Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds Review

Status Audio was founded in 2014 in NYC, and they have flown under my radar over the years. They are a small audio company which currently has just four audio products consisting of two models of true wireless earbuds, a pair of wireless ANC headphones, and then a pair of wired headphones.

The Between 3ANC earbuds are the flagship option and quite unique for ANC TWS earbuds due to the triple driver design, which consists of two balanced armature drivers + one dynamic driver in each earbud. This allows the earbuds to offer ultra-wide frequency response with stunning clarity.

Specification

• True Wireless
• 10mm Dynamic Driver
• 2x Balanced Armature Drivers
• Active Noise Cancelling
• Charging case included
• IPX-5 waterproof rating
• USB-C Charging
• Wireless Charging
• 8hrs playback ANC on
• 12hrs playback ANC off
• Bluetooth 5.2.
• Multipoint Connectivity
• 6x External Microphones
• Environmental Noise Reduction
• Ultra lightweight
• 5hz-25,000hz
• 105 dB SPL (1 kHz / 1 mW)

Design

I am personally indifferent to the way earbuds look; the only thing I care about is how they fit.

For the Status Audio Between 3ANC, they have quite a unique look as far as TWS earbuds go, and I wasn’t overly optimistic about the way they would fit.

They are physically quite a large earbud with a chunky flat and wide stem. The main part of the earbud that sits in your concha is also quite large.

These earbuds come with three pairs of silicon eartips plus three silicon fitwings to customise the fit.

The overall design looks like there would be a lot of overhang, which would normally lead to the earbuds coming loose quite easily.

However, in my case, I find the fit to be surprisingly good. They are certainly not the best-fitting earbuds I have used; that award goes to the Sony LinkBuds S. But, the fit is good. I generally only wear earbuds when walking, running, or in the gym. I have no patience for earbuds that constantly come loose, and these have performed perfectly well while I have been using them. Even for vigorous activities, I haven’t had any significant issues with them needing adjusting.

The earbuds have a physical button on the top with these controlling ANC/Transparency (single push), voice assistant (double push), battery status (triple push), and power on/off (hold button).

They are also touch sensitive with play/pause (single tap), back/forward skip (left/right side double tap), call answer/end (either side double tap), and lower/raise volume (left/right side hold).

Because I mainly use earbuds for fitness, I am not fond of touch-sensitive controls as I always end up pausing music if I try and adjust them. It would be good if the app had additional settings to program the controls (and disable touch controls).

One feature that is missing is wear detection. It is not a feature I am that bothered about, I can sometimes find it annoying, but at this price point, I think it should be there.

App

The Status Audio app is basic but attractively designed and easy to use.

There are not many options, but using the app you can:

• Enable/Disable ANC
• Enable/Disable Ambient Noise
• Adjust the EQ

As for the EQ, there are just three predefined sound profiles with:

• Status Signature
• Status Audiophile
• Original Between Pro

Sound Quality

The Between 3ANC uses AAC and SBC codecs over Bluetooth 5.2, which is a little disappointing at this price point, considering these are marketed as triple-driver audiophile earbuds. Most competing options will use aptX or LDAC.

You then have a choice of three presets from within the app.

There is not a massive difference in sound between the three options. The main difference is with the audiophile option, which appears to recess the bass by quite a bit.

I much preferred the Signature or Between Pro sound profiles. With both of these, they are not the most bass-forward of sound profiles, but they were still capable of producing a pleasant and smooth-sounding low end that didn’t muddy the mids too much.

The highs are elevated, and with the combination of the slightly recessed bass, you get plenty of detail, making these enjoyable to listen to across a wide range of genres, with me being able to appreciate the detail in different instruments.

As I often use earbuds in the gym, I am quite partial to something with more bass. I attempted to tweak the EQ to be more bassy, which is easy enough to do, but the resulting sound was quite muddy. I don’t think this is an issue with the EQ, but an issue with me, the user, not understanding how to optimise the frequency to my tastes. This is why I like earbuds that have a lot of preset options, as it makes it idiot-proof.

Active Noise Cancelling

I’d say the main weakness of these earbuds is the ANC. It is not awful, but definitely not on the same level as many of the better-known options out there.

For day to day, situations these do a reasonably good job of taking the edge off environmental noise. It doesn’t eliminate background noise but, hopefully, reduces it enough for you to enjoy your music.

For my synthetic test of airplane cabin noise with my Edifier speakers dialled up to 80%, there is a significant change in the background noise. They seem to do a good job of removing the middle end of the spectrum but leave quite a bit of low and high end. Most earbuds struggle with the high-end, so that’s to be expected, but they fall short of the competition when it comes to removing that low-end rumble.

Call Quality

I used the Between 3ANC for a handful of calls, and it works well indoors with limited environmental noise. The ANC helps reduce ambient noise around the listener, but the microphones seem to pick up a lot of this noise and can be problematic outdoors.

Battery

These earbuds are rated to have an 8-hour battery life with ANC on and 12 hours with it disabled.

This seems to be reasonably accurate when listening to them at moderate volumes, I have used them for about 4 hours straight with ANC on, and they were around 50% when I put them back in the case.

The battery performance is on the upper end of what you would expect from ANC earbuds, but this could be due to the ANC performance not being up there with the best.

Price and Alternative Options

The Status Audio Between 3ANC can be bought directly from Status Audio for $199 (£156), and UK/EU buyers will have shipments dispatched from the UK warehouse, which is located just outside of London.

UK delivery should take 2 days, EU 5-15 days, and there is no additional VAT charged at checkout.

These also come with a 30-day performance guarantee, so you can return them within 30 days for any reason. If you are outside the US you will be required to pay for the return costs.

In the past, they have been listed on Amazon, but they are currently unavailable.

The £160 price point is challenging as there are many amazing earbuds available for around this price.

• Sony LinkBuds S are available for just £116 (RRP £180)
• Sony WF-1000XM4 are available for £200 – A newer model is out now but these were classed as the gold standard for ANC earbuds.
• Jabra Elite 5 are available for £150 and have been as low as £100
• Jabra Elite 7 Active are available for £145
• Anker Liberty 4 are available for £112

Overall

Triple-driver earbuds are quite rare. It is only the 1MORE Triple Driver I have reviewed that use them, and I haven’t reviewed any TWS earbuds that use this design. Using three drivers should allow the earbuds to have superior performance across a wide frequency response. It’s a bit like a speaker with a dedicated treble, mid and woofer. Of course, the performance really depends on how well it is implemented, but I have been impressed with these.

I’d say these have a good balance between the audiophile analytical neutral sound profile and the excessively bassy V or U shaped sound profile that has become ubiquitous with most mainstream audio brands. They retain a good level of bass while not muddying up the other frequencies.

I would have preferred more preset EQ options to give me more flexibility in the sound options, but apart from that, I’d say the main selling point of these earbuds is the overall sound quality.

The ANC is quite poor for a pair of earbuds at this price point, but it is OK, and I think you’d struggle to find earbuds with amazing ANC and audio quality at this price.

Overall, I think these are excellent earbuds and well worth considering if sound quality is your main concern.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.