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Test & comparison of the Lime Ears Anima from Benjamin
Today there is once again a detailed customer test of a special IEM - the Lime Ears Anima. Benjamin is not just a customer but an experienced reviewer who has written for a well-known Swiss audio and review website for years!
Author: Benjamin von Känel
Introduction
It has to be a very special pair of earphones that can wake me up from my self-chosen audiophile hibernation. Although the term “special” in connection with the Lime Ears Anima could be an understatement.
To quickly anticipate: The Anima is good! So good that on restless nights it almost slipped into my ear canals on its own to take me on another extended “sound expedition”.
Special thanks to Tom Scharfenberg from www.audioessence.ch who loaned me the Lime Ears Anima and the Empire Ears Odin. Within just a few months, Audioessence has already made huge waves in the local scene. I'm more than excited to see what the future
brings!
The contents of the box
This is brief but very pragmatic. I was particularly grateful to notice the two ddHifi adapters from 4.4 to 2.5 and from 4.4 to 1.5mm. The Sowilo cable from Vikingweave-Cable is also very high quality – an excellent match for the Anima. There was no need to replace the cable at any time during the test.
A small but essential collection of various attachments (Final Audio E, SpinFits) is also included. For the test, the Final-E Eartips once again made the most balanced impression. Also included and making a premium impression was the small leather-clad transport box.
Technology
I was also amazed at how well I felt which is able to shield Anima from outside noise - both a curse and a blessing.
There are no less than 13 drivers inside the casing:
A dynamic driver ensures a deep bass foundation with the characteristic, End of every single note. Four additional balanced armature drivers take care of the middle and upper bass segments.
Two “ventilated” BA drivers take care of the mids. Unfortunately, the technical background and its specific effects on the mids are not further described by the manufacturer. However, it can be assumed that these types of drivers give the “vocals” more space and thus an airy quality.
While two additional balanced armature drivers skillfully take care of the lower treble, four electrostatic drivers take over the upper frequencies up to 20 kHz. So far, however, I have not been able to interview any bats that reported to me sound impressions of 20kHz and higher.
Another special feature is the “Organic Horn Nozzle”. According to the manufacturer, a lot of tinkering went into this. The position and thickness of the drill holes were specifically tailored to the respective frequencies. According to the manufacturer, a particularly large number of prototypes were required for this - unfortunately, I am not aware of any exact images or documentation of this process.
Sound check
Bass
Basically, the Anima offers a lot of bass quality. Although this frequency range is clearly increased on the Anima, you can by no means call the Anima “bass-head headphones” - if you want even more quantity, you can help with the equalizer.
Middle
Heights
Despite the extended frequency response, no one needs to be afraid of the "treble" here - all audible highs are represented, but politely a tiny step in the background.
Overall impression
In terms of sound, the Anima is a romantic with its musicality - an esthete who, on the one hand, is committed to attention to detail and at the same time is able to inspire many things with his airy warmth. It should also be mentioned here that the Anima is noticeably close to the Harman curve, a standard reference response that is rated as particularly pleasant-sounding by a large percentage of listeners.
The space is very spacious and has a good amount of depth. Although different voices and instruments are well separated, there is never an impression of incoherence - a clear indication of an excellent implementation of the 13 different drivers.
I try to describe the soundstage with the image of a wide, rather narrow stage , with the listener right before it. Despite the warmth and proximity, I perceive an eerie airiness between the instruments and also (oh, the mystery!) upwards.
Comparison
Lime Ears Anima vs. Empire Ears Odin
The Empire Ears Odin is the reference in this price category of earphones that future generations will measure themselves against. Just because of the so-called “Weapon lX+”, the technology behind the Odin’s bass,
legitimizes the sworn clientele behind the Odin. I've never heard such a well-textured bass that goes deep to the core and at the same time can hold back when necessary.
The bass of the Anima may also be deep and hit cleverly, quickly and precisely thanks to the BA drivers - but it can by no means surpass the Odin in terms of both quality and quantity.
The Odin is also ahead when it comes to detail accuracy. However, a possible disadvantage is that even bad recordings can be exposed in an unpleasant way. The Anima is also very detailed. However, it reveals defects in recordings in a less unpleasantly noticeable way.
Basically, the two earphones differ primarily in that the Odin specializes in a very natural sound reproduction, with a slightly warm coloring, while the Anima has an extremely musical and also Warm playback preferred. Both earphones are very energetic and are able to captivate the listener in different ways.
A big difference is the soundstage. The Odin is much more three-dimensional and thus “places” the listener in a sound sphere. This succeeds in a very coherent and captivating way. The Anima, on the other hand, puts the listener in front of the action and thus gives the sound and the audience a little more air.
Lime Ears Anima vs. Vision Ears EXT
The EXT was supplied as a third comparison candidate by another local dealer in Zurich.
The flagship from Vision Ears clearly takes a different path than the Anima and the Odin. Unlike the latter, the EXT is not based on the Harman curve, but rather follows a slightly more V-shaped frequency response with an emphasis on the highs. The EXT also does without BA drivers, but instead has a smaller dynamic driver covering the mids.
Otherwise the unpopular sibilance (sharp hissing in the frequencies around 6kHz) can occur. In addition, foam attachments (Comply or SymbioW) take some of the edge off the highs. As soon as this obstacle is avoided, the significantly cheaper EXT is a fantastic competitor, which has its right to exist.
The EXT is probably the most analytical earbud of the three, despite the slightly boosted bass range and slight focus on the highs. From the airiness of the sound and from the nature and width of the soundstage, I equate the EXT with the Anima. In terms of attention to detail and the tendency to immediately expose bad recordings, the EXT shows no weakness compared to the Odin.
The EXT seems rather sober compared to the other earphones. He does not inevitably captivate the listener like Odin, nor does he try to ensnare the listener through the velvety nature of the Anima. Rather, he places the listener directly in front of the sound event and impresses with his neutral-seeming, blunt style.
The last word
Equipment
Test tracks
Amber Rubbarth (Scribbled Folk Symphonies) – Lay Your Burden Down
Rebecca Pidgeon (The Raven, Bob Katz 15th Anniversary) - Spanish Harlem
Yasmine Hamdan (Ya Nass) – Deny
Male vocals
Allan Taylor (Stockfish Records, Closer to the Music) – Beat Hotel
Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing
Eagles (2013) – Hotel California
Instrumental
George Benson (White Rabbit) – California Dreaming
Mozart (Karl Bhm, Wr.Philharmoniker 2012) – Requiem in D minor, K.626 – l Introitus
Steve Turre (Spirit Man) – Lover Man
Bad Tracks
Stromae – Ave Cesaria
21 Pilots – Stressed out
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