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Creative Aurvana X-Fi Headphones Review - Value & Comparisons |
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Published on July 21, 2008 Comment on this |
 Value (3.00) At $300, the Aurvana X-Fi headphones are priced at about what the Bose QuietComfort headphones are priced at. Since it performed about as well overall as they did, we think it's a solid option. We still aren't sold, however, on the absurd prices for active noise-cancellers nowadays. On audio quality they generally underperform other headphones. Also, while the noise cancellation is certainly a welcome feature on over-ear or on-ear headphones, a good pair of ear plugs still blocks out more sound (see the 6isolators). There's really no reason for active noise-cancelling headphones to cost as much as they do. We blame Bose for inflating the market. In any case, if you're hell-bent on getting a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and are expecting to spend about $300, you should definitely consider the Aurvana X-Fis. If you're looking for good audio quality, there's other, better options; likewise for total sound cancelled.   Sony MDR-NC500D- The MDR-NC500D costs $100 more than the Aurvana X-Fi headphones and offers less audio quality, but they are a bit more comfortable. They also come with the ability to fool around with your noise cancellation curves, but that's more of a novelty than anything else. The X-Fi has some features that do actually change the sound noticeably and, wonder of wonders, allow you to turn noise cancellation on and off as you please. The X-Fis win this match-up hands down. Bose QuietComfort 2 - The QC2s cost the same, offer better overall audio quality (except for noise cancellation), and are more comfortable than the X-Fis. They can't, however, play music when the battery is dead. We'd tend to recommend the X-Fi over these simply because they'll be able to function as headphones more often than the QC2s. It is, however, a close match-up.  Bose QuietComfort 3 - The QC3s will cost you $50 more than the X-Fis and deliver better audio quality and a more comfortable wear experience. In general, they're about as good as the QC2s; maybe you get slightly less value for your money. Either way, we'd still lean towards the X-Fis since they don't need a battery to pump you full of music.  Sennheiser HD 555 - The problem with the HD 555s is their versatility. If you're staying in one place and can either use or tuck away the cord, they're great. They're not so great for carting around town, however. First of all, the cord is cumbersome. Secondly, the headphones have open backs and cloth pads, which means they aren't able to isolate you from external sounds and there's little to stop your own music from wafting throughout the world. If you want versatility, the X-Fis are certainly better equipped than the HD 555s. If you can deal with your headphones being confined to your home -- or your home theater in particular -- then the HD 555s are far and away the better choice.  Pioneer SE-A1000 - The SE-A1000s suffer from the same issues as the HD 555s: they're really only good in the home theater environment. The SE-A1000s have an obscenely long cord and the band orbits your head like the many rings of Saturn. The offset to a life in-house is better audio quality and $100 extra left over from the transaction. Really, if portability isn't an issue for you, the SE-A1000s trump the X-Fis. |
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