Edifier is well known for its exeptional audio products and the STAX S5 are no different. Doubling down on what was great about the S3 headphones, the S5s look as good as they sound which is to say perfect for audiophiles.

Edifier’s new wireless headphones are packed with various Bluetooth codecs for premium sound, and although there is no active ANC the STAX S5s offer excellent sound isolation and comfort. Navigate your music and adjust the volume with the built-in buttons and alternately connect devices with the Bluetooth pairing switch.

On sale at $499.99 / £499.99 / €499.99, the S5s ask a premium price tag, but you do get premium sound. Nevertheless, Sony & Bose, the biggest players in the game, don’t ask for this much so you’re likely intrigued as to how the S5s stand up against the competition.

What’s in the box?

  • Edifier STAX S5 headphones
  • USB-C power cable
  • 3.5mm aux cable
  • 1/4″ adapter
  • Cooling mesh earpads
  • Guitar plectrum

Features: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As the younger sibling of the STAX S3, the Edifier STAX S5 is packed with features and the same crisp-sounding 89mm x 70mm planar magnetic drivers. Offering Hi-Res sound over wired and wireless connections (3.5mm aux provided), these top-shelf headphones deliver sonic bang for your buck.

These headphones have several Bluetooth codec options including Snapdragon, LHCD and LDAC, and fully compatible with Bluetooth V5.4.

The Edifeir STAX Spirit S5.

Like the S3 model, the STAX S5 Bluetooth headphones let you enjoy your music for up to 80 hours. In fact, after extensive use this past week they’re sitting at 59% battery life at the time of writing.

My experience using the S5s has been more enjoyable simply because I haven’t had to charge the headphones once. If you’re travelling long distances, I’m sure a single charge before you set off will see you through your travels with your favourite music! Unfortunately, fast charging isn’t a listed feature though.

Although the Edifier S5 headphones utilise a dual-mic design for Environmental Noise Cancelling (ENC) during calls, they are missing Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) while listening to music.

This is often a deal breaker if you don’t want to have to turn your music up loud to block out environmental sounds. I reached out to Edifier to find out why.

The reason? The design limitations of the planar magnetic drivers.

Coupling ANC technology with planar magnetic drivers may degrade audio quality and deliver less-than-optimal noise cancelling. Therefore, I’d suggest weighing up how important noise cancelling is to you – these S5s sound amazing and offer exceptional sound isolation, but they fall short at ANC and ask for $500.

As someone who enjoys ANC, I haven’t noticed much noise bleeding through the cups other than the engine rumbles of public transport while using the STAX S5.

Moreover, the STAX S3 offered a single multi-purpose button which was a bit unreliable – it was clunky and didn’t always work how it was supposed to.

Now, the S5 model offers the button exclusively as a power button – one that is far more stable than its predecessor – with volume controls on either side. The neat addition of a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button makes the pairing between devices seamless without unnecessary faff.

However, one kink I found was the unpredictability of the S5s multi-point pairing. Attempting to connect my Mac & smartphone at the same time was fruitless as the headphones booted the other off as the other paired.

The companion app to the STAX S5, Edifier ConneX, is pretty simple in its offerings. Like the headphones, Edifier has streamlined all app features so there’s nothing to get lost with, unlike the companion app for the S3 model (Edifier Connect).

Sound: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Listening through my favourite tracks, ranging from electronic bass music to metal, pop punk, and a dash of some classical recordings, the STAX S5s reproduced each track with magnificent clarity. The sound is full and punchy, delivering rich bass with well-defined mids and crisp treble.

Promising frequency reproduction between 10 Hz – 40 kHz, the open sound of the STAX S5 allows effects and cymbals to breathe in the high end while instruments, vocals and snare drums dominate the mid-range. Meanwhile, snare drums snap and crack in the space as the mix engineer intended while kick drums revel in the extended low end with their mid-range punch ever-present.

In the app, you can access the Sound Effects menu which is a small selection of EQ presets. You’ll find “Original”, “Dynamic” (the default), “Monitor” and “Customized”.

Each mode sounds excellent, and producers will be happy to find an option that flattens the frequency response of the S5s. The Custom EQ menu presents a 4-band graphic EQ with adjustable bandwidths for easy adjustments per band.

One thing I noticed while comparing the S5s with the likes of affordable Bluetooth headphones like the EarFun Wave Pro was the width of the stereo field in the STAX. For instance, metal and punk genres, with thick guitar lines and usually extreme compression, make use of panning to keep crash, china and ride cymbals from muddying the mix.

While using the S5s, these instruments were extremely wide and out of the way of vocals and guitars. They were almost a little too wide for my liking – headphones do tend to sound wider than stereo speakers – but far from unlistenable!

In contrast, the Wave Pro headphones had everything a little more boxed in. This is a testament to the engineering behind the drivers in the S5s – articulate, smooth and open.

Design: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Comparing the S5 to the S3, it’s immediately noticeable how Edifier has gone for less of a trendy look and beefed up the new STAX model with a sophisticated matte finish. The STAX S5s are pretty bulky and heavy but deliver a sophisticated finish and premium feel as you’d expect from such a large asking price.

Nonetheless, some may be disheartened by the size of the STAX S5 headphones. They’re super comfortable regardless of size with their adjustable steel headband and plush lambskin earpads, and the fold-up design of the new STAX model also makes for easy storage and transportation.

Edifier has provided additional cooling mesh earpads that allows your ears to breathe while travelling or wearing in hot conditions too.

Edifier provides additional cooling mesh earpads.

Moreover, the upgraded pivot hinge reduces mechanical vibration while wearing which was a bit of an issue in the S3. Controls are also thoughtfully placed on the S5 earcups, with the power button and volume controls on the right and sitting above the Bluetooth button.

Alongside these is the USB-C power port & an LED indicating paring, connection & power. On the left cup sits the 3.5mm aux port.

Value: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

At $499.99, the STAX S5 wireless headphones are asking for quite a bit. Neither the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones nor the Sony 1000XM5 ask for this much, asking for $450 & $300 respectively, so I’m curious to see how the Edifiers will fare.

Despite the lack of ANC, the Edifier STAX S5 is a solid pair of headphones with a fantastic, open sound and they’re super comfortable. However, no ANC may mean the S5s could struggle to perform well when priced so highly when both the Sony & Bose headphones offer “world-class” noise cancellation while the Edifer’s don’t.

Nevertheless, the S5s do offer great isolation from the outside world. My listening experience was rarely disrupted other than on public transport by train & bus engine rumbles, but my EarFun Wave Pros with noise cancelling struggle to do well at eliminating that. Of course, environmental noise will disrupt podcast listeners more than music.

Ultimately, the Edifier STAX S5s are for you if you have a lot of spare cash, don’t care for ANC and are seeking high-definition audio suited to the most committed audiophiles. The S5s truly sound fantastic and the onboard controls and app are streamlined and easy to use. The S5s are comfortable and deliver a smooth reproduction of audio no matter which EQ preset you prefer.

The Edifier STAX S5 are available for purchase now!