Creative Aurvana Live! SE Over-Ear Headphones $74.12 + Delivery (Free with Prime) @ Amazon US via Amazon Australia

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jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 14:54 amazon.com.au (239 clicks)
Last edited 21/10/2021 - 19:32

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A remake of a classic that actually improves on the original. Still using the Foster/Fostex biocellulose driver (as also seen in E-MU and Denon headphones), renowned for its bass texture, and still wired. These are regarded as being a more detailed revision, while still offering the same slightly v-shaped sound signature.

A warm-sounding headphone with a limited soundstage and isolation, but it remains incredibly good value for music in this price range. The earcups on these are a little on the small side, but they should fit almost everybody.

Record low for the updated model, and compares pretty favourably to old CAL! deals once you adjust for inflation.

Some SE reviews:
https://www.soundphilereview.com/reviews/creative-aurvana-se…
https://www.thestreamingblog.com/creative-aurvana-se-review/

And an original CAL! review for good measure: https://www.stereophile.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-cl…

Tonality measurements for the original CAL! against other common recommendations around the price point (ATH-M40X, Takstar Pro 82 v2, AKG K361): https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory/headphones?ids=118,284…

Enjoy!

Price History at CamelCamelCamel.

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• 

  Larsson on 21/10/2021 - 15:07

  +2

  Okay another one I can comment.

  I have the OG, second hand from someone and sound wise they are really great and pleasant. Majority of the people will like them.

  Few caution points tho: these are almost onears, not fully overear. (At least the og version is)
  They are also light, which is good, but also feels a bit cheap too.

  They are usually ~$80ish so this is not a incredible discount but it’s something…

  I think they are worth it.

  Also, hi jasswolf!

  • 

    jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 15:50

    +1

    Yo!

    It's dropped $10 to clear a few, and I'd estimate it would probably be around $10 cheaper again with stacked deals on Black Friday. If you've already got something in mind for those upcoming Zip cashbacks or you have existing gift cards, I don't see it being cheaper at the end of November.

    • 

      Larsson on 21/10/2021 - 18:11

      Agreed. They are probably The lowest they have been and well worth the price in my opinion!

• 

  mostlygordon on 21/10/2021 - 15:10

  +1

  I don't have these LOL yet…

  • 

    jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 15:52

    Here, just take my budget short list (in no particular order):

    Thinksound On21 (production & reviews pending)
    Takstar Pro 82 v2
    AKG K371
    Creative Aurvana Live! SE
    1More Triple Driver Over-Ear (Silver)

    Go, be free! :P

• 

  magic8ballgag on 21/10/2021 - 15:52

  Would these be a good beginner pair for someone who's keen to enter the world of wired headphones? I was hoping for another discount on the popular Philips Fidelio X2HR, but nothing yet.

  • 

    jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 15:55

    These are closed backs while the X2HR is an open back, and I would never recommend the X2HR, even as a starter pair.

    What kind of experience are you looking for? Large open soundstage, detail separation, the ability to pick out positioning cues in your tracks, good bass texture, realistic instruments and/or vocals… smooth highs? Isolation?

    What kind of music do you listen to? Will gaming be an important factor, or movies?

    • 

      magic8ballgag on 21/10/2021 - 16:15

      I am looking for a decent all-rounder pair with obvious bass, for mainly listening to music and gaming, but also something to learn DJing with on a basic controller.

      • 

        Gnostikos on 21/10/2021 - 16:22

        +1

        Then you want the X2HRs. Ignore Jasswolf, he's just being a ridiculous fanboy.

        • 

          jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 16:34

          @Gnostikos: No, I'm acting like people who've heard literally any other open back headphone in the price range. Philips entire range makes too many compromises to deliver bass boost in an open back headphone.

          Sennheiser HD 560S wipes the floor with it as a direct replacement, but I prefer the 6XX for the bigger step up in detail and timbre (particularly vocal timbre) in the $200-$300 bracket.

      • 

        jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 16:32

        If you can wait a month and can swing around $180ish (with around $30 cashback), that would probably be the AKG K371.

        Tonality comparison: https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory/headphones?ids=118,66

        The K371 will have more detail, though highs will be a tiny bit less present. What the CAL! does well is offer good texture in the bass, due to the nature of the biocellulose driver. They're very musical, but not an all-rounder like the K371. A third option is the silver version of the 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear ($120-$140 next month on Amazon), but it can get a bit messy in the bass and has timbral issues due to the multi-driver mix, but in return you get soundstage, detail and an otherwise refined tonality.

        If you're happy with flatter bass for a more spacious sound, which are the norm for open backs unless you want to compromise detail heavily, the options are the HIFIMAN HE400SE Stealth Magnet (will be around $175 through cashbacks) or the AKG K612 Pro ($165), but they need a decent source. A good USB-C amp/DAC dongle for that might be the Tempotec Sonata E44 on AliExpress for around $80 after cashbacks during either their 11.11 or BF sale.

        If you're absolutely adamant you won't improve your sound source, then the open back option would be the Sennheiser HD 560S, and that might be around $190 after cashbacks next month.

        Stepping beyond that, and assuming you're not heavily into competitive gaming, I would strongly recommend the Sennheiser HD 6XX for around $250-$270 via Drop in the US if you're a first time user to the site. Another you can look into are the Audio Technica ATH-R70X (more bass extension, more neutral than the 6XX, but worse timbre and detail), for about $300-$360 locally on sale.

        My personal recommendations for starting closed back and open back would remain the K371 and the 6XX though, they just do so much right at their respective price points for the given form factor.

        • 

          magic8ballgag on 21/10/2021 - 21:29

          @jasswolf: I appreciate the detailed reply, but I only understood very little of what you said.

          • 

            jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 22:27

            @magic8ballgag: LOL fair enough. Try this guide, he covers a lot of my recommendations for open backs: https://crinacle.com/guide/gaming/

            If you want a closed back, just get the AKG K371 in Amazon's sales.

    • 

      Larsson on 21/10/2021 - 18:08

      +2

      Okay i respectfully disagree on this one.

      I have quite a lot of open backs, including 6XX, 58X, Hifiman X4 and I can confidently say X2 with EQ is the best among them -for me.-(I can give the profile for people who would like that)

      With no EQ they are still great especially for the price. (Tho I’d take 58X over them, but they are more expensive) I think they are looked down on for their bass which doesn’t make sense to me as they are pretty much on point accurate compared to my JBL LSR 305 studio monitor speakers. ( generally what natural is defined is a good flat response set of speakers, tho my room is untreated)

      Definitely highly recommend X2, especially when it’s on sale!

      • 

        jasswolf on 21/10/2021 - 19:38

        No texture to the bass, limited and grainy detail, unnecessary treble bite. You're paying for bass quantity and perceived soundstage width because of that v-shaped response in an open back.

        Imaging is decent, but there are better options, even in the price range.

  • 

    Larsson on 21/10/2021 - 18:13

    +3

    100% would recommend X2HR! I have many headphones, and widely respected open backs, and still would say X2HRs one of the best out of all. Especially with EQ!

    See the thread below!

    https://reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/opytm4/_/h6bkb12/?c…