Edifier Stax Spirit S3 Planar Wireless Headphones Review.

There is quite a lot of exotic tech in these headphones. But let’s start at unboxing them, right away you know you have something special here. They have a comfortable fit, not too big or too small and they feel right about the perfect weight. A great start to the S3s. I let them charge up first while I inspected the finish. This is pretty much my only gripe with the S3s, they just don’t have the $400 feel to them. They are soft, yes, but the overall quality doesn’t feel there, lots of plastic, and much of it is shiny plastic. A few more quality materials here would have been welcome.

The tech inside the headphones is quite impressive. Equal Mass Diaphragms better reproduce the sound accurately and with more detail. These are Planar driver headphones and as such they are extremely detailed and precise sounding. Add to that there is also Fazor Phase Management (similar in theory to what HIFIMAN does with its “Stealth Magnet” design), Hi-Res Audio capable, “SnapDragon Sound” and oh there is an app too. 80 hours of playback time is above average as well, many headphones offer 40- 70 as the norm as well as a wired backup option. Plenty of tech packed inside here, but does it all work together in harmony? Let’s see how it sounds.

Listening Setup:
iPhone 13 Mini (Bluetooth)

Sample Music:
Valiant Hearts – Alaska
Talk to a Friend – Rain City Drive
PVRIS – White Noise
Young Medicine – Lost Boys

So how do they sound? Really, really good, honestly. When you jump up in price with headphones to the $300-400 range, you’re in an area of audiophiles looking to spend more, but still wanting good bang for the buck. I looked and listened for negatives, and I couldn’t pick out anything that sounded off or not right. Edifier truly nailed the sound here; everything sounds crisp and clean. The bass is present but not overpowering and it flows really well with the planar sound.

While headphones can be a grab bag of different characters, Edifier seems to be putting all its efforts into sound quality, not just styling as so many other brands do. Even over Bluetooth the quality and balance remained relatively unchanged and clean. I am not going to say they sound like headphones costing more, because this is what a $400 pair of headphones should sound like, $400 worth of great quality sound! And that’s what you get with the Spirit S3s.

If you’re looking for a pair of $400 wireless headphones that sound like $400, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3s are a great choice. They don’t have an overdose of bass or a terrible app that you have to use, they just work and sound amazing. While not the flashiest or best-looking, they have everything that counts and that’s the quality of the drivers and electronics to make them sound great. Definitely a bit of a sleeper pair of headphones, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3s are a solid choice for great-sounding audio in a well- designed package.