Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
Specifications
| Driver | XMEMS solid-state + 10mm DD (hybrid) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Codecs | LDAC, LC3, AAC, SBC |
| ANC | Yes |
| App Support | Yes (Creative app with Mimi) |
| Multipoint | Yes |
| Water Resistance | IPX5 |
| Earbud Weight | 4.5g |
| Battery Life | ~4h50m with ANC (7h without) |
| Total Battery | Up to 28 hours |
| Wireless Charging | Yes |
| Gaming Mode | Yes |
| Wear Detection | No |
| Quick Charge | No |
Pros
- xMEMS drivers deliver clear benefits to mids and treble transients
- Mimi sound personalization based on hearing test works well
- Much improved LC3 codec implementation and overall stability
- Extremely low latency (~60ms, near zero with gaming mode)
- Above-average call quality in various environments
- Comfortable shallow insertion design
- Improved battery life over predecessor
- Comprehensive EQ options (±9dB 10-band)
- IPX5 water and sweat resistance
- Wireless charging support
- Clean transparency mode with acceptably low occlusion
Cons
- Bass lacks punch and definition, contrasts against mid and treble precision
- Mimi personalization profile stored in app, not on earbuds
- Mediocre ANC performance (weaker than predecessor)
- No wear detection sensors
- No quick charge feature
- Slow charging time (~60 minutes for buds)
- Case hinge can slam shut unexpectedly
- No device list for multipoint in app
- Average overall battery life
- Unimaginative design, not enough deviation from predecessor
Verdict
Small steps forward for the xMEMS trailblazers
Review Reference: RC174
Price at Review: £79.99
Introduction
Earlier this year, I reviewed the Creative Aurvana Ace 2, one of the first mainstream TWS to feature solid-state XMEMS driver technology, and a release that showcased both Creative’s strengths and weaknesses in equal measure. Whilst the xMEMS implementation demonstrated clear advantages, with snappy transients and a treble that was both detailed and well-sculptured, the dynamic driver selection wasn’t the most cohesive, and the ANC and overall stability of the device (mostly down to the buggy Qualcomm chipset deployed) weren’t quite up to the job, at least in a set with a retail price of over £100.
Creative has now followed up with the Aurvana Ace Mimi – not a direct successor (hence not being called Ace 3), more a variation on a theme with some notable differences. The headline feature is the integration of Mimi sound personalization technology, which provides a hearing test to customize audio based on your specific hearing capabilities. Mimi are the world leaders in this space, with Nothing, Beyerdynamic, Focal and many other partners scrambling to adopt their developments into their value propositions, but for this to be a real success Creative would have to ‘right a few wrongs’ - at the very least provide a stable operating environment off the bat. Does the Aurvana Ace Mimi meet expectations? Well, kinda - read on for my thoughts on why you may or may not consider this a viable next purchase option.
Design, Fit and Comfort
The Mimi (as we will refer to them going forward) have adopted the same shell as the Ace 2, which is good and bad news depending on how highly you rated that design. I found them to be quite comfortable, thanks to the shallow fit and smaller footprint to the oval nozzle, that sits somewhere between the Earfun Air Pro 4 and Realme Buds Air 6 Pro in terms of size and footprint.
While the build quality isn’t exceptional, and truth be told a bit disappointing compared to others at a similar price from the likes of Huawei and OnePlus, the comfort level is sufficient, even good, for daily use, and the improved ear tip material brings better stability than the previous model.
The earbuds maintained their position reliably during my exercise testing, passing the 100 jumping jacks test with no issues. The IPX5 water and sweat resistance rating makes them suitable for workouts, though without proper waterproofing, I wouldn’t recommend them for swimming or extremely heavy rain. I have seen some reviews complaining about their performance in windy conditions, but I suspect this is more down to fit and seal than anything Creative have done in terms of the design. I’m in the UK, not Cape Verde, and whilst we get wind from time to time, it isn’t enough to really notice the extremities in performance - the Mimi seemed to be as good (and bad) as everyone else.
The Case
The case design is reasonably portable with a decent finish, though the hinge mechanism is problematic, sometimes slamming shut unexpectedly. Creative has upgraded the accessories, including a drawstring bag, which I’ve used a grand total of zero times since!
Controls
Touch controls on the Ace Mimi work OK, but can at times be a source of frustration. You have to hit them at the right point to ensure you don’t fail to register - not always easy given the ‘shoulder-style’ indent at the top of the stem - and the default control system isn’t particularly intuitive. They do offer fairly good customization through the app, although there are limitations. The “Custom Buttons” section allows you to configure double tap, triple tap, and long tap gestures. Most functions are available for double and triple taps (except volume control), while long press is limited to volume adjustment or no function at all. Unfortunately, single touch, like Edifier, is not an option, which reduces accidental touches but adds a layer of restriction some users might find annoying.
ANC & Transparency
The active noise cancellation is somewhat disappointing, actually performing slightly worse than the Ace 2 and falling behind similarly priced competitors. It focuses its efforts where most ambient annoyance lives - the low-frequency drone of buses, trains, air conditioning units, and aircraft cabin noise. With 10-15dB of reduction through the bass frequencies and up to 15-20dB through the midrange, it takes a meaningful bite out of constant background rumble. On a commute, you’ll notice the tube or bus engine recede noticeably into the background, and open-plan office chatter will be dampened enough to improve focus, though not eliminated entirely.
Higher-frequency sounds - keyboard clatter, nearby conversations, the ping of notification sounds - will still cut through, as the cancellation tapers off above 5kHz. This, whilst par for the course at this price bracket, is where the Mimi and Creative buds in general could do better; don’t expect the near-silence of premium over-ears or even close to better peforrming in-ear TWS. Above shows the Mimi struggling against the OnePlus Buds 4 from 100Hz all the way up to 5kHz - which is basically where all of the noises that we encounter on a day to day basis reside.
Measurements show the Mimi and Ace 2 performing very similarly on paper, though in real-world use I found the Ace 2 actually marginally more effective - likely down to subtle differences in fit or driver tuning that don’t fully translate to controlled pink noise testing. Either way, both deliver satisfactory noise reduction that will likely leave you wanting a tad. For Creative to neglect to make improvements here when practically every review on the Ace 2 criticized its ANC calls into question why Creative even bothered to release this model, especially with the FCC approvals in progress for the Ace 3.
On the positive side, transparency mode is cleaner than the previous model with minimal occlusion effect when speaking. Through the bass and midrange - the frequencies that carry the weight of speech and most environmental sounds - the algorithm does a reasonable job of letting the outside world in, staying within a few decibels of natural hearing. You’ll be able to hold conversations and hear traffic approaching without removing the earbuds, which is the primary goal. However, treble reproduction falls away noticeably above 5kHz, with attenuation reaching 10-15dB by 10kHz. In practice, this manifests as a slightly muffled quality to ambient sound - voices remain intelligible but lose some crispness, and sharper sounds like bicycle bells, birdsong, or the higher harmonics of car horns will sound softened and less immediate. It’s perfectly usable for a quick chat or staying aware on a busy street, but it won’t fool you into thinking you’re not wearing earbuds. Performance here is subjectively marginally better than the Ace 2, although both are adequate and very usable.
Audio & Sound Signature
The dual driver configuration pairs an XMEMS solid-state driver handling mids and treble with a 10mm dynamic driver for bass. This results in excellent performance in the mid and high frequencies, where the XMEMS technology shines with fast transients, detailed instrument separation, and natural-sounding yet highly polished treble extension that combines air and precision without hitting hitting the point of fatigue. If you listen to tracks heavy on percussion, you’ll notice that the trebles aren’t perfect - there’s a slight scratchiness at higher volumes, but overall it’s a big improvement from single DD’s or the unnatural taste of balanced armatures.
The bass response, while slightly improved over the Ace 2 with reduced mid-bass bloat, still lacks the punch and definition to match the precision of the mids and highs. Bass notes tend to linger a bit longer than ideal, creating a slight disconnect between the tight, articulate upper frequencies and the softer, less defined low end. It sounds like Creative simply adjusted the variables to improve the tuning, rather than use a different dynamic driver, so whilst the end result is slightly-more cohesive than the Ace 2, it still isn’t ideal. Still - both the Ace 2 and the Mimi exibit warmth and depth that make them a comfy listen.
In the sub-£150 category, though, the Mimi still rank well in my audio league table, thanks to a sensible tuning and outstanding level of customisation, both hearing and preference-based, but it’s still slightly disappointing that the improvement over the Ace 2 is incremental rather than transformative. A different dynamic driver implementation could have elevated the overall performance further, so they’ve left us longing for more here really, which is a shame.
Mimi Personalization
The Mimi personalization and EQ (both custom and preset-based) is where the Mimi really stand out from the crowd, with both accessible through the Creative app. The Mimi process involves a 4-minute hearing test (best done in a quiet environment) where you hold your finger on a circle and release when you can no longer hear the frequency being played. After completion, it generates a profile for each ear with a visualization of your hearing abilities across frequencies. The resulting profile creates a sound signature compensating for your specific hearing deficiencies, with a slider to adjust the intensity and three presets for further customization. Importantly, this isn’t based on tonal preference but on hearing capability, so you may still want to use the EQ for personal taste adjustments.
For me, it made a tangible difference to the listening experience. For those with high-frequency hearing loss (like myself, from years of playing at clubs and festivals), the combination of the xMEMS plus Mimi is a winner - with my specific hearing profile, it significantly enhanced detail retrieval in the upper frequencies without causing fatigue, providing a better foundation for further EQ adjustments. A notable limitation is that the Mimi profile is stored in the app rather than on the earbuds themselves, meaning the personalization doesn’t work when connected to devices without the Creative app – a limitation Creative doesn’t mention in their marketing.
On the hearing preference side, the app’s 10-band custom EQ is well implemented with strategically placed frequency points and a generous ±9dB adjustment range. Creative includes numerous music and gaming presets with helpful visual representations of how each preset modifies the frequency response that you can then use a baseline to fine-tune further. Overall, you get a very helpful level of control over the sound that is thoroughly well-implemented.
Call Quality
The Mimi, like the Ace 2 before them, deliver fairly good call performance across various environments, giving you an acceptable balance of noise reduction and voice tone and weight. The noise reduction algorithm works consistently in both indoor and outdoor settings, though voice clarity isn’t optimal, meaning your voice can sound authoritative but slightly muffled, even in quiet conditions. Despite this minor issue, calls remain intelligible in all tested scenarios, making the earbuds fairly reliable for communication in controlled environments and usable whilst on the go.
Codecs & Connectivity
Unlike the Ace 2, the Mimi doesn’t use a Qualcomm chipset, so it lacks aptX-Lossless support, maxing out at LDAC instead. Whilst spec-sheet nerds might take umbrage here, the real-life difference is negligible - even separating LDAC and AAC in a blind test is difficult, so distinguishing between two hi-res codecs is an absolute non-issue. For Creative, the number of users with phones that support LDAC is much higher than the aptX family, which will appeal to those who overblow the importance of bitrate over the real sound quality determinents - tuning and drivers.
My experience using LC3 was far better this time however - a stark contrast from the buggy and frustrating time I had with the Ace 2, which often wouldn’t even register in the app and had weird side issues like an abnormally-low mic volume, disconnections when the mic wasn’t in use (like with DuoLingo, between rounds) and the inability to control the volume your phone (only the buds). As I said at the time, this appeared to be a Qualcomm issue, since I noticed the same problems with other buds with the same chipset, but regardless, Creative managed something fairly stable first time around this time, as opposed to ten firmware updates later.
This stability comes with an unexpected benefit: extremely low latency, measuring around 60ms even without gaming mode activated. With gaming mode engaged, latency becomes virtually imperceptible, and when you combine this with the litany of gaming presets, you get a pretty handy set for PubG mobile addicts.
Multipoint connectivity also feels more reliable than on the Ace 2, though the app still lacks a device list for managing connections, and the Mimi still lack a few features, like wear detection and a ‘find my buds’ mode.
Battery Life
Battery performance shows improvement over the Ace 2, offering approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes with ANC enabled – about 45 minutes more than its predecessor. It’s hardly market-leading stuff, but it’s about what we come to expect these days. The problem, though, is that unlike many of its competitors, who offer a similar single use performance but then give you a couple of hours boost from their ‘quick-charge’ feature, the Mimi neither support this nor a reduced charge time, with the industry-standard 60 minutes to fully charge the buds (and even longer for the case) meaning you’re possibly going to be without them for a period during the working day - not ideal. The case does support wireless charging, which is always a welcome feature, although at the cost of time, which may already be at a premium. You get three additional charge cycles with the case.
Summary
The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi represents an interesting sidestep rather than an upgrade from the Ace 2. Its greatest strengths lie in the implementation of the Mimi sound personalization technology and the improved stability of both codec performance and, to a degree, the app and multipoint, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really enough, with many of the Ace 2’s shortcomings still in play.
The XMEMS driver technology continues to impress with exceptional mid and high-frequency performance, though the bass response still leaves room for improvement that could, and probably should, have been remedied with an alternative dynamic driver. The personalization features are genuinely useful, especially for those with specific hearing characteristics, though the limitation of profiles being stored in the app rather than on the earbuds is disappointing.
Despite a far more stable LC3 implementation and better battery life bringing them close to their competitors, ANC performance and charging speed remain mediocre, and they lack many ‘bread-and-butter’ features that we expect to see at this price - notably quick charge, wear detection and spatial audio.
Whilst I enjoy using the Mimi, and do rate them as a solid (although slightly-overpriced) option (especially for those with specific hearing needs). This feels like a lazy and slightly unimaginative release. I love that Creative have pioneered the xMEMS tech and tried to push the industry forward, embracing innovation faster than many of the more recognisable names in TWS, but we have all become a bit fatigued from releases that only offer incremental improvements, and sadly, this is one of those.