Headphone enthusiasts must be familiar with the STAX brand, the world's top electrostatic headphone manufacturer founded in 1938, almost every electrostatic headphones launched by it will become a classic of Hi-Fi fever headphones. For example, the flagship electrostatic headphoneSR-009S, which was updated four years ago, is still one of the sound quality ceilings of Hi-Fi headphones.
There may be many small partners do not know that as early as 10 years ago, Wanderer has fully acquired the STAX brand; and 6 years ago, that is, in 2016, Wanderer invested in the high-end flat headphone brand Audeze. Since then, The Wanderer has launched a new headphone brand, STAX SPIRIT. Interestingly, this time the STAX SPIRIT S3 we got is not an electrostatic headphone, but a flat-panel diaphragm headphone with Audeze technology.
01 Breaking the inherent "limitations" of flat panel headphones
It should be known that the characteristics of the flat panel headphones are the combination of the advantages of both the dynamic coil and the electrostatic headphones, and give full play to the low frequency advantages of the dynamic earbuds and the advantages of the electrostatic headphones with fast response speed and low distortion, and can replay the tiny sound details. It is precisely for this reason that in recent years, flat headphones have become one of the first choices for professional-grade headphones. However, the traditional flat panel diaphragm is less sensitive than the moving coil unit and is not easy to drive, so in the traditional concept, the flat panel headphones often need to use the high-thrust audio player to play their advantages; and another problem with it is that it is difficult for traditional flat panel headphones to achieve wireless (Bluetooth) connectivity.
However, this time, stax SPIRIT S3 broke the convention, through the self-developed EqualMass wiring diaphragm technology combined with Snapdragon Sound (Snapdragon Sound), successfully combined tablet technology with wireless Bluetooth technology, to achieve high-fidelity sound quality restoration in wireless connection mode. Having said all that, what was the actual experience of the STAX SPIRIT S3? Next, I will talk to you in detail.
02 Tablet headphones can also go the fashion route
Solid materials, excellent workmanship and a wide range of accessories are the first impressions of the STAX SPIRIT S3. Unlike the low-key and calm design style of traditional tablet Hi-Fi headphones, stax spirit S3 takes the fashion and youthful route. The main colors of black and gold, as well as the carbon fiber texture on the headphone housing, add a lot of fashion elements to the headphones.
StAX SPIRIT S3's ear cups can be rotated and folded design, but also for the user to bring a good portability, coupled with the headphones of the headband clamping force is moderate, there is no obvious chucking feeling, usually wear glasses of the user is more friendly, which is also the vast majority of head-mounted flat headphones on the market do not have.
In fact, the appearance part I want to focus on the STAX SPIRIT S3 ear cushions, its ear cushions are removable, the headphones are installed by default is sheepskin ear cushions, very soft, comfortable to wear; but leather ear cushions in the spring and summer will inevitably be easy to sweat, so the headphone packaging also comes with a pair of ice ear cushions. I personally like this ice-sensitive ear cushion very much, not only is it cool and not easy to sweat, but the ear cushion is filled with memory foam, which can fit the ear shape very well, and there will be no problem of sound leakage due to the replacement of the ear cushion.
Another interesting thing is that in the "Edifier Connect" app, tuning optimization for both ear cushions is also provided to ensure the consistency of sound. In addition, it is used with different EQ tuning "Pure", "Hi-Fi" and "STAX" in the app to further enhance the playability of the sound.
Of course, the appearance and wear are not all praise. Due to the carbon fiber material on the outside of the ear shell of the STAX SPIRIT S3, the total weight of the ear cushions in the headphones reached 322 grams, which is heavier than the dynamic headphones of the same size, and this weight difference is mainly caused by the heavier flat speakers. Fortunately, this headset does not have a clear chuck feeling, and the overall wearing comfort is still good.
StAX SPIRIT S3 interface and button design is simple, Type-C charging interface is located below the left ear, below the right ear is a 3.5mm headphone port, as well as on/off (play/pause, voice assistant) and volume plus and minus buttons. The button position design is reasonable, and it is not difficult to measure one-handed blind exercise after wearing headphones, and it is easy to get started.
Wire attachments
Ice-sensitive ear cushions
Storage box
As mentioned earlier, the STAX SPIRIT S3 has a wide range of accessories, including two material ear cushions, storage bags, 3.5mm audio cable, 3.5-turn 6.35mm adapter, type-c charging cable, and triangular warp (pry ear cushion). The storage box is made of fabric, and there is a storage bag inside, which is enough to accommodate common accessories such as headphone cables, which is very convenient for daily use.
03 Auditory Description: Neutral, comprehensive sound performance
As a flat panel headset, the advantage of the EqualMass wired diaphragm used by STAX SPIRIT S3 is that it realizes the perfect integration of flat panel diaphragm technology and wireless Bluetooth technology, so that the flat panel headset is no longer limited to a wired connection with high thrust, but can also be driven through a Bluetooth connection.
STAX SPIRIT S3 uses the latest Bluetooth 5.2 chip, supports AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX HD/aptX adaptive high-resolution audio encoding; in addition, creatively applies Qualcomm "Snapdragon Listening" technology to flat headphones - supports the leading Qualcomm aptX Adaptive technology, which can provide lossless HD audio up to 24bit/96kHz for wireless headphones and so on through Bluetooth connection. Wireless connectivity also allows you to enjoy high-fidelity listening. Regarding the listening part, let's talk about it specifically.
First of all, under the wired connection, STAX SPIRIT S3 is an easy to push headphones, 24Ω low impedance, for those who usually like to use mobile phones to listen to music users or relatively friendly. Of course, for music lovers, it is still recommended to use an audio player for a better listening experience. The most obvious difference between the wired connection and the Bluetooth connection is that the sound of the former is cleaner, more delicate, and the density is higher, but the overall style is similar to the Bluetooth connection; but there is one thing to note: in order to avoid the problem of continuous power consumption in the wired connection state, STAX SPIRIT S3 wired mode still needs to turn on the power to be able to use, in order to ensure the battery life.
In terms of sound, the STAX SPIRIT S3 first made me feel more infectious is the vocal part. When listening to female voices such as Cai Qin, Faye Wong, and Deng Ziqi with this headset, you can hear more details; the mouth shape and knot image are accurate, some gentle ventilation sounds are also clearly recognizable, and the amount of information of the song is obviously richer than that of the general dynamic headphones.
In terms of classical music, I chose the classic song "Schubert - Death and the Maiden - Jerusalem Quartet", although the sound performance of STAX SPIRIT S3 is not gorgeous, but the details are very clear, the sound positioning of the instrument is accurate, and the sound field performance is wider than that of the general dynamic headphones, which is the place where I think the STAX SPIRIT S3 is the most gripping place in the sound. The disadvantage is that the control of this headset under the large dynamic is slightly insufficient, the high frequency is bright, and the sound density is average.
The soundstage part, compared to similar closed dynamic headphones, the horizontal and vertical soundstage of the STAX SPIRIT S3 is more open, and the overall is more regular, which is one of the advantages of flat diaphragm headphones, such as listening to the two albums of "California Inn" and Nirvana's "New York Unplugged".
This headset has a good degree of reproduction for live music, and the positioning of the instrument and human voice is accurate, making it easier for the listener to be immersed in live music. The flat panel diaphragm unit of stax SPIRIT S3 is inherently characterized by low phase distortion, a large acoustic field, and a significantly better sense of sound positioning than many dynamic headphones.
As mentioned earlier, the headset app provides three EQ tunings of "pure", "Hi-Fi" and "STAX". This part of my audition experience is: "pure" mode sound performance is the most balanced, three frequencies in the positive, is my favorite mode; "Hi-Fi" mode has less low frequency volume, tuning is more inclined to the middle and high frequency and human voice expressiveness; "STAX" mode is the brightest high frequency, slightly stimulating under the big dynamic, personally do not like it too much. Of course, the above listening description is for reference only, everyone's listening view is different, please take what you need.
04 Battery life and connection stability
The STAX SPIRIT S3 has a battery capacity of 1500mAh and can reach 80 hours of battery life. Based on the author's experience of use in the past week, it is not much different from the official nominal endurance time, and it is easy to charge a week of electricity. In addition, the Bluetooth connection stability of this headset is good, and there is no disconnection in daily environmental use.
The indoor activity distance of the author wearing headphones on weekdays is about 3-5 meters, except for the sound sometimes intermittent in the case of the partition wall, and the connection is very stable at other times. In addition, this headset is also equipped with a "game mode", which has a lower delay after opening, which can better meet the game needs of mobile gamers.
05 Summary and purchase recommendations
Breaking the inherent design form of flat panel headphones, while incorporating fashion elements and excellent workmanship, is the wanderer's attempt and breakthrough on the STAX SPIRIT S3. And as a headset, it does not have the feeling of a chuck like many other headphones; except that the headphones are slightly heavier, the wearing feeling is very good in the current headsets. In addition, the standard ice-like earmuffs I really like, comfortable to wear, while solving the problem of easy to get hot and sweaty when used in summer. The sound of the STAX SPIRIT S3 is very good in the Bluetooth headset, and users with conditions can get HD sound quality through aptX HD, or they can use wired mode with audio player to further stimulate its potential. If noise reduction is not what you just need, the pursuit of better sound quality and wearing comfort, STAX SPIRIT S3 can be said to be a very recommended product in the current Bluetooth headset.