CONCLUSION

    I received the S5 just over a month ago and well, I've been using it ever since with a plethora of devices (not just with the M15/M11S music players by FiiO but also their M23 model, my SoundBlaster AE9 soundcard and the Xiaomi 14T smartphone which I've been testing as well). Regardless of connection (LDAC, USB or 3.5mm) the Edifier STAX SPIRIT S5 produced very detailed, accurate and crisp mids and highs with just the right amount of bass (not too emphasized) for me to end up using many FLAC tracks including pop, rock, classic and even some soundtracks. Depending on the track produced soundstage can be quite wide with great vocals, impressive instrument separation and resolution across the board but as expected not quite as open as with some open-back headphone models (wired ones). Needless to say, using the 3.5mm wired connection produced the best results but on one hand the app settings are not applicable when used like that and on the other well, if you want a wired model there are better ones out there at around the same price range (still having both wireless and wired connectivity should cover more scenarios). Battery life depends heavily on volume levels and of course the quality of the tracks you're listening to (more accurately the audio coded used) and so when LDAC for example is enabled you can simply forget the 80 hours advertised since they get cut quite a bit (using the same volume at all times I recorded just over 60 hours, which is still a great number). Unfortunately, even though the STAX SPIRIT S5 doesn't feature ANC thanks to the lambskin dressed earpads it's not a feature missed a lot (the fabric ones on the other hand make the headphones sound a bit more open-back). As for the dual ENC microphones they may not stand out in any way but they do deliver very clear audio on the other side so I can't ask for more.

    Cost is probably the only thing I didn’t particularly like about the STAX SPIRIT S5 since they currently retail for USD499.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 471Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). That’s not to say that the STAX SPIRIT S5 is not worth spending that much, the issue is with their lack of ANC and well, even from just a marketing/PR standpoint (although for some people it’s a very useful feature) some people may choose to look elsewhere because of it (so I do hope Edifier can look into pricing). With that out of the way I really have nothing bad to say about the STAX SPIRIT S5, audio performance and battery life are both great, comfort levels are high, wireless and wired connectivity is always good to have, build quality is pretty much excellent and the ConneX app is extremely useful and so giving it the Platinum Award is a given.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (Aluminum/Lambskin/Top Grain Cowhide)
- Impressive Audio Reproduction (Lows/Mids/Highs/Soundstage)
- Hi Resolution Certified
- Qualcomm QCC5181 (Snapdragon Sound Technology / Low Latency)
- Dual Noise Cancelling Microphones
- Features (Google Fast Pair / 4 Available EQs / Game Mode / Multipoint)
- Wireless Audio Codec Support (LDAC/LHDC/aptX HD/aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless/SBC/AAC)
- Wireless & Wired Connectivity (Bluetooth v5.4 / USBC / 3.5mm)
- Exterior Earcup Controls
- Foldable / Rotatable Earcups
- Battery Life (Up To 80 Hours)
- ConneX App

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Lack Of ANC