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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Creative 51EF0370AA010 — biggest strength: Circum-aural closed-back cups that fully cover the ears, so the passive noise cancellation actually works by physically blocking ambient sound.
• Creative 51EF0370AA010 — biggest trade-off: It's wired only, with a 3.5 mm jack and no Bluetooth — you're tethered to your source.
• FiiO EH11 — biggest strength: LDAC high-resolution Bluetooth at up to 990kbps, roughly triple the rate of SBC/AAC, plus 30 hours of playback off a 1.5-hour charge.
• FiiO EH11 — biggest trade-off: On-ear foam pads rest against the ear rather than around it, and there's no listed noise control at all — you get privacy from the semi-open back design, not isolation.
• Who Creative 51EF0370AA010 is for: Someone who wants a sealed over-ear for noisy rooms and doesn't mind a cable.
• Who FiiO EH11 is for: Someone who wants a featherweight wireless set for phone-plus-laptop life with a retro look.
The HQ-1600 is a straightforward wired over-ear. The headline spec is the 40mm Neodymium dynamic driver paired with Copper-Clad Aluminum Wire voice coils — a combination Creative positions around accurate reproduction and "sonic punch" from any source. In practice that means it doesn't need a special amp or a DAC dongle to sound like itself; you plug the gold-plated 3.5 mm jack into an MP3 player, a laptop, or a home entertainment system and it gets to work.
Who should skip it? Anyone who has moved on from cables. There's no Bluetooth, no app, no battery, no mic listed. It's a listen-only, plugged-in device. The cable is also high-purity Oxygen-Free Copper and extendable, and the enclosure mixes aluminum and copper with a chrome finish — so it reads as a slightly dressy, old-school piece rather than a gym or travel gadget. If you want to walk around the house untethered or take calls, this isn't the one. If you want a sealed, cable-driven listen with a full-size cup, it's a very clean answer.
FiiO EH11: Who It's For
The EH11 is the opposite philosophy. It's a 92-gram on-ear Bluetooth headphone with a retro 1980s-inspired transparent mechanical structure and a wood-grain control knob you can operate blind for volume and track control. The wireless side is the real story: LDAC support at transmission rates up to 990kbps, about three times higher than standard SBC/AAC. If you stream from a service that serves high-bitrate audio and your phone supports LDAC, that's a genuine step up from baseline Bluetooth.
The acoustic design is bass-forward on purpose. A 40mm long-stroke dynamic driver with a high-damping composite diaphragm, a resonance frequency pushed down to 60Hz, and bass extension down to 17Hz with a stated frequency range of 17Hz–20,000Hz. The semi-open back is the interesting compromise: it keeps some openness in the sound while giving you "listening privacy" so you're not blasting the room. Note the wording — privacy, not isolation. There's no noise control listed, so this is not the headphone for blocking out a train.
Where it wins on livability: 1.5 hours to charge, 30 hours of playback, dual-device connection so your phone and computer stay paired at once and you switch without re-pairing, the FIIO Control App with EQ presets like Pop and Rock, a gaming mode tuned to lift footsteps and gunshot detail, a built-in HD mic, and detachable foam ear pads that come with two different-colored pairs. At 1.7N clamping force it's built for long sessions without pressure. Skip it if you demand real noise isolation or refuse to manage a battery. Otherwise it's a remarkably flexible daily driver.
• Best for blocking outside noise → Creative 51EF0370AA010. Closed-back circum-aural cups are the whole point; the EH11 has no noise control and only semi-open privacy.
• Best for wireless freedom → FiiO EH11. Bluetooth 5, no jack, no cable.
• Best for high-resolution streaming → FiiO EH11. LDAC up to 990kbps versus a wired analog connection on the Creative.
• Best for comfort over long sessions → FiiO EH11. 92g and 1.7N clamping force is about as light as on-ear gets.
• Best for a sealed, fatigue-free over-ear fit → Creative 51EF0370AA010. Full ear coverage with leatherette padding, no battery to think about.
• Best for bass-forward tuning → FiiO EH11. 17Hz extension and a low-frequency-enhanced design are explicit goals.
• Best for switching between phone and laptop → FiiO EH11. Dual-device connection does it without re-pairing.
• Best for zero-maintenance listening → Creative 51EF0370AA010. Nothing to charge, nothing to update, nothing to pair.
• Best for personalization → FiiO EH11. App EQ presets, a gaming mode, and replaceable ear pads in multiple colors.
In my opinion, most people shopping this pair in 2026 should buy the FiiO EH11. The reason is simple: it does more jobs. LDAC, 30 hours per charge, dual-device pairing, app EQ, a gaming mode, a mic, and swappable pads cover music, calls, and games from one 92-gram package. I'd only steer you to the Creative 51EF0370AA010 if isolation is your number-one problem and you're happy staying wired — in that specific case, the closed-back circum-aural seal is worth more than every wireless feature combined. If you're torn, decide this first: cable and silence, or battery and flexibility. Everything else follows from that.
No. It's a wired headphone with a 3.5 mm jack, an extendable Oxygen-Free Copper cable, and a gold-plated plug. There's no Bluetooth listed, so you'll need a source with a headphone output.
Not electronically. Its listed noise control is "None." It uses a semi-open back design for listening privacy, not active or passive isolation, so loud environments will bleed through.
For high-resolution wireless streaming, the FiiO EH11 is the stronger pick because of LDAC at up to 990kbps and its 17Hz–20,000Hz range. The Creative HQ-1600 is wired and analog, so its quality depends on your source rather than a codec.
The FiiO EH11 is the lighter option at about 92g with a 1.7N clamping force. The Creative 51EF0370AA010 counters with full circum-aural leatherette cups that cover the ears rather than press on them — better if you dislike on-ear pressure.
Yes — I don't quote prices here, and both models sit in different segments. Use the price button on this page to see the current figure on Amazon before you commit.
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See also: LilGadgets Connect+ Pro vs FiiO EH11, Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 vs JBL Live Beam 3, Wentronic Kids Headphones vs SNOWSKY FIIO Nature Closed-Back