
Just in time for CES 2025, Creative presented some new additions to its own line-up, including the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi in-ear headphones, which aim to impress with sound personalization, dual drivers and modern features. In our test, we find out how good they really are and whether they are worth buying.
Technical data
The product | Aurvana Ace Mimi |
Bluetooth version | 5.3 |
Bluetooth codecs | LC3, LDAC, AAC, SBC |
Maximum operating range | 12m (without obstacle) |
Battery life |
|
Charging time | 2 hours (for charging case via USB-C or wireless) |
Size of charging case (H x W x D) | 46.7 mm x 49.1 mm x 26.9 mm |
Weight | 4.7 g per earbud; 46.6 g charging case & earphones |
Most important functions | ANC; Transparency mode; Wireless charging; Mimi sound personalization |
Price | 129,99 Euro |
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi review: Blue meets silver
- elegant, blue-silver design
- good workmanship
- pleasant wearing comfort
Creative is positioning the new Aurvana Ace Mimi as the top model in its own in-ear line-up. On a par with the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 (our test), which, however, have a few more audio codecs.
And the new headphones also look good, at least visually. The charging case and earphones have a matt, dark blue plastic surface that looks very classy and high-quality and is also well protected against fingerprints.
The manufacturer combines this with silver-colored accents on the case and the earbuds. A very chic combination, especially as there is not much to complain about in terms of workmanship – but the Aurvana Ace Mimi do not feel as high-quality as more expensive models.
At around 65 mm x 49 mm x 27 mm, the pill-shaped charging case of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi is pleasantly handy and can even be put down thanks to its flattened base. The pairing button and USB-C charging port are located on the underside. There is also a holder on the left where a lanyard can be inserted.
The earbuds themselves are pleasantly light at 4.7 grams each and are very comfortable to wear, not least thanks to the rounded edges. Nothing pinches even after several hours of use.
The scope of delivery also includes four additional sizes of ear tips to better adapt the fit to your own ear. There is also a short USB-C charging cable and a small fabric bag for transportation.
The features of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
- Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC
- Mono mode…
- … but no wearer detection
In terms of features, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi can largely keep up with significantly more expensive models. The in-ear headphones use the Bluetooth 5.3 standard and therefore achieve an excellent range combined with a high level of stability – I was able to move around my home freely without any dropouts.
They also have IPX5 certification, which means they are waterproof and should even be protected against water jets. The Ace Mimi also offer a mono mode and can therefore also be used individually if you want to store the second earbud in the charging case.
Unfortunately, the earbuds lack a wear detection function including auto pause and playback. This means they don’t recognize when you take them out of your ear and continue playing unhindered. A great pity.
In terms of audio codecs, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi are also very well positioned in relation to the price. LC3 and Sony’s LDAC codec are included as high-resolution codecs, enabling playback at a maximum of 990 kB per second and 16 bit at 48 kHz.
Unfortunately, the high-resolution Qualcomm codecs aptX, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless are conspicuous by their absence. These are reserved for the Aurvana Ace 2, which is therefore somewhat more versatile.
Operation of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
- Sophisticated operating concept
- somewhat small touch surfaces
- operation customizable
Like most modern in-ear headphones, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi also rely on touch control, which is realized via the outer sides. To do this, simply touch the touch surface located at the upper end of the blue stylus (at the transition to the silver part) with your finger.
However, this is quite small, which means that incorrect inputs cannot be ruled out. Unfortunately, operation is therefore not always precise, as inputs are sometimes not recognized at all or not recognized correctly. However, when the earbuds do recognize inputs correctly, everything works very well.
The operating concept is also well thought out and doesn’t miss anything with media control, mode switching and even volume adjustment. With the help of the Creative app, operation can also be freely customized and adapted to your own preferences.
In general, the Creative app is a successful addition to the earphones and impresses with its clear, uncluttered design. For example, it not only provides information about the battery status, but also offers an equalizer to adjust the sound to your own preferences.
To do this, you can choose from one of countless (over 40) equalizer presets from the music and gaming sector or go straight to the 10-band EQ, where you can freely adjust all frequencies.
The unique selling point of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi can also be found in the app. Namely the Mimi sound personalization. Unfortunately, this requires a Creative account.
Mimi sound personalization
The most important new feature of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi, which can also be found in the name, is the Mimi sound personalization. This allows you to adapt the sound to your own ears and hearing ability with the help of a four-minute listening test.
This is something that many other manufacturers are already familiar with. As part of the test, you have to listen to sounds, first with your left ear and then with your right ear, and hold down the smartphone’s touchscreen when you hear a sound.
This makes it possible to bring back details from the music that you could not (or could no longer) hear before. At least if you suffer from slight hearing loss. Once you have completed the test, the app shows you the sound profile for both ears individually.
Now you can hear how a sound sample behaves with and without personalized sound and, if necessary, make adjustments with a softer or fuller sound.
And the result makes a huge difference. I have already tested numerous in-ear headphones, but I have never been able to achieve such good results with a personalized sound as in the case of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi. I would therefore recommend doing the sound test first and then using the equalizer to make slight fine adjustments to get the maximum sound out of the in-ears.
Battery life
- 7 hours without ANC, around 5 hours with ANC
- 28 hours runtime with charging case
- Wireless charging
In terms of battery life, the new Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi shows a slight increase compared to the Ace 2. The earbuds last up to 7 hours without ANC and a maximum of 28 hours in combination with the charging case.
Of course, these values depend heavily on the volume setting. With ANC, the earbuds run out of breath after around five hours. A decent but by no means outstanding value. Some of the best in-ear headphones achieve seven to ten hours with ANC.
In return, the case is not only recharged via USB-C, but also wirelessly using the Qi standard if desired. A full charge takes around two hours.
Audio quality and ANC
- xMEMS dual driver
- wide frequency band
- Lively, powerful bass sound
When it comes to drivers, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi uses the same design as the Ace 2. xMEMS dual drivers with a size of 10 mm are used here, which provide a frequency response of 5 Hz to 40,000 Hz.
The sound coming out of the earbuds is quite good. However, there is a clear emphasis on the bass range – which should suit most users.
The bass is not only pleasantly clear and detailed, but also has plenty of punch. Hip-hop and electro music are therefore handled excellently by the in-ears without the mids taking a back seat. Only the treble is noticeably reduced, which can lead to a rather narrow sound in some songs and/or genres.
In terms of sound, however, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi already beat the competition in this price segment and also sound better than the Apple AirPods 4, for example.
Switching to personalized sound and additional equalizer settings (lowering the bass range, boosting the treble) then significantly improves the acoustics of the earbuds once again, although the full brilliance and airiness of significantly more expensive models is not achieved here.
Nevertheless, the result is an absolutely coherent and detailed sound image, from the deep bass to the treble, which copes very well with all music genres. The all-round harmonious sound makes the Aurvana Ace Mimi an absolute recommendation in the price range up to 150 euros.
ANC and transparency mode
Unfortunately, the active noise canceling (ANC) and its counterpart in the form of transparency mode cannot even begin to keep up. Both are only at a decent level. Although the ANC filters out monotonous, low frequencies quite well, it does not show any significant suppression, especially at high frequencies such as the vacuum robot operating in the next room, so that the noise is muffled but comes through almost unhindered.
The same applies to typing on the keyboard or conversations in the vicinity, which are unfortunately hardly noticeably suppressed. The transparency mode (called ambient mode) amplifies ambient noise and thus allows conversations with earphones inserted, for example.
It fulfills its purpose, but delivers a rather unnatural, distorted sound. Unfortunately, those who value good noise suppression will hardly find what they are looking for here.
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi test: Conclusion
With the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi, the manufacturer delivers convincing in-ear headphones in the price range up to 150 euros. Above all, the sound personalization with the help of the listening test is a welcome innovation that has an absolutely positive effect on the sound and noticeably improves it once again.
The earbuds also have modern features and a high level of wearing comfort to their credit. The result is a coherent overall package that can compete very well with the best in-ear headphones, which are around twice as expensive.
Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that mean it’s not quite enough. The active noise suppression is only average, the battery life is okay and the earbuds unfortunately lack wear detection. Nevertheless, this results in a coherent overall package, which makes the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi a convincing choice.
- Elegant design
- Great wearing comfort
- Lively, rich sound
- ANC only mediocre
- Battery life could be better
- Somewhat bass-heavy
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
ANC
Equipment
Value For Money
88/100
Stylish in-ear headphones with very good sound and high wearing comfort at a fair price. However, ANC and battery life are only average.