In a world of watching films anywhere, alongside listening to your favourite songs whether working from home, connecting to your car, on the train or even out for a run, the world of true wireless earphones is more central to everyday life – and competitive – than ever. Founded in New York in 2014, Status Audio is the invention of James Bertuzzi, and their goal is sound quality, and it’s the main focus in the creative nature of their in-ear and over-ear designs.

After previously testing the Between 3ANC earbuds (which we reviewed here), they’ve said they’ve taken on the feedback from those with this new release; the high-quality Status Pro X, also noted as their ‘most ambitious earbud’ to date, so let’s take a closer listen and look….

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Introduction, design updates and first, second impressions

Arriving in a sleek black alloy colour, they’ve upped their triple driver active noise cancelling wireless earbuds from a 10mm to a 12mm driver, instantly meaning a deeper bass and wider world of sound coming direct to you but, a genuinely vital change considering the bulk of the previous pair, they’ve made them 21% smaller, which is a great improvement.

They also claim they’ve improved their Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency (Ambient Aware) Modes, and ANC has always been a ‘must-have’ for my earbuds. I need that sense of separation for some work, where the outside world won’t distract me during important tasks, as well as being able to hear a favourite song coming through crisp whilst I work, not forgetting needing them for phone calls.  And I’m happy to say… these are a huge improvement.

So, as well as that expanded 12mm dynamic driver (with a bonus look above), it’s supported by two Balanced Armature drivers manufactured by Knowles (a leading producer), and they’ve completed the upgrade by adding high-resolution LDAC codec support, alongside a High-Res Wireless Audio certification from the Japan Audio Society, an internationally respected audio organisation. Plus, they say they’ve “future-proofed” (a term I’m not a fan of in the world of tech but…) the Pro X with Bluetooth LE Audio support, enabling the LC3 codec (an industry first?) and Auracast protocol.

So, wherever you need to use your earbuds, the Status Pro X support you to engage into the world you want to curate.

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Where can I use them?

For the purpose of testing, I’ve taken them to various locations over the past few weeks, including at home, on the train and in the general hustle and bustle of the local city. That includes my own working space with outside distractions, including delivery vans stopping outside, unexpected house calls and even strangers in public places to.

Whether your home setup is a flat or your own house, you’ll appreciate there’s always something to disturb you – unless you’re lucky enough to be living in the distant silence of the countryside. I’ve covered a selection of scenarios and found this new pair specifically impressive but, as I certainly like to mention, pick a level of ambient mode if you’re in a spot where you need to stay aware, even if I go on about ANC and its benefits, which can filter out distractions with over 52db of noise reduction.

In fact, if you download the app, there’s a few different levels of ‘ambient’ to choose from, which means you can choose what works best for you, at whatever moment.

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Do they have a comfortable fitting?

The Status Pro X keeps the distinctive more rectangle shape, similar to the 3ANC, but it does feel softer and smaller than what’s come before. In comparison to most other earphones, which use a similar rounded style, these keep the more robust rectangle-shape but this time they’re much smaller and comfortable.

As with any earbuds, the ‘fit’ will be very individual but as they should, they arrive with a selection of different bud wraps for you to choose from, should the ‘ready to go’ ones not quite work. I didn’t have any issues using the ones that came straight from the box, so tested with those!

Also, and this I particularly enjoy, they have implemented an Optical Wearing sensor which auto-detects when they’re in your ears and when you take them out. This will auto-pause when you take them out, and start again once back in. A big favourite of mine.

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How do they work – and how effective is the touch control?

These earbuds utilize both the metal-like touch surface on the top-half of the bud a small button, rather than just one or the other, I found the touch element worked reasonably well in terms of responsiveness, but I did have some issues with the small buttons that should help you to turn the ANC or the Ambient Sound Mode on and off.

The small buttons do click but it’s difficult to judge the time element for them to switch between just changing the mode, and turning one of them off – in truth I love the idea but maybe there’s too many options in such a small space – although thankfully you can also turn these options on and off via the app as well – which is easy to download and implement.

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Is the App any good?

I think the App is an improvement as well, available on iOS or Android, it allows full EQ customisation to whatever sound level you want to choose.

With the Status app, you can quickly download it, add your device and play between the various ANC and Ambient Noise options, which means if you’re not up for using the button/touch pads on the buds, then you can manage it that way to. It’s a simple to use app, I don’t want another login to remember after another update and thankfully, this just turns on, and you can connect to it the minute you’re physically using the earbuds.

Within the app, you can see the charge level of the buds and the case. You’ll need some charge in the case to make the buds work though, be aware there. You can also click through the ‘Listening Modes’ from ANC, to Off, to Ambient – with the latter giving you low, medium, high or super if you want to still hear the outside world.

The EQ settings are great for the Status Pro X and while they seem basic, you can tell the difference. From the Status modes of Signature or Audiophile, I’ve mainly been using the latter, but you’ve also got the Knowles Preferred option, plus a Podcast-specific EQ and also one to enhance vocals. If you’re really specific about your ear setup, there’s also the option to add your own customed one.

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Connecting to Devices; easy enough?

Absolutely straightforward in this respect. You’ll know the Bluetooth chaos of making sure a new device is actively ‘visible’, and in this setup the charging case and earbuds took merely seconds to find and ‘Pair’ without an issue.

As well connecting to an Android phone, and a Dell laptop, I also picked up the Fire TV Tablet easily – when the main TV is wanted by others or when you’re between places, or retreating to wherever you wish. Clearly, with a wealth of tech not always integrating a headphone socket, the Bluetooth option is a definite go to, for whatever medium you want. 

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Phone Call quality

Status Audio have clarified that they’ve dedicated a lot of resources through the new research and development to the key benefit of their wireless earbuds, and that’s call quality.  They utilize a process called Voiceloom AI Speech Enhancement, which is designed to filter out background noise during voice communications.

They’ve also got external mics to amplify your voice during phone calls, so you don’t have to yell. They do what you’d hope, and with an additional ‘wind noise reduction’ in the listening mode, it’s really handy for any scenario.

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Summary

The Status Pro X gave me a much stronger, reliable earbuds than their previous release, while I think it was fair to have reservations, I love being surprised in a world of tech that often can feel quite similar. When you truly notice the actual difference, well, this must be celebrated and acknowledged, as these are. 

The case they come in is strong and professional, the buds can give you 8 hours per charge, which they say is 24 hours total with the included charging case, although I can’t vouch for that in one sitting. And, usefully, it also supports Qi Wireless Charging, if you need it.

In terms of water-related coverage, they have the rating of IP55, which means water and dust resistant, but what it really means is it can handle every day like sweat, splashes and passing dust or dirt, don’t go swimming with these but, hey, use them on the way there or back. 

Overall, there’s good sound and a valuable ANC option that has to be right for anything I need, and it covered those bases. Add in the triple driver to make sure the sound hitting your ears as crisp and clean as you’d demand, and you’re onto a winner alongside the reliable connection and that particularly impressive long battery life.

The Status Pro X earbuds are a massive step forward, more compact, comfortable, stronger, sleeker and – most importantly – they offer killer acoustics that will not disappoint.

Order them here: https://amzn.to/4s4jzIX or status.co/products/pro-x