[LostHisMarbles]

@fragme76 I stuck to what i think is of primary import, as it affects a beloved company; and world-renowned to boot. I'd have liked to tell you more; about Edifier, about reviewers that went from PC air fans reviews to audio "reviews" somehow, about a number of things; but it would be impolite and given the forum's dual purpose a touch regulations violating, true as it all might have been.

As to what you describe, i cannot comment on a headphone when i haven't had experience with it, but i'll take your word for it, regarding its issues i mean. I just didn't want to mix the two; ie it could have been exceptional for its price tag, hence a number of things forgiven, and that would have been totally O.K. If it weren't for the brand cannibalising ^^
So i stuck to that, merely in the spirit of fairness.

* In said same spirit of fairness, perhaps i should also add that it's thanks to Edifier's owner that STAX is still around and more or less free to go its own way, not forgotten. I just.. saw a new "curve" here, thought it worth pointing it out.

 

[fragme76]

@fragme76 I stuck to what i think is of primary import, as it affects a beloved company; and world-renowned to boot. I'd have liked to tell you more; about Edifier, about reviewers that went from PC air fans reviews to audio "reviews" somehow, about a number of things; but it would be impolite and given the forum's dual purpose a touch regulations violating, true as it all might have been.

As to what you describe, i cannot comment on a headphone when i haven't had experience with it, but i'll take your word for it, regarding its issues i mean. I just didn't want to mix the two; ie it could have been exceptional for its price tag, hence a number of things forgiven, and that would have been totally O.K. If it weren't for the brand cannibalising ^^
So i stuck to that, merely in the spirit of fairness.

* In said same spirit of fairness, perhaps i should also add that it's thanks to Edifier's owner that STAX is still around and more or less free to go its own way, not forgotten. I just.. saw a new "curve" here, thought it worth pointing it out

@fragme76 I stuck to what i think is of primary import, as it affects a beloved company; and world-renowned to boot. I'd have liked to tell you more; about Edifier, about reviewers that went from PC air fans reviews to audio "reviews" somehow, about a number of things; but it would be impolite and given the forum's dual purpose a touch regulations violating, true as it all might have been.

As to what you describe, i cannot comment on a headphone when i haven't had experience with it, but i'll take your word for it, regarding its issues i mean. I just didn't want to mix the two; ie it could have been exceptional for its price tag, hence a number of things forgiven, and that would have been totally O.K. If it weren't for the brand cannibalising ^^
So i stuck to that, merely in the spirit of fairness.

* In said same spirit of fairness, perhaps i should also add that it's thanks to Edifier's owner that STAX is still around and more or less free to go its own way, not forgotten. I just.. saw a new "curve" here, thought it worth pointing it out.

Definitely worth pointing out and a bit depressing. I must confess i don't really know much of Edifier's origin story tho your comments have intrigued me to dig a little. Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

 

[GadgetryTech]

Yeah I didn't mind that Stax brand name was used in conjunction with Edifier. Kinda figured some sort of collaboration would happen eventually. I even thought some influence from Edifier would be positive for Stax in modernising a bit.
You are right to voice your concern tho. It is a tad alarming. These headphones are flawed and at a reasonable price point they should be better. The creaking is bad and has only gotten worse over time and it does seem like a common issue. The app is sketchy.. well it is with my android phone.
80hr Planar headphones that sound decent but if you move too much they loudly creak Like What? I will keep mine but it's disappointing that they are ok selling headphones that have that problem.

Slippery slope indeed.

I ended up reviewing these on my YT channel and did some research on the back story of why the Stax name was used, and why I think this isn't the last time we'll see this.

The owner of Edifier is an audio fan (naturally), and had a memorable experience when he demo'd Stax for the first time. He couldn't believe the detail retrieval they provided compared to what he had experienced in the past. So in essence, he wanted to capture the "Spirit" of Stax with his own product, hence the name choice. I think the general notion of this name may have actually hurt sales more than helped, as some people likely formed preconceived notions that it just can't sound like a Stax headphones because it has totally different transducer tech. This is an acceptable response, especially with some Stax fanatics being extremely passionate about their headphones.

On that note though, the Stax Spirit S3 from Edifier still sounds amazing. It's similar to an Audeze Mobius/Penrose hedseat, but with much better comfort and battery life. It looks like their sub $100 Edifier W830BT got a trim upgrade (pads and final finish), but at the end of the day, sound and comfort matter more to me than looks. The mid range performance is exemplary for a BT headphone, regardless of price. The bass performance is excellent, but these aren't "bass-head" headphones. The bass you do hear, is fast and deliberate though. Treble tuning can vary a bit depending on your preference, but I recommend Classic or Stax mode within the BT app.

Anyway, here's my review on them if anyone wants to see yet another YT video on these...

 

[frix]

have them as a loaner here right now. First impression surprisingly great sounding bt headphone!

 

[effsandoval]

I have one. Sounds great. I don't call it Stax Spirit. I just call it Edifier S3. It is no Stax but it is a d*mn good headphone for the price.

 

[Crispoo]

Getting the S3 is my biggest wireless headphone purchase so far, I got these for around $260. While the sound, comfort and battery life does not disappoint, the build is very questionable for a $400 product. The ear cups creak with almost every head movement which makes it feel like it'll break anytime soon.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Ordered these for a great price during the Black Friday sale on Aliexpress, and they finally arrived today. I've been giving a fully wireless set-up a try, so I'm going to be running these mostly with a FiiO BTA30 Pro using AptX HD and occasionally my iPhone. Putting them through their paces today, comparing mostly with the B&O Portal and Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless as my other closed BT cans (also have Hifiman Deva Pros, but they're open back)

 

[HipHopScribe]

I was planning to write a little more in depth on these headphones, but I'm walking away disappointed so I'm gonna keep it short: companies need to think more about build quality when they are designing headphone like this. Because these headphones sound flat out great, but they feel like $50 headphones and that just won't work for me.

They look cheap, which is annoying but I can live with. The materials feel cheap, which is slightly worrying from a longevity standpoint, but I might have still kept them. But the biggest problem is that all this cheap plastic just creaks endlessly on my head when I'm listening to them unless I stay absolutely still. Given that they're portable headphones, that's a problem.

I can't claim that I wasn't warned, multiple people have mentioned the same issue. I was just hoping it wouldn't be so bad, but it annoyed me to no end.

So I'm pinning my hopes on the new Audeze Maxwell, which was announced after I ordered the S3. It looks like Audeze really worked on improving the build compared to the Mobius/Penrose, so if they sound as good as the S3 they'll be a winner.

 

[deafenears]

Great summary which I completely agree with. I'm in the same boat, ordered the S3 right before the Maxwell was announced. Disappointed with the S3, placed an order for the Maxwell and am waiting on delivery of that.

 

[jqgw]

I bought a pair in November. If i move them with my hands then they creak but I do not ever hear creaking when I move my head.

I am enjoying them quite a lot.

 

[helmutcheese]

Amazon UK (Todays Deal)

Deal-20%

£329.00 >£263.99

 

[Renar]

Just got it for 300 usd directly from Edifier and for wireless headphones they sound excelllent. don’t use too often full-size bluetooth phones since can’t imagine right scenario but feel that should have this option.

 

[Mommerman]

The right earcup on my S3s have cracked. This is the exact same thing that happened to my Sony WH1000-XM

 

[helmutcheese]

 

[anli]

At first I'd want to say S3 sounding is very close to what I want. That is not-V tonal signature. Just for the sake of curiosity I have tried to find competitors with similar signature and humane price (say, <= $500). And, well, I was not lucky. Almost all headphones have got distinct V. And do you know competitors with similar tonal balance (that is mostly neutral with - nevertheless - sub-bass existing)?