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I’ve examined so many headphones and earbuds as of late that it is getting more durable and more durable to inform them aside. However I’ve by no means examined a pair fairly just like the Status X Pro earbuds. These earbuds set the bar fairly excessive.
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In case you’ve not heard of Standing, it is perhaps as a result of they’ve solely been round for about 9 years (not lengthy in any respect within the ever-evolving world of audio tech). Once I first obtained the Standing Professional X, I did not suppose a lot of it. I hadn’t unboxed them but, however might see the shape issue on the field and wasn’t instantly impressed.
Little did I do know.
My expertise
Let’s minimize to the chase: the Standing Professional X earbuds are freaking unbelievable. In reality, they sound so good, I did not wish to cease listening. They’d a readability I’ve not heard in earbuds at this value vary, and the soundstage was superb. On high of that, I discovered the earbuds to have a sublime design. That is an enormous change to my favourite earbuds, the Denon PearL Pro, that are large and reasonably clunky. As for the Pixel Buds Pro, they only look foolish in comparison with the Standing Professional X.
To my nice shock, if I had been to match the Standing Professional X to the Denon PearL Professional earbuds (which value practically twice as a lot because the Standing Professional X), the Standing Professional X truly wins. The rationale for that is that the Standing Professional X earbuds beat them within the highs. Each earbuds have unbelievable, dynamic bass, however the Standing Professional X enjoys some severely crystal highs.
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In reality, the Standing Professional X earbuds are completely pleasant from the low finish to the mid vary. That could be a feat not many earbuds can match. Typically, a pair of earbuds will win out in sure frequencies however lose in others.
Sure, you’ll be able to all the time tweak the sound of most earbuds with an related app, however I have a tendency to evaluate earbuds by how they sound out of the field (after which tweak them as wanted).
The Standing Professional X enjoys magnificent sound, with out having to put in an app (Thanks, Standing). That, my mates, makes an enormous distinction, particularly for individuals who both do not wish to should take care of EQ or those that do not know what EQ is.
How do these earbuds obtain this feat? A number of drivers. Most earbuds follow a single driver design, however the Standing Professional X makes use of a number of: a dynamic driver for lows and twin Knowles drivers for mids and highs. The multi-driver setup makes that unbelievable separation of sound and clean element doable.
Throughout my total testing time with the Standing Professional X earbuds, I did not obtain an app or make any modifications to the sound, and nonetheless I loved a heat and agility I’ve by no means heard from a mid-range pair of earbuds. If I did not know the costs of those ($249 on the official web site), I might have sworn these value no less than twice the worth. Spectacular.
Now, I did try and allow Android’s LDAC codec for 990/kbps/090/kbps, however discovered the connection dropped an excessive amount of, so I switched it again to greatest effort. I additionally had HD audio enabled. Each of those options are solely accessible from throughout the Developer Choices.
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Even with out the upper high quality LDAC setting, these earbuds simply bested each pair of earbuds I’ve at my disposal. Each music and style I threw on the Standing Professional X earbuds sounded gloriously alive. From Rush, Leprous, Purity Ring, Spiritbox, Cocteau Twins, Gary Numan, and lots of extra — all of them got here alive by means of these.
The match is the place issues aren’t fairly as unbelievable. To get an excellent seal with these earbuds, it’s important to pull your ear up as you insert them and ensure you’re utilizing the best measurement ideas. The Standing Professional X will not offer you a stable really feel if you happen to simply jam them into your ears with out intention. However once you get them correctly seated, you are in for lots of dancing and smiles.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
You aren’t going to discover a better-sounding pair of earbuds at this value. These are, fingers down, the most effective pair of earbuds I’ve examined at this value level. Heck, the Status Pro X earbuds are higher than each pair of earbuds I’ve examined or used (from a budget to the costly and every thing in between).
These earbuds sound so good that I might dare every other firm to ship me earbuds that they consider can dethrone the Standing Professional X earbuds as my high advice of 2025.
Simply purchase these and neglect about these trashy earbuds you have been utilizing for years.
Standing Professional X earbuds tech specs
- Triple driver setup (twin Knowles balanced armature drivers and one 12″ dynamic driver)
- -52db lively noise canceling
- AI speech enhancement
- Bluetooth 5.3
- IP55 water resistance
- 3 beam-forming mics
- 8-hour battery life from a single cost (with a complete of 24 hours utilizing the charging case)
- Optical sporting sensor
- 24-bit/96 kHz audio over Bluetooth
- LDAC assist for audio as much as 990 kbps
- Each contact and bodily button management