Review: EDIFIER STAX SPIRIT S3 – stellar audio and battery, but some features are missing…
Crisp audio production, superior battery life, and comfort across long listening sessions. These three criteria are at the forefront of my mind as you shop for Bluetooth headphones, and I’m happy to say the Edifier STAX Spirit S3 exceeds my expectations on these fronts.
I hate to sound cliche, but I listen to various music styles – yes, including death metal – and the STAX Spirit S3 has done every single song justice. I’ve been using the S3s for two weeks and I’ve been so impressed by their tasteful blend of comfort and style while their wide sound stage and clean signal reproduction put you in a world of sonic imagination – no, seriously, these cans have the best audio reproduction of any headphones I’ve reviewed, despite the missing ANC.
Edifier has gone above and beyond in one arena in particular – battery life. The manufacturer promises 80 hours of playtime, giving the STAX Spirit S3s the best battery life of any Bluetooth headphones on the market. “Wow!” I hear you exclaim. “Does that mean I have all the more time to immerse myself in the Hi-Res certified audio, provided by Qualcomm snapdragon aptX high-definition codecs, between charges?” you ask.
With a wry smile, I’m here to tell you that this is certainly the case (and then some), and I’ll add that their audio fidelity is further complimented by the excellent sound isolation.
STAX Spirit S3 rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price & release date
- Released on February 24th, 2022
- Orignal retail price $399 / £330
Released in early 2022, the Stax S3 wireless headphones were asking for a price a fair bit higher than some of the heavyweights in the wireless headphone market – Sony’s WH1000 XM5 ($279), Bose QuietComfort 45 ($329), etc. – though the STAX price has dropped a little in the last year.
What’s in the box?
- STAX headphones
- Clam case
- USB-C charging cable
- 3.5mm aux cable
- User manual
- Additional “Ice feeling” ear muffs.
- Guitar plectrum
Features
First, I want to talk about the multi-function button because, although this isn’t a huge deal, it can be fiddly and inconsistent. The user manual instructs you to hold it down for 3 seconds to turn the headphones on/off, and while the cans turn on as they should every time, they don’t always turn off after 3 seconds. Sometimes I find myself having to hold the button for longer or having to release pressure and try again, and again, and sometimes again.
This is a nuisance and I feel it is somewhat of an oversight. At launch, Edifier was asking for a rather costly price tag and, in my opinion, the manufacturer should be nailing something like this for such a cost. Nevertheless, the volume buttons work as they should whether you’re listening via Bluetooth or the provided 3.5mm aux.
Perhaps the most promising feature Edifier has provided is the prolonged battery life. Although the manufacturer promises around 80 hours of playtime I easily got 90. Honestly, the battery life of the S3s is incredible and it’s the best of any Bluetooth headphones I’ve used or reviewed. What’s more, ten minutes of charge earns you 11 hours of playtime while Edifier states that a total of 1.5 hours of charge maximises playtime.
The Edifier STAX S3s offer Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with support for aptX HD and aptX Adaptive codecs, in addition to SBC if intense data transfer isn’t possible while travelling. Audio transmission can be briefly disrupted every now and then before returning which can be frustrating as there never seems to be a reason. Again, for such a price tag I think this is something Edifier should be nailing.
Meanwhile, the STAX S3s don’t offer any ANC which, at this price point, is a little disappointing. The cans do feature microphones for calls so Edifier could have incorporated noise cancelling, but I guess that would have bumped the price up further making the S3s much less affordable. On the other hand, the S3s do have some dope sound isolation! My colleagues sitting next to me couldn’t hear what was playing through the headphones while the volume was at or below 60% or 70%, meaning the STAX headphones are well suited to quiet environments like planes and offices. Unfortunately, noise does bleed in while on buses, in the gym and in other noisy environments, but by increasing the volume to about 80% it’s pretty easy to drown environmental noise out.
One area that Edifier never fails to impress is in call quality. With a mic for aptX Voice-certified call-handling, the S3 headphones reproduce the voice on the other end of the line pretty clearly. Walking through a busy high street while chatting does make me look a bit weird (to some, at least) but little did they know that I could hear my friends’ speech with ease despite the judgemental noise of passers-by.
Another missing feature is audio transmission over USB. It’s not possible to listen to anything while the headphones are charging which, in truth, is underwhelming for the money Edifier are asking. As a consumer, I would hesitate to choose the S3s when manufacturers like Beats are including these desirable functions and features (although Beats can only promise 40 hours of battery life). But since I’m lucky enough to be reviewing and experiencing what they have to offer, I can tell you that the high-quality audio does go a long way in making up for these missing features.
Sound quality
These S3s use 89mm x 70mm planar magnetic drivers, strikingly similar to Adam Audio’s notorious X-ART ribbon tweeters. This is the first time I’ve listened to this kind of driver and I’ve been nothing short of impressed with their crisp, wholesome audio reproduction. The drivers are more than capable of revealing the finer details of a track, offering a frequency response of 20 Hz – 40 kHz.
Vocals are front and centre with no compromise while the bass response delivers a rich tone full of warmth and energy. I tend to listen to a lot of bass music from artists such as Resonant Language and COPYCATT, and the high production value that their music has really come through in the STAX S3s. Programmed snares and percussion are snappy and crisp in the headphones while bass drums are clear and punchy, meaning these cans certainly keep the pulsing rhymes of bass music alive. This translates well to genres such as hip hop where this blend of snap, sway and bass is coupled with vocals which the headphones keep in balance with the other elements.
Equally awesome was my experience listening to a range of other styles including classical, pop, metal and hardcore. While the latter two are often pretty compressed styles which do show in the headphones with decreased volume, the sound stage is still immersive. 16th-note kick drums, blast beats, thick guitar tones and vocal growls and screams are all well-balanced against one another and, even if I do say so myself, induce a frenzy which some may call a “one-person mosh“.
Anyway, music from artists such as Post Malone, Aries, Ed Sheeran, and Ellie Goulding delivers the polished finesse you’d expect. Guitars and keys have a defined space behind the vocals, and although Bluetooth headphones aren’t always the best for capturing small musical nuances, these STAX headphones have a level of depth I haven’t heard in wireless headphones before.
Not long ago, I reviewed Edifier’s WH950NB wireless headphones which use 40mm dynamic drivers and still produce stellar audio. I wonder how they’d sound with these same drivers found in the Spirit S3s?
Design
I’ve been wearing the STAX S3s for a while now and, as someone that wears glasses, it’s been refreshing to use over-ear headphones that don’t impel the arms of my spectacles into the sides of my head, thus causing no discomfort. Weighing in at just 329g, these cans don’t feel very heavy as they clamp around my head nicely though not too firmly.
The ear cups fold up into the headband while the cups themselves angle slightly forward for a comfortable listening experience, and adjusting the headband for size isn’t too clicky. On the rear of each ear cup is a herringbone design each with a gold “S” accenting the black carbon fibre construction and keeping STAX front and centre. Furthermore, Edifier provides two pairs of ear muffs – a leather pair and an “Ice feeling” pair of muffs with cooling gel inside. It’s important to note that Edifier has used real lamb skin leather, meaning these headphones are not suitable for vegans. However, both ear muffs are super comfortable and don’t cause fatigue over long listening sessions.
The headband is fitted with the same comfortable leather as the ear muffs, and as a result, I’ve had a super comfortable time with the STAX Spirit headphones. All in all, the S3 headphones feel soft, balanced and lightweight on my head.
There are so many awesome things to talk about with these headphones, one thing I feel throws the rather large price tag into question is a creaking that occurs in the folding hinges of the earcups. I found it’s only noticeable while walking with the volume moderately low, but for such a price tag I feel this creaking undermines the design.
Edifier Connect companion app
After having reviewed the Edifier Connect app in my review of the WH950NB headphones, I don’t actually have that much to say bout it this time around. That’s because the STAX Sprit S3s simply don’t have as many features as the 950s.
While the STAX have three presets to choose from, after testing each I stuck with ‘Classic’ because the others just didn’t strike me as sounding too good. I noticed that “Hi-Fi” sounds a little boxy in the low-end and STAX mode sounded even more compressed.
I like that the app lets you select the Ice Feeling muffs and tailors the sound accordingly, though I haven’t tested the muffs themselves. It’s unfortunate that the STAX cans have limited features compared to the WH950NBs and, after having used both, that’s no clearer anywhere else than the Edifer Connect app.
Value
Depending on where you look, you can get the STAX S3 headphones for a price tag between £230 and £319. After spending so much time with these cans and finding that they’re missing a couple of premium features like ANC and audio over USB transmission, I think $230 is a suitable price tag.
Ultimately, the S3s have the best audio quality and battery life of Bluetooth headphones that I’ve heard to date, but leaving out features which are becoming more standard than exceptional doesn’t give me the impression that charging over $300 is appropriate. On the other hand, Sony’s WH1000 XM5 headphones are selling for $279 at most and they offer ANC – so if you’re wondering why go for the STAX when the XM5s offer that little bit more, I can’t say I blame you.
All in all, the Edifier STAX S3s are a stellar pair of headphones that are a solid choice for casual listening, they’re just missing a couple of features. Coming from a music production background I always hesitate to recommend Bluetooth headphones for critical listening, but these headphones are definitely better for attentive listening than alternatives I’ve used!