Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: fantastic-sounding earbuds with a few issues in the feature set

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Edifier Stax Spirit S10: Two-minute review

Since I started testing nan Edifier Stax Spirit S10, I’ve dropped nan words 'planar magnetic' into speech erstwhile describing them a fewer times. Given nan number of blank looks I received astatine nan phrase, I consciousness it’s important for maine to explicate it, fixed that it is nan cardinal trading constituent of these premium earbuds – and they whitethorn still participate our best earbuds buying guide arsenic 'best planar magnetic buy' aliases similar.

A planar magnetic driver is simply a benignant of level headphone aliases earbud driver that's fragile, costly and typically bigger than move (cone-shaped) drivers, but it tin connection a wonderfully balanced, elaborate sound pinch little distortion – erstwhile done well. Planar earbuds are, arsenic opposed to nan homophone, decidedly not plainer than move ones.

The immense mostly of devices touting planar magnetic drivers are headphones, including Edifier’s Spirit Stax S3 and S5, truthful nan instrumentality nan institution has pulled pinch nan Stax Spirit S10 is utilizing this tech for a caller group of wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.

Cue earbuds lovers asking what audiophiles already know: “Do nan Stax Spirit S10 sound good?” The reply is simply a resounding yes: they sound awesome for existent wireless earbuds, offering amended audio than beloved rivals from Apple and Samsung. The move scope is wonderful, pinch pronounced bass and crisp treble, and I recovered them awesome for listening to thing from acoustic popular to synthwave and post-rock. The maximum measurement could do pinch being a touch higher, but beyond that, it’s intolerable to responsibility nan sound of nan Edifiers.

So why don’t nan Edifier Stax Spirit S10 merit a five-star review? Well, it’s difficult to springiness a five-star reappraisal to a merchandise pinch a five-star value for illustration nan Edifiers, fixed really precocious expectations are erstwhile you’re paying much for them than rival AirPods and Galaxy Buds. But that’s not nan logic that nan Edifier sheds a full star.

The existent logic is that nan S10 person a fewer unsmooth edges successful nan usability section that galore rivals do better. My first gripe was pairing: they virtually wouldn’t brace to my telephone to statesman pinch (leading maine to rustle nan buds disconnected for different brace I was testing initially, and it was only erstwhile I was astir to deed ‘send’ connected a connection to my editor to show her that nan buds weren’t moving that they yet decided to get their enactment together). Of course, this was conscionable my individual acquisition – I'm incapable to committedness you'll person nan aforesaid issues erstwhile trying to brace a group to your telephone aliases tablet – but arsenic personification who's tested virtually scores of wireless earbuds, it's different and note-worthy for buds to simply garbage to brace to my trusted root devices. 

All done nan testing period, they were slow to link to my phone, and nan overseas droppage present and location erstwhile I was retired and astir sewage successful nan measurement of my listening.

Lastly, nan S10 are nan first of Edifier’s Stax Spirit devices to person Active Noise Cancellation. But you mightiness not beryllium capable to tell, because it’s incredibly light-touch. There are various modes to prime from, but moreover nan strongest struggled to select retired mean chatter successful my office, and nan adaptive mode was, there’s nary different connection for it, ‘janky’. 

It’d sometimes alteration modes erstwhile I was sitting still, starring to a noticeable alteration successful my audio contempt not affecting nan sound levels beyond it excessively overmuch – and it changes dramatically. I wish location was an antonym for ‘seamless’ successful a tech context; immoderate it is, that’s really nan adaptive sound cancellation sounds.

Edifier besides triggers my pet peeve of audio companies: having aggregate different pairing apps. I spent half of nan testing play pinch Edifier Connect connected my phone, reasoning that nan Stax Spirit S10 didn’t person an app, and it took maine a while to recognize that I really needed to person downloaded EDIFIER Connex. Come on, Edifier!

Audiophiles are astir apt utilized to overlooking annoying quality-of-life issues successful nan quest for cleanable sound, and nan Stax Spirit S10 will beryllium an enjoyable stepping chromatic successful that journey. A comfortable fit, support for a bully scope of codecs and different branded technologies, positive a unique look each thief maine place nan unusual quirks of nan buds. 

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Price and merchandise date

• Announced successful September 2024
• On waste successful nan US
• Cost $299 (roughly £230, AU$450)

Edifier announced nan Stax Spirit S10 successful September 2024 and released them soon afterwards, truthful they’re disposable to bargain successful immoderate regions correct now.

In nan US, you tin bargain nan Spirit S10 for $299 – that value converts to astir £230 / AU$450. I can’t find them connected waste from trusted retailers successful nan UK aliases Australia but Edifier does waste gadgets successful some regions, truthful we could spot it rotation retired nan earbuds to those places successful nan future. 

As you tin show from this price, nan Edifiers are premium earbuds aimed astatine discerning buyers. They lucifer successful value nan Technics EAH-AZ80 which apical our database of nan champion earbuds and costs much than nan AirPods Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (individually).

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Specs

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Features

• 5-hour buds battery, 18-hour pinch case, erstwhile ANC is on
• Noise cancellation leaves a batch to beryllium desired
• Some relationship issues

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 connection each of nan features you’d expect successful premium headphones… but they don’t each activity perfectly.

The artillery life is an example. Edifier doesn’t connection a artillery estimate for nan buds themselves, but says nan lawsuit will connection 18 hours of playback pinch ANC connected aliases 28 pinch it turned off. That’s not a immense number compared to competitors.

In my ain testing, nan Spirit S10 buds didn’t moreover past for 5 hours of playback erstwhile ANC was turned connected – that’s 1 of nan weakest artillery lives I’ve tested successful earbuds (it's adjacent to that of nan overmuch cheaper AirPods Pro 4 pinch ANC, pinch noise-nixing deployed). They sewage to 4:55:17 until 1 earbud ran out, and nan different was near connected 6%. Based connected Edifier’s lawsuit predictions, I’d estimate that nan buds would past for 7 hours of listening if you don’t usage ANC.

I didn’t find nan battery-sapping ANC that awesome either; it did a reasonably mediocre occupation astatine cancelling inheritance noises. In my agency it only succeeded successful taking nan separator disconnected low-level surrounding chatter aliases nan hum of nan microwave, and alongside engaged roads and railways it hardly made a difference.

There are respective different ANC modes: high, medium, ambient sound, upwind reduction, adaptive and off. I stuck to precocious owed to nan truth that, arsenic I said, it still didn’t consciousness for illustration much, nevertheless I fiddled astir pinch nan others too. In adaptive, nan modes would alteration for seemingly nary reason, making rather melodramatic and abrupt shifts from clip to clip – this was often much than a small distracting.

The ANC is controlled by nan tie-in app: EDIFIER Connex, which isn’t Edifier’s only audio app, confusingly. I tried to group it up pinch Edifier Connect for a while, which isn’t nan correct app.

Connex lets you play pinch an equalizer (and 2 presets), toggle sound cancellation, move connected a high-latency gaming mode, alteration nan usability of nan on-bud buttons, move disconnected (or on) deterioration detection, alteration your audio codec and do a fewer different functions which we spot successful wireless earbuds. There are besides a fewer extras which you don’t: you tin alteration really delicate nan bud buttons are, which I appreciate, and besides alteration nan measurement of debased artillery and connectivity prompts.

Something other I request to raise is that I had existent relationship problems erstwhile first mounting up nan buds – I could brace them once, but aft that my telephone conscionable couldn’t find nan buds, The measurement I solved nan problem (admittedly aft a week) was by unpairing nan instrumentality and re-pairing it respective times. 

Also, moreover erstwhile nan buds worked well, they’d ever return a short while to link to my phone. It wasn’t dramatic, but I’d ever person to hold a fewer seconds earlier listening to music, wondering if they'd dropped retired again. I moreover accidentally played my playlist retired large a fewer times, earlier getting wise to nan truth that pairing from nan lawsuit takes nan Stax Spirit S10 a while longer than astir earbuds I've tested.

• Features score: 3/5

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Design

• Clamshell lawsuit which holds nan buds
• Thick stems springiness a unique look
• Buds enactment successful nan receptor well

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 travel successful a ‘clamshell’-style case, which you unfastened up to uncover nan buds within. This lawsuit weighs 56g, is conscionable a hairsbreadth bigger than a play ball, and has a USB-C larboard for charging. It’s decidedly not nan smallest headphone lawsuit I’ve seen, but it protected its contents well.

The earbuds themselves are reasonably unique looking owed to nan width of nan stem; you’re not going to confuse these for AirPods immoderate day. The ample size doesn’t really adhd to nan ‘bulk’ of nan buds, truthful it’s not an rumor – it didn’t impact their receptor grip from my acquisition – and it screams to group “these are superior earbuds for superior audiophiles!”.

For astir of my testing period, nan Spirit S10 were reliable astatine sticking successful my ears. This was moreover nan lawsuit done astir of a gym session, until I deed nan treadmills, truthful I wouldn’t urge them for moving with. They besides fell retired erstwhile I was doing definite stretches connected mats so, again, these aren’t work-out buds unless you’re doing slower and much upright exercises.

The stems carnivore touch controls which you tin customize successful nan Edifier app, but you’re meant to ‘pinch’ to trigger nan power and I could ne'er activity retired nan correct spot to compression to get a reliable result. 

You’re getting IP54-rated protection pinch some of nan buds – this intends that they’re mostly protected against coagulated particles (sand aliases dust), but tin only past splashes of water. Don’t deterioration them swimming, then.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Sound quality

• Planar magnetic drivers supply awesome balanced sound
• Equalizer gives tons of customization complete sound
• Max measurement could beryllium higher

Any downsides that travel from planar magnetic drivers (here 12mm ones) are easy outmatched by nan positives: The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 sound really, really fantastic. 

I astir admit nan balanced audio you’re getting from nan S10. You tin perceive each statement of euphony arsenic though they’re dispersed retired successful Avid Pro earlier you, and they’re each wholly equal, from nan lowest rings of nan bass guitar to nan screechiest soprano; nan susurration of nan hi-hat and nan sniffs of nan cold-addled drummer are each even.

Such a balanced operation helps you admit nan opus arsenic it was intended to beryllium listened to, arsenic Edifier isn’t blowing up nan bass until it drowns retired everything else, aliases positioning nan treble arsenic truthful ascendant that you’d deliberation each opus is acapella.

If you for illustration your euphony a definite measurement past location is an equalizer successful nan app (hidden successful nan ‘Sound effects’ menu) which lets you perceive to nan default balanced mix, Dynamic (ie bass-heavy), Electrostatic (treble-heavy) aliases a customized mode pinch an in-depth equalizer to play astir with. However I recovered nan default Original operation truthful awesome that I preferred it during testing. 

Don’t interest astir immoderate distortion here, arsenic different effect of planar magnet drivers is that it’s acold little frequent. In fact, I didn’t announcement immoderate distortion during testing, nevertheless that whitethorn beryllium partially because nan Stax Spirit S10 don’t spell very loud.

At nan maximum volume, I recovered nan S10 to put retired euphony astatine a comfortable listening level… erstwhile I was astatine location successful my quiet flat. Out and about, I’d often find myself struggling to make retired parts of a song, particularly pinch nan lackluster ANC doing nan bare minimum to cancel noise. If I had to commute into an agency overmuch much than I do, I’d astir apt opt for alternate earbuds. These aren’t nan worst buds I’ve tested for measurement issues, pinch nan Nothing Ear still wearing that – crown? – but nan Edifier really could do pinch being a touch louder.

True audiophiles (or technophiles) will admit nan scope of tech standards and codecs that nan S10 support. These earbuds link utilizing Bluetooth 5.4 and support Snapdragon Sound, Google Fast Pair, aptX Audio, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC, LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless. To usage these better-quality protocols, you’ll request a streaming work that offers them (not Spotify), positive a root that tin support them successful summation to conscionable utilizing nan Edifier buds – but if you want nan highest solution a wireless relationship tin bring, these earbuds will not beryllium a barrier. 

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Value

• High-price earbuds pinch sound value to match
• Feature group needs to amended for amended value

To reply simply connected whether nan Edifier Stax Spirit S10 connection worth for money: of people they don’t. No premium earbuds do, not erstwhile great-sounding alternatives beryllium for nether $100/£100/AU$200.

The quality of tech is that you get diminishing returns arsenic you descent up nan building of price, and truthful nan Stax Spirit were ne'er going to connection you competitory worth for money, and they’re not designed for shoppers connected a budget. 

Sure, they sound amended than rivals, but they besides costs much than these competitors too. Plus nan characteristic group doesn’t activity perfectly, and beyond nan audio output location are nary slayer features present worthy paying apical dollar for. The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 are for audiophiles who person money to walk connected their passion, don't attraction astir ANC, and don’t request to get nan astir businesslike worth for their money.

• Value: 3.5/5

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Edifier Stax Spirit S10 review: Also consider

How I tested nan Edifier Stax Spirit S10

• Tested for 4 weeks
• Tested astatine home, successful nan agency and connected walks

The Edifier Stax Spirit S10 enjoyed a prolonged testing period; I utilized them for astir a period to constitute this review, which meant I could really put them done their paces. I utilized them alongside an Android phone, mostly – so I could use from their support for LDAC. 

I tested nan buds astatine home, successful nan office, commuting betwixt nan 2 and connected an world holiday; astir of my listening was connected Tidal aliases Netflix, but I tried different euphony and video streaming services arsenic good arsenic calls, podcasts and more.

My tech reviewing history for TechRadar spans much than 5 years now, including tons of earbuds – and a fewer pairs of Edifier headphones.

• First reviewed successful October 2024

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