At the beginning of the year, Creative launched the Aurvana Ace Mimi in-ear headphones, which were particularly impressive in terms of sound in our test. Now there’s more to come in the form of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI, which aim to impress with their virtual surround sound. Our test clarifies whether they succeed.
Technical data
| The product | Aurvana Ace SXFI |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Maximum operating range | 12m (without obstacle) |
| Battery life |
|
| Charging time | 2 hours (for charging case via USB-C or wireless) |
| Size of charging case (H x W x D) | 65.5 mm x 48.9 mm x 30 mm |
| Weight | 6 g per earbud; 49.7 g charging case & earphones |
| Most important functions | ANC; Transparency mode; SXFI |
| Price | 99,99 Euro |
Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI review: Black and gold
- elegant design; decent workmanship
- Coherent scope of delivery
- excellent wearing comfort
Creative has undoubtedly mastered elegant looks, you have to give the manufacturer credit for that. In contrast to the Aurvana Ace Mimi, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI in-ear headphones have a discreet black design with shiny gold details, which makes for a classy look.
However, the shiny exterior also makes the in-ears comparatively susceptible to fingerprints – regular polishing is required here. The Aurvana Ace SXFIs are based on a classic pin design, with the pin protruding quite far out of the ear at a length of two centimetres.
The charging case skillfully continues the design language and can even be conveniently placed upright on a table. It has a USB-C port for charging and a pairing button on the underside and can be fitted with a wrist strap on the side.
The quality of workmanship of all the materials is okay considering the price. However, models in the same price range as the Melomania M100 (our test) feel noticeably higher quality.
Creative includes a short USB charging cable with the earbuds, as well as four additional pairs of silicone ear tips in sizes XS, S, L and XL (size M is already pre-installed), so that every ear shape should be catered for here.
The earbuds themselves are slightly heavier than most of the competition, weighing in at 6 grams per earbud. Nevertheless, the wearing comfort is excellent, which is mainly due to the round body of the buds.
Features of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI
- Bluetooth 5.3, but…
- … only standard codecs
- Customizable ANC; mono mode
In terms of price, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI are positioned below the manufacturer’s Aurvana Ace Mimi and this is also reflected in the features. Fortunately, the earbuds also use the Bluetooth 5.3 standard, but lack high-resolution audio codecs: only AAC and SBC are offered, but the range of over 12 meters is at a very good level.
IPX5 certification protects the earphones from water. The manufacturer has also provided a mono mode, so you can simply place an earbud in the charging case and continue listening to the music. However, it takes a moment for the second earbud to be recognized after insertion.
Unfortunately, there is no wear detection with auto pause and playback. What is available, however, is active noise cancellation including transparency mode. The ANC even works adaptively if desired or can be adjusted in up to four stages.
Touch operation with weaknesses
When it comes to operation, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI rely on touch control, which is implemented via the touch-sensitive outer sides. Practical: The control can also be customized via the companion app – but only to a limited extent.
In the test, I found that the earphones did not reliably recognize all touch inputs and sometimes only implemented them with a noticeable latency. Many competitors manage this much faster.
I would also have liked more control options. Operation is divided into a double and triple tap on both sides, as well as a long press and hold – the latter controls the volume.
The Creative app is a successful addition and scores points with its clear and well thought-out design. However, the need to register is a negative aspect. To use the SXFI function, a second app (SXFI app) must also be installed.
In addition to information about the battery status, the app also gives you the option of switching Super X-Fi on or off, as well as a detailed and customizable equalizer. The latter deserves great praise, as the number of presets is gigantic. You can also influence the sound yourself in 10 bands and fine-tune the bass and treble separately.
Super X-Fi disappoints in the test
- Setup via dedicated SXFI app
- Creation of a head map
- Disappointing sound
The most important unique selling point of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI is undoubtedly Super X-Fi, which is also what the abbreviation in the name stands for. The manufacturer’s description states:
“SXFI technology reproduces the same depth, detail and stage of an immersive multi-speaker system on headphones. With advanced audio computation, it personalizes the sound based on head and ear anthropometry and optimizes the sound just for you.Hear every detail and nuance the way they were meant to be heard.”
Sounds exciting. So let’s set up SXFI first. This is where the SXFI app comes into play, with which we have to scan our face from different angles to generate a personalized “head map”.
Once this is done, SXFI can be switched on or off within the Creative app or by tapping the left earbud three times. And does the sound then benefit from the Spatial Holography experience?
No… Not at all… Unfortunately, I don’t like the sound at all with SXFI activated. The sound is so flat, cold and lacking in detail that listening to music is hardly fun.
Although the sound stage is noticeably expanded, the level of detail in the treble and bass is noticeably reduced, with the treble quickly sounding exaggerated and strained. No thanks. Turn it off again immediately.
Battery life of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI
- up to 8 hours without ANC
- 5.5 – 6 hours runtime with ANC
- 28 hours of use including charging case
In terms of battery life, however, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI are very well positioned. Up to 8 hours of use without active noise canceling are possible, with ANC it is around 5.5 hours. A convincing value and another hour more than the Aurvana Ace Mimi – although not a record.
Up to 28 hours of use in combination with the charging case is also a good value. Of course, the battery life also depends heavily on the volume. Charging takes place exclusively via USB-C for around two hours. Unfortunately, wireless charging is not supported.
Audio quality, ANC and microphones
If you do without SXFI, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI deliver a good sound. The in-ear headphones owe this to the 10 mm xMEMS dual drivers already used in the manufacturer’s other models. They reproduce a frequency response from 5 Hz to 20,000 Hz and therefore do not reach quite as far up into the treble range as in the case of the Aurvana Ace Mimi.
Nevertheless, I like the sound of the whole thing quite well and across all genres. The bass foundation is powerful and detailed without overpowering the mids and highs. The Aurvana Ace SXFI feel most at home in the electro and hip-hop range.
In other genres, however, there is an audible drop in the level of detail in the mids: especially with female vocals, the sound is somewhat less detailed and spongier than I would have liked. The highs, however, are pleasantly airy and detailed – in the metal genre, however, it can become a little shrill in the upper highs and at high volumes.
Fortunately, you can counteract this very well with the help of the equalizer. In general, the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI deliver a good sound in the price range up to 120 euros.
ANC and microphones
Unfortunately, points are deducted for active noise cancellation (ANC) and its counterpart in the form of transparency mode. Although they are both at a decent level, you can hardly hear a clear difference between active and deactivated ANC.
Monotonous, low-pitched noises (such as the fans on my PC) are filtered out satisfactorily, but everything else still comes through almost unhindered. Creative definitely needs to make improvements here, as this was already noticeable with the Aurvana Ace Mimi.
The transparency mode (called ambient mode here) amplifies ambient noise and thus allows conversations with earphones inserted, for example. This works quite well in practice, although the sound is rather unnatural and a constant background noise is perceptible.
Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI microphone test recording:
beyerdynamic Amiron 100 microphone test recording:
We can also quickly tick off the microphone quality of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI. The microphones deliver a decent sound for occasional phone calls. No more, but also no less.
Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI review: Conclusion
The price-performance ratio of the Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI is right. For around 100 euros, you get good-sounding, comfortable and durable in-ear headphones with quite modern features.
The biggest plus point, apart from the price, is undoubtedly the sound. The in-ears score with rich bass and detailed, airy highs. Even if the level of detail in the mids is noticeably lower, they are well suited to various music genres. Especially electro, hip-hop or pop. However, they are much less at home in the rock and metal genres.
Nevertheless, the in-ears also have some weaknesses. I don’t like the sound of the SXFI integration at all, the operation is not really well thought out and reacts a little more slowly than I would like, and the ANC is only at a decent level. And yet: If you’re at home in the genres mentioned, you’ll get a thoroughly coherent overall package for 100 euros.
- Chic design
- Great wearing comfort
- Lively sound
- SXFI disappoints
- ANC only mediocre
- Sluggish operation
Creative Aurvana Ace SXFI
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
ANC
Features
Value For Money
84/100
Good in-ear headphones with an elegant design, great wearing comfort and good sound. However, the ANC is only average and the SXFI technology is disappointing.
