Sound Impressions
Summary
Lime Ears has dialed in the TERRA with a fun, warm, u-shaped signature offering satisfyingly deep bass, lush mids, and bright, sparkly treble that avoids being overbearing.
While the small 7mm dynamic falters at extreme volumes, it provides visceral feedback that belies the size.
I suspect the sealed shells play a large role in this quality, as the sub-bass effect is reminiscent of Astrotec’s original Phoenix which had sealed wood shells and provided some of the most intense sub-bass I’ve experienced in an iem.
The mids are set back in the signature, letting the lows and highs take center stage. Even so, they don’t lack clarity or definition, and I never found myself struggling to make out specific instruments or lyrics.
The upper ranges offer near-unlimited extension, but Lime Ears was conservative in showing this off. As such, while treble emphasized, the TERRA isn’t overly fatiguing, nor does it shove detail down your throat.
It’s a refined version of a U-shaped signature that remains entertaining and technically competent, without veering too far in either direction.
Bass
The TERRA’s low end is pretty rad, providing a layer of visceral feedback you rarely get from an earphone. Their choice for a heavier titanium coating seems odd when almost every manufacturer is going for lightness, but their reasoning and the effect work.
The presentation is something you feel, with the deepest notes ticking the ear with intense vibrations. Texturing helps with this, as the low end of the TERRA is rife with information since grungy and dirty basslines are appropriately replicated, improved even further the better your source.
Speed is not this driver’s forte, though. Individual notes start to blend on extremely quick tracks with rapid basslines, an effect that becomes even more noticeable if listening at uncomfortably high volumes.
While the TERRA has a sub-bass bias, the mid-bass presence is enough to give the TERRA some weight and a realistic sense of warmth that benefits the midrange.
Mids
While lacking prominence, the midrange of the TERRA is quite pleasing. They fight for attention among the big bass and sparkly treble, but coherence and clarity aren’t issues.
Vocalists remain clear and easy to understand, and individual instruments can still be focused on easily. A layer of warmth that makes string and wood instruments, and female vocalists sound fantastic and natural is also present.
That said, this is not a detail-rich presentation suitable for analytic listening. If doing so, you’ll notice fine micro-details exist but are smoother than they could be, and the same could be said for texturing.
Sibilance is also still present, though the edge is taken off. The harshness of tees and esses isn’t egregious like it is on some competing products.
Treble
The HERO super tweeter gives the TERRA impressive levels of extension. There is no notable roll-off that exists as a result of driver limitations, but instead, tuning choices.
As a result, the TERRA has a brilliance region bias, but with a restrained emphasis that gives the earphone plenty of shimmer and sparkle, but not at the expense of fatigue. It’s not harsh, nor overly aggressive, just energetic and lively.
Speed is also excellent with a rapid decay and snappy attack to notes. There were no issues with notes blending or smearing, each remaining distinct and individual, allowing the TERRA’s upper ranges to handle some complicated passages successfully.
The RAU driver doesn’t offer the same level of control as I’ve heard from other products with a hint of splash present at times. Even still, it’s minimal and the overall presentation of the treble region is refined and mature.
Staging & Dynamics
This is where the TERRA wins me over most. The sound stage of this earphone is quite spacious and vast, with height being the only near-average aspect.
The default vocal positioning is just outside the ear, giving off an immediate sense of space. The hefty low end also helps to give the presentation a spacious floor on which to build.
Intimate effects and vocals can come uncomfortably close, an effect heightened by the default vocal position being set further back than average. They can also spread off well into the distance, an effect that can be quite immersive when using the TERRA for casual gaming.
Channel-to-channel movement is smooth and accurate, for the most part. Just off center, positioning through the TERRA can sound vague, but once you are firmly in one channel or the other, it remains crisp until the edge of the stage.
The TERRA also layers quite well, with tracks having a convincing sense of depth despite an average stage height.
Instrument separation is great in the treble and mids thanks to the armatures in play, with the 7mm dynamic faltering somewhat on lower tones, though still well within acceptable ranges at safe listening volumes.
Synergy
Efficiency
Effectively using the power it’s given is not an issue for the TERRA. While not as easy to drive as some earphones, the TERRA doesn’t require much effort to bring to listening volumes.
I can comfortably listen to the TERRA through my old, nerfed for the Canadian market, LG Q70. The headphone jack of a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 or Shanling M1s can be used just as easily.
Where the TERRA shines is in how it scales with the power given. Through something with a weaker output, the TERRA sounds great but toss a good amp its way, and the bass depth and texturing improve.
I didn’t hear much benefit to the mids or upper ranges, but I won’t complain given the benefits heard and felt in the low end.
Add to that a lack of background hiss or signature change across various sources, and I’m quite pleased with how consistent and efficient the TERRA is.
Pairings
ddHiFi’s TC44C dongle is the only device I own with a 4.4mm port, so it was paired with the TERRA for most of my time with it. Thankfully, the TC44C is powerful with a clean background, so it paired well with the TERRA.
Getting up to comfortable listening volumes and beyond was easy. On those nights when I wanted to listen at low volumes before bed, the TC44C allowed the TERRA to whisper music into my ears at a barely audible level.
Swapping to a 3.5mm single-ended cable and pitting the TC44C against other sources showed that beyond improving bass texturing and visceral response over weaker sources, it didn’t alter the TERRA’s signature in any significant way. There was no additional coloration to the mids, bonus detail in the treble, improved staging, etc.
The experience was mostly the same when using the EarMen TR-Amp to power the TERRA. High volumes were easy to achieve with a clean background and no hiss.
Low-volume listening wasn’t an option though. The analog volume dial of the TR-Amp incites a mild channel imbalance below ~10%, so keeping it above that is necessary.
While at comfortable listening volumes, the TERRA’s low end is most textured and visceral through the TR-Amp. Pair this with its smooth, refined mids and well-extended, highly detailed treble and wide staging and you’ve got yourself a gem of a pairing.
