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Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 have been a favorite of ours here in the SoundGuys office, thanks to their revolutionary xMEMS drivers. Now, Creative is building on the success of those earbuds with the new Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi. By partnering with Mimi, Creative is aiming to adapt sound quality to each individual’s hearing preferences. Does that make these the best-sounding earbuds on the market? That’s what we set to find out in the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi review.
Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi are ideal for consumers looking for earbuds with good sound quality. Trained listeners may prefer something less bass-heavy, but most consumers will enjoy the way these sound, especially with the intuitive personalized hearing features.
What’s it like to use Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi?
The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi have the exact same design and build as the Aurvana Ace and Aurvana Ace 2, down to the millimeter. The only difference is in the color scheme, with the Mimi model offered in a Midnight Blue color option at launch. Pop open the case, and you’re greeted with a reflective chrome interior that is sure to catch a few eyes.
While the design hasn’t changed, I’m not complaining. I like earbuds with a stem, as I find it helps attain a secure fit. Moreover, at only 4.7g, each earbud is lightweight and comfortable to wear for hours on end. With five different ear tip sizes to choose from, most people shouldn’t have any problems with fit and comfort.
An IPX5 rating means the earbuds have sweat and splash resistance. I had no problem using the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi at the gym.
You can control the earbuds by tapping them. Below are the default controls, though you can customize these to your liking using the Creative app. The earbuds don’t have an ear detection sensor, so they won’t automatically pause when you take an earbud out of your ears.
| Input | Left earbud | Right earbud |
|---|---|---|
| Input Double tap | Left earbud Ambient control | Right earbud Play/pause |
| Input Triple tap | Left earbud Voice assistant | Right earbud Next track |
| Input Long tap | Left earbud Volume down | Right earbud Volume up |
Should you use the Creative app for the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi?
The Creative app unlocks the core features of the Aurvana Ace Mimi. Primarily, you’ll need the app to customize the sound of the earbuds. You can choose from a whopping 40+ different equalizer presets, including some designed for specific games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty. To pair with these gaming presets, you can enable a low-latency Bluetooth mode within the app settings.
Experienced listeners will appreciate the inclusion of a 10-band custom equalizer, but the unique selling point here is the Mimi sound personalization. After taking a quick hearing test, the earbuds create a unique listening profile ideal for your ears. This could help you hear parts of music that you didn’t even realize you were missing out on if you have mild to moderate hearing loss. Note that you have to sign up for a Creative account to use the Mimi personalization features, which may dissuade those conscious of headphone manufacturers collecting their personal data.
Once you’ve taken the test, you can toggle your personalized sound profile on or off, and choose the intensity of the applied settings. You can have the personalized sound profile and a custom EQ profile both enabled at the same time. My recommendation is that you start by using the personalization feature as a baseline, and then tweak the custom equalizer to your preferences.
Beyond sound customization, you’ll find the ambient control settings inside the app. This lets you adjust the strength of the Active Noise Cancellation as well as the Ambient Mode. Since these earbuds support Auracast, the app has a handy function to scan for nearby Auracast broadcasts. While the odds of you coming across an Auracast broadcast today might be slim, it’s nice to know your earbuds are future-proofed.
How do the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi connect?
The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi have Bluetooth 5.3 with support for a variety of Bluetooth codecs including LDAC, LC3, AAC, and SBC. Notably, these support LDAC instead of aptX Lossless which is found on the Aurvana Ace 2. LDAC is widely supported on recent Android devices, so those with an Android phone will likely profit from some high-res streaming quality. I primarily used the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi with an iPhone over an AAC connection, and didn’t experience any major connection issues.
Follow these steps to pair the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi to any device:
- Ensure the earbuds and case are charged.
- Place the earbuds inside their charging case.
- Open the lid of the case, and press and hold the pairing button on the bottom of the case for a few seconds until the indicator light fashes red and blue.
How long does the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi battery last?
Creative says the Aurvana Ace Mimi has improved battery life compared to the prior Aurvana Ace earbuds. The company promises up to 7 hours of playback on a single charge, with up to 28 hours of total playback time with the charging case. In our battery testing, the earbuds lasted 4 hours and 41 minutes with ANC enabled. You can charge the case wirelessly or over USB-C.
Creative does not advertise fast charging, but it doesn’t take long to fill up the small battery cells in most wireless earbuds.
How well do the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi cancel noise?
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The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi have mediocre noise canceling performance. Our testing shows that the ANC can block out about 30dB of low-frequency noise. Depending on which ear tips you use, and how well the earbuds fit in your ears, you’ll also likely get around 30dB of reduction to high-frequency noise from passive isolation. While this isn’t quite as good as the best noise canceling earbuds on the market, it’s good enough for the occasional commute in noisy environments.
If you like to stay aware of you surroundings, you’ll be pleased by the performance of the Ambient Mode on the Aurvana Ace Mimi. At it’s highest setting, it amplifies environmental noises louder than when you aren’t wearing the earbuds at all.
How do the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi sound?
The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi have a strong emphasis on bass, though many casual listeners will appreciate this sound signature. As always, the xMEMS dual driver system delivers exceptional clarity and detail across the mids and treble.
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)
The chart below shows how the sound of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.
With an Overall score of 4.9 on a scale from 1-5, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi deliver sound quality that should please most casual listeners. These earbuds pass with flying colors across all three categories of Timbre, Distortion, and Immersiveness. In fact, these earbuds perform better according to MDAQS than any other earbuds we’ve tested to date.
Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reCreative Aurvana Ace Mimiion.
Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
See here for an explanation of MDAQS, how it works, and how it was developed.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Objective Measurements
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Out of the box, the earbuds amplify bass frequencies up to 400Hz by about 6dB than our SoundGuys Preference Curve. If you like bass, you won’t mind this, but others will feel inclined to turn down the bass using the equalizer. Across the mids and highs, the earbuds follow our preference curve relatively closely.
Below we’ve tested a few of the many EQ presets you can explore within the Creative app.
Music EQ Preset
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The Music preset amplifies bass and treble, creating more of a V-shaped frequency response.
Movies EQ Preset
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The Movies preset maintains thumping sub-bass while attenuating the mid-bass frequencies around 200Hz.
Fortnite EQ Preset
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The Fortnite preset doesn’t stray too far from the default Flat preset.
Footsteps Enhancer EQ Preset
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If you want an edge in hearing enemy footsteps approaching, try out the Footsteps Enhancer preset, which boosts treble around 2-5kHz.
Can you use the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi for phone calls?
If you plan on taking calls on the go, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi are up for the task. In our simulated microphone demonstrations, it’s easy to make out what the voices are saying, even with some background noise. Take a listen below and let us know what you think.
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi microphone demo (Office conditions):
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi microphone demo (Street conditions):
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi microphone demo (Windy conditions):
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi microphone demo (Reverberant space):
The microphones handle simulated office and street noise well, but struggle with wind noise, which isn’t unusual for earbud microphones.
Should you buy the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi?
Considering the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi costs about half as much as most flagship wireless earbuds on the market, it’s a great option. Most people will really enjoy the way these earbuds sound out of the box, even if it is a bit bass-heavy. If you don’t like the default sound, the custom equalizer and hearing test will give most an enjoyable experience. Beyond sound quality, you get all the features we expect to see in modern earbuds including good noise canceling and transparency modes.
What should you get instead of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi?
The first alternative you should consider outside of the Creative brand is the Nothing Ear ($149 at Amazon). The Nothing Ear also have Mimi sound personalization integration, along with a very detailed custom equalizer. I find the Nothing Ear comfortable, and the design really stands out.
If the elevated sound quality of MEMS drivers appeals to you, you should check out the SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ ($89.99 at Amazon). Despite their more affordable price, the SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ still deliver excellent sound quality.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, we tested the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi with an iPhone and Android phone, and did not experience connection issues. The companion app is available on both platforms.
Yes, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi are good for working out since they are sweat-resistant and have features such as noise canceling and transparency mode.
Yes, you can activate Siri by tapping the Aurvana Ace Mimi left earbud three times.