[1Time]

I can't believe my $35 (used) Creative Aurvana Live! - CAL! - headphones sound this good / fun from a $10 (used) c-media sound card.

I often listen to this rig for hours at a time because it sounds so good / fun - great synergy. The bass is deep, bumping, tuneful, and loud, just how I like it. The mids, highs, and voices in particular sound "right" and forward sounding (almost Grado like), and not in any way over taken by the bass.

Mostly I've been listening to various rock, pop, rap, and 80's music with it. Some classical sounds pretty good too, but the bass is just too enjoyable so I usually listen to music with a heavy beat.

Comparisons to headphones used with this same sound card:

The RX900 never sounded right. No matter how I modded it, I was always focusing on what was wrong instead of just enjoying the music. Same results with other sources.

The JBL 410 Reference was fun sounding like this CAL!, but on a smaller scale, about 1/3 the fun.

The AD700, never had the bass, not even close, like a 1st grader compared to an adult, and voices didn't sound as good.

I've also owned the following headphones and used them with various low-fi gear that didn't sound nearly as enjoyable / fun with these genres: A250, SR80, HD280, HD555, HD595, HD580, HD650, A900, and Proline 650.

So let me ask. Does your CAL! sound this good?

 

[Oggranak]

I've purchased a couple (used) for friends and the response is generally very good. I remember liking them myself. Very good for the price. It's not surprising since it's almost the same as the D1001.

 

[Kirby1356]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oggranak /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not surprising since it's almost the same as the D1001.

Almost? Other box and logo, what else is different?

 

[ear8dmg]

Shape of the earcups, I think.

 

[shamu144]

I love mine... Perfect for portable use, out of my iTouch. Nice balance (from top to bottom, the bass is slighlty bloated but not too exaggerated), smooth but still fairly defined. Soundstage is rather small but coherent.

 

[majkel]

After recabling - just another world.

 

[Oggranak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirby1356 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Almost? Other box and logo, what else is different?

I'm not sure if the earcups are the same size on the inside. They may be exactly the same (save for cosmetic differences), I don't know.

 

[Vadeus]

A nice mod by Dima F (c) from Russia of C.A.L.! Sorry, only photos:
1) open phones

2) wall-to-wall carpet

3) hollowfiber

4) close phones.

Sound most clear, bass - accurate, sound stage - deep and extensive, treble - most detailed.

[size=x-small]Sorry my bad english!

[/size]

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif After recabling - just another world.

majkel, I may get brave and talented enough one day to re-cable, and I have a spare HD580 cable. Any chance it would work OK? Or, would I be much better off going with something else?

 

[padam]

I agree it is pretty Ok-sounding if you can get it for cheap (not here in the EU unfortunately). While recabling makes it better, I compared them and the difference is not night and day.

 

[ear8dmg]

I didn't recable mine but after giving them a few weeks, it became clear that performance wasn't as good as my Goldring NS1000s (which I was hoping they would replace) so I sold them. The Goldrings are more controlled, detailed and nuanced, while still giving deep, punchy bass (although less of it than the CALs).

Having said that, the Goldrings cost more, while the CALs were more comfortable. It has to be said that the CALs were a nice fun set of cans.

 

[1Time]

Thanks for everyone's comments. I am posting again to come clean on this thread before it slips away.

As stated before I bought my Creative Aurvana Live! used, but it actually sounded quite poor until I EQ'd it. But even then it sounded fairly mediocre with each of my 3 sources.

And so I had tried several different mods but none made any improvements. But then the last mod that I tried before I was going to give up worked well. And so I tweaked it a few times, and now it sounds very good, just as I was describing in my original post.

So anyway tonight I've been listening to various classical with this modified CAL! and a HotAudio Mark IV DAC. And I am just amazed at what I'm hearing. Deep tuneful bass, beautiful violins, classical guitar, orchestral and even a pipe organ sounds very good.

 

[kjk1281]

Just received my pair today from eBay, and I must say these sound quite nice. Granted, the only other full-size pair in my collection is the HD201 (another fine cheapy), but these Creatives have a very pleasing sound. Yes, the bass could be more controlled and the treble can be slightly splashy and overly metallic for my tastes (of course, since this is a used pair, it's hard to say whether further burn-in could help out), but it's hard to fault a comfortable, lightweight, semi-portable that cost me well south of $50. Thanks 1Time and Head-Fi!

As for the differences between the D1000 and the CAL, this chart may or may not help:

CAL! in red, D1000 in blue.

CREATIVE Aurvana Live! - 粗忽ヘッドホン (Japanese)

 

[Benaiir]

Yep. The Creative's were amazingly good for songs by and similar to "Lady Gaga", even out of my iTouch. I never bothered with the computer.

 

[Show Biz Kid]

I ordered my Creative Aurvana Live today and will pick it up tomorrow.

Actually, I was considering three different closed cans;(Norwegian prices)
Sennheiser HD 380 Pro ($215)
Akg 272 ($230)
Denon 1001 ($215)

After spending some time around on this forum, the CAL came up as an alterntive, and to a much lower price ($69!!). For that price I just had to give it a try.

I really hope it will be an upgrade from my HD 201.

One question: will it at all benefit from a dedicated amp?

S.B.K