Traveling interstate soon so I thought I might do some searching for some noise cancelling headphones.
Found these Creative Aurvana had some good reviews on its noise cancelling abilities. Ordered Friday got it today and I am very impressed with them. Thought I share the deal. Not sure when it ends though.
$5 credit for the referrer.
I own two of these. Use rechargeables and they are fine.
The issues aren't noise cancellation (excellent - some say comparable with the BOSE QCs), nor battery life (solved with rechargeables - can survive an 8 hour flight), the issue is build quality!
I read about this quality issue elsewhere, decided I was a careful user, and went ahead and bought two ($95 each at the time - about 1 year ago). One year later, the cheap plastic was coming apart in my hands. The problem is very specifically with the plastic on the side bands. As you pull the headphones apart to put it on your heads, the cheap plastic wears out and eventually comes apart. I admit that the fact that I had a big head (literally), was a factor, since the plastic headband probably has to stretch more than usual. My wife's headset didn't suffer as much damage, but then, she used it rarely.
Anyway, I sent my pair back for a replacement, to which Creative obliged. In the meantime, I started using my wife's pair. Now that's coming apart too!
My recommendation: The noise cancelling is great for the money. But expect build quality issues with the plastic. Reinforce the plastic (on the sides) with tape or something at the outset, and you might be ok. But if you don't want to do that, I cannot recommend this headset. I'm surprised Creative hasn't taken steps to immediately solve this build issue. Maybe you should ask them?
completely agree with that. I have one as well and couldn't be more happy with the performance at this price :) Using rechargeable batteries is the way to go!
They did. Everyone was saying that they refuse to do that so I never bothered calling and taped them up. I need mine replaced! A big chunk came out the other day. They still sound great though but the sound cuts out sometimes and you need to slap the set on the left to get it going again.
Ive managed to sort out the battery life with high performance batteries from meritline or use energizers if you have the cash to spend. However, my major issue with this product is the snapping headband, as its quite flimsy. I used electrical tape and epoxy to fix it. Here are some of the previous comments : http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/65694
Just saw your comment. My problem exactly! What a pity. The headphones are great in every other way.
Also, I'm kinda relieved that perhaps my head isn't as big as I thought!
Bought these last time.
Treated them with care and they were awesome for 14hr flights to and back from USA.
The noise cancelling works beutifully, coundnt fly without them again.
I couldn't agree more with raziel's comment and let me just say that the customer service I have received for this device is just deplorable. The last time I contacted them they eventually replaced it after much ongoing communication with their "escalation team". I claimed that this was obviously a defect with the headset and proved this based on previous user reviews and engineering comparisons yet they continue to denie it this.
I would kindly and seriously implore anyone considering this purchase to think long and hard..how long do you intend to have it for because the plastic will give way in 6 months to a year.
I like how Creative has copied Bose(lucky Bose is not like Apple)! They look identical to the QC15, even the carrying case is the same!!! Good price though, if they are doing their job ;)
Battery major issue good luck!
http://noise-cancelling-headphones-review.toptenreviews.com/