Edifier Stax S10 planar magnetic in-ear monitors

Introduction

I have a long-standing affinity for Edifier. One of my earliest reviews was of their Spinnaker loudspeakers in 2013. They offer generally excellent audio products at high value for money. The Edifier NeoDots reviewed earlier this year were a dynamic driver-type design. These were excellent, offering True Wireless Stereo (TWS), where each bud has its own audio signal.

These Edifier Stax S10 are similarly TWS but feature a planar magnetic driver. They are inspired by STAX, known for 80 years for its electrostatic headphones. Edifier bought the STAX brand in 2012, and it has become their “high-end sub-brand,” offering high-quality products to audiophile users.

Design

The Edifier Stax S10 is a blade-style in-ear monitor with a 12mm planar magnetic driver and a pebble-style carry case. The planar diaphragm is built on a super-thin 2μm (2 micrometres) polymer substrate.

The Stax S10 features the latest Qualcomm QCC5181 chipset 2nd generation S5 Bluetooth V5.4 SoC (system on a chip) platform, designed to offer stability and low power consumption, offering battery advantages. The Bluetooth supports HD codecs like LDAC and LHDC 5.0; of course, you’ll need a suitable source. Also supported are aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX Voice, Snapdragon Sound, AAC, and SBC (Sony’s LDAC 990kbps protocol data carrying comments are explored in greater detail in the NeoDots review).

The S10 uses 3rd-generation Qualcomm adaptive hybrid ANC (active noise cancellation) technology, which is based on having 3 microphones in each earbud.

The blades themselves are IP54 dust and splash-resistant and have a built-in wear sensor that automatically pauses and plays audio as it senses a change. There is also a mini button on the blades to pause and play without removing the buds. The Edifier ConneX App has a gaming mode latency option, and multiple Bluetooth connections are possible.

Edifier claims a 28-hour battery life, which drops to 8 hours with ANC. A 15-minute ‘splash and dash’ is available for 2 hours of playback.

Quality

These Edifier Stax S10 have a premium feel and finish to them, slightly weightier but reassuring. The pebble charging case has a solid feel.  In the box, there are seven pairs of earplugs and a very nice two-tone double-lined carry pouch, as well as the obligatory shorter USB-C charging cable.

Specification and Price

Performance

Review Equipment

I’ve used the Edifier Stax S10 almost exclusively with my excellent Google Android Pixel 8 Pro. This phone features the Google Fast Pair Bluetooth system which works well with the Edifier Stax S10, as with the NeoDots.

Physically

I find the sensor wear function to be excellent

I find these buds very easy to wear, though the choice of interchangeable earbuds seems critical with these S10s. I’m surmising this is a function of their weight and physical design, with the centre of gravity outside the general shape of the ear. Once you’ve found the right one, though, they’re perfect for a walk or exercise on a rowing machine.

I find the sensor wear function to be excellent. If I’m walking, I can just remove a bud to pause what I’m listening to and insert it to resume. This has been faultless to date. The pause button on the side of each blade is useful, too, if you are in ambient mode and stop to chat with a fellow dog walker.

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)

Podcasts can be clearly heard with the ‘High’ setting on normal volume on the motorway bridge

I regularly walk over a motorway with the dog, and the noise cancelling is very good. Podcasts can be clearly heard with the ‘High’ setting on normal volume on the motorway bridge.  Cycling down the noise cancelling options reveals more noise, and the ‘Ambient’ setting makes podcasts unlistenable, as we might expect by the motorway. The Ambient setting is otherwise fine in quieter areas.   The various phone calls I have had with these have had no comment, so that appears to be a thumbs up.

LDAC Bluetooth

… a great head stage with plenty of detail and instrument separation

Planar Magnetic headphones are generally purchased for their dynamic response and imaging, as well as their all-around accuracy and detail. All these characteristics are here, as well as a full bass.

Using my Pixel 8 Pro with LDAC, I’m getting a fine sound and a great head stage with plenty of detail and instrument separation. For example, the piano is soft with classic audiophile tracks like So What from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (24-bit, 192kHz).

ConneX App

The ConneX App is excellent broadly and controls the blades nicely. I initially had a few issues with the app’s LDAC being disabled, which was strange as I had no issues with the NeoDots. Maybe this is a default thing? Having easily rectified this, I could choose LDAC in the phone and optimise the data stream to 990kbps.

The ConneX App has a few filter settings. The Electrostatic mode harks back to the STAX heritage, which is fun. Just pick a filter, and don’t take it too seriously.

Thoughts

There’s nothing to choose between the NeoDots, reviewed a couple of months ago, and these S10s other than cool looks and a marginally sweeter bass response in the S10s. Having heard many buds from the likes of Tozo and Edifier, these are the non-Apple ones I would tend towards. The Neobuds Pro were rather more competitive in price.

Overall

These S10 are comfortable and stable in-ear monitors with very cool looks, an understated design, LDAC HiRes performance, and faultless connectivity.