Stax Spirit S5

The STAX SPIRIT S5 pairs a planar magnetic driver, built on a 2 µm polyethylene diaphragm with a 1 µm wiring layer, with a wireless Bluetooth 5.4 platform. Its second-generation EqualMass wiring uses a symmetric layout intended to keep the diaphragm moving evenly across the frequency range. Each unit is calibrated during production so the magnetic field matches a reference sample.

Wireless audio runs on a Qualcomm QCC5181 SoC with Snapdragon Sound support. Codecs include LDAC, LHDC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC, with Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. Calls use dual-mic noise reduction with aptX Voice. Multipoint lets two Bluetooth devices stay connected at once, Google Fast Pair simplifies Android pairing, and a game mode with 89 ms latency is included. The EDIFIER ConneX app provides three preset EQs, a custom EQ, control settings and find-my-product.

The earcups are covered in top-grain cowhide, with lambskin headband pads and earpads, and a second set of cooling-mesh earpads is supplied. The steel headband is adjustable and the headphones fold for travel. A 1500 mAh battery gives around 80 hours of playback, charged over USB-C. USB-C and AUX cables allow wired listening.