Short answer: the Lime Ears Maris. It ranks #883 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.4/5, at $2,799; the 64 Audio U18S ranks #963, rated 3.1/5, and costs $2,999, which makes this an easy call rather than a real tradeoff.
Why pick the Lime Ears Maris: A flagship with coaxial dynamic woofers, six armatures, electrostatic tweeters and bone conduction drivers, with a solid Harman score of 66 across ten measurements. Watch for: Treble sits about 3.7 dB below target, so it sounds dark next to its price rivals, and it measures behind the cheaper Lime Ears Terra.
What the 64 Audio U18S does well: Eighteen balanced armature drivers per side deliver a warm, relaxed tuning with bass about 1.6 dB above target and sub-bass within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz. The tradeoff: Across seven hobbyist measurements on squig.link, the 3 to 6 kHz presence region sits about 6 dB below target with a 9 dB dip near 5.8 kHz, so vocals and guitars lose bite and fine detail sounds veiled.
Buy the Lime Ears Maris. It is rated higher for sound quality than the 64 Audio U18S and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
A flagship with coaxial dynamic woofers, six armatures, electrostatic tweeters and bone conduction drivers, with a solid Harman score of 66 across ten measurements.
Lime Ears eBayEighteen balanced armature drivers per side deliver a warm, relaxed tuning with bass about 1.6 dB above target and sub-bass within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz.
64 Audio $2,999.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Lime Ears Maris | 64 Audio U18S | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,799 | $2,999.00 |
| Ranked | #883 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #963 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Multi-driver | Balanced armature |
| Drivers | 2 x 8mm coaxial dynamic + 6 x balanced armature + 2 x electrostatic + 2 x bone conduction | 18 x balanced armature (1 tia high + 1 high-mid + 8 mid + 8 low) |
| Harman Preference Score | 66 (median of 10 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 63 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.33 dB standard deviation | 2.78 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.97 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.81 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.6 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.7 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Impedance | - | 8 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 106 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | - | 10Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Lime Ears Maris from aden, animagus, audioamigo, ducbloke, eliseaudio, jaytiss, koi, practiphile, pw and superreview; the 64 Audio U18S from aftersound, dchpgall, precog, recode, superreview, theaudiostore and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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