Status Audio Between Pro TWS Earbuds Review – Souled American
Status Audio Between Pro: For a NY-based company, Status seems to hew very closely to the Chifi template of high value products, gushing self-promotion and non-existent customer service. Their BT One on-ear (review here) isn’t the ultimate in SQ, but has proven to be so comfortable and reliable that I probably use it more than any set I own.
Ergo, when my Powerbeats Pro bit the dust, and Status offered a $99 Black Friday deal on the (nominally $149) Between Pro, I succumbed.
Oddly shaped, with a large rectangular stem, the Between Pro have some heft but are more comfortable than expected, while the physical control buttons are responsive and accessible without adjusting the buds. There’s no app or ANC but passive isolation with the large tips and rubber wings is very good and 12-hour battery life is SOTA.
The case, however, is really badly designed—the charging port is at the bottom and the buds are inserted vertically, which (unless you have nails like LaToya Jackson) makes them extremely difficult to remove.
The Between Pro’s big selling point for audio obsessives, is its triple driver (2 DD/1BA) array which, on paper at least, promises better high frequency reproduction than the typical (single DD) TWS norm. Instead, the Pro offers a more balanced, mid-focused signature which pushes vocals forward but has limited highend extension.
Timbre is slightly warmer than neutral and notes have good but not exaggerated body. Subbass is visceral and has surprising depth; midbass isn’t the most sculpted but avoids excess bloom/bleed, while treble isn’t as detailed as, say, the Klipsch T5, but quite natural sounding.
Technicalities are generally very good—transients are quick, imaging and stereo separation is precise—and soundstage is well-rounded, albeit somewhat narrow and inside-your-head. Where these trail price peers like Cambridge Melomania and Senn 400BT is overall coherence—there’s an occasional sense of listening to separate drivers for different frequencies, rather than a seamless whole.
Overall, though these avoid the artificial tonality of most of its ilk, especially at the high end; drums and percussion are reproduced accurately and voices are full and clear.
Absent a lot of tech features, and burdened by a few ergonomic quirks, the Between Pro seemed a tad overpriced at their original SRP, especially since you can get comparably-equipped, good-sounding buds like SoundPEATS H1 or Lypertek Tev Z3 for around $80. Like its over-ear brethren, however, the Between Pro are a professionally executed product that should please the masses.
Non-disclaimer: bought ‘em on sale
I found the battery life with the Between Pro earbuds not as advertised. Status response was that the advertised battery life is only in production test lab settings. I have lost 38% of battery life in 6 months. Status says this is acceptable. At this rate, my battery life will be down to three hours before the warranty expires. This is unacceptable, even though I think they sound amazing.