Creative EP-830 review

A lack of weight and drive mean that the Creative EP-830s are only worthy of three stars Tested at £40.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Unbalanced sound means that these buds are just not worth the money

Pros

  • +

    Dig up reasonable detail

Cons

  • -

    Lack weight and drive

  • -

    bass sounds lightweight

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Besides the likes of Apple, Creative is another MP3 player manufacturer that comes under criticism for the quality of its packaged headphones.

Will the company's £40 in-ears show us they're capable of better? Although they're able to dig up more detail than some, the bass sounds lightweight and lacks drive.

Instead of gracefully flowing along to Lily Allen's Smile the EP-830s sound rather ponderous, and don't put enough effort into pushing the track along.

The lack of weight and drive means that these headphones tend to overemphasise the upper-midrange and treble – and this proves distracting.

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