Creative - Aurvana Ace 2

So of the higher end earbuds I’ve personally used there seem to be 3 differentiating factors: new technology, increased playback adjustments/options, better/more codec support. For instance the B&W Pi8s allow you to send the signal through a special chip in the case that lets you use aptX, 24 bit at 96kHz; whereas the Technics EAH Az100s have tons of adjustability; and the one Auravana Ace2 with BT W5 adapter uses the new xMems tech with aptX codec. I’d say best all around is the Technics, but best bang for your buck is Auravana even without the adapter if you’re okay with AAC or mp3. Either way with both you’ll immediately hear improvement in sound quality (with all) over say iPod Pro or Sony WF1000XM5s. With iPod Pro and the Sony though you get better peripheral stuff, like ANC and call quality until you get to the Technics and the Pi8 where the Technics exceeds and the Pi8 matches with better sound quality. For pure balanced sound though with some real stage to the instruments I think the Auravana is probably the sweet spot on price, but it’s App is lacklustre compared to the Technics especially if you’re looking at a wide variety of genres

Nice one OP! I was looking recently exactly for this. And all the earbuds I was looking are on the list except the one I bought at the end: Creative Aurvana Ace 2. Great price/quality ratio on these. Atm 85 € on the official website.

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 and SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ are a good dark horse option. The xMEMS drivers seriously stand out. I've tested over 100 earbuds and those are still my favorite.

Recently bought Bose QC Earbuds (the recent version, not the old QC nor QCII) and I am overwhelmed by the quality of sound and ANC. I've been particularly looking for something that sounds decently but will not break the bank either. So during the recent Amazon days I tried Apple Airpods 4 and Pro 2, Beats Studio+, Bose QC, Sony WF c710, and Creative Aurvana Ace 2. Firstly, one certainly really needs to try the earbuds before buying. I found all the rankings and reviews to be way disconnected from how the earbuds actually sound. Awards, Editor's Choices and all that PR has nothing to do with the actual product. From the models I tried, only Airpods Pro 2 were close to Bose QC. Marketed Beats, Creative Aurvana with the innovative driver, Sony, all sounded worse than my 7 year old Phillips 2515 earbuds which I bought for $25 on sale long time ago. Bose QC play lows and highs clearly, there is a sense of immersion in the music, I could actually hear the singer's breath and the detail of the song (I used the same song to test all the earbuds). Again, the only earbud which has comparable quality of sound was Airpof Pro 2. Same with the noise cancellation function. Beats QC turned off the noise instantly. Only Apple (both Airpods 4 and Pro 2) had comparable ANC, although I think Bose was slightly better. But the difference between Bose and Apple's ANC is negligeble. Comfort of wearing earbuds also differs, but this is idiosyncratic and is another reason why we should be able to try erabuds before buying (a lot of stores do not allow you to return earbuds unfortunately, so it could be hit or miss). I found Bose to be comfortable enough although not perfect. Yet, I value their sound quality more. Overall: \- Bose makes surprisingly good earbuds in mid-price range. \- So many brands just sell mediocre earbuds at $100+ prices, and reviews are not really helpful, which makes me sad. \- Please try earbuds before buying them or writing reviews. They are soo different. Some are great, many are not. I'm glad I found mine.

So far I am very satisfied, so can’t say anything worries me. Unlike Creative which I also tried, Bose earbuds connect and hold the connection well. I am price sensitive in some way and bought these QC during Amazon days for $125 usd (170 canadian). In that price range it’s a no brainer. Also, there are some physical limitations to how far in-ear earbuds can go (you can get a sense of that when you try out multiple products), so personally i’m also sceptical about paying $300+ for the earbuds and hoping for 100% increase in the quality.

I have a pair of Jabra Elite 4 from 3 years ago that is hands down the best ANC I've tried so far. But they are getting old, Jabra exited the earbud market so support is scarce (they don't seem to be recognized by their app anymore.) so I'm looking for replacements. I tried the Sony WF-XM5s and Sony WF-C710N and despite both being well reviewd I personally found the audio profile in both to not be to my liking and the ANC to be weak enough to not even really be useful. Honestly it's kind of insane to me how well reviewed the XM5s because for the money they weren't worth it IMO. I've liked JLab stuff in the past so I tried JLab JBuds Pods ANC & JLab Epic Lab Edition and while I found the audio in both to be to my taste the ANC in the JBuds wasn't very good and the Epic Lab was better but still not as good as the 3 year old Jabra. I tried the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 based on Soundguys review and while the audio was good and the ANC was ok they arrived defective and started All 5 pairs I've tried also had a case that was awkward to get the earbuds out of them. I use an Android phone so I have no desire for Apple Airpods. What other options are there out there with good ANC?

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 Pretty awesome. ANC blocks almost all noises when I'm in the plane.

Creative Aurvana Ace 2. Lasts about 4 hours per charge. Supports wireless charging if you want to go for it. ANC is okay-okay for me, but it may have to do with the shape of my ear canal. Soundstage is great. Vocals are very clear. Best purchase I've made in years.

I've been using the Creative aurvana ace 2. Really love this set. Got it at around 129

I feel your pain. Low latency Bluetooth is a total mess at the moment what with LE audio (LC3) being locked behind Intel EVO PCs in the PC space or having to buy a dongle such as the Creative BT-W6. Some devices that support LE audio that I have tested and know work: Creative Aurvana Ace 2 Earfun Air 4 Pro Jlab Epic Lab Edition - also has a dongle that uses Opus that's even lower latency Sony Linkbuds-S Sony WF1000XM5 Aptx-LL is on hardly any buds at all. Aptx-Adaptive-LL is on several. Look for buds with Snapdragon sound. However, many devices don't backwards support Aptx-LL correctly from Aptx-Adaptive. I've tested Aptx-Adaptive-LL with Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra and it worked reasonably well.

Anker are really good, their buds do a hearing test to calobrate.. Avpid Creative, I got a pair of their Aurvana MEMS and its all spin. The Anker sound heaps better.

The Nothings, Status Between 3ANC. I’m pretty impressed with the Soundpeats Capsule Pro+, OnePlus Buds 3 Pro and the Creative Aurvana Ace also. I’m just talking sound quality not other features. The less expensive tier seems to be catching up pretty quickly.

Creative Aurvana....$75 .....love mine....