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Technical Performance
When it comes to soundstage, the Lime Ears Terra performs well within its price range, though it may not match the spaciousness of higher-end IEMs, especially hybrids. That said, the Terra still offers a solid, airy soundstage with good depth, and while its width may not be its strongest feature, it remains commendable for its spacious presentation across the spectrum.
The Terra also excels in separation and stereo imaging, aided by a clean, black background. One of its standout qualities is its naturalness—delivering music with a smooth, effortless tone that feels organic. It never leans too sterile or overly warm; instead, it presents a balanced, coherent, and neutral sound. This sense of naturalness gives the impression of listening to a live recording, making the Terra a compelling option for those seeking both accuracy and musicality.
Of all of its qualities, the Terra impresses the most with its coherency to me though. This IEM is exceptionally coherent, and I usually find that quality with conventional IEMs such as single dynamics or full BA setups. But Emil has managed to do that with a hybrid design. That, to me, is a distinctive quality of the Terra.
Comparisons
The American offering, Campfire Moon Rover, was the subject of my previous review. Despite its totally different driver setup, these two have one thing in common; transients. The Campfire has a single planar driver, so the bass is very quick and you hear excellent response across the board.
Terra has the same qualities, but the difference is, that it does that with a conventional hybrid setup with a dynamic driver included. That is impressive. Coming to their tunings, the Campfire sounds a bit warmer, and the Terra sounds more vivid and bright in the mid-range. When it comes to treble, the Moon Rover is brighter and if you don’t choose the foam tips, it can be a bit harsh. The Terra doesn’t have that issue. However, the Lime Ears offering excels the most against the Moon Rover when it comes to coherency.
Let’s compare the Terra with another IEM from Poland with a similar price tag; the FIBAE 5 from Custom Art. It has its own distinct technologies such as its name, FIBAE; the Flat Impedance technology. They both fit well and have good accessories, but the Terra is from aluminium and the F5 has a 3D-printed acrylic shell.
When it comes to sound differences, the FIBAE 5 is more of a v-shaped IEM, boosting lower and upper frequencies, with a warmer approach than the Terra. The F5 has much more body in its sound and more crispness and brightness in the treble. To me, the Terra has a less impressive bass but a more impressive mid-range with better clarity, and its overall coherency is more successful. Terra’s treble, although not as extending or bright, is more under control. The F5 has a larger soundstage. For a fun sound character, the F5 is a good choice, whilst the Terra excels in terms of musicality, coherency and mid-range tonality.
Conclusion
The new Lime Ears Terra to me is a very successful creation from Emil, with its coherent and natural tuning with great refinement. The IEM impresses from start to finish with its package, design, build quality, fit and sound performance. In the upper-mid-range IEM market, the Terra is a serious option, especially for those who look for great coherency and mid-range timbre.
The Terra has become my daily IEM for a considerable amount of time already, especially when I just want to listen to music without thinking about much else. It provides a pleasing and comfortable experience with its tuning qualities and deserves to be in our Best Universal IEMs.
Summary
Pros:
- Good packaging
- Aluminium build
- Unique faceplate design
- Strong coherency
- Mid-range timbre
- PRaT
- Capable imaging
Cons:
- More ear tip selections could have been provided
- Fun sound lovers would need more bass and brighter treble
- Sound-stage is not amazing
Page 1: About, Packaging, Design & Build, Fit
Page 2: Sound Quality
