I remember the old stax - their electrostatic headphones were a classical and jazz music lovers wet dream. my grandfather had a pair, he died recently. this brought back some great memories for me.
Did Edifer buy STAX? wow, I had no idea. Stax have been one of the biggest high end headphone makers for a very long time - more in the audiophile sector.
Stax struggled for a long time. Makes sense Edifier taking them over and getting their engineers. Wonder if they will release a 1000 electrostatic set down the line 👌🏻
I like the look of these, had good success with edifier - not me personally, but a few family members and friends. I dont really use headphones much anymore however, should get a pair again
I like Stax, never owned them, but I wondered where they had gone in recent years. saw Kitguru post they were bought over around 10 years ago - had no idea that happened
I was very keen on this, even if I cant understand some things this guy says, but if the bass is weak then I will likely pass and move on. I like good bass for music
Great plain-spoken review. Thanks! Unfortunately I don't play anything, but I love music and if I can't go to a live gig I live on my BT or wired headphones when out and about and our speakers when home. The best wireless phones I've heard and am lucky enough to own are the Dali IO12. Compared to them the Edifiers put up a good accounting of themselves and blow away any equally priced or cheaper sets. Subbed and thanks again.
Sound staging is the best on these headphones - well not this particular set, ive no idea, but I heard the 009 before, absolutely incredible audio quality
Another great thing about edifier is if you're willing to do grey market, you can find huge markdowns after a couple of months. The S3 can be found for 200 USD now. This is gonna be 300-350 USD after a year.
My father has STAX headphones and a STAX amplifier, cost more than my car did ! didnt know they were going into the PC sector as well. Have these companies merged?
Good review mat, liked the enthusiasm, but they will have a tough time in this market, the 500 quid market has so many well known brands - I dont think the consumer space know stax too well
depends on speaker implementation, @philipjfry628 - a decent compromise is dipole / ribbon tweeters with normal cone-shaped woofers. With headphones, it shouldn't much matter - a good headphone amp should bolster high-energy bass material regardless of the kind of driver. ( though I've had non-planar , 'normal' headphones that were irritiatingly low on bass no matter what I tried - sold em)
Its interesting to see planar magnetic now making it into the gaming/pc sector, its not really a design I would recommend for gaming - and I was interested to see Mat reporting the same in testing
Were you able to review the main feature, aptx lossless at all? Ldac is usually not even used at its max capacity so to properly review this headphone, it should really be done at its max capacity using aptx.
I love these, the bass is always underwhelming with planar magnetic - 500 quid is a lot of money - you could argue they are in Sennheiser territory but if this is the same stax I know, bargain!
Nice to see a company like Edifier keep the stax name alive, but I never though id see a high end headphone maker release a 500 bluetooth headphone for the consumer audience. its a bit sad
Everyone tries to tell me PMD headphones are best. I realize my issue with headphones have been less about sound and more about comfort, which is why I went with the Sennheiser 490 Pro instead of the Audeze Maxwells.
I didn't use an amp when testing - I'm looking to add one for reviews like this in the future. They sounded great when connected directly to both my PC and mobile both wired and wireless - Mat
Please report spam as you see it, we always attempt to remove as much as we can... And let us know what's the most you'd spend on wireless headphones?
499 is my max. These are expensive at 500. 🤐
Stax have been well known for decades for electrostatic headphones, interesting to see Planar magnetic versions for mass market
Good info, didnt know that. googling now
Yes Stax 009 were epic. not much bass response, but amazing
Are Planar much better than standard dynamic headphones?
@@Linuxdistro15-ih8oxthey can be. Usually give a good rock sound too. Surprised the bass was weak according to mat
I’d love to hear these 😢
I love Edifier products. Got their speakers a year ago and they were such an upgrade over creative
Yeah a lot of people say this !
I remember the old stax - their electrostatic headphones were a classical and jazz music lovers wet dream. my grandfather had a pair, he died recently. this brought back some great memories for me.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
The clarity and detail in these headphones are unreal. Highly recommend! 🔥
These Stax Spirit S5s sound incredible! Truly the best headphones I've ever owned. 🎧✨
Just tried the Stax Spirit S5 and WOW, blown away by the sound quality! 😍
A lot of money, but they seem really well made, and I like how they have included a hard carry case, thats one thing I always end up buying
superb review mat, love how excited you got reviewing them, I like the red hot chilli peppers too great band
So good
Comfort meets amazing audio - Stax Spirit S5 are a game-changer! 🎶
If you're an audiophile, you NEED the Edifier Stax Spirit S5. Pure perfection! 🌟
Fascinating review, thanks kitguru for the overview and review, very good job
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@KitGuruTech Yeah!
Did Edifer buy STAX? wow, I had no idea. Stax have been one of the biggest high end headphone makers for a very long time - more in the audiophile sector.
Yeah they bought them over. I was amazed too. Edifier must have some buying power
Not sure I could afford this kind of money for headphones, but fasinating to see planar magnetic technology
The software looks good, interesting to see a product developed by a gaming company mixed with a high end traditional style headphone maker.
Thanks for the comment
@@KitGuruTech Welcome!
Awesome review, i might pick up a pair
You could always buy them on Amazon and return them if they fail to meet your expectations
@@KitGuruTech Okay!
They look great, this is how a headphone could be made - we dont need rgb and logos and bling everywhere
Wow had no idea what planar magnetic was, had to google it,. and went down a rabbit hole about headphone technology
Finally, bring in the knowledge of a legendary company to make better headphones in the lower end, I am all for that
It can only be a good thing right?
@@KitGuruTech Yes.
I love edifier, good warranty too, one of my speakers failed and they really looked after me. one of the better chinese brands
That’s good to hear
@@KitGuruTech Yes!!
Good looking headphones. Hope they do well. Would like to see more coming out from this merger.
Edifier are so dominant around the 500 market - both with speakers and now headphones
They've not disappointed me too much with anything I've reviewed so far to be honest - Mat
@@KitGuruTech Nobody would disappoint you if you give such great review lol!.
Great package that, even a hard carry case, some thing I always end up buying, that worth at least 50 bucks
THe packaging is great, - hard carry case and they look fantastic - going to buy these for my birthday. Yes im treating myself!
Enjoy!
@@KitGuruTech Surely!
Excellent ! Well done Edifier. !
Thank you! Cheers!
Mat- good taste in music man ! bravo !
Thanks mate - Gotta love a bit of Jimi!
@@KitGuruTech Welcome!
Too much money for me, but I love edifer stuff, hopefully they make a cut down version of this for around 300,. could still be good quality
Great review Mat, thanks - been looking at these on Amazon now for a while
Glad to help
@@KitGuruTech Thank You!
Fair review. I’d like to hear this compared to a normal dynamic driver headphone
Amazing headphones, just need to save up now.
Planar magnetic - Audeze were the headphone company behind all that long ago. nice to see it being expanded into this market sector.
This is awesome
Edifier are such a good company, a great move taking over a high end audiophile group to expand their knowledge
👍🏻
@@KitGuruTech
They ticked all the boxes for me - lambskin cups, subtle branding, planar magnetic, software control if you want, and I like the steel headphone band
Steel headphone band is always a great idea
@@KitGuruTech Right!
Sounds like these are really good.
If you like these Mat, try the Sennheiser Hd800 headphones, amazing
I might check them out :)
@@KitGuruTech Great!
Stax struggled for a long time. Makes sense Edifier taking them over and getting their engineers. Wonder if they will release a 1000 electrostatic set down the line 👌🏻
They need to release some kind of electrostatic headphone in collaboration after reading about all stax did in the past
I hope so too - It'd be interesting to compare the two - Mat
these look really nice, I appreciate the understated look - hate all the flashing lights and logos on headphones we get now.
Yes it’s annoying I agree. More companies lose sales adding rgb to every bloody thing they sell
Weird the bass is underwhelming, planar magnetic is usually quite good at bass frequencies
Good to see a fellow jimi Hendrix fan 👊🏻
Are you experienced?
Music kind of ended around 2015 as far as I'm concerned. We have decent tunes every now and then but the whole bands era is just finished.
Really good review. Good taste in music too. Jimi doesn’t get enough love now.
Him and John Frusciante are the two that made me first pick up a guitar many years ago :)
Wow, I was not expecting this one today! Had no idea Stax had sold out!!
I like the look of these, had good success with edifier - not me personally, but a few family members and friends. I dont really use headphones much anymore however, should get a pair again
What would you go for if you were to pick up a pair again?
Mats groove is in his heart at 5:26
😝
I like Stax, never owned them, but I wondered where they had gone in recent years. saw Kitguru post they were bought over around 10 years ago - had no idea that happened
Thanks for the recommend for Alternative A2DP its so annoying you dont get to control the codec that goes over bluetooth.
Sounds like an advert for Edifier ! so many superlatives ! surely they cant be that good.
They are pretty good and not an advert
@@KitGuruTech Right!!
@@KitGuruTech Right!
Really impressed with this as a package. Expensive but clearly quality design
Where can you buy these? I cant find them anywhere, and I dont like using Amazon
I was very keen on this, even if I cant understand some things this guy says, but if the bass is weak then I will likely pass and move on. I like good bass for music
Great plain-spoken review. Thanks! Unfortunately I don't play anything, but I love music and if I can't go to a live gig I live on my BT or wired headphones when out and about
and our speakers when home. The best wireless phones I've heard and am lucky enough to own are the Dali IO12. Compared to them the Edifiers put up a good accounting
of themselves and blow away any equally priced or cheaper sets.
Subbed and thanks again.
No worries!
these really do look great. Good value too imo
I bet these sounded good with classical music - the seperation while not electrostatic level should be amazing
Thanks for the comment
@@KitGuruTech Welcome!
Sound staging is the best on these headphones - well not this particular set, ive no idea, but I heard the 009 before, absolutely incredible audio quality
Quite surprising we are still at 96khz as high end. We have had DACs that can do that for quite a while now.
Edifier thinking they are Corsair now and taking over other companies !
😵
@@KitGuruTech
Wonder if we will see other companies in the audiophile sector merging with game style companies to get into the mass market. interesting idea
Who here remebers the Loudness switch on 1980s hifi.
That’s a blast from the past
Would prefer a decent pair of monitor speakers for that money.
Audio is amazing the amount of detail you can pull out of the same track if you are willing to spend the money.
Must be heart breaking for the audio engineers making these mixes knowing most people will never hear them properly.
Never heard of stax but after reading the comments I googled them interesting history
These drivers are really good if they are better than s3 they will be fantastic.
Oh look a fellow Jimi fan. Cheers! :)
Good taste !
Thanks for explaining why these cost more money. Need to give them a try.
Given the price why wouldnt they offer native DTS:X and Atmos lossless codec support?
Another great thing about edifier is if you're willing to do grey market, you can find huge markdowns after a couple of months. The S3 can be found for 200 USD now. This is gonna be 300-350 USD after a year.
Some savings there !
Lambskin cushions are a nice touch plus that means it isnt some kind of awful vegan thing.
They look like they are built to the price, but still, this company have a huge name in the audiophile sector
I would have ignored this review if I hadn't seen STAX in the name - when did Edifier buy Stax?
Back in 2012 but they were dormant for a few years
Seems like good headphones. I think Edifier struggle in headphone sector so this is smart.
Would upgrade to them if they came with a charging dock or swappable batteries.
I have the Audeze Maxwell, and the quality difference is insane compared to dynamic drivers.
How do you find the bass response ? Nice and tight ?
planar magnetic in a mainstream headphone, maybe this isnt the first, but I am stunned to see that happening at this price. how times change.
My father has STAX headphones and a STAX amplifier, cost more than my car did ! didnt know they were going into the PC sector as well. Have these companies merged?
Yeah edifier acquired Stax back in 2012, they were dormant for a while but are getting active again in the last couple of years
Had no idea it was so long ago. Is this their first headphone for pc market ?
@@lucifersheadscarf6988 no there was a Spirit S3 as well that came out last year, that was about £300
Good idea listening to Tidal they do have the best masters for streaming.
They are good. Qobus is good too
Good review mat, liked the enthusiasm, but they will have a tough time in this market, the 500 quid market has so many well known brands - I dont think the consumer space know stax too well
Can’t argue there is a lot of competition in this space.
Planar speakers are very good for mid to high ranges. Think they kind of have a bit of trouble with bass.
I guess it's something that can be semi overcome with a bit of EQ tweaking
depends on speaker implementation, @philipjfry628 - a decent compromise is dipole / ribbon tweeters with normal cone-shaped woofers. With headphones, it shouldn't much matter - a good headphone amp should bolster high-energy bass material regardless of the kind of driver. ( though I've had non-planar , 'normal' headphones that were irritiatingly low on bass no matter what I tried - sold em)
@@sanle7515 Yeah thats the problem isnt it. Not enough room in headphones to put planar and a woofer.
Very nice 👍❤
Thank you! Cheers!
Its interesting to see planar magnetic now making it into the gaming/pc sector, its not really a design I would recommend for gaming - and I was interested to see Mat reporting the same in testing
Yeah, they're overkill for gaming for sure - music sounds glorious through them though! :) - Mat
Were you able to review the main feature, aptx lossless at all? Ldac is usually not even used at its max capacity so to properly review this headphone, it should really be done at its max capacity using aptx.
I do like the subdued appearance. No lights and stupid flashing strips
It’s nice to have options
Didnt know edifier could command this type of price range.
How does this technology cope with movement? Do you have to be gentle with them?
They feel well made in the hand. I've not tested them while running or anything like that though unfortunately - Mat
They are targeting these firmly in sennheiser territory now
Always a strong challenger
@@KitGuruTech Strng challenger needed
I really dont know how you can justify spending 500 on headphones, clearly I need a new job
I love these, the bass is always underwhelming with planar magnetic - 500 quid is a lot of money - you could argue they are in Sennheiser territory but if this is the same stax I know, bargain!
I just bought a Grado set for £140 ish,. amazing - cant see them being beaten by anything to be honest !
Grado are great, do some very good budget friendly options
Nice to see a company like Edifier keep the stax name alive, but I never though id see a high end headphone maker release a 500 bluetooth headphone for the consumer audience. its a bit sad
Everyone tries to tell me PMD headphones are best. I realize my issue with headphones have been less about sound and more about comfort, which is why I went with the Sennheiser 490 Pro instead of the Audeze Maxwells.
How do you like the Sennheisers?
@@KitGuruTech They sound great and are comfortable. I doubt planar magnetic would improve the sound all that much.
What is the audio path when its on wired? Does it go direct to the speakers from the amp?
What the hell is the snapdragon sound suite?
I assume they are easy to drive? did you use a dedicated headphone amplifer to test?
I didn't use an amp when testing - I'm looking to add one for reviews like this in the future. They sounded great when connected directly to both my PC and mobile both wired and wireless - Mat
14:30 'A great looking pair of cans' - bet you say that to all the ladies mat !
😂
Edifier are one of the few chinese brands I like, - also Deepcool
Can u say the software for windows
What price are they in USA? do you know? Cant see them anywhere
Should be roughly $500 (I'll update if and when I hear more) - Mat
good lookin headphones, didnt know you liked such old music though , check out some new stuff like Tool
Tool are great. Wouldn’t call them new
Mind you.
Lambskin earphones - awesome, I hate leather, good move
Mat would you buy these with your own money ?
If I could hide spending £500 on headphones from my misses then yes 100% 😂
😂 I share your pain