Creative Aurvana Ace 2

Battery life

In standard use, the True Wireless In-Ears achieve a runtime of six hours and 45 minutes with the volume turned up slightly and AAC format used. However, if you use the noise cancelling function all the time, you can expect a listening time of four hours and 15 minutes.

The case can be used to fully charge the headphones three times, giving a total runtime of around 27 hours in basic mode and 17 hours in ANC mode. While the in-ear headphones take an hour and 50 minutes to charge when the batteries are empty, a ten-minute quick charge provides up to 80 minutes of capacity (without ANC). The housing can also be recharged in two hours and ten minutes using the included USB-C to USB-A charging cable. Alternatively, wireless charging via Qi is also available.

Bluetooth Specs

In addition to the Bluetooth 5.3 standard, the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 LE supports audio with Auracast function (see FAQ), Snapdragon Sound and multipoint connections with two devices simultaneously. Audio codecs include LC3, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless. A low-latency mode for computer or mobile gaming and movie playback is also included.

How easy are the headphones to operate?

Out of the box, the touch surfaces can be used to control playback, answer calls, adjust the volume and access the voice assistant. It is also possible to switch between basic, ambient and ANC modes, as well as skip to the next track, which can be supplemented with a backward skip via the app. Double and triple tapping can be configured, while the volume setting is reserved. A mapping option for the low-latency mode may be missing, but the headphones do support manual on/off via the touch-sensitive surfaces. It is also possible to use one in-ear on its own (single mode). However, wear detection was not included.

Creative App

The EQ section of the app (Android and iOS) offers ten bands for customisation, which can be saved as presets. You can also use a selection of 15 presets as a starting point for your own sound adjustments, which is well implemented. Otherwise, the environment control allows you to switch between adaptive noise cancellation, standard operation and ambient mode. The Creative Aurvana Ace 2’s low-latency mode and voice prompts can also be (de-)activated, although these are clearly too loud and unfortunately not adjustable. As well as customising the touch controls, the app also allows you to update the firmware.

SXFI app

If you want, you can try out the company’s own audio holography for headphones via another app. The company’s so-called Super X-FI technology is supposed to give you the spatial hearing of a multi-speaker system through your headphones. However, it does not support streaming content from Netflix, YouTube, Tidal or Spotify, so the feature can only be used with local music files or with ‘SXFI Ready’ devices. The sound effect moves the virtual stage deeper into the room, which can create a more spacious listening experience. However, the results vary greatly. While the best results can be achieved when playing games and watching films, the benefit when listening to music is relatively small.

Telephone intelligibility

In a quiet environment, the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 offers impeccable speech intelligibility. In addition, outdoor wind noise is almost completely eliminated without the filtering having a negative impact on the flow of speech. In stronger gusts, we only noticed a slight reduction in the presence of voice transmission. Noisy environments, on the other hand, are still audible to the person you are talking to, but they are noticeably attenuated, so that your own voice is the primary transmission and remains intelligible.

Adaptive Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Ambient Mode

Adaptive Noise Cancellation does its job fairly quietly, effectively reducing low-frequency external noise. Voices are also attenuated in a way that makes them easily recognisable, while keyboard noise, for example, seems to be slightly reduced. Complex sources such as road or construction noise are reduced quite effectively. In ANC mode, however, there is a slight boost to the bass, which makes playback sound a little fuller than in standard mode.

In Ambient mode (Transparency mode), you have to put up with more background noise. Otherwise, there is a very intense and clean amplification of the environment, which can even be useful as a ‘hearing aid’ due to the excellent speech intelligibility. It is a shame that the gain cannot be adjusted to suit the environment, which would be a desirable addition. However, the high intensity does improve audibility during playback, making it more responsive.

Sound

The hybrid construction of the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 combines a dynamic 10mm driver with an innovative MEMS driver from xMEMS Labs, which, according to the manufacturer, provides a more spacious sound reproduction with high separation capability. It can be confirmed without a doubt that the reproduction gives an appealingly spacious impression and skilfully stages the listener in depth. The reproduction is fast and precise, with the sound tending to be bright rather than warm.

It’s noticeable that the bass is slightly boosted, but not excessively so. This is also true of the low bass, which is nowhere near as powerful and full-bodied as that of many of its competitors. As a result, the lower frequencies are neither heavy nor sluggish, but crisp, tight and defined. Even though the bass foundation is relatively thin compared to modern set-ups, it is by no means weak.

Midrange is also accurate and crisp, with a pronounced sense of liveliness, but with a little more restraint. The aim is not to create a pleasing, embellished sound, but to achieve a faithful, authentic reproduction that does not deliberately push lead instruments or vocals to the fore. The focus is more on a holistic presentation that brings out many details.

The presence of the treble ensures a well-lit soundstage that is surprisingly open and airy for a closed in-ear system in this price range. However, do not expect it to be mellow, as the treble is quite a challenge for the ear. The line between an impressive, bold listening experience and a sound that is too brash and cold-blooded seems quite thin. However, those who accept the challenge will be rewarded with a highly contoured performance that is far from the mainstream.

Conclusion

People who prefer their sound to be spacious, precise and unadorned should definitely take a closer look at the Creative Aurvana Ace 2. The volume of the voice prompts and the increased background noise in ambient mode could be improved, but otherwise the features of these lightweight, weatherproof headphones seem coherent.