PENDULUMIC STANCE S1+ Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

 




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 Stance S1+ headphones have a lot of features, so I will break it down for each side of the headphones. The left headphone houses the rechargeable battery, which will give you up to 18 hours of playback, with the option of adding 2xAAA batteries as a backup, to extend the playback to 30 hours, which is great if you can't recharge within a day. Also on the left side is the power on switch, up is for AAA battery and down is for rechargeable. The micro USB port is also on this side.
 
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:

 

So a brief story of my experience discovering these headphones at Canjam 2015:
 
I had never heard of pendulumic before can jam this year, and have always despised bluetooth headphones as everything i've ever heard of has always sounded like crap. I had one point wanted to get some nice wireless headphones but I had tried several sennheiser & sony models, they all just sounded terrible compared to wired counter parts. Then I came across the stance S1+ at the show, saw it and thought the design was nice and the price was right (not realizing it was wireless at first). Upon visiting the booth (this was at the very end of the show), i realized that they were bluetooth headphones and thought "ah, damn nevermind", but i gave them a try anyway. 
 
Wow. was the first words out of my mouth. These were very balanced, neutral, fairly resolving cans with a respectable soundstage. The sound was polite, yet not boring and still musical. They sounded comparable to most $200-$300 cans when plugged in unamped, which was very very surpising. I then had the chance to plug them in into my Cayin C5 / Iphone / Tidal setup and wow, the sound really opened up and there was much more body/mass, along with an overall increased fidelity and resolution. With the Cayin which has a bass boost, i was able to have some satisfying low end when i wanted it. So right then and there I bought the last unit that they had.
 
At its price point and its features there is zero competition as far as wireless goes, not even close. Its versatility is unmatched. Now amongst wired closed cans you've got some competition but it's definitely in the same playing field in terms of sound & build. Below are some wrap up notes:
 
Sound: Incredible sounding, bluetooth or not. Well balanced, articulate, neutral yet musical. Great range and respectable soundstage. It's got a pretty refined / polite tone when in bluetooth mode, but still very full. Plugging them in into an amp they transform into a VERY nice pair of headphones. Everything from the range, articulation, soundstage, body, are all improved. These respond very very well to better amp / DACs.
 
Now as far as its general signature goes, its a very nice / refined / polite neutral pair of cans, so if you're looking for some that's brighter / sharper / forward sounding, you should look for something like Grados instead. Same goes with bassheads, these won't have the slam / sub bass like the JVCs, but the bass is most definitely there and articulate (i would not call these bass shy by any means).
 
 
Build: Solid and well built.
 
Features: This thing is packed with massive features. Fast, easy reliable bluetooth pairing. Awesome hard case, comes with a mic built into the cans (i used these a lot for my skype / gotomeeting calls). The little touch of airplane adapters are also very nice. Oh and did i mention the battery function is insane? 30 hours from usb charge and another 30 if you swap in batteries, which meant you'll probably never run out of juice to listen to these. The only thing i wasn't too crazy about is the extra headphone amp mode, which some people may love. But I prefer to just plug it into my own setup which is several steps above.
 
Design: Beautiful design. the watch-dial volume control is not only beautiful to look at / feel, but is actually far more functional than your traditional / clunky up down buttons found either on the can or on the wire.
 
Isolation / Leakage: These isolate pretty well & doesn't leak much sound at all. They're great for office use when you dont want to disturb your coworkers
 
Comfort: These are super comfortable, the material of the pads are very soft and supple, the headband support is great and very comfortable too. The only thing is that the size of the pads may be a bit small for some ears.
 
Price: Amazing Value.
 
I've since shown several friends, and they had the same reaction as I,  being amazed on how good a bluetooth pair of headphones could sound so good. Highly recommended.

My Amazon Review:
 
I've owned many pieces of high end home audio over the years. Brands like Dali, Audio Research, Krell, Melos, and others. I expect a lot from my gear. In this case, one of the requirements was Bluetooth audio so that I could go wireless. With the advent of Aptx, Bluetooth has come a very long way, to the point where the benefits of wireless can now be realized even for the discerning listener.

I've owned a few wireless headphones, including the Sennheiser MM 550, and the Jabra Revo Wireless. The Pendulumic is hands down the best of the three in sound quality and virtually all other areas, with clear, full, warm, rich, open sound that borders on the romantic. The controls are implemented smartly too.

What's keeping the Pendulumic from getting that fifth star is a few quibbles. 1) The inexplicable failure to label S1+ to its new version, both on the box and on the headset (they still show S1), 2) The failure to block out other room noises well (the Sennheiser's do a better job of cancelling out other noises); Inner Fidelity has the noise isolation tested at -7db, the worst performer in their tests. 3) Only one device can be paired at a time, which is inconvenient when using on the PC and receiving phone calls, and 4) The mic is not open, meaning that one cannot hear ones own voice when talking on the phone!

If sound quality is paramount, this is the ticket.

UPDATE 2/18/15

This review has been dropped from 4 stars to 3. After just a couple of days ownership, the control knob fell off (It was glued on, with no screw). In addition, callers couldn't hear me speak half the time (Galaxy Note 4). The only thing that keeps this score from being lower is the great sound and stellar US support.

First of all I would like to Thank Pendulumic team for providing me with a review sample in exchange for my honest opinion about their product.  Also, I would like to mention their original S1 model was updated to S1+ where S1 is no longer listed as available and you need to use the following Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/PENDULUMIC-Wireless-Headphone--Audiophile-Freedom-Bluetooth/dp/B00OG7VW64/
 
I have to admit, wireless bluetooth headphones are my weakness. Not just a principle of being able to listen to music without a wire attached to a source, but also a journey in search of wireless headphones with a high quality sound. Today a lot of the wireless headphones are designed for active lifestyle or other sports related activities and often come in small earbud sizes. As a result, manufacturers focus more on bass heavy tuning, ergonomics of secure fitment, and unique shapes'n'colors rather than a sound quality improvement. I have tested many wireless headphone solutions, but never dared to compare any of them to my wired collection of IEMs and full size headphones. At least not until now. What I discovered during my review of Pendulumic Stance S1+ opened my eyes and ears to a sound that I was used to hear only while reviewing wired models from Senns, Beyer, Audio Technica, and others. Is it possible for a newcomer to step up to the plate and to deliver wireless HiFi quality sound? You better believe it! Here is what I found.
 
Starting with a packaging, it's quite a large box with a lot of great info. Beside a regular description of the sound quality, all of which I absolutely agree with and find accurate, and the list of features and specification, you also get other functionality details with graphs and pictures. Though I usually give a quick look over the box, here I actually took some time to read it in more details. Opening the box reveals a flat storage case and accessories box. Included accessories are airline adapter, 6.3mm adapter, usb to micro-usb charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable with in-line remote/mic, and hard shell storage case with carabiner. Obviously, micro-usb cable is required for charging of the built in high capacity battery, and audio cable for a wired use of S1+. As a matter of fact, this is a decent quality cable with a straight 3.5mm gold plated connector going into earcup and right angled 3.5mm gold plated connector into output of your audio source. The cable is not too thick, relatively flexible, and has a cloth braided shielding resembling a shoelace. In-line remote with a mic is located close to earcup connector and has universal multi-function control with a single button for Play/Pause/Call which you can also double-tap to skip forward and long press to start Google Search, as well as being able to pick up calls.
 
I really like the included carry case and the detachable velcro storage pocket inside of it for extra accessories like a cable, and even some room left in the case for a small portable headphone amp. Of course the compact nature of this case is due to a flat storage of headphones where earcups rotate 90deg. Overall the build of Stance S1+ is very solid and has a mix of metal and plastic material. Starting with a headband, it has a split metal band design which contributes to a comfortable clamping force without too much pressure on your head. But this headband doesn't rest on top of your head, and instead you have a spring loaded leather wrapped inner headband for that functionality. I have seen such design before on some other pro-audio full size headphones, and now can experience it wearing S1+. The ends of metal headband are securely attached to a metal tab where earcups retract from for a fitment adjustment. It has a nice click action, and I appreciate the metal part of it for a higher durability of the attachment. The earcups are plastic and have a matching color with a headband tab, and from a distance resemble a metal finish.
 
Earpads are deep and plushy, attached to a floating inner frame, and have a bit of vertical tilt for a better fitment around your head. As a matter of fact, S1+ update over S1 was based on these new more comfortable earpads, as far as I'm aware of. Earpad opening is not the most generous, though was perfect for my average size ears. For comparison, the opening is about the size of Momentum over-ear earpads, so above average size ears will feel a bit of a squeeze fitting inside. But as you know, it's hard to make everybody happy. Also typical for a full size headphones, after awhile of wearing earpads do get a bit hot. Furthermore, the headphones are not feather light, but the design of the inner spring loaded band really takes a weight off since the main headband is not resting on top of your head. I did mention before about a comfortable clamping force and plushy earpads, but have to add that sound isolation is a bit below average, so don't expect to tune outside world completely while riding a bus or on a subway.
 
I was very impressed how much thought went into the design of Stance S1+. First of all, the controls are partitioned such that left earcup has all the batteries, charging port, and power select switch, while right earcup has audio controls with "crown" knob, mic, 3.5mm headphone port, and connection select switch. Starting with a left earcup, you have a standard micro-usb port compatible with any smartphone charging cable. The power switch is between built-in rechargeable and 2x AAA removable batteries. The earcup cover twists open to reveal a compartment for two batteries, while the rechargeable battery is hidden underneath. The combination of both power sources can give you combined 30hrs of operation, where internal rechargeable battery contributes about 18hrs of power and removable batteries another 12hrs. You can start on rechargeable battery and once you run out of juice, switch to external. Or let's say you are outdoors or on a trip without access to a power source or don't have time to wait for recharging - just add two AAA batteries and instantaneously you have 12 more listening hours! I haven't seen anybody else offering such an ingenious dual power flexibility.
 
Right earcup is where the audio magic happens. You have 3 different ways to connect to your audio source. First is a direct unamplified cable connection which doesn't require any power. I would consider this as a reference connection since it's a direct wired one. One interesting observation, connected to headphone output (HO) of my Note 4 it sounds loud enough, but connected to HO of my low impedance DAP I had to crank up a volume quite a bit which might have something to do with these headphones trying to meet EU volume limiting standards. Perhaps volume limiting only goes in effect with low impedance source since smartphones typically have a higher output impedance. The 2nd listening option is also wired but with a built in amplifier. For that option you need to have power turned on. Personally, I wasn't too crazy about coloring of low frequency content and wasn't a fan of a consequent bass boost which spilled into lower mids. I would rather see an amplification with a narrowband bass boost, and hopefully Pendulumic guys will consider that in future releases.
 
The 3rd listening option is a true STAR of these headphones - wireless bluetooth connection. Pair up was fast and easy, and afterwards every time you switch to BT and turn the power on you get a greeting beep with instantaneous connection and wireless freedom of almost 50ft away from the phone. It was connected to my phone and media audio supporting all BT 4.0 protocols. Call quality was clear thanks to a rather large mic located next to a headphone input, though I found it to work better indoors than outdoors due to less background noise. The multifunction control was provided in a form of a very unique "crown" knob which has a continuous turning action and also push button click action. Once paired up, the current position of the knob becomes a default medium volume where you can turn 4-5 clicks up or down to maximize or minimize the volume until you hear an audible limiting beep. Beyond that, you can continue turning but volume will not change. I found this setting very useful since you don't have to think about the position of the knob when you turn headphones on or worry about blowing your eardrums. The Play/Pause/Call with a single push/click of the crown and double click to skip the track is different from other BT headphone implementations, but I actually found it more efficient. I only wish there would have been a support for triple-click to skip back. Also the physical placement of this crown control knob was in a perfect location at the top of the earcup on the back for easy reach with an index finger.
 
Now, about the actual audio performance of S1+ (as tested wireless). Its sound signature is nicely balanced with a good extension at both ends of the spectrum. Starting with a bass, it does extends down to sub-bass but with a very little rumble, and mid-bass punch is present but not as aggressive. The quality of the bass is excellent, but the quantity is just a little north of neutral. Bass is very clear and detailed with a perfect control and separation, and gets tighter after about 15hrs of burn in. Mids are very clear and detailed as well, slightly upfront in comparison to the bass, and have a perfect balance between being bright and smooth; no harsh peaks in upper mids. I absolutely love S1+ delivery of vocals with a nice full body and natural timbre. Treble has a great extension, bright and crisp, and at the same time with no sign of sibilance, just a perfect non-fatigue sound for extended listening pleasure. Overall, very impressive layering and separation with a great smooth retrieval of details. Soundstage was borderline of 3D in both width and depth.
 
Keep in mind, that description above was in wireless mode. It's not often you get a chance to do a true comparison of the same headphone performance wireless and wired, but this was a perfect opportunity. Actually for the wired comparison I ended up using my portable headphone amplifier to get it up to wireless performance level. Using X5 DAP as a source connected directly to HO, I had to boost a volume by 20 more clicks in comparison to my usual setting, so I ended up using LO with E12A amp where I found a perfect synergy to bring it up to a full audiophile quality. To my ears, there was no difference in wireless vs wired performance straight from my DAP, and maybe a slight improvement in low end using external portable amp.
 
In conclusion, or as I usually say "Overall", I'm still in disbelieve how well Pendulumic guys implemented wireless fine-tuning of S1+ to match their wired performance. I know they took advantage of Bluetooth 4.0 protocol and aptX codec, but others have access to the same resources without an equally successful results. I mean, this is a great HiFi full size headphone to begin with that can go head-to-head in sound comparison with some of the more expensive pro-audio headphones, and yet it can deliver this wireless without reduction in audio quality!!! Add to that a solid build, a comfortable fitment, an amazing dual power source with a combined 30hrs of playback time, and a flexibility of using it wired - and you got yourself one serious smart headphone gadget! What makes this ironic, previously I tried to get away from a smartphone while using my dedicated DAP with external headphone amp and wired headphones to enjoy a high quality sound. Now, I can go back to my smartphone as an audio source and let Stance S1+ do all the heavy duty audio lifting!!!
 
Here are the pictures (click to enlarge).
 
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Back at the So-Cal headphone meet in March (2014) I met Mike Johnson, who was enthusiastically promoting a new headphone brand, Pendulumic. His spiel was that they had made a very good sounding pair of Bluetooth wireless headphones with the help of a Sennheiser engineer and they only cost $200. That's a pretty big ask in my book, so I had a listen. What I heard was pretty good, though I wasn't expecting much. It was pretty clear from the start that APTx, which claims CD-quality wireless transmission is pretty good. I've used it from my AK240 and to my Hugo and it is only slightly behind in sound quality from a direct USB connection.
 
After a chat with Mike I agreed to review a pair. Just as I was about to do that though, Mike told me to hold off, as they had made some changes after getting feedback, including a change in design of the earpads (which affects the sound considerably). So it is the new revision, the S1+ which I'm reviewing here. 
 

Tech:

 
Aside from the Bluetooth APTx audio, the Stance S1+ has a Lithium Ion battery which can be supplemented with a pair of AAA batteries installable in the left cup. This can give the headphones up to 30 hours of playback time, great for a lot of travel and use. The internal battery itself is charged via a USB socket in the left cup as well, so given how ubiquitous micro USB is, charging them can be done easily from any computer or charger one has to hand. Power is selected thus from a switch on the left cup which has three positions: Off, internal battery and AAA battery supply.
 
The audio electronics are all in the right cup and, like power is chosen in the left, The audio mode is selected via a switch in the right. That allows a choice of Bluetooth, amped playback, and un-driven playback which works with with unit switched off, allowing the headphones to still be used even if the batteries are all flat, a major plus.
 
At the back of the right cup a volume knob with button is also included. In Bluetooth mode it acts as a volume control and can be pushed in to pause the music or answer a phone call when paired with a phone, as the headphones also include a mic. 
 
For wired use a 4-pole headphone cable is supplied with inline volume and mic.
 

Design:

 
Given they are only $200 I wasn't expecting a lot with their physical design, but while they do use a lot of plastic, the critical parts, such as the arcs and cup mounts/swivels are metal and the fairly straight-forward elastic headband, combined with the 4 clicks available either side make it very easy for me to get a comfortable fit. Now that the new pads are thicker, they sit very comfortably around my ears, but people with very large ears may find the space not large enough. They are also easily replaced if required.
 
The Stance S1 isn't particularly heavy either, despite the electronics in the cups. The left cup seems to be slightly heavier than the right, however, presumably due to the battery.
 

Sound: 

 
The original Stance S1 sounded OK, but not great. With the improved S1+ they have made to the pads and tuning the result is remarkably good for a pair of $200 headphones. What is most noticeable to me (I am listening to them as I write this) is that they don't have the harshness in the treble that a lot of less expensive headphones I've tried do. While they are not dark, they seem to have aimed for a good all-round balance. There is a good dose of mid-bass, but not too much. Likewise the treble, which arguably lacks extension, but at the same time means that more modern, brighter recordings don't sound over-bearing. The mid-range is good too. While there isn't a huge amount of detail, nor the soundstage as large as my more expensive headphones, most importantly the presentation feels even.
 
Switching between using Bluetooth and a wired connection (using the in-built amp) the sound quality was identical as far as I could discern. It was using them as a pair of passive headphones versus using the inbuilt amp where there is a significant difference. The sound has more punch with the in-built amp versus passively, even using a good amp. More than anything though which was more enjoyable would come down to preference.
 
Possible negatives to the sound include European volume limits meaning that Bluetooth volume can't be turned right up and people who want serious bass will likely feel there isn't enough. Not to mention if you're looking for a pair of headphones which allow you to pick out each violin in an orchestra these wont be for you either. For that you'd have to pay considerably more.
 
However, for a pair of easy-listening all-round headphones they are very good and given all they've managed to cram inside, both feature-wise and sonically for $200-odd they are tremendous value. Given the very expensive headphones I usually listen with (and expensive amps and sources) what I found most remarkable was how much I enjoyed listening with them using Bluetooth from my Mac. If you're after a pair of good, relatively expensive Bluetooth headphones and you have a device that supports APTx then definitely give these an audition if you can.

The Pendulumic Stance S1 is an excellent "bluetooth" headphone. I'm sure there are better sounding "wireless" headphones and at some level believe the category should be divided into wireless and bluetooth.
I purchased the S1's to serve as a portable, compact listening solution while traveling. I find myself using them daily either paired to my laptop or iphone. The sound is very even across the bass, mid's, and treble. If you looking for heavy bass, this likely not your headset.
Pros: love the flat folding design, the ability to use a pair of AAA's as a backup power source, ease of use and a volume knob.
Cons: Clamping pressure is high for me. Ear cups to small.