Status Between 3ANC Review: The Best Wireless Earbuds of 2023?

Looking for the best wireless earbuds? Check out our Status Audio Between 3ANC review and see why they might just be the top pick for 2023.

In today’s fast-paced world, staying connected and entertained on the go is a big deal for a lot of folks. That’s why wireless earbuds have become a must-have accessory for many people. But with so many options on the market, choosing the right pair can be overwhelming.

That’s where the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds come in. They are the latest flagship earbuds from Status, a company that makes affordable audiophile headphones without excessive branding, a sort of “anti-Beats,” if you will.

They are an update to Status’ previous flagship, the triple-driver Between Pro. That headphone raised over $1.4mm on Indiegogo in 2020. The Between 3ANC comes in two colors, bone, and onyx, and currently retails for $249 on the Status Audio website.

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RELATED: Audiophile Headphones Buyers Guide (2023)

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The Between 3ANC earbuds are the most advanced earphones Status has ever made, incorporating features like active noise cancellation and wireless charging.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at what makes the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds stand out from the competition and why they might just be the perfect fit for your audio needs. So, let’s dive in and see what these earbuds have to offer.

Between 3ANC Review: Here’s a quick look at the specifications and key features:

Specifications

• Driver: Triple driver system (10mm dynamic/2x Balanced Armature)
• Sensitivity: 105 dB SPL/mW
• Frequency response: 5hz-25,000hz
• Bluetooth: 5.2
• ANC: Yes
• Battery life: 8 hours (ANC on) / 12 hours (ANC off)
• Water resistance: IPX5 waterproof rating

Key Features

• 6x External Microphones
• Touch controls
• Wireless Charging
• Multiple EQ settings
• Transparency mode
• Multipoint Connectivity

What’s In The Box:

• 2x Between 3ANC Earbuds (Left & Right)
• Charging Case
• USB-C Charging Cable
• S/M/L Silicon Fitwings
• S/M/L Silicon Earbuds
• User Guide

Between 3ANC Review: Design and Comfort

The Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds have a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and practical. In addition, the earbuds are made of high-quality materials such as aluminum and polycarbonate, which make them durable and lightweight.

They also come with three different sizes of silicone ear tips and additional silicone supports called “fit-wings,” so you can choose the best combination that fits your ears.

The earbuds themselves are a little larger than average, but the bulk of the earpiece is perfectly balanced outside of the ear, so they fit pretty well. The charging case is also a little larger than most wireless earphones I’ve used, but it’s slim and lightweight, so it’s easy to carry. The elongated profile also makes it easy to open and close, which is nice. In addition, the earbuds snap tightly into place magnetically, so you don’t have to worry about them falling out of the case.

Regarding comfort, the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds are some of the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever worn. The ear tips are soft and flexible, and they fit snugly in your ears without causing any discomfort.

The “fit-wings” also provide welcome balance and support so the earbuds stay firmly in place. The earbuds are also IPX5 “waterproof” rated, which makes them perfect for working out or running in the rain.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Feature

The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds is outstanding but not quite up to the level of class leaders like Sony or Bose. Each earbud has three beamforming microphones on each earbud that work together to cancel out external noise when listening to music and during phone calls.

I tested the ANC feature in my bathroom with a very noisy exhaust fan, and it was able to block out about 75%-80% of the noise, allowing me to hear a fair amount of detail in my music.

The ANC feature also has two modes: a standard mode and a transparency mode. Unfortunately, there’s no way to adjust the noise canceling strength like you can on other models; you only have one intensity. The transparency mode lets you hear your surroundings while listening to your music. This is a nice feature for people who want to be aware of their surroundings while walking or running outside.

The Between 3ANC’s transparency mode didn’t sound quite as natural as the crystal-clear transparency mode on my Apple AirPods Pro, which I consider a reference, but it’s close. They are on par with my reference for Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

Between 3ANC Review: Battery Life and Charging

The battery life of the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds is pretty impressive. The earbuds have a battery life of up to 12 hours on a single charge with ANC off and 8 hours with Noise Cancelling on.

These earbuds also have a wireless charging feature, which allows you to charge the case and earbuds on any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad. The charging case can also be charged via the included USB-C cable.

Between 3ANC Review: Connectivity and Controls

The Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds have Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, which provides a quick and reliable connection. Removing the earbuds from the case automatically turns them on, and placing them back in the case turns them off.

Additionally, you can use the left or right earbuds independently if you wish. Supported BT audio codecs include SBC and AAC.

The earbuds have intuitive button and touch controls that allow you to operate most functions. The touch controls on the side of each earpiece will enable you to play/pause music, skip tracks, answer/end calls, and control volume. In addition, the buttons on top of each earbud activate ANC/Transparency modes and the voice assistant.

In addition, with a triple button press on either earbud, you can get a battery status announcement, a cool feature I’m seeing for the first time.

Furthermore, you can control certain functions using the companion app. With the new Between 3ANC App (iOS and Android), you can switch ANC settings, modify the headphone EQ to suit your preferences or opt for one of the three pre-set audio signatures. You can also do over-the-air firmware updates.

I found the app to be well laid out and easy to use, but it took almost 10-20 secs to find and connect to the Between 3ANC at times, which is a bit long for me.

As you can see, this is a feature-rich pair of earbuds, providing the majority of features you would expect at this price point. However, there are some other features I would’ve liked to see, like a wear sensor to pause playback when the earbuds are removed from the ear, and support for higher data rate BT codecs like LDAC or aptX HD.

Between 3ANC Review: Sound Quality

For this review, I connected the Between 3ANC to my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and played a bunch of test tracks from TIDAL. Out of the box, they had a clean, lively, V-shaped sound with a lot of emphasis on the bass and treble.

The emphasis on the low end came as no surprise, as the company advertises a focus on sub-bass, namely the part of the music that rocks you out of your seat at a concert.

This tuning sounded best with genres such as hip-hop and electronic music, where the bass is more prominent. However, they still sounded great with other genres, such as rock and pop. They definitely have that rhythmic, live concert feel reminiscent of a pair of large JBL monitor speakers.

That said, for more audiophile-oriented genres like Jazz or acoustic music, I found the low end to be a bit distracting at times, overwhelming the lower mids and adding a bit of bloom.

Most people like a heavy dollop of bass in their earbuds, so it’s understanding they would provide that emphasis right off the bat. On the other hand, they also market their products to audiophiles like myself, who may prefer more balance.

To that end, Status has split the baby, so to speak, by providing three pre-set audio signatures, which you can change via the app. The “Audiophile” sound signature is the most neutral tuning and the one I like the most. I still wouldn’t consider it flat since you still have some emphasis in the sub-bass, but it’s pretty balanced overall.

There’s also the “Original Between Pro” signature, which is meant to mimic the warm, bassy tuning of the original Between earbuds, and this is definitely a setting for the bass heads out there.

Lastly, there’s the “Status Signature” setting which is basically between the Audiophile and Original flavors, and it’s the one most people will probably land on. Again, there’s still some emphasis on the ends of the sound spectrum, like the Original tuning, but not as extreme, so it should play nicely with most genres of music.

Besides the pre-set tuning options, you also have a fully customizable EQ, which should please audiophiles who like to tweak to a finer degree. You can also save several different EQ settings, each with its own user-selectable name.

Listening to one of my favorite test tracks, “It’s A Man’s World” by Abraham Rodriguez Jr. and Avishai Cohen (from the “Iroko” album), using the Audiophile sound setting, I found the Between 3ANC to have a nice, rich, airy presentation with lots of detail throughout the audioband.

The Congas and Upright Bass were a bit too vibrant with the bass emphasis inherent in the 3ANC’s tonal balance, but that also added some nice weight and richness to the infectious presentation. Additionally, the sharp dynamics kept my head nodding and provided good depth to the sound.

Not only that, the blend of the sound crossing over from the dual BA drivers to the dynamic driver was impeccable. There are a lot of hybrid driver earbuds hitting the market right now, and very few of them manage to make them sound cohesive like the 3ANC does.

In addition, I was also impressed by the resolution of these earphones, especially since they don’t use any high-bitrate BT codecs. Nevertheless, they did an excellent job of conveying the different characters of each instrument, along with separating out all the elements of the mix.

The Status Between 3ANC is the only true wireless earphone that I know of with three drivers, and I think they did a great job of leveraging them to extract detail and depth from the music.

I just wish they would’ve put a little less emphasis on the sub-bass and allowed the vocals to shine through a little bit more.

Conclusion: Is it Worth Buying Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds?

After testing the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds, I can say they are some of the best-sounding wireless earbuds out there in terms of separation and detail. They are also some of the best-looking earbuds, and their comfort/fit is also among the best. They may be the most comfortable and secure earbuds I’ve ever used.

While they don’t support as many BT codecs as other wireless earbuds, this is a minor issue for most people. It’s also hard to tell because they sound pretty good. That said, I wish they were a little more balanced, but that can be rectified somewhat with the app EQ. Additionally, many people will like the lively, dynamic “concert style” presentation.

If ANC is the main reason you’re buying these earphones, know you’ll probably find stronger ANC in the class leaders like Sony, Bose, Samsung, or even Apple, but keep in mind, none of those will have the overall detail or resolution of the Between 3ANC due to its masterful leveraging of triple drivers.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a pair of wireless earbuds that offer top-notch sound quality with plenty of bass and noise-canceling capabilities, then the Status Audio Between 3ANC Wireless Earbuds are definitely worth considering.

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