Firstly like to thank Chuck from 1964 Ears for organising the Pendulumic Stance S1+ headphones for this review.
Pendulumic is a relatively new company in the headphone world, and they have already made quite a splash with their take on Bluetooth headphones. The Stance S1+ has taken its design cues from steampunk and combined them with intuitive features to bring a great wireless Bluetooth headphone with reference quality aptX Bluetooth sound and the ability to perform on par with wired equivalent headphones.
Features
The Stance S1+ comes packaged nicely with a smallish headphone case, as the headphones themselves are able to fold flat. Also included is a micro USB charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable with in-line remote/mic, cover in a nice braided fabric as well as an airline adapters and a 6.5mm adapter. Inside the case is a detachable pocket, which will hold all your accessories too.
The right headphone features all the audio controls. You have a microphone for calls, as well as a 3.5mm socket for you headphone cable. There is also the switch for the 3 types of audio playback options, which are wireless, utilising Bluetooth 4.0 aptX for CD Quality wireless playback. The next option is wired with amplifier, which uses the internal batteries to boost the sound for a more colored sound and the last option is for wired, without power, which is your reference option, giving a natural flat response.
The last feature on the right headphone is the volume and control dial. It's used to control the volume up and down, as well as pause/play and answer calls by pushing it in. I found the response for volume was a little slow. I would turn it a few clicks for on minor volume changes, when the volume should change per click of the dial. But all in all, a lot of options and features to use with ease and change the way you want to listen.
Sound
After a simple pairing to my phone, by holding down the volume dial, CD quality sound was streaming though the Stance S1+. My first though was to see if I actually had a cable plugged in, because it sounded so clean and natural. Bass response was punchy and clean, mid range a little forward and the treble extended nicely, with no hit of harness. This is not your typical Bluetooth headset, with the over powering colourisation of bass and treble. This is for the purest who wants a wireless option, that also looks clean and sounds natural.
When changing to the reference wired option, there is very little difference, almost non compared to the Bluetooth option. For the people who want more bass and treble support, kind of V shaped listening experience, wired with amplification is available. I found it to be similar to the loud option on car stereos, boosting the top and bottom, to give more punch, but this does colour the sound. For me, Jazz, blues, folk and even classical music is this headphones strong point. The sound is warm and non tiring, reserved but not restrained.
A couple of points to consider. Noise isolation is not the best, compared to other closed back headphones, similar to the AKG 240mkII. I also found sound leakage from the headphones when listen at high volumes, but these are minor points which are easily outweighed by the rest of the positives.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a beautiful looking, great sounding pair of wireless headphones, with a great array of features, then consider these headphones. Priced at $199, they are relatively cheap for the sound you get. Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX has won me over. The convenience of wireless headphones is great, and with 30 hours of playback, you may never use the wired option again. The Stance S1+ has taken wireless to a new level.
Specs:
Bluetooth® version | 4.0 with aptX® | |
Driver diameter | 40 mm (1.6in) |