STAX SPIRIT S3

The sound is really good. But it baffles me that it is possible to make a headset in 2022, that makes continuous “plasticky sounds” every time you move you head. Walking a commuting with these is not an option for me, and I find myself using them less and less, because these sounds ruin the whole experience. I am probably more sensitive to this that’s most, but think this is something one should consider before buying these headphones. Have tried to modify with tape and even heat shrink, but without success. Fix this Edifier and you have a 5 star product. (And you should offer free repairs to us that bought sets with this fault, cause this can not be considered anything else than a engineering mishap.)

I did a ton of research on the best headphones in this price range (and above).
I had eliminated nearly every option (for one reason or another), and just stumbled upon a review of these relatively obscure offerings from Edifier. The review was very favorable, so, I did some more digging, and found only positive reviews. With the Stax pedigree to their credit, and the acquired Audeze technology, I figured it was worth a try. So, I bit the bullet, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. Amazing in every way!! Enjoying them a bunch!!!!

The STAX SPIRIT S3 is by far the best headphone I have ever tried. They are mid-range forward headphones which I personally love. They have tight bass. They have great treble. They have great separation. They have great soundstage. When they first arrived to my house the deliver person actually put it on my outside bench which is a breath of fresh air because amazon never did that, amazon would just throw it over the gate. When I opened the package i was suprised because the package had a foam covering on top and in the middle was the headphones and the under that was another foam covering and it had a cut out of the headphones box shape so they would fit in perfectly and protect them and that was the just the small box inside a much bigger box and in the bigger box it had the box that carried the headphones and the foam coverings and in the bigger box it had the headphones and the foam coverings and those "bags" that get filled with air, like the "airbags" that come with amazon packages. I was and still am happy of the care and protection that went into my headphones packaging and boxes. 5 out of 5 stars. Never change the quality of the care and protection you provide with your products. As Flossy Carter (He's a Top 5 Tech Youtuber) would say, these are a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR GO!. In other words I highly highly recommend these.

Never regretted purchasing this.
Planar magnetic drivers are mind blowing.
Definitely recommend it to potential buyers.

I had reviewed these cans for the Amazon Vine Program back in July, giving them just three stars for their sterile, midrange-forward sound.Then my review disappeared from the product page. Had Edifier removed it?I have since been monitoring the reviews for these headphones to see if others were hearing the same harsh, fatiguing sound I was reporting.No, apparently I was in the minority.So I decided to try these cans again, reinstalling the Edifier Connect app in my Android phone.This time, I'm happy to say, the sound seems to have been improved, although I still find the midrange rather prominent and fatiguing.Previously, I could hear no difference between the three equalization settings in the app. This time I found the Classic setting warmer, closer to a sound I would expect from headphones costing this much.But when I did some A/B comparisons with the Jabra Elite 85h cans I have in the house, I still prefer the Jabra's, which also have ANC and cost $150 less.So I really can't recommend the Spirit S3's to anyone but the most rabid midrange hounds.There are just too many other great over-the-ear headphones for less money...And did I mention earbuds with better sound, ANC, and a more compact and convenient form factor? The truth is, I would prefer to wear and listen to the 1More EVO's, the Devialet Gemini's, the Sony WF-1000XM3's, or the Sudio E2's any day or night over the Spirit S3's.To summarize, then, regardless of the S3's nice packaging or high price or exotic technology, I think that this particular emperor is as naked as a jaybird!