Creative Aurvana Ace 2

Verdict

A decent if unremarkable pair of true wireless earphones that sound fine, cancel noise well enough and boast decent battery life. The problem the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 have is that there are more accomplished true wireless earphones out there for similar money.

Introduction

The Aurvana Ace 2 from Creative boast technology that could forever change the landscape of headphones with its xMEMS drivers.

For decades, headphones have used coil and magnet dynamic drivers but xMEMS’ solid-state solution represents driver tech that could usher in better-sounding era without bumping up the price.

Could the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 be our first look at the future of headphones?

Design

• Translucent look
• Touch controls
• IPX5 rating

The Aurvana Ace 2 look like a typical in-ear true wireless aside from the translucent design that reminds me of Nothing’s true wireless in-ears. The build quality is fine – the Aurvana Ace 2 are predominantly plastic – and while that keeps them light, they look a little cheap to my eyes.

Regardless, they fit into the ear decently and are comfortable to wear over longer periods. Creative provides three sizes of silicon ear-tips (small and large to go with medium) to help in finding a fit that works for you.

Controls are of the touch variety and they’ve been responsive enough over the course of testing. The charging case is also see-through and compact, small enough that you could slip them into a tight jean pocket.

An IPX5 rating offers a stronger protection from sweat and water than most other true wireless in the same price vicinity as the Creative, and they only come in one colour – the translucent copper version you see.

Features

• Adaptive ANC
• aptX Lossless streaming
• 24 hour battery life

The Aurvana Ace 2 feature adaptive ANC, which automatically adjusts the noise-cancelling performance based on the noise detected. The performance is fine but is dependent on finding a good, snug seal.

They’re not as good at suppressing voices as the JBL Live Beam 3, and loud sounds seem to make the Creative uncomfortable with distortion audible when using them on the London Underground. At least on the Northern Line they suppressed the sound of the tunnel well, but the ANC performance does need assistance from the volume. They’re also susceptible to wind noise in blustery conditions too.

The Ambient Mode lets in enough sound to make sense of your surroundings, and there isn’t much if any noise it creates or picks up on.

True wireless earphones aren’t always great in terms of call quality but the Aurvana Ace 2 are one of the better ones. While it lets surrounding sounds in, it’s not to the effect that it affects voice pick-up. If you do use your headphones for calls, the Creative are better than the average true wireless pair.

These earphones come with Bluetooth 5.3 support and while the wireless performance is steady, it is prone to a few stutters in busy areas.

The Aurvana Ace 2 also support Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform, which features compatibility with aptX Lossless, though you’ll need a compatible device to make the most of that. There’s also Bluetooth LE Audio (which uses less energy, thus saving on battery), and Auracast streaming where you can connect directly to devices and screens.

In terms of battery, Creative claims 24 hours in total with the charging case and six hours per charge, and in my tests the Aurvana Ace 2 fell lower than those benchmarks. A Spotify stream at 50% volume resulted in a drop to 80%, which suggests five hours per charge. That’s fair enough but a pair of earphones such as the Cambridge Melomania M100 and Marshall Motif ANC II last for longer.

You’ve got fast-charging support (10 minutes equals one hour), and wireless charging support.

There are two apps – there’s the main Creative app where there’s an equaliser (which comes with a lot of presets), the ability to change the button layout, plus a Low Latency Mode to reduce Bluetooth lag, and that’s about it. The app is lacking in advanced features and further customisation.

Then there’s the SXFI app which enables spatial audio, though the Aurvana Ace 2 are (according to the Creative website) only SXFI Ready, so in terms of spatial audio, the earphones only work with files on your device and can’t upconvert any from a music streaming service.

Sound Quality

• Clear but unremarkable sound
• Lacks excitement
• Lacks dynamism

I wouldn’t say that I was expecting ‘great’ things from the Aurvana Ace 2 despite the hype of the xMEMS driver but having heard what this driver could do, I was hoping they could challenge the class-leaders in the midrange true wireless category. The Ace 2 uses a combination of a conventional 10mm dynamic driver in conjunction with the xMEMS solid-state driver, and suffice to say that the performance is rather ordinary.

The Ace 2 have been tuned to deliver a slightly warm sound that’s smooth and clear midrange but a sound that’s not the most detailed or sharpest.

Queuing a stream of GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Sunlight, and while high frequencies are clear, compared to the JBL Live Beam 3, the Creative lack the same sharpness, brightness and sense of detail. The Creative also lack much in the way of brightness, as well as variation in describing treble, making for a performance that’s a little too safe.

The Creative’s sense of rhythm and energy is merely fine but these earphones lack the drive for an exciting listen. Their sense of dynamism is meek, the difference between quiet and loud is low key. I’m sure Creative would argue it’s going for a balanced sound, but these wireless in-ears could benefit from some zest and excitement.

Bass output is fine but the Aurvana Ace 2 don’t dig as deep with the low frequencies with Bodyrox’s Yeah Yeah as the JBL do, nor is there as much power to that bass. You could change things with the EQ presets (Hip Hop adds a bit more welly) but in general the Aurvana Ace 2 is too polite for its own good.

The midrange is described with good clarity, voices are relayed with good enough detail and clarity, and though the soundstage is wide, it is a bit flat and lacks the depth I can hear with the Cambridge Melomania M100 when listening to Benjamin Clementine’s Nemesis. The Creative also lack the verve and boldness of that true wireless pair, so while they’re perfectly fine to listen to, perfectly fine doesn’t stand out in this crowded pack.

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