These days, many are built to compete with similar features: great sound, exquisite comfort, and the ability to isolate yourself from the world with noise cancellation. That\u2019s the norm for headphones today, but it doesn\u2019t have to mean every pair is doing it.<\/p>\n
With Edifier\u2019s latest, there\u2019s actually no noise cancellation. You\u2019ll still get a pair of wire-free headphones, but the focus isn\u2019t on cancelling the world, but rather improving the sound you\u2019re used to, thanks to a special driver not normally seen on wireless headphones.<\/p>\n
Is the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 a pair of headphones a set you can fall in love with, despite their lack of noise cancellation?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-05-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n
All reviews at Pickr are subject to experienced testing methodologies. Find out why you can trust us<\/a> and change the way you choose. A little old school and a little new, the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 aren\u2019t going to try to impress you with fancy looks. They\u2019re headphones in one colour (or shade) \u2014 black \u2014 with a leather exterior and two sets of pats, made for people who want a pair of headphones for music and sound.<\/p>\n They\u2019re fairly simple looking for headphones, but feature a driver design unlike most other pairs. These are definitely different.<\/p>\n While most pairs of headphones you\u2019ll see rely on a diaphragm attached to a coil of wire \u2014 a dynamic driver \u2014 the Edifier Stax S5 uses a planar magnetic driver, a style that uses a flat diaphragm with a wire set up in a pattern across the whole thing stretched across, with magnets on either side to create a magnetic field. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a more complex style of headphone, and because of the complexities in design and build, you only see planar magnetic headphones on more slightly higher priced headphones focused on the audiophile world.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what Edifier is using on the Edifier S5, with a 2 micrometre film and a second-gen variation of Edifier\u2019s \u201cEqualMass\u201d wiring which borrows from one of the main innovators in the planar magnetic space<\/a>: Audeze. Its \u201cFluxor\u201d magnetic structure is used here alongside Edifier\u2019s own approaches, resulting in what could be the best of both worlds: a driver made using techniques by two companies.<\/p>\n Wired and wireless, the Spirit S5 headphones work over Bluetooth, USB-C, and a standard 3.5mm connection, arriving with two types of earphone pads, a little key to remove those earpads, and a case.<\/p>\n In-use<\/p>\n Designed as a pair of headphones, the controls are one area where Edifier hasn\u2019t spent an enormous amount of time refining things. There\u2019s an app and there are rubberised controls, and neither is particularly amazing.<\/p>\n There are actually two Edifier apps \u2014 you want \u201cEdifier Connex\u201d \u2014 but even there, the amount of controls is a little limited. You can change the profile of the headphones, switch on multipoint Bluetooth, and even change the type of ear pads you\u2019re using, though as to whether that does much remains to be seen.<\/p>\n Then there are the controls, which are basically just rubber bits all concentrated on the right headphones: a volume rocker with a main button in the middle acting as power and pause, and a Bluetooth button just below it. <\/p>\n If anything, these could probably have been separated for one on each headphone can, largely because it\u2019s all too easy to press the Bluetooth button instead of the main button, and even that pause and playback control gets stuck between accidentally raising and lowering the volume.<\/p>\n Controls are not the main focus of Edifier\u2019s design team.<\/p>\n Performance<\/p>\n The audio is. And to give that a good test, we\u2019re running things primarily over wireless with the Pickr Sound Test<\/a>, several tracks you can test for yourself with your own headphones.<\/p>\n As usual, that starts with electronic and the sound of Tycho\u2019s \u201cGlider\u201d, delivering a wide soundstage with lovely clear mids and lows. The bass is deep and the drop in the song almost able to be felt, echoed with Daft Punk\u2019s \u201cContact\u201d, which delivers a great sense of balance where the oomph is definitely there on the mids and lows.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a great intro to these speaker-sounding cans, and one that continues into the the punchy sound of Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariana Grande, and Mark Ronson. Each offers a solid punch, with a nicely balanced sound where each part of each song stands out. Mids, lows, and highs, it all sounds good here.<\/p>\n Old school music from the likes of Marvin Gaye and David Bowie feels rounded and clear, while modern music offers more punch, with a comfortable drive that doesn\u2019t hit too hard.<\/p>\n The Stax Spirit S5 are just a great sounding headphone, offering the sort of sound of a nice balanced speaker with plenty of detail to go around.<\/p>\n In terms of where you\u2019ll listen to them, home and the office are probably your best bet, as isolation is hardly offered here. <\/p>\n Walking with them by the street, you\u2019ll hear traffic as it drives by, and pretty much any other sound. Noise just gets in, with the only isolation being passive from the lamb leather pads, or the lighter weight pads you can switch them with.<\/p>\n Battery<\/p>\n While you won\u2019t get active noise cancellation, you will get a stunning battery life, supporting as much as 80 hours of use. Yikes!<\/p>\n That\u2019s a pair of wireless headphones that\u2019s pretty much ready to go when you need them. Just grab them, turn them on, and they\u2019re linked up.<\/p>\n And if you need to go wired, you can do that, too. Grab the USB-C cable and plug directly in, or opt for the 3.5mm cable if you still have a device that likes that.<\/p>\n Edifier didn\u2019t quite state the USB-C audio maximums, but plugging them into a Mac revealed they\u2019ll handle 24-bit 48kHz and the more useful 96kHz. <\/p>\n Granted, it\u2019s not as high res as the 192kHz recordings we have sitting around, but 96kHz is a little more useful than the 48kHz we normally see on USB-C headphones. It\u2019s that little more useful for audiophiles.<\/p>\n Value<\/p>\n The price is also excellent for what you\u2019re getting.<\/p>\n Available in Australia for $699, Edifier is setting a solid benchmark for high-end audio at a price below what we\u2019d expect to pay.<\/p>\n Granted, you have to sacrifice something in order to get a decent sound and excellent battery life for that $699 price, and for some, that might be too hard an ask.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a relatively inexpensive pair of planar magnetic headphones, especially for given the technology isn\u2019t always wireless, but not having noise cancellation means they\u2019re also a touch pricey for what they are, as well. <\/p>\n What needs work?<\/p>\n The omission of active noise cancellation is a bit of a surprise, especially given it\u2019s there on pretty much everything these days. The Edifier Stax Spirit S5 are the first headphones in a long time we\u2019re reviewing without noise cancellation.<\/p>\n As for why there\u2019s no ANC, Edifier told Pickr two reasons, citing technical limitations with planar drivers and an expectation that had noise cancellation been added, the structure and design of the headphones would have caused the ANC not to meet expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision was made to prioritise audio fidelity,\u201d a spokesperson for Edifier told Pickr.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to argue with that logic; essentially, Edifier chose audio quality over needing noise cancellation. We get it, but it does limit the use of the headphones somewhat.<\/p>\n Use the S5 on an aircraft, and you\u2019ll be fighting the background noise. Use it in public transport, and the same applies. But at home and in the office, the Edifier Stax S5 Spirit are perfectly fine.<\/p>\n Which may be one of the features we love.<\/p>\n What we love<\/p>\n Audiophile-grade headphones are typically made for where you\u2019re going to be comfortable listening. It\u2019s why they can afford to have a little crazier designs than the rest, because if you caught yourself wearing them in the street, you\u2019d probably look at yourself weirdly.<\/p>\n The Stax S5 doesn\u2019t adopt a crazy design at all, even if it is made for home and the office. You could walk around in these, and most wouldn\u2019t give you a second glance.<\/p>\n But those who knew would smile with a sinister grin, jealous of the balance and detail these headphones afford.<\/p>\n The sound from these cans is excellent. Just beautifully clear and spacious. If you can live without noise cancellation, you can live inside Edifier\u2019s Stax Spirit S5.<\/p>\n And when you decide to replace the pads, you can even look straight at the planar magnetic driver on the inside, or at least some of it. That alone makes for a neat situation.<\/p>\n Edifier Stax S5 vs the competition<\/p>\n Not everyone will be able to go without the noise quelling technologies, though, and for those people, the Stax Spirit S5 won\u2019t make a lot of sense.<\/p>\n Competitors offering similarly high-end audio with active noise cancellation will likely be where they\u2019ll want to be, which means the likes of Sony\u2019s WH-1000XM6<\/a>, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra<\/a>, Sennheiser\u2019s Momentum 4<\/a> headphones, or even if they feel like spending more money, the Focal Bathys<\/a>. All of these are exceptional, and are all worth a look in by comparison, particularly if you\u2019re after great sound and have to cancel out background noise.<\/p>\n One of the critical points is these planar magnetic drivers: they just don\u2019t exist in a lot of headphones, so while the aforementioned headphones are all very, very good, none of them rely on planar magnets. They all sound exception, but may lack that audiophile sense of sound the Stax Spirit S5 pride themselves on.<\/p>\n The problem is if you want both planar magnetic drivers and active noise cancellation, you are largely out of luck. They just don\u2019t seem to exist. At least not yet.<\/p>\n Final thoughts (TLDR)<\/p>\n It\u2019s very much a case of \u201cpick one important feature\u201d, and discard the rest. With the Edifier Stax Spirit S5, you can pick excellent audiophile sound and a comfortable design, but you need to forget about the noise cancellation.<\/p>\n For some people, that\u2019ll be a non-decision. Premium headphones come with ANC just as a matter of course these days because that\u2019s expected. They\u2019re not all created equal \u2014 the cancellation on the less expensive Sony XM5<\/a> beats the cancellation on the Apple AirPods Max<\/a> \u2014 but the idea is that ANC is an obvious include. Active noise cancellation is there when you spend up big. <\/p>\n Except in one area: audiophile headphones. When it comes to audiophile-grade gear, ANC is almost never there.<\/p>\n So where does this leave the Edifier Stax Spirit S5? <\/p>\n Well, these aren\u2019t your conventional pairs of headphones. They\u2019re not really made for a flight across the world, or even necessarily walking around the city. They\u2019re different, and that\u2019s fine.<\/p>\n They\u2019re made for listening. The Edifier Stax Spirit S5 are made for unencumbered listening, and where the sound is the thing that matters first and foremost. They are utterly lovely and proud of it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting there\u2019s nothing wrong with a pair of headphones made just for listening. The Sennheiser HD25 are great<\/a> for that, as are the Rode NTH-100<\/a>. Both of those are ideal for engineering and listening, and there are other pairs rated for just the act of listening. Headphones don\u2019t necessarily need noise cancellation to be great for listening to music. <\/p>\n These headphones won\u2019t be for everyone or every use. But at home, at work, or just generally listening as it is, if you want a lovely sound, the Stax Spirit S5 are worthy of your ears. Surprisingly recommended.<\/p>\n Edifier Stax Spirit S5 headphones<\/p>\n The good<\/p>\n Excellent sound <\/p>\n Quite comfortable <\/p>\n Leather pads (lambskin) <\/p>\n Comes with two sets of pads <\/p>\n Foldable and comes with a case <\/p>\n Supported by an app <\/p>\n Works with USB-C and 24-bit audio<\/p>\n The not-so-good<\/p>\n A little on the pricey side <\/p>\n No active noise cancellation <\/p>\n Not everyone will be happy with leather pads <\/p>\n App is flaky Controls could be better<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quick review Edifier Stax Spirit S5 headphones – $699 The good Excellent sound Quite comfortable Leather pads (lambskin)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,69884,63,69885,69886,69887,69888,105,21266,16586,69889],"class_list":["post-94577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-audeze","tag-australia","tag-bluetooth-5","tag-edifier","tag-high-resolution-audio","tag-planar-magnetic","tag-technology","tag-type-c","tag-wireless","tag-wireless-headphones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDesign and features<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-12.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-21-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-08-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-16-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-10.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-19-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-15-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
You get two sets of pads in the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 headphones. Plus a little pick to remove the pads easily. They clip on, so there\u2019s not much effort needed. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-14-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
Look at that special driver. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-23-jpg.webp.webp\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/edifier-stax-s5-review-2025-18-150x150.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n