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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Creative Aurvana Gold Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:21 am
Creative Aurvana Gold Wireless Picture
6.3
Mixed Usage
6.3
Neutral Sound
6.8
Commute/Travel
6.2
Sports/Fitness
6.5
Office
4.7
Wireless Gaming
6.4
Wired Gaming
6.4
Phone Call

The Creative Aurvana Gold Wireless are solidly built but uncomfortable headphones that have a focus on features rather than on audio reproduction. They're easy to pair wirelessly and offer decent isolation but drastically skew the audio profile by overamplifying the bass.

Our Verdict

6.3 Mixed Usage

The Creative Aurvana Gold struggle a little as everyday headphones. They have a lot of features, but they're bulky and leak a lot. This prevents them from being sufficiently well-rounded for everyday casual use.

Pros
  • Good noise isolation.
  • Sturdy build.
Cons
  • Flat volume control buttons.
  • Overwhelming bass.
  • Stiff and uncomfortable.
6.3 Neutral Sound

The Creative Aurvana Gold are mediocre for neutral listening. Their audio reproduction is bass-heavy and their closed-back design limits their soundstage. They're also uncomfortably tight.

6.8 Commute/Travel

The Creative Aurvana Gold are decent for commuting. They're wireless and have a somewhat competent control scheme. Their noise cancelling is also efficient enough for noisy commutes. However, they get uncomfortable on your head relatively fast.

6.2 Sports/Fitness

The Creative Aurvana Gold are too bulky for sports. They're tight on your head, but the big earcups are unstable. They're too cumbersome for most physical activities.

6.5 Office

The Creative Aurvana Gold are average for office use. They leak a little too much making your audio audible to the people around you. However, they do block a fair amount of ambient noise.

6.4 Wired Gaming
  • 6.3 Mixed Usage
  • 6.3 Neutral Sound
  • 6.8 Commute/Travel
  • 6.2 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.5 Office
  • 4.7 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.4 Wired Gaming
  • 6.4 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The Creative Aurvana Gold look premium. Their thick brown headband and circular ear cups are highlighted by silver and black accents. The similarly designed Creative Aurvana Platinum Wireless have the same aesthetic but a brighter color scheme that may be more appealing to some.

5.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.76 lbs
Clamping Force
1.74 lbs

These headphones have middling comfort. They aren't very lightweight. Also, their ear pads are very stiff. They may soften-up with use, or you may get used to them with time, but they aren't very comfortable out-of-the-box.

7.1
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Subpar
Feedback Mediocre
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control Adjustable
Talk-Through
Adjustable
Additional Buttons No

The buttons are in the right place but don't have a great feel to them. This is especially true of the volume buttons.

5.5
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 7.95 °C
5.6
Design
Portability
L 8.27"
W 0"
H 2.36"
Volume 161.51 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

These headphones are too bulky and cumbersome to carry around on your person. They're not portable and don't fold up into a more compact format for storage or transport. On the upside, the ear cups lay flat to take less space in a bag. However, they're likely too big to fit into any pockets or handbags.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
6.5
Design
Build Quality

These headphones have a fair build quality. The plastic doesn't seem to be the best out there, but it's better than what you get with most headphones. The feel and quality of the buttons could be improved. The headband adjustment, however, produces a very solid and well-defined click.

5.5
Design
Stability

Like the Creative Aurvana Platinum Wireless, these headphones aren't stable. They're bulky, heavy, and sway as you tilt your head. The tight fit can keep the headphones in place during casual use, but they can fall off your head during any physical activity. On the upside, the wireless design means that there are no cables that could get tangled and pull the headphones off your head.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Creative Aurvana Gold headphones
  • Carrying pouch
  • Flight adapter
  • Audio cable
  • USB cable
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
2.33 dB
Treble Amount
-6.4 dB
7.7
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.46 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
6.9
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.38 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
13.94 Hz
Low-Bass
5.37 dB
Mid-Bass
4.17 dB
High-Bass
5.16 dB
7.1
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.86 dB
Low-Mid
5.62 dB
Mid-Mid
0.36 dB
High-Mid
-1.8 dB
4.6
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
6.29 dB
Low-Treble
-7.42 dB
Mid-Treble
-4.46 dB
High-Treble
-8.01 dB
7.5
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.57 dB
Dips
1.37 dB
8.2
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.52
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.22
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.55
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.66
5.3
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
6.87 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.49 dB
PRTF Distance
14.86 dB
Openness
2.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.8
5.8
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
1.120
WHD @ 100
0.755
Isolation
7.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-21.94 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-8.98 dB
Mid
-16.43 dB
Treble
-40.88 dB

The ear pads on these headphones provide impressive passive isolation down to 600Hz. The ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) kicks in at around 600Hz and does a good job of cancelling out ambient noise. Its best noise cancelling performance is a 15 dB reduction, at 100Hz.

7.8
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
34.92 dB

These headphones have a very good leakage performance. They don't leak a lot of noise, and you should be able to listen to music at loud volumes without really disturbing those around you.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
6.5
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
269.09 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.84 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
Weighted THD
2.402
Gain
29.91 dB
6.1
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
13.01 dB
Active Features
6.9
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
13.6 hrs
Additional Charges
0
Total Battery Life
13.6 hrs
Charge Time
2.16 hrs
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port micro-USB

The Creative Aurvana Gold have a fair battery life that lasts for around 13.6 hours of continuous playback. They take a bit longer than the Creative Aurvana Platinum Wireless to charge, but they can continue streaming audio at the same time. Unfortunately, they don't have an auto-off timer, so your battery continues to drain if you forget to turn them off.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
8.6
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
3.0
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
Yes
Line of Sight Range
90 ft
Default Latency
186 ms
aptX Latency
157 ms
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.08 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A