When I’ve heard that Creative released the Aurvana Live 2, I was very curious and enthusiast as I think that the Aurvana Live 1 is absolutely excellent for it’s price and it’s my first recommendation I give my friends to enter this hobby.
I happy to say that my curiosity is satisfied now and the CAL 2 did not disappoint.
It comes in a different design than CAL1. The build quality is comparable, but the newer version has a detachable cable and turnable earcups that makes it easier to fold and carry it in the microfiber travel pouch that comes with the headphones.
CAL1 is based on the old Denon D1000. Creative moved forward and upgraded the drivers with new 40mm Neodymium with bio-cellulose diaphragm:
Bio-cellulose is a natural fiber which has extremely fine fiber and high purity. Using cutting-edge biotechnology processes, this material is compressed to produce an ultra-thin diaphragm that is ideal for headphone drivers, delivering sound velocity comparable to an aluminium or titanium diaphragm, while giving warm and delicate sound of paper ones. The result is faithful, crystal clear and detailed highs, coupled with remarkable deep and rich bass tones.
When I first listened to CAL2 I was a little disappointed, then I
looked at the cable that also has a microphone and volume on it. I
looked in the box and expected another “clean” cable that the
competition usually offers. I didn’t find one. I felt like the sound was
kind of muffled and the upper midrange too recessed. I trusted the CAL2
and I searched for a new cable 2.5mm jack to 3.5mm.
One other thing that I missed having in the package is the 3.5 to 6.3 adapter which was included in the package frop CAL1.
oday, I’ve been at the headphones event that AvStore organized where I’ve listened to FiiO X5, Audeze LCD-XC, Chord Hugo, (more
on this soon) etc. I’ve also noticed that Sennheiser HD598 has the same
cable connectors as the new Aurvana 2 ! I immediately put the cable on
them, and, as I expected, the sound opened up, with better details,
transparency, cleaner & better textured voices, etc.
I wanted to buy this cable from Avstore,
but they didn’t have it on stock for now. That is the cheapest Oyaide
pcocc cable I’ve seen on the market and I think it would be perfect for
CAL2.
Now, with the cable from Sennheiser HD598, the Aurvana 2 managed to impress me compared to it’s older brother.
The cups are bigger than on Live 1, offering better comfortability
and isolation. Actually these are one of the most comfortable headphones
I know.
Listening Impressions
The tests have been done with Burson Conductor, Audiobyte Hydra-X, Sennheiser HD800, Focal Spirit Classic, Power Inspired AG500, FiiO E17.
As I said, I have used the cable from Sennheiser HD598 instead of the stock cable.
The bass is definitely goes deeper with the CAL2. The sound is
fuller and it opens up, having a wider and deeper soundstage. I
definitely liked this song on CAL2 better than on it’s older brother
CAL1 has the voice more forward, and actually the whole upper
midrange is a little more present with the it. However the voice had
better body and extension on the newer model, and on top of that it was
also more detailed (more apparent plucks and extension on the guitar),
better deeper bass.
I must say that this song was very impressive on CAL2. It had a very
natural, full and enjoyable presentation. The drums have very good
weight and body, the soundstage is quite better than on it’s little
brother. The layering and instrument separation is again in another
class compared to CAL1. The piano in the back has a very nice &
natural tonality , with good positioning. The violin and the other
instruments are as very well positioned and never blent in the same
layer. The voice has a very nice, full and natural tonality, but
presented some sibilance.
The treble on CAL1 is more linear and overall more present. However,
the presentation was better on CAL2 as the harpischord and all the
instruments sounded more natural with better extension and fuller life.
Also the soundstage was quite wider and deeper .
While with CAL1 I really don’t listen to this kind of music because I
don’t think it sounds sufficiently good with it, I really enjoyed it
with CAL2. The soundstage is good for a closed headphone and it has a
natural feeling attached to it. Again, the instrument separation,
layering and details are in a class above the older brother.
I started to love the CAL2 as it made me look less and less at it’s
older brother. The voice has a very nice, full and natural tonality with
very good extension. The guitar plucks are very present and the
extension of the guitar is quite full and pleasant. The drums show a
deeper and fuller bass.
I really love the fuller tonality that CAL2 gives to the vocals, how
the guitar on the left channel had a holographic presence and a very
good extension and detail.
Summary
Bass
The bass is quite deeper and fuller with very present and fun midbass.
Mids
I found the mids to be very good, with extended instrument extension
and full bodied voices. The upper midrange is a little more recessed
than on CAL1, but overall more enjoyable.
Treble
I found treble on CAL1 to be more linear and present than on CAL2,
but the latest has a more natural presentation here. It also has a
sparkle (showing a spike on the treble) that on some recordings is very
enjoyable while on some voices that are already sibilant it shows this
flaw better.
Instrument extension and details
CAL2 has a more detailed presentation and all the instruments have a fuller life with better extension and feel.
Natural Sounding
I found the sound to be more natural than on CAL 1, with more natural voices, pianos, guitars and instruments in general.
Soundstage and layering
The sound just opens up and I must tell you than this pleasantly
surprised me on some songs I wouldn’t listen to on CAL1 because of it’s
congested nature. Sometimes I hear some instruments coming from the back
or from a different layer and I really like it how it seems to come so
natural.
I found the layering and imaging a class above the CAL1.
Conclusions
Even if Live 1 has a more linear sound with more present upper
midrange and more linear treble, I must say I wouldn’t look back to CAL1
if I have the newer model. Every time I’ve put the Live 1 on my ears to
test it on a song I’ve started missing the sound from CAL2 that for me
is simply better.
I think of it’s sound to be very pleasant with a warm, but more
natural tonality than Live 1 . All sounds seem more real from guitars to
harpischord, piano, voices, etc
I found almost everything to be better with the newer model, from
details, bass, layering, soundstage, etc. I must say that it really
impressed me in the soundstage department as it has a very well layered
presentation. On some songs it really suprised me of how natural the
sounds from the back layers come in front without blending with the
other layers.
If you find a good aftermarket cable for the CAL2, and if you liked the first model, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
At 130$ the CAL2 has
an excellent price/performance ratio. So, I think Creative strikes
again, offering excellent performance at a very accessible price.
I didn’t have the Sennheiser Momentum with me, but if my memory
serves me right, I would prefer the Live!2 to it, because when I had
Momentum, I didn’t feel the need to buy one, while with Aurvana 2 it’s
the other way around.
It would have been nice if Creative offered out of the box another “clean” cable without volume or microphone.
Pros
- Deep and present bass
- Good details with full instrument extension
- More natural sounding than CAL1
- Good soundstage and layering
- Good full bodied voices
- Good price – performance ratio
- Better isolation than CAL1
- Very very comfortable
- Detachable cable (thank God)
Cons
- Not as linear as CAL1 as it has slightly recessed upper midrange and not as linear treble
- Doesn’t have second “clean” cable without the microphone and volume that the competition usually offers.
- No 3.5 to 6.3 adapter in the package
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