Today’s article concerns the new Edifier Stax Spirit S5, which sells for $499 USD.

Disclaimer: Edifier sent us the Stax Spirit S5 free of charge for this review. However, my thoughts and experiences with the product are my own. 

Edifier

Edifier is a Chinese audio company founded in 1996. It specializes in professional audio solutions and is passionate about sound. Edifier does its best to help others discover the power of music. It also offers scholarships and has a foundation to help children with hearing impairments. 

Stax Spirit S5

The Edifier Stax Spirit S5 is Edifier’s new Planar Magnetic Wireless Headphones. It features the latest Bluetooth technology and planar magnetic drivers for the best wireless sound performance. 

The S5 features advanced planar magnetic drivers with 2nd EqualMass™ wiring for high-fidelity sound and Snapdragon Sound technology. It supports Hi-Res Audio Wireless with a wide frequency range (10Hz–40kHz) and offers effective call noise cancellation via Qualcomm aptX™ Voice and cVc 8.0 dual-mic ENC.

Design-wise, they are lightweight at 347g and provide around 80 hours of battery life (with AAC codec). Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.4, a 3.5mm aux cable, and USB Type-C, with a 10m Bluetooth range. Supported audio codecs include Snapdragon Sound, Qualcomm aptX™ (Lossless, Adaptive, HD), LHDC, LDAC, AAC, and SBC, ensuring versatile compatibility.

Here, you can learn about the Stax Sprit S5 on its dedicated web page.

Packaging, Accessories

The S5 unboxing is a good experience. It comes in high-quality packaging and a premium presentation. The unit has many accessories, including replaceable earpads, a 3.5mm cable and a USB-C cable for a wired connection, a picker tool for replacing the earpads, and a premium carrying case. The unit has leather earpads; the spare ones are cooling-mesh earpads for enhanced comfort.

Design, Comfort

The Stax Spirit S5’s design feels more professional than most over-ear wireless headphones. The looks of the headphone doesn’t scream to show off. It instead looks serious and on point. The design overall has a nice refinement to it, with enough elegance and seriousness at the same time. I liked the design language of the S5, particularly for this restrained but sleek aesthetic.

The S5 is pretty comfortable, although I would have preferred wider, deeper earcups. The leather earpads, which are pre-installed, become a little uncomfortable over long periods of listening. Cooling-mesh ones work better for those who want enhanced comfort. Overall, the headphone is comfortable, but I can’t say it’s exceptionally comfortable.

User Experience

My overall experience with the Spirit S5 has been very positive. Everything is straightforward, mainly if you’re used to these wireless headphones. The connection to my Android phone was instant, and I downloaded Edifier’s ConneX app. The flexible settings and sound adjustments inside are handy if you like to experiment with these settings.

The settings include earpad setup, sound effects (EQ), gaming mode, HD audio codec settings, multi-connection, button customization, voice assistant, etc. The EQ settings and LDAC and LHDC bitrate settings were helpful. I mostly used the headphone with a “monitor” sound setting, which creates a more reference presentation. In the HD audio codec section, you can force a 96 kHz sample rate and 900 kbps bitrate if your goal is the ultimate wireless sound quality.

The application can be used to control everything. However, it has a three-button classic layout with volume down, play/pause, and up. The app can also program a fourth BT connection button. 

The Spirit S5’s biggest downside is its lack of ANC. Wireless over-ear headphones are designed for use when commuting, but the S5 only has passive isolation, which is a disadvantage for most people. Active noise cancelling is non-existent.

Sound General

The Stax Spirit S5 is not your typical wireless headphone in terms of sound quality. It doesn’t deliver deep, rumbling bass, an exciting V-shaped sound profile, or overly highlighted treble. Instead, the S5 offers a well-balanced, refined, and clear audio experience, which is quite impressive for a wireless headphone.

The Spirit S5’s key highlights include clarity, soundstage, resolution, balance, and detail. The headphones also provide coherent sound and excellent mid-range timbre—an aspect often lacking in many wireless models.

Sound Details

Bass

The bass performance is satisfying in the “original” sound setting, with deep and impactful lows. The sub-bass is on ideal levels with a good rumble, and the mid-bass is impactful when needed. With this setting, the bass quantity and impact are more than neutral, but it’s not like most consumer-grade headphones, where you have an insane amount of bass. The S5 is not that type of headphone.

However, with the “dynamic” pre-setting, you can get that vibe with movie soundtracks, EDM, or gaming. So, in the bass department, it’s a versatile headphone that can be used with whatever you need. If unsatisfied with the pre-installed settings, you can also pinpoint the desired response with manual EQ. I mostly used the “monitor” setting, as I believe that is the correct reference bass that I require, but it’s nice to have options in settings, and the drivers respond accordingly.

The article continues on the second page; click here or use the jumps below.

Page 1: Information, Packaging, Design, Comfort, Experience, Sound General

Page 2: More on Sound, Conclusion