Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi

The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi are available in Midnight Blue and are relatively lightweight at five grams per side. Visually, the model blends seamlessly into the manufacturer’s Aurvana Ace series and, like the Creative Aurvana Ace 2, is IPX5 water- and sweat-resistant. Another characteristic of these earphones is their high isolation capability, meaning little sound passes from outside to inside, and vice versa.

Battery life

In standard mode, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi last seven hours when using the AAC format at a moderately high volume. With noise cancellation on maximum, battery life drops to five hours and 15 minutes. The earbuds can be fully recharged three times in the case, giving a total runtime of about 28 hours in standard mode and 21 hours with ANC.

A ten-minute quick charge provides up to 95 minutes of playback (without ANC), while a full charge takes around 100 minutes. Unlike the Aurvana Ace 2, there is no battery level indicator.

The case battery is replenished in just over two hours using the supplied USB-C to USB-A cable. Alternatively, wireless Qi charging is also supported.

Bluetooth specs

Supported standards include Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio with Auracast function, and multipoint pairing with two devices simultaneously. Switching playback between a tablet or laptop and a smartphone can currently be glitchy, sometimes requiring a second attempt – something a firmware update could fix. Audio codecs supported are SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3. A low-latency mode is also available for gaming, films and series.

Operation

By default, the touch surfaces on the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi control playback, volume, voice assistant, and switch between standard, ambient and ANC modes. You can also skip tracks and handle calls. Single-ear use is supported, as is manual on/off via the touch surfaces.

Volume control is assigned to press-and-hold. Double- and triple-tap functions are customisable in the app, allowing for track rewind or enabling Auracast, which searches for nearby broadcast sources. However, low-latency mode cannot be assigned, which is a pity. Wear detection (auto pause) is also missing.

Creative app

The companion app (Android and iOS) offers extensive sound customisation, with 43 presets for music genres from rock to classical, films, and various gaming categories down to specific titles. These can be a base for your own EQ tweaks, with changes saved as presets.

To use Mimi sound personalisation, you must register first. You then take a hearing test for each ear separately to balance differences and compensate for age-related hearing loss.

The “Hearing ID” can be set to “Gentle”, “Recommended” or “Strong” and fine-tuned in intensity. It can also be combined with EQ settings for highly personalised sound.

Noise cancellation and transparency mode are adjustable in three levels. The app also allows you to search for and join broadcast streams, toggle low-latency mode, voice prompts, and the LDAC codec, as well as adjust touch controls and install firmware updates.

SXFI app

Optionally, the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi support the manufacturer’s Super X-FI technology, which aims to create a multi-speaker-like spatial sound experience. This pushes the virtual stage further into the room, with varying results depending on the content.

It works best in gaming and films, while benefits for music are limited. It only works with local files or devices that are “SXFI Ready”; streamed content from Qobuz, YouTube or Netflix is not supported.

Call quality

The AI-powered microphones filter wind noise very effectively, allowing for clear outdoor calls. However, strong gusts can make speech sound slightly uneven. In noisy environments, performance drops, with noise suppression varying in effectiveness. Background chatter is reduced mainly while speaking, but is loud during pauses, making calls potentially tiring for the other person.

Noise cancellation and ambient mode

Compared to the adaptive ANC of the Aurvana Ace 2, the hybrid ANC here is less effective. The lowest setting barely reduces noise, the middle setting offers slight reduction, and only the maximum setting delivers solid attenuation of low- and high-frequency noise, while voices could be reduced more. ANC is relatively low-noise but boosts bass slightly.

The ambient mode also leaves room for improvement: the lowest level is too quiet, the middle level is suitable for conversations when playback is paused, and the maximum setting allows better environmental awareness during playback but has a more noticeable background hiss.

Sound

The hybrid driver setup – a dynamic 10 mm driver and a new MEMS driver from xMEMS Labs – is tuned for fun, more so than the Aurvana Ace 2. The base sound is warm, direct, and delivers substantial bass, with well-controlled lower frequencies, though sub-bass can be a bit strong.

The mids are somewhat restrained but clean and well-defined, with pleasant vocals. Treble is smooth and non-fatiguing, even at higher volumes. The result is a rounded, charming signature that can feel a bit lacking in sparkle, but this can change with personalisation.

With Hearing ID enabled, the benefits of xMEMS technology shine, expanding the soundstage in width and especially depth. The presentation becomes airier and more balanced, no longer primarily bass-focused. Though the difference may seem subtle at first, careful listening reveals a significant improvement, with a clean, well-organised sound.

Bass becomes tighter and more defined, mids lose excessive warmth for a more natural, fresh sound, and treble gains presence and energy, opening up the sound nicely.

Conclusion

The Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi’s hybrid drivers combined with the personal listening profile deliver powerful, well-defined sound and are easily recommendable. However, their ambient mode and ANC won’t satisfy demanding users, and call quality in noisy environments lags behind siblings like the Aurvana Ace 2.