Status Audio’s Between Pro true wireless earphones look a little different than your typical cable-free in-ears, but the most striking difference is on the inside. Most models we test use a single driver, but Status Audio puts three drivers in each ear, which theoretically helps deliver more precise audio performance. This has the potential to kill battery life, which makes the 12-hour estimate here genuinely impressive. For $169, this seems like a great deal for audiophiles seeking the convenience of cable-free in-ears. Does the audio performance live up to the triple-driver hype? Not if what you’re after is a pure, flat response sound signature. But if you want some added bass depth, as well as some extra detail and brightness in the highs, there’s a lot to like here.
A Cool New Look
The shape of the Between Pro’s black-and-gray earpieces is unique. There’s a thin, flat, rounded compartment—similar in length to more common stem-style earpieces—that’s attached to the enclosure for the drivers. The fit, despite the extra drivers and unique shape, is quite secure. The eartips (three pairs in small, medium, and large are included) fit over a rounded, angled sleeve that adds stability; there are three pairs of sleeves included, as well.
Internally, the earpieces house a 10mm dynamic driver to cover the lower frequencies, and two balanced armature drivers for the mids and highs. They’re compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs.
On the top, flat panel of each outer earpiece, there’s a button, and the controls are divided between the two earpieces. A short tap on either button controls playback and call management, while a double tap on the left ear lowers volume and a double tap on the right raises it. Pressing and holding the left ear’s button navigates backward a track, and the same on the right ear skips forward. Triple taps on either ear summon your device’s voice assistant. The controls are relatively simple to operate, and unlike many pairs we test, they aren’t easy to trigger by accident.
The earpieces have an IPX5 water-resistance rating, meaning they can handle modest splashing from any direction, so you can get them sweaty or wear them in rain, but don’t wash them off under the faucet or dunk them in water. And the charging case isn’t water resistant, so dry the earpieces before docking them.
The charging case has a flip-top lid that can snap shut a little too easily when you’re trying to remove the earpieces. The earpieces, because of their shape, require a unique charging dock, and it can make them slightly hard to remove at first. The case has a USB-C port on its bottom panel for the included USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable.
Status Audio estimates battery life to be roughly 12 hours, with the charging case holding 36 hours. As mentioned, these are great numbers for true wireless in-ears. Regardless, your results will vary with your volume levels.
Strong Audio Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency response matched with bright highs. At top, unwise volume levels, the drivers don’t distort, and at more reasonable listening levels, the lows are still robust.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Between Pro’s general sound signature. The drums on this track get an extra helping of bass depth, as do Callahan’s baritone vocals—the drums sound heavier than they would through a flat response sound signature, almost thunderous. The highs are dialed up, too—the tape hiss seems to take a step forward, and the acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits get an extra bit of brightness to them. In other words, this is a dynamic, full-sounding, sculpted sound signature: You get the detail in the highs that balanced armatures can provide, and the warmth in the lows from the dynamic driver. But things are seriously sculpted, and those seeking accuracy might be disappointed, especially since there’s no app to adjust the sound signature with.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives an ideal amount of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its punchiness, while the vinyl crackle and hiss on this track take a step forward, just like the tape hiss on the previous track. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with solid depth, but they lack the subwoofer-like push we expected after listening to the previous track. Thus, we can surmise that while the earphones deliver sub-bass frequencies, the boosted bass frequencies in the sound signature are less focused on the deep sub-bass range and more focused on lows and low-mids, which explains why the kick drum and the baritone vocals on the previous track sound boosted. The vocals on this track are delivered cleanly and clearly, with no real added sibilance. Overall, this is a bass-forward sound signature that matches powerful lows with bright, crisp highs.
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On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the boosting in the lows doesn’t get out of hand. The lower-register instrumentation provides a pleasant anchoring for the mix, and only occasionally do certain notes seem to stand out a bit more than others. The spotlight remains firmly fixed on the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals, with the lows playing a supporting role. There’s definitely some added bass depth here, but it feels less dialed up than on the Callahan track. Generally speaking, classical and jazz tracks get a more natural sound signature through the Between Pro.
The mic offers strong intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, we could understand every word we recorded, with only a hint of Bluetooth distortion in the mix. Compared with most true wireless in-ear mics, the signal is on the strong end of the spectrum, and clarity is above average.
A Stylish Alternative to AirPods
Status Audio’s Between Pro earphones sound good, look cool, and are easy to operate. Throw killer battery life into the mix, and you get a worthy alternative to Apple’s ubiquitous AirPods (though they don’t offer noise cancellation like the $250 AirPods Pro). The triple-driver aspect of the design seems a bit perplexing, because it doesn’t appear to be in service of a more accurate sound signature—but make no mistake, these earphones still sound great. If you’re looking for truly waterproof in-ears, consider the $170 JBL True Wireless Flash X. We’re also fans of the $200 Sennheiser CX 400BT and, for a little more, the $230 Jabra Elite 85t. But if you like the design and a little added bass, you’ll be very happy with the Between Pro.
