Inventive Know-how’s Aurvana Trio balanced-armature, in-ear displays are a powerful worth, providing options you usually gained’t discover in a pair of headphones promoting for $150.
Inventive payments them as audiophile high quality with a hybrid triple-driver system. A pair of balanced-armature drivers deal with the midrange and excessive frequencies, whereas a bio-cellulose dynamic driver handles the bass. Inventive charges the Aurvana Trio’s frequency response as taking place as little as 5Hz and all the best way as much as 40kHz; nonetheless, these headphones’ common dynamics gained’t reproduce the complete musical pleasure and engagement these numbers suggest.
When you’re not acquainted with balanced-armature structure, it depends on sign to vibrate a small reed or paddle 1000’s of instances per second. The reed is “balanced” between two magnets, therefore the identify “balanced armature.”
Armature drivers had been initially developed for listening to aids, and so they are typically costly. You usually gained’t discover them in headphones at this value level.
The Aurvana Trio consists of two balanced armature drivers—one for prime frequences and one other for mids—plus a dynamic driver to breed bass frequencies.
The small dimension and lightweight weight of an armature driver permits a headphone designer to deploy a couple of, tuning every of them to deal with a special vary of frequencies. In a extra standard dynamic driver design, a single driver is tasked to breed the your complete frequency vary.
Theo NicolakisThe braided MMCX cable is extremely smooth and supple and is terminated with an angled
three.5mm plug.
Usually talking, armature drivers are recognized for his or her high-frequency efficiency and detailed sound. They’re additionally usually extra environment friendly than dynamic drivers. In easy phrases, on the identical energy, an armature driver will play louder than a dynamic driver.
Bass replica, then again, is an armature driver’s Achilles heel, which is why some balanced-armature designs even have a dynamic driver to deal with the low finish. A hybrid design just like the Aurvana Trio depends on armature drivers for the highest finish, and a dynamic driver for the underside finish.
One button to rule all of them
The Aurvana Trio has a small, single-button, inline distant management and microphone on its right-hand cable. You interact the distant’s instructions via combos of clicks and holds. A fast press of the button pauses music you’re taking part in. Urgent and holding the button engages Siri (in case you’re utilizing it with an iPhone). A double click on advances via your playlist, and a triple click on rewinds the tune you’re taking part in. I examined the controls with out subject on my iPhone 7s. However inline distant controls like this usually don’t work on high-resolution digital audio players (DAPs), as a result of these units often have analog quantity management.
Theo NicolakisThe included carrying case protects the headphones and is ideal for slipping into your pocket.
I carried out a number of calls with the Aurvana Trio and an iPhone 7s. Each individual on the opposite finish of the road might hear me clearly and with out subject. I used to be exceedingly happy with the Aurvana Trio’s calling prowess.
A high-end cable in a value-priced headphone
The Aurvana Trio’s 1.2-meter cable instructions your consideration. It’s a braided design that calls to thoughts high-end audio cables. It’s smooth and supple and to the contact feels extra like suede than rubber.
The cable conforms to the MMCX (Micro-Miniature Coaxial) commonplace and is removable, supplying you with the choice of utilizing any MMCX-compatible aftermarket cable. Ought to one thing ever harm the cable, you may substitute it as a substitute of being pressured to throw the now ineffective headphones within the trash. You’ll discover dozens of MMCX-compatible cables obtainable on Amazon and different on-line retailers. I can’t let you know what number of pairs of pricy in-ear-headphones I’ve needed to toss out as a result of the cable went unhealthy!
AurvanaThe Aurvana Trio include an MMCX-compatible removable cable.
The three.5mm adapter has a proper angle. Whereas that’s good for lowering the chance of snapping the adapter (as you may need encountered with straight designs), the angled adapter’s neck may not be lengthy sufficient to suit via thick protecting circumstances for sensible units. If that’s ever a difficulty, you may merely substitute the cable with an aftermarket one which has a straight connector.
A superb assortment of equipment
The Aurvana Trio’s packaging features a very well-designed journey case. I preferred it so much. The pocket-sized case is roomy sufficient for the headphones to suit with out kinking the cable—one thing you can’t essentially assume. The case has a magnetic flap with a smooth, suede-like inside. The outside of the case is constituted of a rugged ballistic nylon-type materials.
The Aurvana Trio additionally comes with a two-prong airline journey adapter and 4 pairs of ideas: Small, medium, and huge silicone ideas and one pair of memory-foam ideas.
I personally most popular the silicone ideas and used them predominantly in my testing. Sadly, I wasn’t proud of the froth ear ideas. For my ears, they had been solely so-so and bought simply pulled out with the slightest cable tug. I all the time advise anybody wanting high-quality memory-foam ideas to make use of these made by Comply. I want extra producers would observe the lead of corporations like RBH that present complementary Comply foam ideas with their in-ear-headphones.
Strong sonics
I examined the Aurvana Trio with a trio of high-end high-resolution DAPs that I not too long ago had in for evaluation: The Astell&Kern Kann, Astell&Kern AK70 MKII, and the Fiio X7 Mark II. I used a mix of hi-res music information and music streamed by way of Tidal, taking part in genres from R&B, jazz, indie, classical, and rock.
Theo NicolakisWe examined the Aurvana Trio with three totally different hi-res audio gamers.
At first pay attention, I used to be well-pleased with the Aurvana Trio’s soundstage and imaging. They did a pleasant job of conveying the sense of musical depth and breadth in a recording.
At this value level, the Aurvana Trio delivered well-rendered, managed bass. Bass notes had been by no means boomy or muddy. On “King’s Lifeless” from the Black Panther soundtrack, for instance, the Trio took strong management of the pounding bass. On Holly Cole’s “Prepare Music”—a traditional for any bass demo or voicing your system—the Aurvana Trio had no hassle following together with these jaw-dropping bass strains.
Midbass and decrease midrange was good and punchy. For almost all of songs the standard shopper listens to, you’ll respect this voicing. For instance, kick drums on Adele’s “Sweetest Devotion” had been clear and energetic.
The Aurvana Trio likewise did a pleasant job with the dynamic bass drums on the Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra’s recording of Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Widespread Man. Comparatively talking, the Aurvana Trio stopped wanting delivering the complete bass dynamics of those and different tracks. Switching to the twice-as-expensive Periodic Audio Be confirmed that regardless that the Aurvana Trio took management of the underside finish, it couldn’t match the Periodic Audio Be’s superior dynamics.
The Aurvana Trio’s midrange and high finish had been constantly detailed, easy, and delicate. Adele’s vocals on “Sweetest Devotion” had been clear and properly rendered. I didn’t get any sense of extreme midbass that I’ve typically heard via different headphones on this monitor. There wasn’t any harshness and also you’d by no means mistake these headphones as being shiny.
Theo NicolakisYou possibly can detach the included cable and use any aftermarket MMCX-compatible cable.
I’d cease quick, nonetheless, of calling the midrange and high finish reference high quality. For instance, trumpets on Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Widespread Man lacked that final ounce of purity, readability, and openness you’ll get from a more-expensive headphones, such because the Periodic Audio Be.
Worth is identify of the sport
In terms of the Aurvana Trio, worth—not audio nirvana—is the secret. These in-ear-monitors ship efficiency and lots of options you usually gained’t encounter at this value level—chief amongst them the triple-driver design, balanced armatures, and an MMCX removable cable.
Actuality is that you just gained’t discover reference-quality sound in any $150 headphones, and these are not any exception. But when your price range tops out at $150, you owe it to your self to offer the Aurvana Trio a protracted pay attention.