure over 90% – are using these purely for audio purposes. For listening to that, it is phenomenal!

It’s Not All Perfect

Like any product, the Aurvana In-ear3 Plus ear buds are bound to have a few issues, beginning first with the comfort of the user. While the design of the headset to reduce frequency issues and feedback problems is admirable, wrapping the braided cord around your ear as Creative suggests is likely not going to be a comfortable option for many individuals. For myself, it was something I had to grow into as I used the buds. After a few weeks, I hardly noticed how I was wearing them, but initially, it was incredibly annoying.

Another slightly questionable decision was to not put a fast forward or rewind button the inline remote, as that seems to be a staple even on the most basic ear bud sets!

Conclusion – Should You Buy?

I’m going to say you should buy this headset, with the understanding that the comfort situation might never be resolved for you. For me, it was a matter of getting use to the product, and how it fit to my ears. On top of that, I’ve been reviewing Creative products for a long time now, and they always seem to produce products that are above average for the price you will pay. Creative is also great at adding the extra features, which with this set includes a travel case, extra ear buds for smaller or larger ears, an even an airplane adapter so you can take your buds even when you travel.

I generally support Creative and the products they release because I’ve known them to be a quality company. Not every product will be for every person. I know that, Creative knows that, and therefore, you should too. With this set, it will all come down to your comfort level with the design of the buds. For what it is worth, I’d say: take the plunge!