The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're looking for over-ear comfort and a more immersive sound for focused music listening at home, the Audio Technica ATH M20X, with its very good overall sound quality and good soundstage, may be worth the extra expense. However, if you require greater flexibility, portability, and better call quality, the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS earbuds could be the better and more budget-friendly option, especially considering their excellent build quality and good performance for calls and meetings. The ATH M20X are not suitable for exercise, while the Aurvana Trio's secure fit and sweat proofing may make them a better choice for active users or for use in noisy commutes. Keep in mind that neither option supports wireless connectivity, and if that's important to you, you might want to consider other products. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Audio Technica ATH M20X
Good for music
Advantages of the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS
Good for gaming
Good for air travel
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
7.6/10
6.6/10
The Audio Technica ATH M20X is good for music, while the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is only fair.
Gaming
6.2/10
7.9/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for gaming, while the Audio Technica ATH M20X is only fair.
Phone Calls
4.3/10
6.9/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is only fair for phone calls, while the Audio Technica ATH M20X is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.7/10
7.4/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Audio Technica ATH M20X is only fair.
Noise Reduction
6.0/10
7.0/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for noise reduction, while the Audio Technica ATH M20X is only fair.
Cost
$49
$25
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Audio Technica ATH M20X has a price of $49 and the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS costs $25.
Build Quality
6.9/10
9.0/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS has excellent build quality, while the Audio Technica ATH M20X has only fair build quality.
"Audio-Technica positively defies what you can expect for around $50. Ultimately, Audio-Technica did not design the ATH-M20x to go on the subway with you. It’s for the budget-conscious, do-it-yourself producer, podcaster, or studio that needs to buy tracking cans in bulk. If you don’t need the most deluxe, comfortable headphones, maybe you’ll like the ATH-M20x for its spartan functionality. The headphones are aimed at giving you the minimum requirements without it feeling like a sacrifice."
"These super-affordable wired earphones are some of the best I’ve heard in recent years. For the money they are unbeatable. And before you say: “I can’t use them as there’s no headphone jack on my smartphone!”, they can work with jack-less phones by using the brilliant little Creative SXFI headphone amp which plugs into a smartphone’s USB or Lightning port (with an adapter) and produces the most sublime audio output."
Get a great deal on the Audio Technica ATH M20X or the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS
About Audio Technica
Audio Technica is a 60-year-old, Japan-based, professional audio equipment manufacturer. They started off making phonograph cartridges and have expanded their scope of products ever since to include extremely popular models of microphones and headphones. They have been the official audio equipment supplier of several editions of the Summer and Winter Olympics and every edition of the Grammy Awards since 1998.
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Earbuds or Headphones guides you might be interested in
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
127,700
Recommendations made
19,155
Consumer hours saved
About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.